Wednesday 5 April 2006

The Public Meeting

Last Thursday saw the public meeting about the two proposed housing schemes for the estate.

Just over 60 local residents had attended, the majority living some where around either of the proposed schemes.

As previously listed elsewhere the meeting had been arranged to give local residents (who had not heard the details) information on the two schemes along with an opportunity to put questions on the schemes to senior officers from the council and the housing company.

In the end, we had Dia Larner (Strategic Director) and Chris Curtis (Housing Policy Officer) from the council along with Mark Form (Operations Manager) from the housing company. We also arranged for Cllr John Pritchard who is the executive member on High Peak Borough Council with responsibility for this issue on the Council to attend the meeting, as the council’s executive would make any future / final decisions on the proposals.

As could be expected from the views at the consultation event and the surgery the majority of people in attendance at the meeting were in some way angered and just about all of them were most definitely objecting to one or both of the schemes.

Fortunately, the meeting started with some good news for local residents with details that the proposed supported housing scheme on Edale / Burbage had been put on hold. However, there were still some concerns, because despite the level of opposition to the proposal, officers advised that they would still be looking for an alternative location which could well be on the estate, but it could also be somewhere else within Glossopdale.

With regards to the other scheme for the three bedroom houses on Hurdlow. The officers from the Council should have been left in no doubt as to the views of local residents on the scheme, but they choose to offer no firm view at the meeting as to whether they are wanting to move forward with the proposal.

Following the meeting it is still important to note that although many people will have heard that the Edale / Burbage scheme has been put on hold. No decision has yet been made on the Wardlow scheme and local residents should still get in touch with me or one of the other Gamesley councillors to let us know there views on the proposals.

A press release was made following the meeting and that is available here

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