[Excerpt from Stockport Times 21/9/06]
I recently attended the official opening of the refurbished steps at Hollywood Park. I was delighted to see this very important walking route so well restored.
This park has a significant role in Stockport's heritage and it is ludicrous that it doesn't even get a mention in the proposed tourism strategy which mostly concentrates on Marple and Bramhall park. There are few towns with such a large area of greenspace within walking distance of the town centre.
This week I, along with other members of the Planning and Highways Committee, will be visiting various locations to look at planning applications, including Tesco in Portwood. The problems is applications cannot be refused, nor should they be, because people don't like them or don't want them.
What councillors cannot do is refuse applications when there are no planning grounds for refusal even though large numbers of residents object. What we can do is attach conditions to the application, improve design, insist on landscaping and the use of appropriate materials, deal with highways issues and noise levels etc.
