TORY CANDIDATE IS AGAINST THE BUILDING OF A NEW £5 MILLION SALVATION ARMY HOSTEL IN THE HEART OF THE EAST MARSH
In yesterday’s Grimsby Telegraph, there was letter written by the “so called” Conservative Candidate for the East Marsh Ward; it appears he is against this area receiving a grant from the Homes and Communities Agency to build the new Hostel.
He makes a number of points, and I will answer them in turn:
Firstly, he says “the new Salvation Army building on Eleanor Street, Grimsby, and wonder, has the management team and the North East Lincolnshire Council thought this through? No, they haven’t.”
It is not up to the Council to dictate to the Salvation Army were the Hostel should go, but the choice of location is a good choice; it is at the heart of many of the services that will be needed by some of the residents. Locally, there is: Open Door, Harbour Place the Salvation Army HQ, the Care Trust Plus, local shops, housing services, and it will close to GP surgeries. The location is ideal, and the Tory Candidate must remember that the Planning Committee voted by NINE votes to NONE against for the reasons that I have mentioned; that means the Tory Chairman, Philip Jackson voted in favour and application was moved by the Mayor, Councillor John Colebrook and Seconded by Councillor P. Mills (both Conservative).
He then went onto ask why: “they have made an extra consultation with the residents of the East Marsh first?”
As usual with any Planning Application immediate neighbours and properties that are affected by the development are notified and consulted; however any other residents is given the chance to either write in object or support any planning application. Also residents, who regularly attend East Marsh Involve, will know that I reported on this development prior to it going to planning and no resident objected.
The Tory Candidate appears to indicate that he would prefer to see the new hostel being built on a different site, he suggests: “One possibility is the former Birds Eye factory site on Ladysmith Road.”
If you have read my previous post, you will realise that this is earmarked for 177 new houses; therefore not only is against the regeneration of a derelict site but he also wants to put on hold the development of the Birds Eye site.
I am totally committed, to this new development; it will regenerate a waste piece of land that as stood derelict for many years (as can be seen above). The site will be transformed by a landmark building, that will hopefully be the catalyst to further regeneration in Eleanor Street and could kick-start the regeneration of Freeman Street.
