Anger as huge home development passed

Carol Woolley, of Poulton Actio Group, said previous developments at Carr Head Lane, and 49 homes for land off Moorland Road, were rejected over fears they would put too much pressure on the town’s infrastructure.

She said: “The planning committee, in their wisdom, turned the applications down, agreeing the infrastructure in Poulton could not take the extra traffic that these proposals would involve.”

The new scheme, on land off Garstang Road East, attracted objections from scores of neighbours, as well as Wyre MP Ben Wallace, who said new homes were ‘not needed’ and the roads would not be able to cope.

Some 27 five, 160 four, 238 three, and 91 two-bedroom homes are set to be built, of which 30 per cent will be affordable housing, planning documents lodged by Persimmon showed.

“When we have this much larger application, although many of the committee members spoke about the problems we have in the area, they chose to listen to the chief planning officer – an officer who heads a planning team that has not yet developed a Local Plan – they suddenly all changed their minds and voted for the plan to go ahead.

“It now opens the floodgates for any other developer to put in applications as the committee have shown it is OK to use up all our open spaces.

“Having attended many planning meetings over the last 20 years, last Wednesday’s starred as the very worst I have come across.

“The plan was passed by nine ‘representatives’ of Wyre – and may I add not one Poulton councillor was on the committee representing their town.

“This latest and largest development will see this town come to a standstill.”

Planning documents show local roads will be upgraded to deal with the increase in traffic. Persimmon will also pay £2.28m towards school places at Breck Primary School, Carr Head Primary School, and Millfield Science and Performing Arts College.