New South Ribble estate generates £120K for open space - but not a penny for the play area next door

South Ribble Borough Council’s planning committee has given the go-ahead to Lancet Homes to build 61 properties at the junction of Carrwood Road and Millwood Road in Walton-le-Dale.

The land was earmarked for a school more than 20 years ago, but that idea was dropped and the area reallocated for housing under borough’s local plan.

As the developer is not providing any open space within the new estate itself, South Ribble’s planning policy demands a contribution to a pot of cash used to improve other green areas within the borough.

A meeting of the council’s planning committee heard from ward councillors and locals that the obvious choice was a play area and gardens adjoining the site on nearby Bellis Way. However, the money is likely instead to be spent on Central Park and playing pitches at the former Vernon Carus factory site in Penwortham.

As the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last year, the Bellis Way facility had seen most of its play equipment removed in recent years – until it was left with just a solitary swing for which children would queue for a turn.

Back in the autumn, the council committed to spending £30,000 on the play area, while locals were also successful in securing almost as much in grant funding.

However, Walton-le-Dale West ward member Damian Bretherton said more investment was needed – and called for a third of the £122,000 open space contribution to be spent “more locally within Walton Park itself”.

“I’d urge the committee to consider ringfencing part of these monies to improve…the only children’s play area in Walton Park.

“Extra funds are needed to introduce security measures such as appropriate lighting, possible CCTV, landscaping and additional equipment,” Cllr Bretherton said.

However, planning officer Debbie Roberts that the council’s policy team had made an assessment of where the money was most needed – and concluded that other identified sites were the only two that met the criteria for the so-called “section 106” cash, which could not be ringfenced as was being requested.

She added that the development site was not itself public open space, but “a piece of private land”.

Committee member Phil Smith said that if the council’s policies dictated that the open space contribution could not be spent on Bellis Way, then “our policy needs changing”.

Twenty-seven objections were lodged to the housebuilding proposal and Cllr Bretherton read out a Facebook comment from a local resident who decried the impact of housebuilding on the ecology of the area.

“We have a range of habitats and species within the Walton Park area. This continued development of wild areas reduces the connectivity of habitats and thus the survival of species which are simply unable to adapt and survive in the drastically changing world we live in,” the message read.

However, the planning agent for the proposal told the committee that ecological surveys had concluded that there was “nothing of great significance” on the land.

He added: “The proposal does seek to link with the cycleways and walkways locally – to encourage sustainable and active travel.” A nearby bus stop will also be upgraded and relocated.

The application for the development of detached, semi-detached and terraced properties with between two and five bedrooms – 30 percent of which will be classed as affordable – was unanimously approved.