Owlers Farm - another Labour betrayal



Owlers Farm Morley - another Greenfield site handed over by Labour to Developers

 I attended Plans Panel yesterday to support residents who are opposing housing development on a Greenfield site at Owlers Farm off Wide Lane Morley. The proposal was for 125 executive style houses on a greenfield site which is very precious to local residents.

As you would expect Labour Councillors - the Developers friend - backed the application from Persimmon Homes to rip up this greenfield site and cover it in concrete. The application was also initially opposed by both the Tories and the Lib Dem who spoke eloquently against the proposal but ultimately backed Labour when it came to the vote.

What are we to make of this further Labour betrayal of the people of Morley? Lets check the evidence. The Planning Report confirmed that objections had come from my colleagues Cllrs Varley and Elliott and from MBI run Morley Town Council. It also confirmed that NO objection has been made by Labour apologist Cllr Neil Dawson despite his promise to oppose the application. Indeed he couldn't even be bothered to attend the meeting to see his Labour colleagues betray Morley residents further. Our MP Ed Balls - as ever - didn't raise an objection nor could he with his recent pledge to build 200,000 new homes. Perhaps he's looking to build then all on Morley Greenfield sites!

Planning Officers confirmed that the site was not sustainable as both Primary and Secondary Schools are full with children presently living in Morley. The decision to agree these additional 125 properties put the total of Labour Betrayal to over 450 new houses on Morley Greenfield sites. Planners will also tell you that that level of Over development will create a further 150 schoolchildren - all of whom do not have a place in a local school. Is puts more pressure on local roads - which are already overloaded - and on local health centres where waiting times for an appointment are already long.

Labours position is that this is "an acceptable development" . It often is with them. As we have seen with Cottingley Springs they are happy to dump problems in other peoples back yards. Of course they claim that this will offer affordable homes - a claim that is as hollow as their commitment to Morley. Labour agreed to reduce the percentage of affordable homes that Developers have to provide from 25% to 15% because their buddies in the house building business claim they could not afford to house local people and on this development even agreed to the Developer not providing any affordable homes on site to house any local residents. We will inevitable get Executive style housing on this site which local people will not be able to afford and which will not be housing them.

But all is not lost. The Developer has a real problem with access to the site because of its undulating nature. We will continue to battle to stop development here as it may not be practical - in planning terms - to develop the site enough to give the Developer a profit.

Clearly Labour backs the Developers yet again and believe that profit should be put before people. We will continue to fight to protect all of Morley's Greenfield sites - and that includes Owlers Farm.