Members of WAAID met with Andy Carter on Friday, 16th June to discuss Greenbelt concerns across Warrington. We highlighted members’ concerns about local democracy to ensure fair representation across all areas of Warrington at the Local Plan hearings for September.
Andy was supportive throughout the meeting and is an advocate for brownfield first. We highlighted that there are now over 3,700 empty residential properties across Warrington which could be brought back into use to reduce greenbelt development.
Andy responded by stating that it would be difficult to locate the home owners for such a large number of empty properties. This could potentially be alleviated by increasing council tax for properties that have remained unoccupied over a period of time.
Andy stated that the protection of our greenspaces are determined by the majority vote of Warrington councillors who decide what gets built and where.
We must continue to highlight the impact on wildlife and our ecosystems including ecological assessments of ie. badger sets, birds and other wildlife whilst arguing for a ‘significant site’ to be taken out of the Local Plan.
As an action group, we can stop the destruction of our greenbelt and countryside by changing our councillors through the ballot box.
Andy has agreed to offer us ongoing advice regarding due processes and procedures in the future.
