Lowton East Neighbourhood Development Forum (LENDF)
Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 9 December 2019, at Lowton Social Club
- Chair – Ed Thwaite,
- Cllr James Grundy, Cllr Kath Houlton
- Minutes taken by – Gill Turner
- Apologies: Cllr Edward Houlton
LENDF Meeting 9 December 2019
No. of attendees – 46
Minutes from last meeting – not read at meeting but copies had been sent out by email, posted onto Facebook and paper copies were available.
Welcome to Guests and New Visitors
(New visitors invited from TRAFFIC ACTION GROUP for Lowton & Golborne)
PRESENTATIONS
The Group welcomed Professor Graham Wardle who gave two presentations, one regarding traffic and one explaining about the Traffic Action Group. The presentations were discussed in the meeting.
The Traffic Action Group was set up to report issues to the Council. A Facebook page was started and they have over 600 members at the moment. Graham Wardle and Christine Lewis are two of the Traffic Action Group Management Committee. They will have meetings and communicate with Planning Department, Council and Highways.
A group, Golborne and Lowton West Neighbourhood Forum, was set up and it is hoped all groups (including Lane Head South Residents and LENDF will join forces and help with local issues). Monitoring devices have been provided for the Stone Cross area and more devices to monitor junctions around A580 (East Lancs Road) are to be requested.
The group have met with the Council, who need formal evidence to take to the Committee regarding objecting the planning applications. Graham has evidence around Garton Drive but other people in different areas need to provide evidence of traffic congestion and speeding.
Reporting e-mails have been set up:
Lagtac.data@gmail.com – this is to report traffic issues.
Lagtac.info@gmail.com – this is to contact the group.
Any problems with traffic around Lowton/Golborne (times stuck in traffic, leaving times/which roads/direction/destinations) please report it on the ‘data’e-mail.
2. Information discussed as provided by Cllr James Grundy
New infrastructure needed but no monies to improve roads is available. There is an Infrastructure Fund, which can be applied for and this would be beneficial to extend the Lowton end of the bypass but Wigan Council have already applied to improve roads towards Wigan (Hindley) A49 link road. To extend the bypass at the Lowton side, this would be going through Warrington and they would have to apply for this, would be of no benefit to Warrington (only traffic along A580). It was reported that Bolton Council will complete the bypass from the Atherton side towards Bolton.
House building, traffic issues were discussed and Cllr Grundy supplied the new visitors with some of the issues LENDF had been involved in, which may answer some of the questions that were asked.
– Wigan Council’s Core Strategy was to build 3,000 houses in Lowton/Golborne. LENDF got the Government Inspector involved who instructed Wigan Council to build only 1,000 houses in this area and to build houses in other areas of Wigan. Up to now 1,500 houses have been passed for building – against instruction from the Government Inspector.
- LENDF achieved agreement that monies gained from the new house build in the area is to be spent in our area and not put in the pot for Wigan Council to spend in other areas.
- There is money for our area and this is allocated only when the new properties are completed/sold.
- It was reported that the money will be ring-fenced for community projects/funds, road improvements, schools etc. There is an Infrastructure Plan being discussed with the Council and this will be reported back after meeting. All plans/suggestions will be discussed with groups and residence to shape the plan. The suggestions so far are only initial suggestions.
3. Parkside Action Group
Dave Tyrer asked for people to object to the Phase 1 and the Link Road proposed. Please object by 17 December 2019. (See Post Meeting Note below)
- It was reported there will be approximately 1,400 extra vehicles per day ifthis is passed, 800 being HGV’s.
- It was reported in 2013 there were 53,000 vehicles per day passing throughLane Head, Lowton. Could these figures be acquired for more recent movements? If planning permission is passed it will impact on all areas around the site.
- Air quality (Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) was discussed and the local levels are double the Government figures – should be 40 ug/m3 and levels have been over 80 ug/m3.POST MEETING NOTE:As expected St Helens voted 9 to 3 with 1 abstention to pass their Parkside Phase 1 and Link Road applications.
Excellent presentations were made by LHSRG/ PAG and residents of Newton which sadly fell on profoundly deaf ears.The Council commented that Wigan had sent objections, but were a little disingenuous and quite dismissive of the reasons for doing so…. There was no mitigation whatsoever for the volume of traffic which will undoubtedly turn left out of Parkside to access the A580, Salford, Bolton etcWhilst we await the planning meeting to discuss the permanence of Winwick Lane, changes to signage and sat nav; southbound HGV traffic will continue.
If the plan is not called in residents of Lane Head on top of existing problems can look forward to 3 years of construction traffic passing their doors and the further prospect of 24/7/364 vehicles making their way to and from the East Lancs.
This in an area already severely polluted beyond safe levels, with congestion, noise and an area of Green Belt gone forever. As one Councillor who voted against the plans expressed -“just for 3 sheds!”
Source: Gill Dickenson – Secretary, LHSRG
The remaining items on the agenda were not discussed due to lack of time and will be added to the next meeting’s agenda
NEXT LENDF monthly meeting:
Monday 13 January 2020 @ 19:30 (7:30pm)
Lowton Social Club
All welcome
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