Parish Council issues statement on allotments

The future of the Heyes Lane allotments has been one of the most discussed subjects on alderleyedge.com in the past year.

Last week I published an article informing readers that Alderley Edge Parish Council had voted on three motions regarding future use of the allotments.

Councillor Mike Williamson, Chairman of Alderley Edge Parish Council Statement, has issued a statement today about these motions and comments made by members of the public - which we came across via Twitter.

Below is the statement published in full.

The Parish Council voted on three Motions on Monday 11 March to set the tone for the future of the village, principally based on the Allotments, how they will be affected in future and how they will impact on major facilities within the village.

The major project of the Parish Council is the construction of a new Medical Centre, followed by a refurbished Festival Hall; central to a refurbished Hall, is parking.

In order to provide extra car parking capacity, the Parish Council passed a Resolution stating that they would seek approval from the Communities Minister to move the 16 Allotments from Heyes Lane to a new Statutory Site at Lydiat Lane which could provide 60 Allotments. Permission from the Minister would allow the provision of a new car park with an entrance on Heyes Lane. This car park would serve the Festival Hall, and the village, during the day, and increase bookings capacity during the evening.

The Parish Council has not able to progress the car park issue before the March Council meeting because the lease transfers were being processed slowly by Cheshire East. This made it difficult, under Data Protection Rules, to obtain details of Allotment Holders from either Cheshire East or the Allotments Society. Those details were released on February 1st, when Cheshire East recognised that the leases had been signed by both parties. The Parish Council then sent a letter on February 14th to current Allotment Holders and Waiting List, asking them to indicate that they were willing to continue as Allotment Holders, and if they would support a new site at Lydiat Lane. The Parish Council also listed the 3 Resolutions for the March meeting.

During the Parish Council Meeting of March 11th, the Director of North West Allotments Society pointed out that the Allotments Act 1908 made it a Statutory Duty for local authorities to provide Allotment land, if more than 6 ratepayers wanted an Allotment. The waiting list is currently 29, and yet no person or organisation had triggered the Statutory Duty clause - not Cheshire East, not Alderley Edge Allotments and Garden Society, and not the North West Association of Allotment Garden Societies.

The first sign that this issue was to be addressed were the discussions by the Parish Council to obtain the site at Lydiat Lane for the purpose of both transferring the Heyes Lane allotments, and also creating extra plots to satisfy the waiting list.

The Parish Council, in creating extra allotments, is the only body willing to comply with the law, and has been robustly attacked and vilified in the process. The motivation for Lydiat Lane has been scurrilously attacked by AEAGS; never once has AEAGS sought to have allotment land increased in Alderley Edge, in fact quite the reverse. AEAGS has operated the Allotments to the disadvantage of the waiting list, by encouraging occupation of multiple sites by favoured allotment holders. During the process of taking the Allotments back from Cheshire East, the Parish Council has had to endure ridiculous attacks on its integrity from the Allotments Society. The Allotments Society has conducted a campaign of misinformation, and they have been given both credence and credibility by Officers at Cheshire East Council.

During the Public Speaking time at the Parish Council meeting of March 11th, the Council was attacked by 3 Speakers.

The first speaker stated that an attack on Allotments was an attack on the fabric of the village.

The second speaker stated that the Parish Council was not regarded as Trustworthy by the Allotment Holders, because they had paid 3 sums of money without authorisation, for Advice from Counsel, Legal Fees and train travel. The Parish Council, because they were not trustworthy, were not fit to manage the Allotments.

The third speaker stated that the Parish Council had breached the Data Protection Act by using data of Allotment Holders, without their permission.

What is the truth?

The Allotments Act 1908 has been ignored by both Cheshire East and the Allotments Society. The Statutory Duty to provide Allotment Land where the demand exceeded 6 ratepayers has been ignored. Cheshire East and the Allotments Society were tasked with keeping within the 1908 law, and they both signally failed; they allowed a fiefdom to be operated where some Allotment holders had 2, 3 or even 4 plots and yet there were waiting lists of ratepayers, keen to exercise their right to an allotment.

The attacks on the Parish Council have to be seen in this context.

The first speaker on March 11th said the Parish Council decision to move some allotments attacked the fabric of the village. In fact, the Parish Council has brought forward plans to increase Allotment land, the number of Allotments, and to provide a Medical Centre to serve 7,000 patients at no cost to the public purse. The Community Hall will be refurbished, providing better facilities for the 5,000 annual users of the Hall. The Chairman of the Allotments Society, the first speaker, is being hypocritical in pleading special rights, when his Society broke the 1908 law and abused the rights of waiting list taxpayers.

The second speaker attacked the trustworthiness of the Parish Council, because of its expenditure. In fact, the Legal Fees for Advice were approved by the Chairman of the Council, the Chairman of Finance and the vice Chairman of Finance, before the expenditure was committed following Council procedures. The Invoice was properly listed in the quarterly list of payments. There was a minor oversight, in that when the list was presented, there should have been a retrospective notice for approval by Councillors - but the invoice was on the list approved by Councillors.

Legal Fees for work done by the Solicitor handling the Hall transfer were a part of the approved budget; in fact, the Solicitor has written off some Fees caused by third party delays.

The travel expenses were claimed under the Chairman's expenses approved as part of the annual budget process. The second speaker, the vice Chair of the Allotments Society, has been a party to the breaches in the 1908 law; had he divided his time equally between looking at Parish Council Affairs and administering his own Society Affairs, then perhaps he could have corrected the gross injustice which has been perpetrated upon the waiting list taxpayers.

In terms of trustworthiness, the Parish Council feels slighted by a person who has failed to provide a duty of care to the local taxpayers. Allotment land is not given to be operated as a private preserve; it is given so that as many taxpayers as apply can exercise their rights.

The third speaker claimed to be a former employee of the Information Commissioner's Office, and an expert on the Data Protection Act. He accused the Parish Council of breaches of the Act.

The Parish Council phoned the Information Commissioner's Office, and explained that they had written to Allotment Holders, using information provided by Cheshire East. The Parish Council also explained that even though the information had been supplied by

Cheshire East, it had transpired, after the letters had been sent, that the final act of lease transfer had not taken place. The Parish Council asked if a follow up letter should be deferred. The Information Commissioner's Office confirmed that the Data Protection Act had not been breached, and that the Parish Council could proceed with a reminder letter.

Alderley Edge Parish Council will move forward quickly to deliver the improvements which the village needs.

Ends

Tags:
Allotments, Heyes Lane Allotments, Mike Williamson, Parish Council
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Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Paul Tomlinson
Tuesday 19th March 2013 at 7:42 pm
Having been a serving member of Alderley Edge Parish Council, and indeed Chairman for a year, and someone who invested a significant ammount of my time (some 4 years ago) in the health centre , festival hall rejuvination , I feel qualified to comment and post on this subject.

Mike Willaimson and several other parish councillors ( Mary, Frank, Nigel and Duncan to name but 4 more) have unselfishy over many years invested many man hours of their time to the benefit of Alderley Edge. They have steadfastly not buckled under apathy or undue critism; I for one am thankful for their dedication and fortitude is pursuing what they think is right for the village , never looking for personal gain.

This is not a close knit group of Parish Councillors with a fixed group agenda, but a group of individuals pulling in different directions , but investing time freely to improve the village. If you do not like what they come up with, its easy , stand for the council and be active.

I think AlderleyEdge.com is a great forum , but just think, if we channelled the energy spent in negative comment into positive drive in achieving things and people volunteering to help and make things happen - what could be achieved. The Parish Plan had lots of very good ideas that have been on the shelf now for 4 years, waiting for volunteers to drive them to conclusion.

One final point from me , we need to help the Parish Council make things happen quicker, these things take far to long, more critism at Cheshire East's door might help the pace of moving things on.

Sorry for the length of the Post : Paul :)
Terry Bowes
Tuesday 19th March 2013 at 7:44 pm
Very good article Lisa,
I'm not sure about waiting list figures as they were never up to date from Cheshire East all the time i have managed the Beech Close site.Some of the plot holders have received letters asking if they still want to be on the waiting list! I have always agreed that A.E. allotments should be let to A.E. people but M.B.C. and C.E. always catered for borough wide lettings.
People with multiple plots go back many years to when plots were hard to let and they were happy to take them on,is it fair to evict them?
I have a former A.E. RESIDENT on site who now lives elsewhere in C.E. he has had his plot for 22 years,is it fair to evict him?
Another point no one seems to have mentioned is that if A.E.P.C. is succesful with its cause,it then as lease holder has to go to its landlord,C.E.C., and get their approval.Will they look favorably upon an organisation that has signed a lease and agreed to their terms and conditions,then straight away set about breaking lease agreements?Almost seems fraudulent to a layman.
If i signed an agreement with them my feet wouldn't touch the ground if i tried breaking it!!
Vin Sumner
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 12:33 am
Paul

You make am articulate defence of your ex - colleagues on the parish council and understand the points made , but would add the following :

- hard work and enthusiasm whether paid or not is not a measure of progress

- the only way to join AEPC is to sign up to a blue slate , so it is not open to all , though I know you would prefer a more independent base

- there is a very vindictive and at times vicious streak to the language of AEPC against certain individuals , which i think is out of order

- spending public money on QCs investigating ancient byelaws or whatever , seems to me not about fairness and justice , but about finding a way to make your point whatever ... perhaps an alternative would be to invoke merlin .... I trust that all members of AEPC have never transgressed any byelaw since the beginning of time ....

PS the real issue locally is of course whats happening at AZ
Alan R Davies
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 8:14 am
It seems to me that the central issue is not about whether, how and to where the allotments should be moved, but whether extra car parking is needed and would be used if provided.

There are currently 52 spaces in the Festival Hall car park. The Alderley Edge Parking Review found that in year 2010/11 2666 tickets were sold, bringing in an income of £4,899. That is about 9 tickets a day, or about 3 paying users at any one time. The Review also noted that the Parish Council had the right to issue 92 passes to user groups, Parish Councillors, and Hall and Library staff, and commented that "this may be open to abuse and also restrict capacity for public paid parking". (Their words, not mine).

The approved plans still incorporate 45 parking spaces, and I have not yet seen compelling evidence that more have been requested, are needed, or are likely to be used if provided. I notice that it is proposed that pay-and-display will be discontinued, although I'm not quite sure why, given the low pay-and-display usage. Wilmslow Health Centre seems to operate with patient parking and pay-and-display in the same car park, although there the pay-and-display fee is an extortionate £5.

I don't know why there appears to be such a rush to commit to moving the allotments at this time. Why not carry on with the refurbishment of the Festival Hall and the building of the Medical Centre, and address the parking issue as and when it proves to be a problem?
Claire MacLeod
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 10:26 am
At last! A voice of reason (Alan R Davies). This is precisely the point I have tried repeatedly to make. AEPC seem absolutely set on turning this debate into a battle between themselves and the Allotment Society. It is not, nor should it be.

In my mind, this issue is about permanently and unnecessarily destroying precious green space in the midst of our village (that is everyone's village) in favour of a car park for which demand has yet to be evidenced.

In response to Paul Tomlinson, as a resident of Alderley Edge and a member of the electorate, I believe I too am 'qualified' to comment. The wonderful thing about living in a democratic society is that we are allowed to express our views publicly.

The Parish Council may not have been prepared for the extent of opposition it faces, but clearly the characters you mention in your post, Paul, are a tenacious bunch and would rather plough on, to prove a point, rather than take a moment to reconsider. If they really wanted to act on behalf of the whole community, given the contentious issue, might they not consider asking all of the residents directly, in a survey, for example? This is not a practical solution for most issues, I accept. But, given the amount of discussion around the subject and the strength of feelings expressed, perhaps it is the way forward. If the majority of responses were in favour of replacing the Heyes Lane allotments with a car park (assuming the wording in the survey was objective), then so be it. I don't believe they would be.
Mike Norbury
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 10:44 am
With alderley edge having 3 allotment sites a request for further plots would have been laughed out by macc borough.

Another point, who owns the car park around the festival hall? just curious.
Duncan Herald
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 10:57 am
Hi Alan... its a small point but perhaps helpful, to get the correct figures on parking spaces at the Festival Hall, pre and post medical centre errection... there are you say 52 space at present (sounds about right so I'll take your word for it; too cold me to go out and count!)... the last plans that I saw of the post medical centre (maybe out of date?) shows 27 'normal' bays plus 5 disabled bays, thus 32 in total... and so a reduction of 25 spaces in a situation where there will be a demand for parking by patients (not to mention doctors, nurses and other staff).

Just in passing, I don't have a free-parking-pass for the Festival Hall (damn, I missed out there!).

Re. pay & display... when the M.B.C. sold the dilapidated Festival Hall (cost us £1 !) there was talk of the parking also being handed over... it didn't happen... had it done so, some of the Parish Council wanted to make it a free parking place. Again in passing; there is a chance that the free car park in the Park is to be 'improved' by C.E. and so become a pay-and-display area.

Should the parking area be delayed? its a fair question... but if as the Parish Council believes, there will be a need for parking then I'd expect the Parish Council to be attacked for older and/or disabled patients having to hobble in from distant parking. As usual, the Parish Council will be seen as inefficient villains one way or the other!

Hi Claire... has it become 'pot and kettle'... the vituperative accusations flung at the Parish Council, at the March monthly meeting, did nought to encourage calm approaches?

Hi Vin... you seem to think that because the electors of Alderley Edge choose to vote for the Conservative candidates (on the Parish Council) it prevents the Parish Council being "open to all"... isn't democracy annoying? May 2015 are the next elections I believe... there's your chance.

You don't seem to care for monies having been spent on legal opinion... but the allotment society Officers seem to quote on the law/s, so what choice does the Parish Council have? I suppose we could always stick our heads in the sand, wiggle our bottoms in the air and shout 'go away nasty laws'?

Hi Terry... much of what you write seems eminently sensible to me... it won't be easy working out who should have which plots... if C.E. would just get into gear re. AESG & Lydiatt Lane, there would be enough for everyone?

AS to lease/legal dealings with C.E.... when you deal with them (not the Officers) and shake hands; don't just count your rings, count your fingers!

p.s. any more volunteers for the 'Friends of A.E. Cemetery'?
Martin Reeves
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 11:29 am
Duncan,

In the article 'Medical centre plans 'entirely separate' from allotment plans' published 31st January 2012 at http://bit.ly/Yfropr the PCT stated "We have 33 car parking spaces within this existing scheme, we currently have 6 spaces at George Street, which are mainly used by the doctors, so 33 is fab - it is such an improvement for us. We don't need any additional parking and have not asked for any."

How many car parking spaces do the Parish Council intend on putting on the allotment site? If we take a quick look at Google Maps [see: http://bit.ly/ZZI8Ds] the allotment site by my rough estimation is approximately 4 times the size of the current total hard standing around the Festival Hall.
Alan R Davies
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 11:42 am
Duncan,

I didn't count the parking spaces either, but the Parking Review says that there are 52, including 1 disabled space. The plans on the Cheshire East website and the Highways Department response to consultation indicate 45 spaces including 3 disabled spaces. That is a lot more than the 27 spaces provided at the recently extended Kenmore Medical Centre in Wilmslow, which I would guess is a much larger practice.
Martin Reeves
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 12:53 pm
Further to my last comment, just to give further perspective to the size of allotment plot on Heyes Lane ... it is bigger than South Street car park, The Parade car park, and the Alderley Edge Park car park combined!!! (by my rough estimate based on google maps)
Fenton Simpson
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 1:07 pm
Martin excellent point, do we need a super car park?

The answer seems to be no...
Duncan Herald
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 1:15 pm
Hi Martin... I wish the PCT would hurry up and hand over the £1/2 million... if that doesn't come, the parking stuff will disappear! as may the medical centre!

They may not have asked for more parking but that doesn't mean they wouldn't welcome it?

There is still, as far as i know, no certainty about whether the whole of the allotments land would go to parking or whether something else might be included; I've heard of several maybes and perhaps... no I'm not being deliberately vague.

Hi Alan... I can only return to the copy of the plan I've seen re. post-medical centre having 32 (or 33?) bays... I have asked the doctors whether they think their new medical centre/practice would grow and the answer was yes... so its not just parking for 'today' that has to be considered, but for 'tomorrow' also.
Alan R Davies
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 1:50 pm
Duncan,

The planning application included a "Transport Statement to Address Parking" which states "The proposals involve a new car parking layout providing 45 spaces including 3 disabled bays". That document is posted at the Cheshire East website, together with plans showing the layout. Check it out for yourself if you like. As for possible future growth of the practice, surely that can be addressed as and when it happens, rather than moving the allotments now in anticipation. I worked for a company which committed to a long lease on new offices twice the required size in anticipation of future growth. The slowdown of the economy turned that into a very expensive mistake.
Claire MacLeod
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 2:10 pm
And when the car park proves under-used and superfluous to requirements.... then what...? Hmmmm.....
Frank Keegan
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 2:36 pm
Mike Norbury,

You say that if the Allotments Society had gone to Macc Borough for more allotment sites they would have been laughed out of court, because you already had 3 sites.

Did you not know about the 1908 Act and the Statutory Duty of the Authority? Or did you think that Macc Borough might come and ask people, like you, with multiple plots to revert to one plot?

Whichever way you look at it, what was the justification for ignoring the rights of the taxpayers on the waiting list? What was the justification for ignoring the law?
Vin Sumner
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 3:23 pm
was anyone around in 1908 ?
Frank Keegan
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 3:41 pm
Alan Davies,

The car parking spaces will greatly reduce when the MC is built. The new site starts further back, we lose spaces down by the side walls and I doubt the figures which are on the website. Currently, ie March 2013, and not a 2010/11 report, there are 25 annual tickets in operation, 23 pay on annual basis and 2 pay quarterly. As you say there are other Hall user passes in circulation - sad to say I don't have a pass issued by anyone, but on a regular basis the car park is now close to full every day.

Responsible employers (well 1 or 2) have taken places for their staff, and we need to increase that sense of responsibility.

Typically, some of the people who complain about the car park being extended over the allotments are the same people who complain about parking on streets. The top part of Trafford Road is a new target (quite dangerous) Congleton Road (quite dangerous) and quite a few other places, and there are calls for something to be done.

Where do the cars come from? They are not shoppers, so they must be long stay workers. If the Parish Council is to do something it must have an alternative. On street parking will not disappear unless we target employers to cater for their workers.

Not to mention the car park at the Park, which is full of long stay because it is free. We could make that a pay and display for a part of the day, say 10am till 2pm. That would stop the all day parking, and would allow the school drop offs and pick ups to use a turning circle.

There are issues about parking all over the village, and taxpayers deserve an attempt at a solution. We haven't even had a discussion about having South St as a short stay car park to encourage longer staying shoppers, but we might want to have that discussion.

Besides, I like Mike Dudley-Jones favourite expression "if you build it, they will come".
Frank Keegan
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 4:02 pm
Vin,

If it hadn't been for the 1908 Act, this problem wouldn't be with us! De Trafford would have given the land just for a little park; instead, because of the 1908 Act, they added in the possibility of Allotments.
Fiona Braybrooke
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 5:29 pm
Well that is an interesting comment by Frank Keegan. So if the De Trafford Estate had gifted a park would APEC still be trying to turn it into a Car Park ?
Alan R Davies
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 5:59 pm
Frank,

The figure of 45 parking spaces is what was stated on the planning application, shown on the plans, supported by the Highways Department, and approved by the Planning Committee. I'm worried that you doubt that figure. Surely it will constitute a planning breach if that number is not provided? By the way, I'm in full support of efforts to encourage employers to buy annual passes for their staff. The problem of dangerous parking during the day seems to be associated with long-stay parking. Safe on-street short-stay parking is still usually available for anybody who is prepared to walk a short distance.
Adrian Barber
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 6:18 pm
I'm not involved with the allotment discussion and know nothing about it so cannot comment, however I still maintain what I said in my previous comments re. parking. You won't make people walk from the Festival Hall into the village if they can get away with dodgy parking in the centre! So no matter how hard people try to justify a large car park back there it will only be any use for long stay and the hall itself. It won't reduce dodgy parking one bit so I'd rather see a complete rethink and my strongest recommendation is to fully investigate a one-way system that provides parking where it's needed, makes the roads safer and gives a quieter, more relaxed centre to the village. It's even a chance to fix the pavements and spruce the place up!
Frank Keegan
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 6:26 pm
Fiona Braybrooke,

No I was responding to Vin who was saying (what's all this about the 1908 Act?); I was making the point that it was the 1908 Act which assisted the Urban District in allocating allotments. I guess if they had known what a mess they would be, they would have opted for a park, and we would have been able to step in and sort a park out.

But, we still have the opportunity to create a visually appealing car park (similar to some nice NT places) which will be an attractive feature in the village.
Fenton Simpson
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 8:40 pm
Frank

Can we have an update as to where the PC is upto with acquiring the land at Lydiate lane ?

Is there a time frame in place for any current plot holder to be able to move there ?
Frank Keegan
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 9:02 pm
Fenton,

There are two willing parties, and I do not expect any great delay in agreeing matters re Lydiat Lane. AEPC is hoping that the final phone call can take place very soon, and then we can move forward quickly.
Martin Reeves
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 9:57 pm
Frank, I couldn't agree more with you that there are issues with parking all over the village, and taxpayers deserve an attempt at a solution.

If the Parish Council see the allotment site as the panacea for the village parking problems then it would serve the Parish Council well to issue a statement putting some meat on the bones of what their proposed solution is.

You close your comment with "if you build it, they will come" - but build what? How many parking spaces? What level of demand for parking has the PC identified? If it is not all to be used for parking what else is going there? How is it all going to be paid for? Will it be free parking or pay and display?
Alan Brough
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 10:27 pm
I was at the AEPC meeting on 11th March and am "disappointed" by Mike Williamsons'' statement as it is transcribed above - I don't believe that it is an accurate or appropriate response to the concerns expressed on the evening.

I am genuinely concerned that we are not being told the whole truth in the matter of Heyes Lane Allotments. It is well reported that the proposed medical centre does not (and will never) require the acreage of car parking provided by tarmaccing Heyes Lane allotments and therefore I am forced to speculate that there can only be an ulterior motive for the haste at which AEPC want to proceed with their plans.

AEPC - please explain why this amount of land is needed for car parking.
Frank Keegan
Wednesday 20th March 2013 at 10:53 pm
Martin,

When the Parish Council is ready, it will discuss the matter in the Council meeting. The decision which is in the public domain is that the Parish Council will ask the Communities Minister to free up Heyes Lane. The next stage is to get the Allotment transfer completed, and then design and cost a revamped Hall, and a new car park entrance from Heyes Lane. The Parish Councillors will design something for the future within a cost that we can afford.
Vin Sumner
Thursday 21st March 2013 at 9:10 am
There used to be a good car park at the Royal Oak !
Frank Keegan
Thursday 21st March 2013 at 11:18 am
good morning Vin. Are you in Amsterdam again?
Fiona Braybrooke
Thursday 21st March 2013 at 12:58 pm
I think we are all well aware that a Car Park which is not centrally located to the village will not be utilised. People do not want to park and then walk into the village otherwise the Festival Hall would be full
It really does seem that this is just a smoke screen for another plan I wonder if that could be the relocation of Alderley Edge Motoe Company ? We know this has been mentioned several times by AEPC.
Vin Sumner
Thursday 21st March 2013 at 2:37 pm
Hi Frank , not today sadly , on a train to London , might be there next week though. In understand all the frustrations re car parks and attempts to fix , but they all seem a bit unjoined up at the moment in terms of provision ,enforcement , need etc .... maybe a shuttle bus from the car park to london road would help .... only kidding ....
Duncan Herald
Thursday 21st March 2013 at 2:39 pm
Parking...yes, people are reluctant to walk from the F. Hall into the village BUT we have recently 'lost' the West St. car park AND several streets have become residents parking only AND there is reduced parking outside the De Traff. pub and so people may soon have little choice but to use the F. Hall car park... especially as the police/PCSO are cracking down on illegal parking in the village.
Mark Baildon
Thursday 21st March 2013 at 5:39 pm
And the ovule yellow are looking very new in the village shame they are not outside th new houses on heyes lane.
Sarah Lane
Thursday 21st March 2013 at 6:12 pm
I agree with Adrian Barber and others about people walking from Festival Hall to the village........ it will never happen because that's not the way most behave today, they are to selfish or lazy or both.

The intention might be to clamp down on some of the appalling parking but a warden would need to be on duty all day long and forever walking up and down the village to catch everyone.

I don't think many parents will use the park Car Park as a drop off/turning circle because it's just not near enough...... most parents dropping off at school want to open the car door and the child is in the classroom, the evidence is all around twice a day. It would be utter meltdown if every parent used that car park to drop off anyway. The road surface is not smooth enough for the 4x4's anyway. ;))))
Duncan Herald
Friday 22nd March 2013 at 10:39 am
Hi Sarah... a while ago I did a brief survey of the Park's car park... I don't think I posted the result on here... I simply wrote down all the car number plates at 10.15 am (hopefully those who used the car park for child drop off were gone by 10.15) and then returned at 3.00 pm and checked the list of number plates (hopefully those who used the car park for child pick up had not yet arrived, by 3.00)... 60% of cars there at 10.15 were still there at 3.00... I assumed that they were either commuters or people who worked in the area... so 40% were perhaps 'transients'?... not the most scientifically rigorous of surveys perhaps?... I of course destroyed the list of numbers... if anyone wishes to tell me that I broke the Data Protection Act; just don't!
I usually pass via the Park's car park at about 8.30 am and again at about 3.00-3.30 and I see quite a lot of parents (who am I kidding? Mums!) using the car park to drop off and/or pick up children.
Not only is the Park's car park difficult for the 4x4's, its also just terrible on the heels!

Hi Fiona... is paranoia 'catching' ?
Fenton Simpson
Friday 22nd March 2013 at 8:20 pm
I would suggest that you read the "green travel plan" in relation to planning application 12/1361M (festival hall medical centre).

And I quote re the car park "the intention is to have a one way flow system around the building with a barrier exit which will have a daily key code. The key code will be given to patients and others users of the hall by the medical practise receptionists to raise the barrier."
Chris Jones
Monday 25th March 2013 at 9:44 pm
Alan Brough could well have a point.
Maybe there is an ulterior motive, the extra car parking could house all the extra cars from all the extra people living in all the extra houses the council would love to build on green belt land. Then not happy with that,the car park could be frequented by revellers coming to a village turned into a nightspot.
Fenton Simpson
Tuesday 26th March 2013 at 8:51 pm
Chris perhaps the site for a taxi rank / Alderley motors combo!
Fiona Braybrooke
Tuesday 26th March 2013 at 9:44 pm
Hi Duncan
Hmm Paranoia. I would call it mistrust'. There seems to be so many hidden agenda and little transparenty with the actions currently of AEPC. The same issues keep coming up time and time again and still no clear answers.
Frank Keegan
Tuesday 26th March 2013 at 11:11 pm
Fenton,

relax, Alderley Motors is closing on Thursday. The village will lose jobs, from the garage, but most of all the village will have lost a service that harks back to a time long ago. Where else can you pick up your car and not pay immediately? Where else can you find a local garage that will come out to your house and start your car?
Claire MacLeod
Wednesday 27th March 2013 at 12:18 am
Whilst I sympathise, Frank, with your personal enthusiasm for a local business, whose loyalty is no doubt deserved, I do question your motivations. There have, as you know, been many businesses over the last number of years, indeed decades, that have gone under here in Alderley Edge. Is it up to our elected Parish Councillors to determine which local businesses to attempt to save and which to let go, at the local tax payers' expense? It is clear, reviewing previous postings that you had hoped to move the business to the Heyes Lane land, currently occupied by allotments. You may have even gone so far as to give the business owners hope that there was a future there. How much more disappointing for them then, to learn that your own personal cause does not promote the same degree of support than the support to save our precious green space in the village? I do feel sadness for all those who have lost jobs, and their families, as I do for any business that goes under in the current difficult economic climate. But I would also encourage our Parish Councillors to try to be a bit more representative in their crusades, and seek to promote what's best for the village, rather than best for themselves, and their own personal causes. (I have a car, so obviously use the services of a garage, and will not feel the loss of Alderley Motors. I'm sure there are those that will.)
Alan R Davies
Wednesday 27th March 2013 at 8:38 am
Unfortunately it is true that Alderley Motors is closing, but it is next Thursday rather than this Thursday. They already have a full backlog of work, so don't all rush to get your services booked. It's the end of an era, and they will certainly be greatly missed in the village. Let's hope that they will be able to find some way of re-opening somewhere in the future. Best wishes and thanks to Pete and all his staff.
John Sanderson
Wednesday 27th March 2013 at 8:46 am
Alderley Edge Parish Council (AEPC) issued a statement to the press that sought to justify its actions and recent resolutions relating to allotments. The Council's statement was critical of Alderley Edge Allotments and Gardens Society (AEAGS). This is the Society's response.

AEPC states that it is going to provide more allotments. Its plans are based on offering Lydiat Lane as a site for new allotments. The Parish Council is in no position to do this at the moment and it is likely to take years of negotiation before it could. Meanwhile, it is informing allotment holders that they could be evicted within six months, and the plots on Heyes Lane converted to a car park thereafter. That looks like a reduction, not an increase, in allotment plots.

The Parish Council links its plans for the allotments to the development of the Festival Hall site. It has allowed the Medical Centre plans to go ahead without drawing up a strategic plan for the Festival Hall. It asserts that the Festival Hall will be refurbished – but even with the dowry from Macclesfield Borough Council, there are insufficient funds available. It asserts more parking will be needed for the Medical Centre, but no case has been made to justify this. On the contrary, a 40-page report on parking, submitted by the applicants to the August 2012 Planning Committee that approved the Medical Centre plans, shows there is no need for additional parking.

The Parish Council has challenged the information given by public speakers at the Parish Council meeting on 11 March, but its explanations are not convincing.

For example, a councillor incurred significant expenditure on the opinion of a QC on allotment law – without the prior authority of the Council. In its recent statement the Council asserts that this was done in compliance with Council procedures. But their action brought criticism from the Audit Commission, which said that expenditures should be formally approved before being incurred.

The Parish Council is not the landlord of the allotment sites. (No transfer has taken place, as of 25 March 2013.) Consequently, under the Data Protection Act it should not be holding personal information about tenants, and should not be using such information to write to allotment-holders.  Only a written statement from the Information Commissioner’s Office, or reference to the relevant Section of the legislation would demonstrate that no breach of the Act has taken place.

AEPC, with its criticisms of how the allotments have been run in the past, is attempting to distract attention from its own plans, which amount to dismantling the allotment provision in the area. The number waiting for an allotment is much smaller than the 29 now claimed by AEPC and does not justify seeking an additional allotment site.

To repeat, Alderley Edge Parish Council does not at present have responsibility for the allotment sites in Alderley Edge.  It is acting like a person who is buying a house, and has signed the draft contracts, but not yet exchanged them. He has then moved into the house, despite protestations from the occupier, and begun to tarmac over the garden! 
Frank Keegan
Wednesday 27th March 2013 at 10:04 am
Claire, you have been a constant and vociferous critic of the Parish Council and of myself in particular. It is this ill informed constancy which damages the argument. Heyes Lane is a mess. There is a green space in the Council Local Plan, behind the Royal Oak, and upon which developers are currently trying to build housing. How many Heyes Lane Allotment holders have protested about this to the local planners?

Local Councils have vast powers under the various pieces of legislation; for example, Parish Councils are encouraged to use Public Money to protect local facilities. That is not a personal crusade, it is a fact. In order to have located the garage on the corner of the allotments, it would have required the consent of the electorate. The whole electorate and not just the constant few who post their opinions on here. That is the function of a local councillor - to facilitate the ability of the electorate to comment.
Frank Keegan
Wednesday 27th March 2013 at 10:27 am
Mr Sanderson manages to use a lot of space without saying that the AEAGS, using public assets, failed to recognise its duty under the 1908 Allotments Act. The list of 29 on the waiting list is provided by the Council, informed by the AEAGS. The issue of multi sites to favoured allotment holders is an abuse of public assets, when there are legitimate ratepayers, to use the Act terminology, seeking an allotment space.

The Allotments were in the process of being transferred to AEPC, when the AEAGS launched a very last minute attempt under the Localism Act to have the assets transferred to themselves. This delayed the process; Cheshire East, having now taken Legal Advice, (and no, they did not seek Council Approval beforehand) have now concluded that the transfer to AEPC can withstand legal challenge. AEPC have been so advised and our legal advisers are now concluding the matter with Cheshire East Solicitors.

The reason for informing allotment holders early in the process was the Parish Council was being asked by allotment holders for information. No one wanted to invest lots of effort and money on a plot if the Parish Council had plans for the site at Heyes Lane. That is why the Parish Council resolution said that the people who had signed up for the season would remain until the end of September
Claire MacLeod
Wednesday 27th March 2013 at 12:45 pm
Frank, I am critical of you because I do not agree with your proposals to turn the Heyes Lane allotments into a car park (or to relocate local businesses there, for that matter). How this is ill informed, I'm not sure. Nor am I sure how my 'constancy damages the argument'. Unless you change your position, then I'm afraid mine will also remain constant. Why should you object to this? After all, at least we agree on your last claim in your comment to me, 'That is the function of a local councillor - to facilitate the ability of the electorate to comment'.

Why don't you do just that, Frank? Why don't you ask the electorate directly (and not just the few who comment on here) whether they support your plan?
Frank Keegan
Wednesday 27th March 2013 at 11:03 pm
Claire, I did ask them. I have stood for election since 1987, 9 times for Parish and 5 times for Borough/Unitary.

The Medical Centre saw the light in the 2006 election, and was repeated in 2008. To make that happen the Festival Hall was transferred to AEPC in 2009. The MC project was again in the 2011 election. I, together with the Parish, have a mandate to deliver the MC project, and we will deliver a first class facility and a revamped Festival Hall.

The bid to start Cheshire East in 2009 was called "People and Places", and was predicated on returning local assets to local control, for the benefit of the wider community. Central Government supported that bid, and, albeit slowly, that was the basis for the Cheshire East Cabinet decision of 5 September 2011 to return assets to Parish Councils. Not new thinking, just a roll out of matters which have been decided at various times, by Government and Councils.

So, you'll forgive me if I say that this is part of a Government shift to encourage local communities to shape their local environment - it is a process to deliver, not a rolling referendum. The 16 Allotment plots in Heyes Lane will be preserved as Statutory Allotments - they just will not be on Heyes Lane. The wider community benefits for Health and Wellbeing will be massive; the benefits will have been facilitated by Central Government and delivered by locally elected members in Alderley Edge.
Richard Fitzwilliam
Thursday 28th March 2013 at 6:48 am
It may seem a simple question but I think worthy of a response.

Councillor Keegan has a clear stated conflict with Emmerson who are developing the Medical Centre. As the car park is now clearly linked to the new Medical Centre, why is Councillor Keegan still actively involved?

I believe on this site he stated that he would withdraw from all discussions where a conflict of interest arose.

For the record I am a resident of Heyes Lane and my preference would be to retain the allotments as is. If I had a choice I would rather have a residential street remain a residential street and houses built on the Heyes Lane side of the land rather than a car park.
Steve Savage
Thursday 28th March 2013 at 11:15 am
Well done Frank.. I think you and your colleagues are doing a cracking job. Ignore the nimbys and the multi site allotment holders standing in the way of progress... the allotments on Heyes Lane have been an eyesore for years. I remember the locals kicking off over the demolition of the Royal Oak... they didn't use it, so what did they expect?? As long as alternative space is found for the allotments..I really don't see the problem. Also, I hope that many people on the waiting list will now be accomodated at the future site.
Mark Baildon
Friday 12th April 2013 at 6:46 am
Could we have some information about heyes lane allotments, as usual we have heard nothing from the parish council since the meeting about the fate of heyes lane and if there is a time line for their actions, I am loathe to spend money on my allotment if we are suddenly told we are having to move.