Name and shame landowners selling off our countryside

Please, please, please do not be seduced by the idea of a congestion-solving link road between Whalley Road and Henthorn Road, which is being touted as the unique selling point of the SLG alternative housing plan for South Clitheroe. It will never be built for a number of reasons.

1. It would require permission from a multitude of agencies including RVBC, LCC, the Railway Network, United Utilities and the Environment Agency to name a few.

2. The construction of this road would be a multi-million pound project involving complicated engiineering solutions and enormous construction costs and who would fund it? The East Lancashire Highways and Transport Masterplan untill 2026 has been almost finallised so this road would not appear in that, the builders of any houses couldn’t afford to build it and I’m sure RVBC have no funds for road construction on this scale either.

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3. To go over the railway would involve the construction of a huge flyover road costing millions and require planning permission etc

4. To go under the railway arches (if this would even be possible because of the actual construction of the arches) would be restricted by height, width and the small matter of having to cross a river which would invove bridge building again at huge cost.

5. Going under the arches would also require the relocation of the two main sewage pipes (one over land pipe and one underground) that remove all the waste water from Clitheroe. Again this would involve obtaining planning permission and vast engineering works and the construction of a pumping station which again would cost millions.

6.The land isn’t and never will be for sale!

SLG is a company based in Salford who seek out land suitable for future development and then manoeuvre through the planning process with the full knowledge of the landowners. If successful the land is then sold on to smaller construction companies for development and the landowners, who remain anonymous through this process, can walk away with millions. SLG have no responsibility for the chaos that can entail from the future developments.

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Isn’t it about time local landowners who are choosing to let developers destroy our beautiful countryside for their own vast financial gain be named and shamed or at least be asked why they do it?

Name and address supplied