Halton residents shocked as gardens earmaked for new housing
HALTON residents were shocked to see their back gardens earmarked as potential housing development sites in a village newsletter.
Four back gardens in High Road, Halton, were identified as part of a long-term Lancaster City Council plan to build 6,000 new dwellings in the Lancaster district over the next 15 years.
A map of the village was included in last month's Halton Parish Prattle, with potential sites marked off in red.
One of the residents whose garden was highlighted, Gary Denman, 59, said: "I had an idea that something was going to be in the Prattle and it was something to do with sites being earmarked for development.
"But when I saw the map, and I saw my garden, the whole garden, marked off in red it was a heck of a shock.
"It felt intrusive. Before I actually knew what the circumstances were, it seemed like someone had earmarked my garden and was trying to take it away from me." The city council employed consultants Atkins Ltd to identify potential sites last year as part of its Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA).
A total of 512 were assembled, of which 101 were identified as being 'suitable, available and achievable' for four or more dwellings.
Mr Denman added that while he recognised the need for more housing, his garden definitely wasn't available for development.
Another residential garden in Hornby, near to the former police station in Main Street, was earmarked in the exercise.
Resident Alison Griffiths said: "We had heard about this, but we weren't informed locally.
"Obviously we'd be very upset if it ever came to fruition."
A Lancaster City Council spokeswoman said that the consultants had assumed that the site in Halton would be available for development.
"On the basis of the recent correspondence it is clear that the owner is not interested in developing the site," she said.
"The tiny contribution towards meeting this overall housing requirement that might be possible on this site...would represent an inadequate and unlikely justification for the intervention of the council in securing the site for development."
Nobody from Atkins Ltd was available for comment about why the sites in Halton and Hornby had been earmarked for possible development.
The SHLAA document and maps of other areas in the district can be viewed at www.lancaster.gov.uk/shlaa.
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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