Lone voice against ‘cruise liner’ warehouses quits planning committee
James Fish was the only councillor who voted against the plans - and has now stepped down from the planning committee.
The only councillor who voted against the ‘cruise liner’ warehouses now taking shape in Tyldesley, dwarfing hundreds of nearby houses, has quit Wigan’s planning committee.
And Councillor James Fish fired a broadside at former colleagues on the committee who have since admitted ‘privately’ that they wish they had voted against the plans.
The controversy over the 60-foot-high warehouses at what is to be known as Astley Business Park is rumbling on. Residents of a 2,500-strong protest group met with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham yesterday.
Councillor Fish told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We’re supposed to serve communities with integrity, but we’ve got councillors coming out privately saying they didn’t realise how tall the Tyldesley warehouses were going to be and that they wish they’d voted against it, councillors falling asleep in meetings and turning up late.
“The system can’t support a community that’s ruled by the national Government about what to do.”
He went on: “I get frustrated with the planning system, not just locally but nationally as well. It doesn’t favour residents or the community, especially with the Government saying it’s going to move from Green Belt to Grey Belt.
“If we’ve got councillors saying they regret making the decision and they didn’t realise how tall the warehouses were, something’s not right.
“Some of the planning applications that have been approved over the last couple of years are highly questionable.
“I also contend that the current public consultation process, as guided by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), is not serving the community effectively and requires a major overhaul. The balance between developer interests and community input must be recalibrated to better reflect residents’ views.”
In a letter to planning committee chair Councillor Paul Kenny – seen by the LDRS – the Tyldesley and Mosley Common councillor said: “I am writing to formally resign from the planning committee, effective immediately. While I have not taken this decision lightly, I believe it is in the best interests of myself, the residents I represent, the planning committee, and the local planning authority.”
Councillor Kenny has been contacted for comment and Wigan council has indicated it will not be commenting.