Preston - Capital City of Undemocratic Planning

Preston residents, and Save The Ribble members have been criticising Preston City Councils' whole approach to planning in the City.

Yesterday two biting letters from Aiden Turner-Bishop and David Whittle were published in the Lancashire Evening Post:

In Aiden's letter he describes the councils approach to city planning, with Riverworks, the Tithebarn project and now plans for Friargate, an approach that is "not only arrogant, but it's incompetent and careless ... in other words, wait until it's all stitched up and we'll pretend to listen to you".

David Whittle, of the Flag Market Debating Society weighs in too - "planners beware what you do when you use your pencil, with 'destroy' written on the right hand."

A common theme throughout all recent council planning announcements, and particularly those made by the "self-appointed grandees of the Vision Board" is that the council has been planning for rather than with local people - listening to the whims of profit hungry developers rather than asking the local people what they want or need. Aiden points out that "thoughtless errors will happen because the planners only listen to themselves".

If Preston continues on this course of destruction of everything that local people find valuable, our green spaces, our allotments, our football fields and recreation grounds, the mistakes and scandals of the 1980's will look like a vicars' tea party in comparison.


Residents Against Northern Trust

In other news of local people standing up to developers, the people of Lea turned out in force4 to oppose a development between Riversway, Finney Park Drive and Stoney Butts. They have set up 'RANT': 'Residents against Northern Trust' - who have put forward plans to build on land subject to subsidence, and swimming in all kinds of noxious substances.

The reality is that in Preston, all the good places to build housing have already been built on - there are usually very good reasons why vacant land has not yet been developed.

The green spaces that are left in this city are very precious to Preston people,and to wildlife, they're part of what makes Preston a decent place to live in - lets stick together to keep hold of them.