WE HAVE STARTED FLASHMOB PROTESTS TODAY SUN 15TH JUNE, ON SEFTON PARK MEADOWS. This means regular protests of local people on the Meadows – whenever we have the time and opportunity.Go with your dog, banner, bike, a book, family, or whatever. JUST STAND THERE, DO A SELFIE IF YOU CAN AND SEND IT TO THE MAYOR, LOCAL PRESS AND YOUR COUNCILLOR – AS WELL AS TO FACEBOOK AND OUR CAMPAIGN. WHY?
Liverpool City Council has already instructed surveyors to make a topographical survey and start assessing ground and soil conditions for housing development on Sefton Park Meadows – before they have even announced publicly who the developer is, or submitted a planning application! Campaigners watched in horror as two men in high viz jackets from Survey & Design Ltd of Leigh started to mark out positions with a GPS survey pole at 8.30am on Mon 9th June . On Thurs 12th June , ALM Consult from Skelmersdale, came out drilling for survey soil samples on the Meadows.
Local resident and Chair of Save Sefton Park Meadows Campaign Ken Aspinall asked Survey & Design if they were hired to survey all of the Meadows and they confirmed they were. They politely refused to divulge who they were working for, claiming ‘client confidentiality’.
Ken had emailed Nick Kavanagh, Director of Regeneration at LCC in April to ask when the preferred developer would be made public. The reply was :
” Dear Ken,
Thank you for your email of 17th April.
Following an initial evaluation of the bids received officers are currently carrying out further due diligence. Until this is completed no formal decision will be taken regarding the selection and announcement of the preferred developer. We are looking to conclude this element of the process by June. Therefore any planning application is unlikely to be submitted by the developer before September.
I will contact you further once a formal decision has been taken regarding the appointment of the preferred developer.”
We are now in June, surveyors have been out several times this week – and still Liverpool City Council will not reveal the house builder who will be seeking to build on this historic and highly valued green open space.
WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR? WHAT ARE THEY AFRAID OF?
Ken Aspinall emailed Nick Kavanagh and Mayor Anderson again on 12th June to demand:
1. Why are contractors taking soil samples and carrying out a topographical survey of Sefton Park Meadows before Liverpool City Council have announced who the preferred developer is for Sefton Park Meadows?
2. Who is the preferred developer for Sefton Park Meadows?
3. What is the proposed timescale for publishing a planning application for Sefton Park Meadows?
4. Liverpool City Council announced last week plans to build 1500 new homes across Liverpool but would not identify the sites for these homes until September to allow for consultation with communities before identifying the sites. Why have local people never been consulted over proposals to build housing on Sefton Park Meadows?
5. Why is Liverpool City Council not being open with the people of Liverpool?
We expect the developer to be announced as Redrow Housing, given recent publicity over their partnerships with LCC on new housing projects.
WHY DON’T YOU COME OUT REDROW AND TELL US IF YOU ARE THE DEVELOPER WANTING TO BUILD ON OUR BEAUTIFUL SEFTON PARK MEADOWS!