BIG PICTURE
THE community of Poynton opposes the planning application for work to the dam embankment of Poynton Pool Reservoir (23/4152M )on the grounds that the proposed solution to a small, yet overstated, risk is wholly disproportionate
in that it will destroy a highly valued public amenity.
At every stage of the process from inception to the submission of the planning application, the public has been ignored.
The Friends of Poynton Pool group came together over the collective concern around this project and the lack of
consultation. We have committed thousands of hours reading, discussing the reports and communications produced by Cheshire
East Council and its agents, concerning the legislation and guidance around reservoir safety.
I personally committed my entire Christmas break to contribute to the report
submitted with an objection to the above application, and others have made a similar commitment.
By allowing the council’s agent to submit amended documentation without any record of the changes that have been made, and at the same time withdrawing the original documents from the planning website, the council’s planning department has lacked the necessary transparency in our view.
This is highly irregular and you can be assured that we are looking into the legality of the process.
Consultancy firm
Jacobs may be able to command limitless fees from Cheshire East Council to support this application, but the community does not have the capacity to respond effectively.
This is unfair on more than 1,700 people who have submitted objections to this application and 5,820 Cheshire East residents (including around half the voting population of Poynton) who signed a petition against the proposal over a period of only eight weeks.
This is now a substantially revised application and at the very least it should be reconsulted. This application should be referred to the Secretary of State for determination. Mike Ellison, Friends of Poynton Pool