Hurstwood’s Plans for Holly Mount Approved

On Thursday 19th October  Rossendale Council’s Development Control Committee met to decide whether to approve the application for the conversion of Holly Mount House to 15 apartments and the building of an additional 20 apartments and 18 3-story houses on the site behind Haslingden Old Road. 

 

Hurstwoods meet with HORRA.

An article in the Rossendale Free Press (30^th June 2006) stated that no more trees would be cut down from the Holly Mount site and that “our thinning out work, which is now complete, will actually allow the remaining trees to flourish” (Daniel Hartley, Senior Planner). He went on to say ,“We propose to submit landscaping details so that the tree planting can take place on the boundaries of the site.”

To find out more about these plans, and bring our concerns directly to Hurstwoods, we contacted Daniel Hartley to request a meeting with him. After some persuasion that we were rationale, normal people (he didn’t want to come to a meeting with thirty people all shouting at him!) he agreed to meet a small number of representatives from HORRA on Friday 21^st July. This is an account of that meeting for those members of HORRA who couldn’t attend and as a statement of what happened.

 

Plans submitted

So Hurstwoods have revealed their hand and submitted plans for the Holly Mount site to build 25 apartments, 12 town-houses and 6 semi-detached houses in a gated complex. This is four weeks after the felling of the trees around this area and catagorically stating that they ‘had no plans to develop this site’. In an article in the Free Press the chairman of Hurstwoods, Stephen Ashworth, expresses his desire to return the site to its former Victorian glory. ‘Our research shows’ he claims, ‘we are putting back broadly what was there before’. Did their research show a large, white, steel superstore next to the site? Probably not. So who submitted plans for such an out-of-place building, which is certainly not in keeping with Mr Ashworth’s vision of restoring the area to its former glory. Oh, that’s right, it was Mr Ashworth.

How the view has changed

Below are two photos taken by one of the residents of Haslingden Old Road from their house. The first was taken prior to any work being carried out on the site and shows the small group of trees behind the houses, with a glimpse of Holly Mount House through the trees and the hills beyond. The trees act as an effective barrier, screening the house from the development site, the town centre and the related noise and traffic.

The second picture shows the same view following the removal of 79 trees. Now Holly Mount and the surrounding development is clearly on view. The shops and car park in the town centre are also fully exposed. In addition, the traffic onto the site can now plainly be seen (and heard) and the workers on the site (and later visitors to the store) have an uninterrupted view right into the houses on Haslingden Old Road. I am certain they would rather have view of a small wood as they approach Asda than of residents' living rooms.  However, Hurstwoods obviously believe that they, and the residents of Haslingden Old Road, are not befitting of such 'privileges' and have removed this natural, free and ancient barrier. But at least now we know why….as the next posting tells.

 

N.B. All images on this site are the copyright of Horra and cannot be used without permission

First hand account

Below is a copy of an email sent to the Chief Executive of RBC by a resident of Haslingden Old Road to complain about the felling of the trees. The email describes at first hand what happened over the 3 days that the trees were felled. It describes how powerless the witness felt in preventing the felling and how the owners of the land carried out the work; some might say in a duplicitous manner.

"On the weekend of 22/23rd April 2006, two surveyors appeared on Haslingden Old Rd, where I live, in the area behind the new Asda site.  They were obviously part of some plan but assured us, the residents, that whatever they were surveying would not affect us.  They even sought, and were granted permission, to enter some of my neighbours' back gardens in order to complete their survey.

Immediately behind our houses to the rear of our back gardens is (now, sadly, was) an area of some 100 mature trees which were home to a wide variety of wildlife including bats, birds, squirrels and owls.  When Asda put in a planning application for their new store, we, the residents, were assured that the trees would remain where they were.  If we had not received this assurance then I and others would certainly have objected that the store wouldn’t be hidden from our view by the trees.  We were also informed by the Hurstwood Group, by letter, that the land immediately behind our houses (where the trees were) had been sold by this group to Asda.

Imagine then, our horror when we returned home from work on Monday (24th April) evening, to find that two groups each of 4 to 6 mature trees, mainly horse chestnuts, had been felled without any warning or prior consultation.  On the next morning of the 25th April, I and some of my neighbours immediately made representation to the Planning Department of the council to find out who had authorised the removal of these trees.  I spoke to a Planning Officer who assured me that he would visit the site, find out what was going on and call me back.  By 16.40 that day he had still not contacted me (I was at work all day) so I rang his office.  He informed me that he had not visited the site yet but would call on his way home.

Unfortunately, during the day of Tuesday 25th April, most of the remaining trees were felled.  We were greeted by a scene of absolute devastation of the trees on Tuesday evening, plus an ugly view of the new Asda building.  Many of the neighbours gathered to share stories of who they had spoken to at the Council that day and it transpired that there was a great deal of uncertainty about who actually owned the land, with Asda denying that the land was theirs and also that they had not authorised any tree-felling.  Some neighbours had been down to speak to the men with the chainsaws and they had informed them that they were working for the Hurstwood Group.

On the morning of Wednesday 26th April I felt I could not stand idly by and do nothing so I phoned my boss and told him that I would have to take a day’s emergency annual leave from work in order to try to sort out this problem.  He was very understanding and granted me a day’s annual leave.  I then went down to the site and positioned myself in front of the few remaining trees.  At about 10am three men arrived with a chain saw.  We exchanged words and the men said that they had contacted their boss, to tell him that I was on the site, but had been told to carry on with their "job" of destroying trees.  However, I remained where I was, in front of the trees which had been marked with pink paint by someone as a sign that they were to be removed. My partner called me at about 10.30am to say that he had spoken to the Council Planning Department, who had received an email from Hurstwood Management saying that no more trees were to be cut down.  As I was having this conversation, two more trees on the site, at a distance from me, were being sawn down.

I was also visited by one of the site foremen for the RG group, who are in charge of the Asda Build.  He informed me that the land belonged to Hurstwood and that he felt as I did about the destruction of the trees, that he couldn't see the need for it.  He left, saying that if I needed anything to come down to his office.

I remained where I was until a Community Police Officer arrived at about 13.20 to threaten me with arrest unless I left the site peacefully.  I asked her what the charge would be be and she replied that I was preventing people from doing their work.  I replied that I did not believe that preventing people from working was a criminal offence and asked her again what the charge would be.  She did not reply but radioed for help saying, erroneously, that I was "refusing to move".  I pointed out that I had not said anything about refusing to move but had merely tried to find out on what grounds the police were proposing to arrest me, should it come to that.

We had a discussion about my reasons for being on the site whilst she waited for her Police Colleague to arrive.  I explained to her that although the Council Planning Department had an email from Hurstwoods saying that no more trees were to be felled, that Hurstwoods’ men were still standing by with chainsaws waiting me to be evicted from the site, and that I did not feel that the trees would be safe were I to move.  I also said that there appeared to be some doubt about whether planning permission had been put in to remove the trees and that we should really call a halt to any more tree destruction until it was clear whether or not permission had been granted.  She replied that Hurstwood were a "very big, important company" and that she "would imagine that they would have planning permission or they would not be doing this."  So much for police impartiality.

Her male Police Colleague then appeared accompanied by one of the site managers from the Asda site RG Group.  The site manager informed the three men with the chainsaw that he had received a message from Hurstwoods saying that they must not fell any more trees.  I felt then that agreement had been reached and that I had succeeded in protecting the few remaining trees, and I agreed to return home peacefully.

Imagine my horror then, about half an hour later, to hear the sound of a chainsaw rip through the air.  I watched from my bedroom window as the three men gleefully destroyed several trees, the same trees I that had been trying to protect.  I phoned the RG site manager who informed me that he was aware that the tree destruction had started again but that he did not have authority over the men, who were Hurstwood employees. 

I went next door to alert my neighbour and we both watched with horror and extreme sadness as a few more mature trees met their untimely end.  All of this took place in the middle of the nesting season and for what purpose we can only wonder.  All I know is that a lot of wildlife lost their homes over those three days, homes which cannot easily be replaced."

If you have any thoughts or feelings about this account, please leave a comment.