Make Your Views Count!
Jun 15th, 2010 by David
Here’s the link to Go Ape’s application on Chorley’s online planning system:
Comments and objections need to be made before 5th July. Its quick and easy on line – it takes no more than 5 minutes to make your views heard.
Here’s what I put in my objection:
The 1902 Lever Park act provides for free and uninterrupted access to the park as a natural resource, not a developed attraction.
This new development further commercialises the park and reduces the valuable and scarce resource of unspoilt countryside.
This new development represents a case of planning ‘creep’ whereby more and more of Lever Park is annexed into the Go Ape course.
Its against Chorley’s own policies, as Chorley Local Plan Review states: “Development will not be permitted if it would lead to the loss of, or cause harm to, the historic character or setting of any part of a Park or Garden of Special Historic Interest as defined on the Proposals Map. Pedestrian access to these areas by historic paths and routes will also be protected and maintained”.
Go Ape provides an inappropriate ‘Blackpool Pleasure Beach’ ambience to a quiet, rural area. It is therefore inappropriate to extend the course further.
David,
The planning application states that it is an additional zip wire within the course.
Who’s telling porkies…… the additional zip wire goes outside the boundary of the course.
And if it’s a new planning application, then where is the tree survey that would fulfill the statutary requirements. (they can’t use the one submitted for another application) that was flawed.
Town and Country statutory requirements state: If there are trees on the application site it will be essential that these are properly identified on the plans.
BS5837: Trees in relation to construction (2005) it states: It is essential that the tree survey is accurate and detailed and should include an indication of those trees to be retained and felled. It should specify the location, species, age, condition, size and crown spread of each tree within the site and any on adjoining land. The survey plan should be provided at a scale of 1:200 and should be numbered to match the schedule of trees in the report.
The canopy of trees to be retained should be indicated solid green and those proposed to be felled should be edged with a dashed green line.
Policy EP9 of the Adopted Chorley Borough Local Plan Review refers to this requirement to facilitate the proper consideration of the application.
And lets not forget that the Council has failed to comply with its Statement of community involvement”
http://www.chorley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=7
And last but not least: any planning consent given would be challenging the 1902 Liverpool Corporation Act and the restrictions set out within the Act.
This was tried in 1997 and failed, they even tried to get a new bill through Parliament to alter the contents of the 1902 Act.
So therefore any planning consent that would ignore the over riding interests within the Act would face the possibility of a legal challenge (Judicial Review)