New Change.org Petition Launched-

UPDATE Friday, 6th July: the petition has now reached 352 signatures– please tell others and ask them to sign!

Please sign by clicking the link below and add your signature to the petition page -to keep it growing, it will help to share it further on Facebook, other social media and by email with other interested people!

Halt the Strawberry How New Builds: Enough is Enough

Still time to object!

Although we’re past the published cut-off date of 31^st May for the consultation period for phase 2, Kelly Hampson at Allerdale Borough Council Planning Office states that all submitted comments will be taken until the public hearing. However, given the nature of public consultation websites, the ability to post objections may cease given that the ‘official date’ has elapsed; so we’ve opened up another way to object to Phase 2 of Strawberry How- an online petition, here: https://bit.ly/2sE7g9k  .

At the time of writing, the Highways Agency has yet to submit their report.  It’s the final report needed to complete the consultation process, and no final decision can be made without it. Also, Allerdale councillor Christine Smith has called in the application over flooding and other concerns, and so the development will have to be considered by the council’s development panel before anything else may happen.

The time left to object is extended by an as yet unknown period–

Open to all affected by Phase 2

The new petition aims to gain all objections of people who are affected by Phase 2- especially those who don’t normally take part in consultations and council issues. Many feel that their opinion doesn’t matter, or are put off by official procedures and the time involved in lodging an objection, and so many haven’t taken part so far. But shared action by crowds of objectors could make a difference!

The petition covers the key issues that submitted council objections are based on. Please feel free to add comments (and hopefully messages of support) on the Change.org petition page…

Ultimately, it will be delivered to Sara Brook, Allerdale council’s senior planning officer assigned to this planning application to deliver to the council.

We might not have much time to act, but this could be a highly effective way to show popular opinion towards Phase 2 of Strawberry How, if people sign and then share this widely with friends, social groups and family.

Myself, I started an online petition against plastic straws with the lobbying group, 38 Degrees several months ago. I was staggered to discover it gained 220, 000 signatures some weeks later. With that in mind, I think it’s definitely worth a try!     

Please sign the petition

Julia Robinson

Overheard in The Coffee Kitchen

Well there I was in the Coffee Kitchen, quietly catching with some emails, when I overheard words like ‘school places’, ‘traffic problems’ and ‘housing development’ from two ladies. I tried to ignore it at first, but then the phrase ‘web site’ was uttered, so I felt it was my civic duty to share some information about our group’s efforts.

They were very receptive to the idea of sending in individual views about the Strawberry How development (none of them favourable) and were going to check out this blog soon.

As I thanked them for their time and went back to my Guest Brew coffee (Murambi Lot 57), someone then turned to me and also asked how to find this blog as well – what a cheek, listening into someone else’s conversation 😉

Anyway ladies, if you are now reading this, thank you for your time and concern on this important matter. Please pass it on to as many people as you can.

Why Susco was formed

Last year I read a proposal to build a 400 house development off Strawberry How. I thought that the idea made no real sense for several reasons, though the main one being the potential increased traffic flow into an already busy gem town. However, I assumed that it would be dropped when looked at by the relevant planning authorities. My mistake.
We now know, after the recent presentation by the developers and the subsequent town meeting, that the intention to build is still there. This clearly worries and upsets all the people I have talked to, though it could be argued that this could be a vociferous minority.
So, I decided to look at the issue of this proposal in a lot more detail and help form the apolitical Sustainable Cockermouth Group. It’s key concerns are that of traffic flow, housing needs, amenity provision and sewerage/water demands. The Strawberry How proposal has been the trigger event for a number of us to look into much broader aspects of the growth and development of the town.
We now need people to let us know their feelings on these matters, so please look at our website and send in comments there, or via the methods below.
Change to Cockermouth is inevitable, we just need to ensure it is appropriately done.

Tony Terry