Housing work ruined our wildlife habitat
ADISABLED former naval officer is furious after workers cut down trees at the back of his council flat to make way for new houses.
War veteran Michael Sweeney branded West Lancashire Borough Council “disgraceful” after trees and hedges were cut down outside his home.
The work was done to clear the way for a development in which the council will build 27 homes off Northfield, Skelmersdale, despite widespread opposition from residents.
The plans, approved in 2019, are being carried out by the council’s Tawd Valley development firm and were subject to a petition from 145 residents calling for refusal.
But a planning officer argued that there would be no “siginifcant detrimental impact” on the area’s character or biodiversity
Residents, including Mr Sweeney, had also objected to the resulting loss of parking spaces but were unsuccessful in their protests.
Mr Sweeney was among those to complain as he and his wife both suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and need to be park their assisted car near their home.
Soon after work began, the couple felt the impact on their lives.
Mr Sweeney said: “Our back garden has been destroyed by the council. They’ve come along and destroyed it and it’s disgraceful.
“They just obliterated it. We’ve got lots and lots of little birds and hedgehogs running around now it’s all gone.”
According to Mr Sweeney, who suffers from PTSD from his time serving in the Falkands War, workers have travelled from Ribble Valley during the lockdown to cut down and remove tree stumps.
As a result of the lost vegetation, anyone walking past has a clear view of the Sweeneys’ flat, which has left them feeling exposed.
“They’ve taken all our privacy at the back of our flats because all the hedged were blocking us before. Now you can see right into the back of our flat.”
He also disputed findings submitted as part of the planning process that hedgehogs were not present, saying that they were regularly spotted in his garden.
A keen birdwatcher, he has also noticed a significant fall in the number and variety of birds around his home since construction started.
A second development objected to by Mr Sweeney was also approved by the planning department last month to build two blocks of flats and six houses off Fairstead.
That application was also submitted by the council’s development firm and the pensioner is further angered to see the council allowed to approve its own plans.
He said: “Tawd Valley Developments are part and parcel of West Lancashire Borough Council. They’ve actually given themselves planning permission without worrying about it.
“To me, that’s a dictatorship ‘we’re going to do it because we want to do it’.”
In a statement, the council said all planning decisions were made in accordance with local and national policies.
It added that Mr Sweeney’s views were taken into consideration by officers when they made their recommendation and by the planning committee in reaching its decision.
A spokesman said: “The impacts of the development on trees, landscaping, ecology and parking were given full consideration along with the benefits of the scheme in providing affordable housing for residents. A landscaping scheme which shows replacement tree-planting was submitted by the applicant and has been approved by the council.
“Communal parking will remain for existing residents and Mr and Mrs Sweeney will still be able to park close to their home.”
A statement issued by Tawd Valley Developments said the homes would provide affordable housing and land which was “currently under-used and poorly maintained”.
A spokesman for the company said that it was set up by the council to provide high quality homes and help the growth of the borough by reinvesting its income into council services, while independent governance arrangements are in place to differentiate the roles and responsibilities of the council and the company.