Barker warns council over Kingsway proposals

"Don't sell out to developers"

LANCASTER City Council has been urged to stick to its Local Plan in dealing with proposals for a new relief road and massive retail developments in Lancaster. Bulk ward councillor Ian Barker says the council should resist Chelverton's proposals for Kingsway and the area between Moor Lane, Alfred    Street    and     St Leonardgate. This week he has written to cabinet member Coun James Airey claiming the plans include eight major departures from the Local Plan. Coun Barker said: "The council has just adopted an  interim Local Plan after public consultation and a major public inquiry The C R Chelverton proposals would throw that plan in the dustbin.

"I think their proposals would be bad for residents, bad for the environment and bad for the established traders in the city centre. The council should stick to its Plan and not roll over when developers come offering wads of cash for council land."

Coun Barker added that the proposals for a new relief road were much worse than previous proposals for an Eastern relief road. They took traffic right past people's front doors in St Leonard's Court and Alfred Street. He said: "The Local Plan quite rightly deleted the old proposals for an Eastern relief road. The arguments for a relief road were tested at the public inquiry and found wanting.

Improve

"Such a road would sever pedestrian routes to Freehold and would cut off residential areas from the town centre.

"What is needed is a short stretch of road to improve access to he car parks and nothing more. Beyond that we must improve public transport, introduce park and ride and bus priority." Plans for development on the Mitchell's Brewery site ran totally contrary to the planning brief, Coun Barker claimed.

"What the council has asked for is a mixed development of a new 'Brewery Quarter' including residential, commercial, cultural and open space uses.

"Particularly exciting were plans to develop the region between the Dukes and the Grand as a cultural quarter. Instead C R Chelverton are offering an "big box" retail units. It is hard to see something less in keeping with the vision on which the council consulted the public."