The residents of Bickerstaffe Ward turned out in force in last week’s local elections to drive home their opposition to the recent Local Plan Preferred Option which promised to decimate large areas of Green Belt, agricultural land.
Newly elected OWL Councillor, Ian Rigby, told QLocal yesterday: “The high turnout on the 2nd May reflected the strength of feeling that was evident on the doorstep during my campaign.
"The anger towards the Labour proposals was tangible and there was little confidence that the promises to rescind the planned development in Bickerstaffe would be delivered.”“Written statements by former Labour Councillor for the Ward, Mr Paul Cotterill and present Labour representative, Mr Paul Dickie, both confirmed that the housing and industrial park development plans intended for Bickerstaffe had been scrapped and that a new version of the Local Plan Preferred Option would now be prepared.
"However, this is not consistent with official statements from the Council, which has agreed a short delay in the timetable for the presentation of the final version of the Local Plan until July 2019.
"Considering the weight of opposition raised during the public consultation, it is surely doubtful that any meaningful changes can be accommodated in such a short timeframe.
"The threat to West Lancashire from excessive housing development therefore remains a real one and only a wholesale rethink of the proposals will suffice if residents’ confidence is to be restored.”