THE VOICE FOR AND WEST NEIGHBOURHOOD FORUM

PARKSIDE PUBLIC ENQUIRY - COMMUNITY IMPACT STATEMENT

Author Susan Spibey, Vice-Chair

This document is provided to the Parkside Public Enquiry. It is a statement of the likely impact that the proposed Parkside development will have on the villages of Golborne and Lowton as perceived by local residents.

The Traffic, Transport and Pollution impact has been fully documented by the Chair of LaGTAC Professor Graham Wardle on behalf of the Neighbourhood Forum members and joins to formally object to the following St Helens Council applications P/2018/0048/OUP and P/2018/0249/FUL, requesting that they are withdrawn with immediate effect and not presented for further approval at a later date.

Golborne and Lowton West is a local authority ward of Council. As a Wigan Council Ward, in the wider context, Golborne and Lowton West comes under the Greater Combined Authority. This means the Ward is also part of ’s Plan for Homes, Jobs, and the Environment (the spatial framework) which has been put together by Greater Manchester Combined Authority comprising the Mayor of Greater Manchester and the leaders of Greater Manchester's ten local councils. It is about providing the right homes, in the right places, for people across the city region. In addition creating jobs and improving infrastructure to ensure the future prosperity of everyone who lives and works in Greater Manchester, therefore reducing inequalities and improving lives. There is a major effort planned to respond to climate change and create a circular economy.

The spatial framework intends to:

• make the most of Greater Manchester’s brownfield sites, prioritising the redevelopment of town centres and other sustainable locations • ensure there is an overall reduction in proposed green belt release of more than 50%, reducing the loss of green belt within sites, and proposing additions to the green belt • identify the amount of new development that will come forward across the 10 districts, in terms of housing, offices, and industry and warehousing, and the main areas in which this will be focused; • support the delivery of key infrastructure, such as transport and utilities; • protect the important environmental assets across the city region; • allocate sites for employment and housing outside of the existing urban area; and • define a new green belt boundary for Greater Manchester

Geographically, Golborne and Lowton West finds itself precisely on the ‘boundary’ of Greater Manchester and [respectively east and west of the villages] together with the Cheshire boundary moving up to 100m south of the A580 ‘East Road’. The mid-point is precisely ‘Golborne Island’ on the A580 making Golborne and Lowton West equi-distance distance from both city centres of and Manchester and in addition one mile from the M6 Junction 23 making it major east west and north-south arterial routes.

The political boundary changes of 1974 took Golborne and Lowton out of Lancashire. Up to 1974 the villages were managed by their own Urban District Council. The upheaval following these changes destroyed many of the ‘communities’ which had been built up over the past thousand plus years. This, combined with the demise of one of the north’s major industries – coal mining, led to complete economic collapse. The recovery is only now really beginning, in particular for Golborne and Lowton West, making the development of a Neighbourhood Plan a critical instrument for regeneration and future prosperity.

Key Targets for the Neighbourhood Plan

There are a number of key targets which the plan has identified as critical and include:

• Road Traffic reduction and improved management

The precise location of Golborne and Lowton West is the mid-point between Manchester and Liverpool, , Wigan and St Helens, and practically adjacent to the M6 J23/J22. Increases in road traffic and particular increases in road transport and road users through increased house building without new infrastructure impact heavily on Golborne and Lowton West. Major pieces of work on gathering evidence have been undertaken and presented in the Plan which is now in process.

• Rail Enhancement Services

Significant to the reduction of road traffic use is the proposal to re-open railway stations. The Beeching Strategy closed a large number of local stations. Some lines became roads and many remain unused. A major campaign to reopen Golborne Station and Kenyon Junction together with regular shuttle bus services to Newton le Willows is now in action.

The proposed HS2 service from Crewe to Scotland is planned to pass through Golborne and Lowton West ‘by passing’ Warrington. There will be no benefit to Golborne and Lowton West since the trains will not be stopping until Preston. The proposed ‘HS3 service’ which would connect and upgrade the lines from Liverpool across the in the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ presents greater opportunities for everyone in the region.

• Neighbourhood Plan and Timetable

The Neighbourhood Plan will be completed in Spring 2021 and will include plans for housing, economic regeneration, environmental protection and plans for enhancing green spaces.

Impact on ‘My Community’

The Neighbourhood Plan provides an opportunity for the people of Golborne and Lowton West to shape their community and significantly reduce the pollution and traffic impact.

It is well recognised that the plans for Parkside in terms of environmental pollution [prevailing westerly winds]; proposed traffic management and road transport volume will in no way impact St Helens itself but significantly impact every east, north and south of the site.

The plans are significantly flawed and it is for this reason that the Neighbourhood Forum is making this statement.