Some years ago just off Almond Brook, there was a block of flats that were built too tall. The then Cllr George Fairhurst fought with Wigan Council to get them to impose the planning conditions. At the time that Wigan Council agreed with then Cllr George Fairhurst but warned him that the developer would appeal and the council would lose and have costs imposed against them, but said if that is what the Cllr wanted then they would do it.
Former Cllr George Fairhurst said that is not what he wanted or expected but wanted the Council to fight for the residents. The developer appealed. A public inquest was heard and in the end, the planning inspectorate agreed with George Fairhurst and Wigan Council that the flats needed to come down.
Fast forward to now and another development is too high and residents are angered at this. The developer applied for retro planning permission to keep them at the new height and the planning committee agreed with them. So now we have an overpowering too high development that breached the original planning permission and residents are upset that the council did not do what George Fairhurst fought for all those years ago.
The 2 Tory and 1 Labour ward Cllr failed to get the council to enforce the original planning application and all the while residents will suffer this new planning application now. The Cllrs did not fight for residents and simply did nothing. But then again at least one of the Tory Cllrs have voted for more houses in Standish anyway, which is a disgrace!
Read the article here about the latest failings by the ward Cllrs and Wigan Council here.
