Trees not Cars by John Wilkins

.– a victory for the people

I GOT an e-mail today that lifted my spirits. It asked me to tell my friends about the success of a campaign to stop Manchester City Council turning derelict land (formerly a retail park) into a 440 space car park.

Well done to all the people of Ancoats and others who had who started to turn this derelict land into green open space for adults and children to use. The campaign called 'Trees not Cars' petitioned the Council with over 12,000 signatories supporting it.

Trees Not Cars have won a judicial review against Manchester City Council, blocking them from using the former Central Retail Park as a temporary 440-space car park next to the city centre's only primary school.

 

It marks a major victory for “a grassroots community group that has campaigned tirelessly for over 18 months to stop the plans which completely ignored the impact on air pollution in an attempt to force the plans through.”

In finding in favour of 'Trees not Cars' the review found that Manchester Council had:

• Failed to consider the impact of air quality on the local area around Ancoats

• ​Failed to consider the impact of building a polluting 440-space car park next to the only primary school in Manchester city centre.

 

• Was unlawful in that the Council recommended planning approval based on the wrong information, the wrong air quality assessment, and traffic analysis.

 

Manchester Council was represented by a team of lawyers led by Christopher Katkowski QC, a London-based barrister  said to be  one of the leading planning specialists in the country.  Katkowski is an advisor to Boris Johnson痴 Government and  architect  behind the Government’s proposed controversial new planning laws that would see sweeping changes to the planning system.

The campaign is now calling for the council to reopen their development framework for the 10 acre site to genuine community input. Trees Not Cars, following their legal victory, have reiterated their call that the Council “must now include significant green space and affordable housing on the site.”

The Council seemed to think the money they would have raised from turning the land into a large car park was more important than residents well being. As well as a victory for the environment it can now be a pleasant open space for local people, many of whom live in high rise buildings!

 

Despite the excessive amount of money the Council has put into defending their actions they lost. It should give encouragement to us that if enough people speak out then they can effect change.

Sorry Sir Richard Leese the people have spoken!

Read more @ https://tinyurl.com/y6v5a46m

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