TRAFFORD: Brakes slammed on Hale and Sale Moor village plans following barrister’s letter

Trafford Council received a letter from a barrister raising concerns over their consultation for the plans, ‘obtained by an interested party’ and has revoked its unanimous approval of the plans given last month.

The letter details the barrister’s advice, given to the unnamed interested party, and takes issue with other elements of the council’s plans for the villages too.

As a result of the barrister’s advice, the council’s executive has now withdrawn its approval of the plans pending a review of its consultation and surrounding matters.

Legal action had been threatened by those unhappy with the plans last month before they had been approved and the consultation was slammed as ‘fundamentally flawed’ by residents earlier this year.

For Hale, the plans had included planting more trees, installing more art, expanding the village green areas (including the clock tower area and bowling green), reducing the speed limit to calm traffic flow through the village, uniform shop fronts, new seating areas, new cycle parking and new walking and cycling routes.

For Sale Moor, the plans included changing traffic routes to establish Northenden Road as the main high street, build new homes, create a new village square, widen and improve footpaths, segregate cycle lanes, install a new seating area, plant more trees and improve street parking.

Cllr James Wright, the council’s housing executive member, made a statement to an extraordinary meeting of the pandemic scrutiny committee.

He said: “The executive decision made on September 28 2020 has been called in on the basis of the adequacy of the consultations carried out, whilst the executive was content that the consultation was adequate, and has submitted a statement through myself detailing the extent of that consultation, you will be aware that we have today been sent a copy of counsel’s advice on this matter obtained by an interested party.

“That advice appears to raise some wider issues not just in relation to the consultation. Having considered the counsel’s advice and advice from the council’s monitoring officer, the executive agrees that there is a need to review its original decision and to reconsider the matter.

“This will also enable us to revisit the issue of the adequacy of the consultation within the context of that wider review. The original decision will not therefore be effective pending that further review.

“I would propose therefore that on that basis, to submit a time table and outline of the scope of any further work to be carried out before the matter is reconsidered by the executive.”

Legal action had been threatened by those unhappy with the plans last month before they had been approved and the consultation was slammed as ‘fundamentally flawed’ by residents earlier this year.

Despite this, on September 28 the executive gave its full approval to the plans.

At the meeting, council leader Coun Andrew Western said the original plans for Hale and Sale Moor had been amended in light of comments received during the consultation process and he was furious at assertions Conservative members were making that the Labour administration had failed to warn and engage with residents about the plans.