Barthomley residents sign petition against plans to build 1,000 homes
PROTESTERS fighting plans to build 1,000 houses in their village have handed over an 800-name petition.
Residents in Barthomley, near Crewe, are fighting the proposals by the Duchy of Lancaster which owns the land.
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CAMPAIGN: Sam Fox, aged 13, and Katie Platt, aged seven, joined the protest. Picture: Chris Huthwaite.
They have already secured one concession with the number of proposed houses reduced from 2,500 to 1,000.
But villagers do not want 1,000 houses either and say the plans threaten their livelihoods.
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The petition was handed to Crewe and Nantwich MP Edward Timpson during a protest outside the White Lion pub on Saturday morning.
Retired Roger Belcher, who has lived in Barthomley for 22 years, said: "If this development goes ahead then it will undoubtedly impact on the village.
"In fact the whole country will be effected because it will erode yet another green space.
"It is robbing young people and young farmers of their future."
Villagers have set up the Barthomley Action Group (BAG) to fight the proposals.
Committee member Emma Parkes, aged 35, who lives in Barthomley and teaches in Nantwich, said: "We are trying to reach people to join the fight and now have a Twitter and Facebook account to put information out there.
"We are getting a lot of support and positive responses from people which is encouraging."
The Duchy of Lancaster's overall proposal includes developing around 600 acres of open countryside around Barthomley and Oakhanger to create a 'network of villages' and an 'employment destination'. The proposal includes thousands of houses and three 'employment villages'.
Farmer Winston Baldwin, aged 63, of Oakhanger, said: "The infrastructure would not be able to cope with such a scheme.
"Developers may think it is a good idea on paper but in 20 years time they will look back and see they have made a mistake."
BAG chairman Viv Belcher said: "We want as many people as possible to make formal objections.
"We are pulling together a fighting fund for the next stage which will hopefully cover legal costs and any input from a planning professional."
Mr Timpson said: "There has been a great turnout for what is a small rural community. "
Villagers can have their say on Cheshire East Council's Local Plan, which will be used to develop planning policy, until February 25.
4 Comments
by pottersfreak6
Tuesday, February 05 2013, 10:33AM
“Dont expect any help from MP Timpson he was only there for electioneering purposes,he will toe the party line whatever ! All of them are under instructions (allegedly) to support green belt building projects.
If they want an industrial estate theirs one underused at Radway Green so spend money and put that to proper use !”
by stevenweiss
Monday, February 04 2013, 11:05PM
“Barthomley, Oakhanger, the residents have surely enough on their plate with the row from the M6. They really don't need the threat of 1000 houses and whatever the **** an 'employment village' is. I suspect 'employment village' to be council-speak for 'retail park' or possibly 'industrial estate'. Well..the nearby Crewe Gates estate has plenty of spare units..let businesses go there...as has the Radway Green 'employment village'. Established businesses, not some starry-eyed councillor must be the drive for the building of industrial estates. Building an 'employment park' is speculative, cock-eyed wishful thinking. So 1000 houses and businesses to employ 1000 workers, right? Two supermarkets and a car park to let the new village dwellers get food. Why not just not bother? Everyone's happy!! Everyone in Barthomley & Oakhanger is already employed or retired.....slackers don't buy nice houses in that part of the county. Turning villages into towns, towns into conurbations, urban sprawl, traffic, noise, concrete, yobs, speeding, fumes, gridlock...someone give these planners a good shake.”
by Darrenjp
Monday, February 04 2013, 10:14PM
“We have no concession, the plan is still to build 2500 houses, but phased in over time. Part of the proposal from the Duchy of Lancaster and Cheshire East Council is to build 3 large industrial estates, all would be in the green belt and one of the industrial areas would be within 200 yards of the conservation area.
A development of this scale would be devastating, it would destroy 600 acres of quality agricultural land, and at least 8 tenant farmers would be removed from their homes and work place.
This would turn Barthomley in to a village the size of Alsager, an extra 10,000 cars within a mile of junction 16 would be disastrous.
BARTHOMLEY ACTION GROUP
SAVE BARTHOMLEY
STOP THE BARTHOMLEY DEVELOPMENT
NO FUTURE FOR YOUNG FARMERS”
by Darrenjp
Monday, February 04 2013, 9:58PM
“THE VILLAGE WE ONCE KNEW
I wonder what Wordsworth would say,
When all the green fields have turned to grey?
No yellow daffodils I see,
Just fields of concrete in front of me.
Gone are the hedges, oaks and ash,
How true the saying
Oil means cash.
Houses of grey render or
Tainted white,
Turn back the clocks,
That can't be right!
How I long for the days gone by,
Green fields and bluebells too,
Horse cheshnuts and morning dew,
With conkers in a month or two.\we like or fields of green, let them stay,
"PLEASE DO"
Or it may be too late, we need to appreciate,
The village we all once knew.
By Tracey Greenhough”