‘Demolition should not be an option’ in plans for Cheadle...
District council leader insists ‘it is for the people to decide’
OPTIONS put forward for a major redevelopment of a Staffordshire Moorlands town have been returned to the drawing board.
Anger erupted last month following a report on plans to redevelop Cheadle, which was described as ‘sheer madness’ and ‘killing off the High Street.’
Options include building a community hub on Tape Street car park and houses on the sites of the hospital, leisure centre and Newlands Care Home.
This left several Cheadle councillors up in arms after they said that they knew nothing about the proposals and had not been consulted.
At a meeting of the ruling cabinet at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, members voted to approve the proposals for the establishment of a Cheadle Town Centre Delivery Board and Stakeholder Panel.
Following the approval by the seven members of the council cabinet, the Independent group called in the proposal, which meant that the report had go before the council’s Service Delivery Overview & Scrutiny Panel, which was held last week.
After a long debate, councillors voted for the report to go back to the ruling cabinet for reconsideration.
In a statement to the Post & Times, the town’s MP, Sir Bill Cash, said: “The lack of consultation on a matter of such importance and impact on the people and the voters of Cheadle is simply unacceptable – they must be given full and proper consultation.”
Opening the debate, leader of the Independent group Linda Malyon, said: “What resources will be given to this project both in monetary terms and officer time? What funding is there for this so called project? What is the timescale?
“Could I have clarification if an owner/ owners have been served with a compulsory purchase order/s for their buildings over the last few weeks on the high street, if so why is the council so bold as to think they can do as they wish to Cheadle without a second thought, if so they are wrong.
“What Cheadle does not want is promises that are just a mask by saying that Cheadle people are in charge of their future when really they will not be, there needs to be a Cheadle councillor on the cabinet. Cheadle deserves better and should have their say.”
Councillor Peter Wilkinson, said: “It is quite concerning that the district council employed consultants Cushman and Wakefield to undertake the investment strategy and that the recommendation was that the preferred location for any community hub should be at Tape Street car park – supposedly bringing footfall and vibrancy into the town centre.
“This would mean residential development at South Moorlands Leisure Centre and the hospital at Royal Walk. In other words demolition of both facilities to ‘cross fund’ delivery of a new hub.
“The demolition of the leisure centre and the hospital should not even be an option and I would like to know why Cushman and Wakefield have made this recommendation.
“I would also like to know what terms of reference they were working to and I will be making a freedom of information request to see the correspondence between officers and the consultants to establish why they have made this ludicrous recommendation. This needs forensic and proper scrutiny.
“The options appraisal for the town centre looks in detail at land in public ownership, where public authorities have most ability to facilitate change. That change will mean change of ownership, loss to the community, asset theft or asset stripping whatever you would like to call it. The public own these assets and it should be the public that decide on their future.
“Staffordshire Moorlands District Council working in partnership with Staffordshire County Council commissioned consultants Cushman and Wakefield to develop the options appraisal for Cheadle without first consulting with local people and their representatives. This is not acceptable.
“The car park needs to stay as a car park. The leisure centre needs to stay as a leisure centre and sports village. It has stood for 54 years, was funded by local people and there is a 4,500 signed petition to save it. It has served thousands of people including schools. It should be upgraded not removed.
“The hospital should stay as a medical facility with all GPS in a purpose built building to cope with the extra demand from new developments and rising population.”
Cheadle councillor Kate Martin said this was the most important issue she had to talk on since being elected as a district councillor: “Cheadle hospital was demolished in 1987 and a new hospital was built on the site, which was opened in 1989 by Princess Anne. For many years the organisation friends of Cheadle hospital raised thousands of pounds to maintain this and bought vital equipment such as a scanner.
“Previously district councillors and the county councillors completed visits to Madeley Village and Stafford Village and talks were held to perhaps use part of this site for the elderly in the town to recreate the same and it would have been seen as a flagship hospital for the area. There are many clinics that remain at this site.
“Over the last 13 years we have lost many assets – Cheadle council offices, Cheadle youth centre and the Lightwood care home where development should have started last year.
“In the Cheadle Town Centre Projects Governance Structure in the current report why are young people, schools and the older population of Cheadle not involved?
“I am fully supportive of the high street being redeveloped but not at the loss of the hospital and the leisure centre. I can’t support this.”
Leader of the district council, Councillor Sybil Ralphs, said that the report was only options and that a stakeholder panel would be set up to put ideas forward.
She said: “We do not know what funding or timescale this would involve until ideas come forward. There has been no compulsory purchase orders put in place, it is a rumour.
“The hospital does not belong to the SMDC or county council. It is owned by the NHS and it does have people in at the present time.
“However, the Clinical Commissioning Group, who fund the services, are walking away from the hospital. It will then become redundant.
“We have no intention to bulldoze the leisure centre. There are also no plans to get rid of the sports facilities, we want them increased as they are so important to the SMDC and to the people of Cheadle.
“I would like to repeat this report was to recommend that a stakeholder panel and delivery panel be set up to consult with the people to get their views on what they want for the town.
“We are looking for opportunity for investment in the town. Businesses are struggling in this pandemic. We want visitors to come to the town and also local people to shop in Cheadle.
“It is most concerning that people think the leisure centre and hospital are being knocked down.
“It is not for me to decide. It is for the people to decide and we are asking the people what they want.”
Councillors voted eight to seven with one abstention in favour of the report going back to the ruling cabinet for reconsideration.