I went to a meeting at St Teresa’s last night, a presentation made by the Anglo-American group developers who want to build another 120 flats in the grounds of St Joseph’s College. This is in addition to the 92 that they recently gained planning permission for.

The meeting was very well attended and it’s a tribute to ADGBUHRM* that so many people turned up. It’s fair to say that most people were against what was being proposed and didn’t believe what they were being told by the developers.

A few people made the point that if there was public access to the grounds then they wouldn’t mind the development. However, it was surprising that others made the point that they would rather the old college be demolished rather than the development go ahead.

There’s supposed to be a moratorium on new development in West Lancs, but we are told that it doesn’t count in this case. What with the St Joseph’s development and the proposed extreme sports centre on the other side of the beacon, people feel that the greenbelt is under attack from all fronts.

At least the turnout at the meeting, and the strength of feeling, means that it’s not going to be a walkover for the developers.

(*) ADGBURHM are “Against Development of Green Belt in Up Holland and Roby Mill”