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April 9th, 2013 A new planning application has been submitted by Network rail for a road to link the loco works with Station Raod. It is unclear whether the land is in the greenbelt
The design and access statement states “ the new access in itself will not give rise to any traffic generation,” having previously stated “ The Transport Statement submitted with this application discusses this in further detail. However, in summary this Statement demonstrated that there is sufficient capacity at the proposed access junction and wider highway network to support a 500 unit residential development on NR land (which would be in accordance with the density requirements set out in the SPD. The assessments also show that the access junction has capacity to accommodate further development at the Horwich Loco Works Site ”
Application 89722
April 8th, 2013 ∏ Pi is an infinite, non-repeating decimal – meaning that every possible number combination exists somewhere in Pi.
Converted into ASCII text, somewhere in that infinite string of digits is the name of every person you will ever love, the date, time, and manner of your death, every planiing application and every enforcement notice – and the answers to all the great questions of the universe.
Converted into a bitmap, somewhere in that infinite string of digits is a pixel-perfect representation of the first thing you saw on this earth, the last thing you will see before your life leaves you, and all the moments, momentous and mundane, that will occur between those two points.
All information that has ever existed or will ever exist, the DNA of every being in the universe, EVERYTHING: all contained in the ratio of a circumference and a diameter.
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Infinite (ie never ending) is an interesting concept.
BHEAG understand a number of residents on Nightingale Road have received letters from Bolton Council regarding potential breaches of planning condition. Despite having written in the officers report – for Wind Turbine at Douglas Valley Golf Course. -
“The applicant submits garden extensions to dwellings on Nightingale Road contained a landscape condition for the new rear boundaries and it has not been complied with and would screen the turbines. Officers consider landscaping bounds the rear boundaries in varying formats. Even if the condition has not been fulfilled, individual and cumulative landscaping has since been added by residents. Officers do not consider a breach of condition therefore expedient to pursue.”
It is our understanding that
i) Properties 42 to 62 were allowed extensions to the garden with no conditions placed on the approval (23939/84).
ii) Properties 24 & 26 (79945/08 & 79949/08) required that “details of the treatment to all boundaries to the site shall be submitted to and approved by the LPA”
iii) Properties 28 – 40 and 8 & 10 (39804/91 & 38067/90) required a hedge to be provided along the north eastern boundary, which seems to have been done.
February 26th, 2013
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This video was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled “u @ 50″ by AARP and the video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. It is so simple and yet so brilliant.
Please take the time to watch and listen
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February 14th, 2013 That would be Chorley council
The council says people are “fed up” that planning applications for greenfield sites are constantly being won on appeal after being refused by the authority.
Chorley Council is writing to Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, asking for the Government to “stick to its word” and support the borough.
The full story can be found here Chorley Guardian
November 30th, 2012 It is often difficult to understand when special circumstances outweigh the harm in the greenbelt. The appeal decision from Douglas Valley and now Matchmoor suggests the boundary is significantly further towards refusing applications than previously thought in Bolton.
The Matchmoor turbine planning inspector -J.P. Watson BSc MICE FCIHT MCMI - summarised -
19 “In summary, I have found that the appeal proposal would be harmful to the Green Belt by virtue of inappropriateness, limited loss of openness, and limited visual harm. I attribute substantial weight to the harm to the Green Belt. And I also attribute substantial weight to the risk to public safety by virtue of the effect of turbines such as this on horses.
Whether the harm is clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to approve the proposal
22. I balance the benefit that the appeal proposal would bring, against the harm to the Green Belt and the risk to public safety I have identified. I am not satisfied that the potential harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations. Therefore the very special circumstances necessary to justify approval of this inappropriate development in the Green Belt are not found.
23 The Appellant draws attention to appeal decisions elsewhere, in which wind turbine proposals were allowed in areas of outstanding natural beauty, national parks or the Green Belt. I am in no doubt that circumstances can arise in which wind turbines in the Green Belt can meet the test set by paragraph 88 of the Framework. And, in the current appeal, the wider environmental benefits associated with the scheme are among the circumstances of the case. But I do not find that those circumstances taken together are very special. I have considered this and all other matters raised and conclude that the appeal should be dismissed.”
November 28th, 2012 At a rather interesting / unruly meeting, organised by Blackrod Town Council, last night, when in the region of 150 people attended. The Leader of Bolton Council, Councillor Cliff Morris announced that the Community Centre - including the car park and playing fields would be removed from the LDF housing allocation – meaning it is safe for another 14 years (at least). He also indicated that he would look at funding improvement to the centre.
The playing fields at Manchester Road however was retained in the plan – allocated for 20 homes.
It was requested that Cllr Morris visit the site -in particular to see access provisions , which are currently causing great concern to those most directly affected.
We would urge residents to submit their comments regarding Manchester Road.
Details of the allocation plan can be found here
A form to submit comments can be found Consultation-response-form-2
November 23rd, 2012 Blackrod Town Council is to hold a public meeting in order to facilitate further discussion on the proposals to develop the Manchester Road playing field and the Community Centre, carpark and associated playing field, as identified in Bolton council’s draft allocation plan
The meeting will include an outline of the proposals to be given by an Officer from Bolton Council’s Development & Regeneration Department.
The meeting will take place at Blackrod Church School, Vicarage Road, Blackrod on
Tuesday November 27th at 7pm
Details of the allocation plan can be found here
A form to submit comments (if you have not already done so) can be found Consultation-response-form-2
November 9th, 2012 Chorley Councillors , believed they had no choice but to approve controversial plans for 170 houses on the green fields of Adlington, so they wrote to Eric Pickles – Secretary of State to ask for the application to be called in. This means the planning permission cannot be granted – until he has considered all the issues. If approved the development will have consequences across the Chorley Borough.
UPDATE
The Secretary of State Mr Eric Pickles has issued a holding notice on the planning application that was controversially passed for the land off Bolton Road. This means that the council cannot grant planning permission until the Secretary of State has had chance to consider it.
Councillor Dennis Edgerley is urging all residents to lobby the minister, Eric Pickles MP. The more strength of feeling on the proposed development the more chance of getting the right outcome.
This development will affect the whole of Adlinton village and onwards to Blackrod and Horwich open the flood gates for other large developments on green fields in the village.
A suggested letter can be found HERE
November 7th, 2012 A public meeting has been arranged by Blackrod Council, for 27 November , to start at 7pm at Blackrod Church School Hall – to discuss the consultation regarding The Blackrod Community Centre, associated car park, playing fields and associated changing rooms and also the playing field at Manchester Road. Blackrod Council and all Blackrod Councillors have expressed there concerns and their strong objections to the proposals.
In October (2011) Bolton Council released a draft plan for the whole of the Bolton Metropolitan area, which includes in addition to Blackrod the communities of Horwich, Westhoughton, Farnworth and Little Lever, plus the whole of Bolton. This plan attempts to identify unused land which can be allocated for future housing use. The proposals inlude Blackrod Community Centre, car park and football pitch – 39 houses and the green playing field behind residential properties on Manchester Road.
The Community Centre and the football field, together with the car park, are used by Blackrod children and older residents on a daily basis. There is a play group in the Community Centre five days a week. There are evening classes for older residents such as keep fit and martial arts plus other functions throughout the year that will be lost should these plans go ahead.
Similarly the open play area behind Manchester Road which is used regularly by our young children for less formal activities would be lost.
On top of the problems that Blackrod currently suffer regarding the lack of play facilities we also suffer from severe lack of parking spaces and public transport. Why then would we want to lose a well used car park at the Community Centre?
In the first stage of the consultation across the whole of the Bolton Metropolitan Area, , concerns from Blackrod represent some 25% of all the objections for all the many other proposals Bolton-wide.
The public meeting will take place on Tuesday November 27th at 6:45 pm (for 7pm) at Blackrod Church school , Vicarage Road, Blackrod
Details of the allocation plan can be found here
A form to submit comments (if you have not already done so) can be found Consultation-response-form-2
October 29th, 2012 PLEASE NOTE THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED
Groundwork is 1 of 15 national pilots delivering a Catchment Pilot for the River Douglas in partnership with DEFRA and the EA. The project seeks to pilot a catchment based approach to managing water quality in the Douglas catchment area. Within this, Groundwork will be working with key local partners and DEFRA bodies, to indentify priorities for the management of water quality in the area, engage wider stakeholders and communities in the water quality agenda, and derive an inclusive catchment plan which will help indentify and prioritise interventions within the catchment.
Delivering the pilot will be through a range of methodologies- one of which is the delivery of a River Walkover which will take place on the 8th November, with the walk starting near the source of the Douglas at the West Pennine Moors and heading downstream towards Horwich stopping at a variety of locations along the way. It is hoped to have a mix of stakeholders, agencies and members of the public on the walkover- to achieve good collaboration and cross learning.
Groundwork are hoping to deliver further river walkover routes in the new year in partnership with the EA, so will keep your group posted about these also.
Meet Thursday 8 November at Hilton Table Tennis Club, Nuttall Avenue Horwich – lunch will be provided.
If you wish to attend please contact BHEAG@Hotmail.com
October 26th, 2012 The application to build 170 homes close to the Blackrod border will be considered by Chorley Council Tuesday 30 October at 6.30pm. This is in addition to the 76 ?? homes already in the process of being built near Adlington Railway station.
The planning officer is recommending approval.
Objection is complicated by the fact that the land has been included in proposals in the Local Development Framework – similar to Blackrod Community Centre and the Land at Manchester Road, in Blackrod.
Objectors to the Land off Bolton Road development are encouraging supporters to attend the Planning Meeting at Chorley Town Hall and have even arranged a bus.
More information can be found here
October 14th, 2012 The Energy Act 2011 includes provisions for the new ‘Green Deal’, which intends to reduce carbon emissions cost effectively by revolutionising the energy efficiency of British properties.
The new innovative Green Deal financial mechanism eliminates the need to pay upfront for energy efficiency measures and instead provides reassurances that the cost of the measures should be covered by savings on the electricity bill.
ECO
A new Energy Company Obligation will integrate with the Green Deal, allowing supplier subsidy and Green Deal Finance to come together into one seamless offer to the consume
As of 2 October 2012 the legal framework for the Green Deal is in place. This regulatory green light signals to industry that the market can now get started.
In practice it means that Green Deal providers, assessors and installers can start to become authorised, and display the Green Deal Quality Mark, and put in place their systems for delivering assessments to consumers – although consumers won’t be able to sign up to a Green Deal finance plan until 28th January 2013.
The Green Deal will remove the biggest barriers to demand for energy efficiency solutions, opening up the market for more participants and giving people more choice.
From late January, Green Deal Providers will be able to offer Green Deal plans to consumers and begin delivering energy efficiency and heating measures and go on to meet the Government’s ambitions for a major programme of national energy efficiency retrofit.
The Green Deal will empower consumers by giving them new ways of funding home improvements, and empower businesses by enabling them to compete for energy efficiency opportunities in new and innovative ways. It will boost the low carbon economy by supporting up to 60,000 jobs in the insulation sector alone by 2015, up from around 26,000 today.
The Green Deal could see British homes and businesses save enough energy to power 1 million homes in 2020.
Businesses wanting to find out about the Green Deal for the first time can find out more on the Green Deal Industry pages or contact the Green Deal Oversight & Registration Body.
More information can be found here
If you want to see the National heatmap – click here (Notre put filter on heat map, and put Blackrod in search box at top right hand side
September 25th, 2012 Despite hundreds of responses from Blackrod residents objecting to proposals the green spaces in Blackrod are still under threat. The Two Towns forum has recorded its objections, as has Blackrod Town Council.
Allocation plan
Draft Allocation:responses to consultation
The council has considered all the responses it has received regarding the Draft Plan. In March 2012 the Government issued the National Planning Policy Framework and a new planning policy for traveller sites. The council is carrying out further consultation on the changes it is proposing to make as a result of comments on the Draft Plan and the new national planning advice.
Blackrod Community Centre: Development has the potential to improve the appearance of the site; however it would result in the loss of a well used community centre and football pitch. Any development would need to mitigate this through the replacement of these facilities nearby. Change proposed: NO
Manchester Road: Strategy policy CG1 allows development on informal greenspace like Manchester Road (125sc) within the urban area provided it allows for improvements of remaining greenspace and helps meet strategic housing objectives. This loss should be mitigated through improvements to other public space nearby and new housing taking into account the character of the existing housing. Change proposed: NO
Shawbury close: Shawbury Close (124SC) has value as open space. Change proposed: Proposed housing site Shawbury Close 124sc to be deleted
The closing date for consultation is 14 December 2012, and all comments should be returned to the council by that date. Comments cannot be treated as confidential. At this stage comments can only be made on the proposed changes, not on the original Draft Plan; comments from the previous stage will be taken into account when the council gets to the next stage of plan preparation.
Next stages
After the additional consultation, the council will publish the Allocations Plan. This will be the version of the Plan that the council intends to adopt. Representations will be invited on this published plan for a period of six weeks. The council will then submit the Plan to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. A Planning Inspector will carry out an examination to assess whether the Plan is sound, and anybody who made a representation at publication stage will be entitled to appear at the examination hearings. The inspector will report on the Plan, and the council will adopt it in the light of the report.
The timetable for the remaining stages are as follows:
Publication: New Year 2013
Submission to the Secretary of State: Summer 2013
Start of public examination hearings: Autumn 2013
Adoption of the Plan: Spring 2014
The council will produce a revised Local Development Scheme to reflect the amended timetable.
We have until 14 December 2012
you may email your comments to ldfconsultation@bolton.gov.uk
or a copy of the form can be found Consultation response form (2)
Meanwhile it is being proposed that grey bins are collected every two weeks, rather than every week. This is already the case in several areas in Blackrod.
To see the details and make your comments see HERE
August 7th, 2012 Plans have been re submitted by fox for the development of Land Surrounding Huyton Terrace Previously Baly Place Farm Bolton Road Adlington Lancashire.
They have submitted their revised plans for the housing development of 170 houses and demolition of No 74 and 76 Bolton Road to make way for the estate entrance, click on the link below. The site is now further away from the Blackrod border.
This is in addition to c 50 houses already approved along side the railway
Dont forget – if you submitted an comment regarding the previous application – this does not count towards this application ie you will need to make a new comment submission
12/00741/OUTMAJ
More details to follow
July 12th, 2012 They keep getting bigger
This one is 79.6m to the tip ( hub height 55,.6m) Planning application 88335/12
No further information is available on line at this time.
It is however understood that the turbine is very close to livery stables.
Horwich Parkway……… .24.8m ……….. in situ
matchmoor ……….. 34.2m …………. refused – appealed
Douglas Valley ……….. 45 m ………… refused – appealed
Chadwick ……….. 3 x 66m …………. refused (appeal and re-submission expected)
Birches Farm…………. 66m ………….. being considered 19 July 2012 (public invited) – bigger turbine application expected
Walker Fold ……….. 79.6m ………….. application received
With the exception of Horwich Parkway (Which we believe fails to meet statutory guidlines due to proximity to the rail line) all these turbines are within 500m of residential property.
Meanwhile 88209/12 | RESTORATION OF LAND BY IMPORTING SUB-SOILS AND INERT MATERIALS (TO ALLOW FUTURE USE FOR AGRICULTURE AND GRAZING OF LIVESTOCK) | LAND AT HORWICH MOOR FARM, MATCHMOOR LANE, HORWICH, BOLTON, BL6 6PR
The application which would see materials being tipped onto this site of Biological Importance. It could also mean even more lorries going up and down Church Street past the school with this waste material.
The Council’s Greenspace officer and an officer from the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit have already written in to recommend refusal.
Link to application is here
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