Befirst say: “In addition to the new homes the development will provide a brand new park, orchards and improved access to a lake which will provide a green open space residents can enjoy.”
Lets look at this in more detail ..... by superimposing the plan on the existing green space
Firstly there will be double the amount of homes / families with half as much green space, that's without including residents of all the homes north of the Padnall Road who use this as their local park.
Will this still work as a family friendly park?
The park area is massively reduced, children can play along side the 'new' car park or directly in front of the existing residents' homes, or just walk up and down a path.
Where do the kids learn to ride a bike? on the narrow path? Where are the cycle paths?
Where do the kids play football? on the small area in front of the existing blocks?
The summer picnics the community used to hold on the green space, the swimming pools in front of all the blocks, something Marks Gate is known for, where will they go ..
It will no longer be a family friendly park but just a path ... parks do not tend to have access roads and car parks down them.
And then there is the wasted space, the space behind the 6 storey block on the left, or the narrow space in front of it. The tiny buffer space behind the new houses along the A12.
Any sensible reason for the car parks not being behind the new homes and alongside the A12? keep all the pollution together and not on the 'park'?
Is there really a need for a 6 storey block right next to the lake?
Improved Access to the lake they say - well its a path, same as it was before, a path, just not with as much green space either side of it.
New park, they say - no park we say.