Riverside project plans withdrawn
The brakes were slammed on Stratford’s controversial Riverside Corridor Project last week with the district council and Town Trust surprisingly withdrawing their application.
The news will be seen as a victory by opponents of the scheme, but their cheers are likely to be short-lived, with the plan expected to be re-submitted next month.
Speaking to the Herald, Sara Aspley, chief executive at the Stratford Town Trust, admitted that the community had raised legitimate concerns about the application and it is right that the district council had decided to withdraw the plan in order to address them.
The £2million riverside scheme includes a range of changes to the Northern Riverside site, known as Lench Meadows, such as a new network of cycle and walking routes, ponds, earthworks and other structures.
An extension of the Fisherman’s Car Park is also part of the plans.
Critics have been vocal in opposing any development, arguing it is an important haven for wildlife and that there is a lack of information about possible contamination of the site, with some parts used historically as a landfill.
The planning application had been submitted by Stratford District Council and the Town Trust, who own the land, but £1.5million of the funding has come from the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) and there is a deadline of March next year to spend this sum.
Explaining why the application had been withdrawn, Sara Aspley, chief executive of the Stratford Town Trust, said: “Stratford Town Trust, as partner landowner of The Lench Meadows, fully supports the withdrawal of the planning application for the Riverside project by Stratford District Council.
“The response to the planning application by members of the community and some stakeholders has raised legitimate concerns so it is right that SDC has taken this positive decision in order to address them. The short timeframe attached to the funding criteria for this project from CWLEP meant there was a necessity from the start to work at speed. There is now sufficient time and space to make certain all appropriate studies are completed and enable completely informed decisions to be made around the scope of the scheme ahead of a resubmitted planning application.
“Since the inception of the scheme to enhance the Riverside we have been working hard in the background to ensure that, as a result of this valuable funding, the Lench Meadows achieve Local Nature Reserve designation that will provide long term environmental protection to this valuable green space for residents and visitors.
“So, we are pleased that the District Council has agreed to engage immediately with Natural England and prioritise this important work, along with further public engagement activity in the coming weeks.
“As a membership organisation, it is our job to listen to and engage with the local community and we look forward to continuing to work with residents, local stakeholders, and the District Council to achieve the best outcome for The Lench Meadows and the Riverside Project.”
Richard Price from the Friends of the Fisherman’s Walk Group, said: “We’re positive about this, we think it’s a sensible decision, they were on shaky ground with this application so it’s a wise policy decision to withdraw it now.
“This is a temporary lull, we anticipate that an application will be re-submitted in September, but we welcome their move to investigate what they need to do to get Local Nature Reserve status down there. They’ve also agreed to consult with us going forward and to hold a public exhibition when the new plans go in. We’re making baby steps in improving relations and hopefully we can come to some agreement over the land that is mutually acceptable to all.
“The big issue is contamination, we need much more rigorous testing on the site, possible contamination is something the Environment Agency also alluded to in their objection. We need to make 100 per cent sure that nothing takes place which risks contaminating the river or the land. Things like the extension of the car park or the creation of dipping pools have the potential to break the cap on the landfill if proper investigations are not done.
“Aside from contamination, we’d like to see transport and flood risk assessments.
“This proposal was submitted for funding after a long weekend and there has been this sense that things are being rushed through. There is a deadline to spend that money by March 2022, but I think that has been seen as a bit of an excuse to push things forward quickly without proper consultation. I am happy that the decision has been taken to put the breaks on.”
