An outline planning application has been submitted to East Riding of Yorkshire Council by developer Sewell Group for the Yorkshire Energy Park, a large-scale industrial development on the former aerodrome at the edge of Hedon and adjacent to Preston South.
Member of Parliament for Beverley & Holderness, Graham Stuart, said;
“Residents are angry and feel let-down. The designation of this much-loved green space separating Hedon and Hull has already been decided in the East Riding planning process. This is a greenfield site in the Local Plan and that decision should be respected.
“The excellent South West Holderness Ward Councillors, John Dennis, Mike Bryan and Sue Steel are mounting a vigorous campaign to see off this plan, and I stand in support of their hard work and inspiring leadership. Prompted by the Councillors’ request, I have been happy to oblige and write to the Planning Officer to let him know this is not the right site for this industrial estate.
“The fact is, Hull City Council see a chance to sell their site for millions. If they succeed, the residents of Hedon and Preston will have lost the vital green space they were assured would be retained.
“We all want to see investment, jobs and development in the Hull area; what we cannot allow is for Hull’s Council to ride roughshod over the East Riding’s planning process. There are plenty of sites that have been designated for development, and this is not one of them.”
Councillor John Dennis, representing the South West Holderness Ward said: “It is a misnomer to call this proposal an ‘Energy Park’ – no one will be taking their kids to play there or walking their dogs on the grass. This field is owned by Hull City Council which wants to sell it for development. The City Council doesn’t care about the impact on people living in Hedon and Preston South. It’s only three years since I led the No-No campaign to prevent Hull City Council building on this land then. In a referendum at that time 95.5% (of the 75% who voted) of local people said Hull City Council should keep their hands off our land and here we are again. With my fellow Conservative Ward Councillors, Mike Bryan and Sue Steel, we will campaign relentlessly to see off Hull City Council’s money-grabbing scheme.”
Tracy Lister of Hedon who started the Facebook page called “SAY NO TO ENERGY PARK IN HEDON!” which has more than 800 members said:
“I live nearby and feel it would be disastrous if any development went ahead on that land. Increased traffic, possible air pollution are the first issues. We had guarantees from Yorkshire Water that their development on Hedon road wouldn’t cause problems, yet it took an action group and legal action to stop what they promised wouldn’t happen in the first place. I don’t trust that this wouldn’t happen again.
“Flooding is a major concern. That land is prone to flood and if you build on land like that, the water becomes displaced. Ten years ago, residents in the surrounding area will remember very well the devastation. The Environment Agency consider us a flood risk and most insurers charge us extra for this. Building on this land will not make that risk any less.
“The wildlife is at risk. There are great crested newts, deer, rare grasses to name a few. Why would anyone want to destroy any of this when there are plenty of sites elsewhere which are in need of regeneration, especially within the Hull boundary. If this misguided development is allowed to go ahead the existing wildlife will be forced into a much smaller area and could result in the loss of some of it.”