Three days to reconsider flood plain housing sale

Pasture Marsh

Thanks to the Birkenhead News and Ed Barnes for this update on the plans to sell part of the flood plain in Moreton to Persimmon Homes.

Back in 2023, the corner of the site on Pasture Road, Ditton Lane and Leasowe Road was one of 26 areas in Wirral which council officers proposed for ‘disposal’ – either sale or ‘community asset transfer’.  The site is located in the Leasowe & Moreton East Ward. 

Since then, we have learned the area is also specifically identified in the Council’s own Strategic Flood Risk Assessment' for its importance in alleviating flooding in nearby homes, stating:

“This site should not be developed for residential use. Ideally, this site would remain for less vulnerable uses or be used as a multifunctional greenspace for flood storage, amenity use and to provide environmental/ecological benefits.”

Since the meeting in 2023, we have also learned that Vyner Estates, which owns the larger portion of the site, has offered their land for sale, via the same agent, to extract maximum value.

This means that the impact on the environment will be much, much worse than anticipated in 2023.

In July, Councillor Vida Wilson asked, at a meeting of all councillors, that the sale be reconsidered.

Now, in light of this new information, and the tireless work of the Friends of Pasture Marsh (including their petition backed by over 5,700 people), Councillor Jeff Green has written to all Policy & Resources Committee members, backing the call by the Friends to reconsider the sale.

Importantly, the sale has not yet been signed. 

Under Council rules, a majority of the Committee can still trigger a 'reconsideration' but they must notify the Director of Legal Services by 5pm Monday.

Local Conservative councillors for the adjacent Moreton West & Saughall Massie Ward, Colin Baldwin, Gary Bennett and Vida Wilson, while not members of this committee, are also backing the call by the Friends for reconsideration and debated by the committee in public, openly and transparently.

#wirral #WirralCouncil #moreton #leasowe #flooding The Wildlife Trusts Wirral West Conservatives News for Moreton and Saughall Massie @followers

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Save Pasture Marsh

Sign their petition   Join their Facebook Group Pasture Marsh, the land at the corner of Leasowe Road and Pasture Road has long been a local wildflife haven, with the Ditton Local Nature Reserve on on side and the North Wirral Coastal Park on another.The land is also a really importan
Cllr Vida Wilson

Cllr. Vida Wilson

Local Conservative Councillor for Moreton West & Saughall Massie
Re-elected in May 2023 with an increased vote
Council appointee to the Saughall Massie Conservation Area Advisory Committee
Help our campaign  Become a member  Be a councillorVida is one of our three local Conservative councillors in Moreton West & Saughall Massie, working with Gary Bennett and Colin Baldwin.Vida first became involved in local politics with Chris Blakeley, fighting to save Fender