News Developer hits back at councillor's claims
Peter Ward Homes has hit back at claims made last week by Goole Town councillor Kester Dean that the building company had been shown 'unlawful bias' by East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) when handling plans to build housing developments in Goole.
Cllr Dean said he was so outraged by how ERYC handled the Peter Ward Homes estates at Sir Len Hutton Drive, St George's Green and Carr Lane that he made three complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman, the most recent of which referred to the Carr Lane development, made up of 84 homes on land which was formerly and old orchard with mature trees and hedgerows.
It was suggested by Cllr Dean that ERYC applied 'lower planning standards' to Goole than the rest of the country, and claimed this was made clear through the approval of Peter Ward Homes' developments.
But this claim was rejected last week by ERYC and, this week, by Peter Ward Homes.
"We strongly refute any suggestion by Kester Dean that the planning process in relation to this (Carr Lane) or indeed, any other site developed by Peter Ward Homes in Goole during the past eight years was anything but proper and in accordance with planning regulations and conditions," said Peter Ward, managing director of Peter Ward Homes.
"Any suggestion that we benefitted unfairly by receiving information on the council's change of policy before any other party is nonsense. The reality is that we, as a member of the local building industry, were part of the consultation process. The land at Carr Lane had been allocated for housing development by the former Boothferry Borough Council long before we arrived on the scene.
"In response to Mr Dean's comments regarding the site vegetation, is he not aware that the majority of trees on this site, prior to clearance, were cankerous and dying of rot? They were unsightly and unsafe.
"The whole area had become overgrown. It had become a potentially dangerous and unauthorised children's playground and a terrible eyesore. The land had been neglected for 25 years and the damage caused to the environment by fly-tippers and fire-lighters was clear for anyone to see."
Published on 5th April 2007 in News.
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