Featherstone Make a Difference Forum

Below is a link to the new proposal. Lets see what people think and what is right and wrong with in the information.

http://www.jrpassoc.co.uk/consultation.html

OMG! This town is already on its knees with traffic and overcrowding. Let me ask a few questions if i may.
Firstly, there are 450 proposed homes in this plan. This would increase the population by 2000 people at an average of 2.4 children per family. Which doctors surgery is providing the health care for all these people. Our doctors surgeries are already pushed to the limit without adding more on their treatment list. The NHS are making cutbacks already and this adds stress to an already creeking system.
Secondly, 450 homes means about 1080 children. Which schools are prepared for an increase of this proportion? Again, schools and the education department are stretched to the limit and these proposals will tip them over the edge. Who's going to pay for extra teachers and facilities for all these kids?
Lastly, as far as traffic is concerned we are already a nightmare, this is going to bring absolute chaos into the town.
These developments are all well and good and the builders love them. They make lots of money then take their hook. They never ever think of any social or environmental impact that all this housing will cause and the ensuing chaos that follows.
This can't be allowed to happen - it's insane.

This is just the start of things to come,a survey was done on another piece of land a couple of years ago that is earmarked for up to 1,800 homes...i spoke to them as they were doing the surveying :o

great news

I couldn't agree more.The entire infastructure of the town will not cope with a development of this size. I have to give my doctors a weeks notice if I am going to be ill as it is and as for the traffic as things stand now, as you say the idea is insane to anyone who knows the town but WMDC don't know or care IMO. They just want the big income boost for firstly passing the development from the goverment, then flogging off the old allotments as part of the development and finally all the extra council tax income they will get.
If you check out Rightmove there are well over 100 houses listed on this site alone for sale from 50K-350K,immediately in the Featherstone area plus all the ones for rent so the myth that more are needed seems bizarre.
As an aside i hear WMDC are one of the few councils that have a chance of hitting their govenment set target for passing housing developments in their area as they are forcing so many through. They must be drooling at the thought of another big cash government bonus but I bet not a £1 of all this extra income will be spent on us!
It seems there is little point wasting energy objecting just look at previous valiant attempts to make WMDC see reason in the town, they do what they want when they want regardlees of public opinion in the immediate area. I think this is why there haven't been any public objections to the "proposal" in the town as we have seen in the Pont & Cas in other areas recently. Are we resigned to our fate?
If you attended any of the "consultation" events at Chesneys you will know they were all false smiles and bullsh1t but once or twice they let it slip that it was a done deal and I was told in a round about way, "look it's happening deal with it there's no way WMDC will not pass it and we start building Summer 2013!"
As you say they will build it and leave us to live in the traffic nightmare and chaos it will leave in the town, as Forkhandles says it is only the thin end of the wedge with all the adjoining farmland earmarked for future development towards Pontefract and the Crem which will bring 1000's more houses and join Fev to Ponty!!

Looks like the Pont & Cas cannot help but print the story as public opinion is high. The Band wagon deserves critisism.

http://www.pontefractandcastlefordexpress.co.uk/news/local/more-local-news/new-estate-traffic-chaos-fears-1-4798107

the town needs more people living in it, especially the middle of the town, especially if these are young professional people with money and aspirations

I agree with you SB...but first we need to make sure the infrastructure can cope with the increased population ;D

That's all well and good, but it's the increase in traffic that concerns me, the town is gridlocked as it is.

Kim the place is a ghost town.

I don't know where you get the gridlocked impression from.
more upwardly mobile people, more busineses, more interesting shops, proper reataurants, the place smartened up, people living in the middle of the town not on estates on the outskirts. It would rewaken the place.

Featherstone is no longer an industrial town. It is a residential community where people commute. This needs to be made the best of.

quite

I don't see any reason why that shouldn't be the case.

Do you walk around with your eyes shut? It's not gridlocked???
Come down Wakefield road at school times and try getting up station lane. Five o'clock, they are bumper to bumper from the Linpac to Feath high school and from North Feath to the Travs where they turn in for Ackworth. You want to add to the problem?
Did you answer any of the concerns about schools accommodating another thousand children, doctors surgeries accommodating another two thousand people? No because all you can see is fancy shops and resturants. You say it would waken the place up, it would bankrupt the place, it's YOU who needs to wake up.

Constructed in the right way, Yes Featherstone would benefit from town centre infill constructions. However given the recorded track record of such development the present infrastructure has to raise concern especially as every aspect of it already fails.
Like it or not Featherstone’s destiny is to be a commuter town. This has to raise concern as commute equals transport. Only a blind person could stand at the road side and not see this.

Have you ever seen a development that couples on to an access road (in this case Post Office Road) via a gate that “emergency teams will have a key for”. If you look at the plans the gate is in to a garden of a new house? Have we not learnt that a WMDC highways issue is all powerful? Once built it would be an issue that would be resolved by law. They must think we are thick.

Hs the Junction Pub got a preservation order on it? Hope so as it would be a good time to get rid.

I agree entirely  ;D

there is no grid to be locked. Traffic is heavy during peak times justb like everywhere else. The rest of the time the pplace is a ghost town.

fancy shops and restaurants-sounds good to me. What would you have instead? An influx of young upwardly mobile people with disposable income is what the town needs.

One of the reasons there is heavy traffic at the times you mention is that children don't necessarily attend thre school near where theyb live. St Wilfi]rid's for example has a massively wide catchment area.

do you know what the takeup is on tlocal health service provisiopns. Presumably you know about planned changes for that should they be needed.

You really do have your head in the sand concerning what this towns needs Bond.
This town does need regeneration and life breeding into it but 450 new houses is not the answer. The answer is opportunity for our youth, job prospects for our youth aswell as employment opportunities for other age groups. I'd rather have a factory that employed 500 people and bring prosperity here.
Some more concerns about increasing the size of the town, 450 dustbins to empty when WMDC are struggling to empty bins because of cutbacks, dozens of more streets to clean, 450 houses to empty of sewage when everyone knows the current sewage system we have is already stretched to the limit, choking the place up with Carbon emmissions from another 750 cars so our children can breath more ****e in and end up with Asthma, more flooding because we can't handle the excess water from the roof tops just like in Streethouse.
Lets just ask ourselves if you and these idiots are gonna pay for this:
1. Another 2 infant and junior schools to cope with a 1000 children.
2. An extention to Featherstone technology college to cope with another 1000 children.
3. Based on national figures we'd need another 40 school teachers.
4. A new sewage system to cope with 1000's of tons of extra sewage and excess water.
5. More WMDC employee's to empty bins and clean streets.
6. More postmen to deliver mail to 450 extra houses.
7. Modifications to electricity, gas and water supplies to cope with demand.
So, who's gonna pay for this lot hey Bond? Not you or the company building the houses that will leave this town facing disaster in a time of a double dip resession where everyone is making cutbacks to survive. You build during times of economic growth not recession.

Excellent points Primax, agree wholeheartedly

Kim wrote
Thankyou Kim.
Some other points I forgot to mention, you would probably need another doctors surgery to cope with health demands aswell as a dentist. You just cannot add 2000 people to a population without thinking about all the life support mechanisms which are already stretched. In case Bond didn't notice Kim, the NHS is on its backside having to make cutbacks imposed by the government, WMDC is on its backside because of the same thing and education face similar problems. In other words - no ones got 2 pennies to scratch their backside with, everyone is on a tight budget because of the recession so none of the above mentioned stuff like schools, clinics, doctors etc are going to materialize. What would that do to our already stretched health service, school system and Council services? THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL- the rest of us suffer. I wish people would use their noggin.

so this development will take place without related modifications and improvements to the infrastructure will it? I doubt it
more employees such as post men(and women), refuse workers etc. isn't that a good thing?

The same people who pay for all the country's inferstructure developments will pay, including the new residents who will enliven the place

Building during a recession helps a country work its way out of recession. In a recession does all capital investment stop? Of course it doesn't, kust look around you.

Bond Wrote
In answer to that about improvements to the infrastructure - A VERY SOLID NO!
When houses were built in all the surrounding areas nearby such as Streethouse and Sharlston there was no new provisions made in education, social care, healthcare or sewage. Again Bond you have your head in the sand, there isn't going to be any, were in a recession and everyone is skint. There isn't any money to improve what we already have never mind increase its capacity.
More employee's? What are you talking about? WMDC have got to save £60 million over five years, there are no new employee's, there are no new postmen because the postal service is on its backside.
In answer to your comment about helping the recession. To get out of a recession you have to create wealth in the Country, usually this is done by the banking system (Bank of England) pouring money into trade and industry which creates jobs, growth and expansion. The banks have got the titty on because they have had their backsides slapped for already causing the recession in the first place by over lending and creating bad debt for the country. The banks have all the money - end of, the government is busy trying to dig us out of the debt the last government with its unlegislated banking system got us into.
Now we have ficticious inflation figures trying to keep us from going bust all together. 2.6% they say??? someone's been smoking the crack pipe again because I could swear its over 15%. In case no one noticed, everything is sky rocketing in price, fuel at silly money, domestic fuel at silly money, supermarket prices at absolutely silly money, train prices set to rise at three times the proclaimed rate of inflation, a whopping 6.1%. The only thing that remains cheap is the interest on your mortgage but if that goes up everyone will be homeless, too many folk living on the edge of survival for that to happen like it did in 1987 when Maggie banged interest rates up to 15%.
So Mr Bond, to dig ourself out of recession we need jobs, investment in trade and industry which creates jobs which in turn creates wealth because people start spending their hard earned money in shops and on cars etc etc etc. THEN YOU BUILD HOUSES FOR THEM TO BUY which creates more wealth and more jobs and so the cuddly little cycle keeps going. The banks won't give people mortgages, they won't give industry any money to create growth so in essence we are urinating into a strong breeze at the moment which doesn't repair itself by building houses. Houses which incidently are designed to remove the working classes from their own towns and make them feel second rate citizens when they pass the ten bob millionaires giving em mucky looks.

Planning Ref: 12/01887/HYB

http://cominoweb.wakefield.gov.uk/Planning/lg/GFPlanningViewDocumentInDialog.page

Now is the time to have your say if you disagree with the planning application filed at WMDC and now on line. For so much concern there are so far only 2 objections. Interestingly one is from Featherstone District Cllr Graham Isherwood who writes on behalf of Cllr June Cliffe. If they were so bothered why has Cllr June not made the time to write her own thoughts as a letter? As for Cllr Dick his name is not mentioned probably because he is on the planning committee. Yet Cllr Dick has been out today posting leaflets about the application. Is this legal?
One thing for sure from the information given is that this will be phase one by hook or crook so that minor amendments can then be made to get exactly what the developers wish. And if anyone complains all they have to do is quote one of many Featherstone planning disasters such as Lidle.
Its time to put pen to paper and send to,

Planning Department
Wakefield Council
Wakefield One
PO Box 700
Wakefield WF1 2EB

Or by email to, devcontrol@wakefield.gov.uk

WOW.

how many documents submitted for this development. just browsed this one 'Socio Economic info' and it made for very interesting reading.

Mine has gone in:
I hereby officially submit my objection to the housing development Planning Ref: 12/01887/HYB on the following basis:
1.Featherstone already has huge traffic problems and we have been refused a bypass. This will increase the problem and put the lives of children especially at risk.
2.The infrastructure of Featherstone is already stretched to the limit. Who is going to provide extra schools and doctors surgeries for the influx of people when authorities are already making cutbacks in education and the NHS?
3.The housing will not be affordable to the local people and therefore would eventually increase the population of the town by 2000 people. We don't have the room for an increase of this proportion.
4.The sewers were not designed for an increase of usage to this degree. The contractors have not indicated that they will upgrade our already failing sewage system. Future problems will arise because of this.

Hello, big fine through letterbox this morning, now ain't that a coincidence seeing as I put an objection in to this planning proposal. Dirty, scummy Labour c o c k ends. Go away and die. 

Didn’t the P&C print this had just passed?
WMDC planning still shows “Pending”?
http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/Planning/PlanningApplications/PublicAccess/default.htm

Looks like a final plan.
As part of the deal Featherstone gets its bus stops tarted up....... big deal

https://www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/proposed-developments/england/west-yorkshire/featherstone/land-on-pontefract-road-at-Featherstone

Hope they are aware of the water vole colony by the beck. I don't mean the rat infested beck by the path through from PO road to Jubilee steps.

Take a closer look at the pond that has gone missing. It is replaced with curves of water. Apparently a pond would have a drowning risk. Shame that local kids loose a free fishing venue over mad health and safety.
Should we assume all WMDC ponds are to be filled in?
But hey, who cares? ::)

Some healthy looking trees by the look at the stumps and off cuts. By the sounds of it work is ready to start and is held up by road works. Looks like road works followed by road works.

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where exactly is the entrace to the site going to be and where are they going to get the heavy machinery on to start with.

According to the plans the green BT box in the picture is about the dead centre of the entrance.

claytonroyston
The new  sign as just been put up on the land opposite the junction hotel,building to start shortley on the new development of housing (colliery court) so get ready for all the dust and grime and the traffic going and coming of the site. 
 
Old Stonian
Maybe I am wrong, but it seems to be in the way of the access road, unless that is nearer to the "Jubilee Steps" footpath than I thought. 
 

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Have to agree with the sign location being in the way, but hey considering what is exactly being built on the Girnhill Estate compared to the plans anything could happen.

How does the song go?
There were rats, rats and big as bleeding ships in the stores in the stores..........
Sadly they are not in the stores but the Victoria Estate. As the ground work began on the new estate rats and mice have flooded in to the area. Considering only a small amount of work has taken place you can assume a plague of the same is to be disturbed shortly. It appears in a panic after months of requests by residents and Featherstone Rovers that the beck at the end of Post Office Road has finally been cleared out in part. WMDC should have put a gag on the workmen as they were very informative. WMDC did not wont the blame for the migration of the rat population presently in habitation from Post office Road to Jubilee Steps. ::)

I am old enough to have sung the song over 70 years ago. The rats were as big as cats. It has to rhyme.

Sorry Old Stonian you are right it was cats back then. 70 years on they are now as big as dogs. ;D
Looks like the sign was in the wrong place after all as it has now been moved to open the entrance. Shouldn't the junction have be altered before traffic turns in to the new estate. Should be interesting for a while.

Just before the bulldozers arrive a last couple of shots of the view from the end of Post Office Road,

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It looks like the footpath from the chippie to the Junction Hotel is being widened. Anybody know why, and is there a plan anywhere for the new crossroads?
 

An interesting question. Many people will have not bothered to look at the WMDC planning applications. If you do you may be shocked to read how many "MINOR AMMENDMENTS" there are. Yes the con is to pass a basic plan and then change it as you go along to what you really wish to build. Obviously there is no influence from the cash that is released as building starts that "SOME" Cllrs can influence to spend.
There is another "MINOR AMMENDMENT" in at the moment for the site. Sure there will be many more.
As for the lights/ roundabout, the latest plans in planning show none, just a junction..........
How many changes can you see so far and also what has been left out?

https://planning.wakefield.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=externalDocuments&keyVal=N8CF16QQ90000

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Being a bit of a cynic, and now the curb alteration from the chippie to the Junction Hotel is nearly done, I suspect it is to do with the parked cars in the other direction from the chippie to the Travellers Hotel. Is it possible for the council to make a residents parking area on an A road and then charge for it?

Featherstone in gridlock this week while road alterations take place at the entrance to the new estate “Colliers Court”. Remember a post a few weeks back regards shouldn’t this have been built before building works? That must have gone under the carpet then............. ::)

Talking of under the carpet, the Cllrs who read this forum appear to have ignored the brain wave idea to make the 150 meters of “anti-drowning hazard” half moon soak aways into the most popular free fishing area with security, built free of charge as a gift for Featherstone. Please put a red rosette on the idea before it is lost.......... ::)

Forgive me and correct me if I am totally wrong.
The entrance and road to the new housing estate appears to be a second thought botch job. Is it me or has the new entrance road been made out of MUD? Is it me or has the raised MUD road now been fitted with curb stones? Is it me or shouldn’t there be a **** base 1 metre below the curb stones?
Would it be correct to assume that the road will disintegrate quickly causing far more disruption than has been seen so far considering there will be less space to operate to make repairs?

Looks a building site now.....
Interesting there is a fence around the common land at the end of Post Office Road that encroaches slightly....

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Don’t you just love it when paid officials have to read a forum just to get a half intelligent good idea from the people they serve?
It appears another minor amendment is in. The new estate is going to have a pond and a small children’s play area. Great eh? Na couldn’t be that easy to see sense!
It’s a pond. The same structure condemned for being a drowning risk, I agree. A pond and not a fishing pond may sound petty to many but a fishing pond has fishermen / women who do look after places on the whole. Free up-keep and life guards plus the bonus of free family time with no noise to residents. I guess the new change to add the children’s play area is an attempted quick fix to show caring. Great as long as the location is not directly outside your new house instead of a reasonable distance away on land available.
You have to shake your head. These people do not have a clue and will never ask us for help. ::)

At last people are taking an interest in the dodgy goings on as it arrives on their own doorsteps. For 2 weeks WMDC have employed a surveying team to map out roads and distances between houses on Post Office Road and the Victoria Estate. Without and permission or respect for private property the surveyors entered 100s of gardens to take measurements from building’s exterior walls. Just a note for the Cllrs who don’t read this forum (whatever) if WMDC try to use this information it will reported as obtained illegally. So you had better start again and ask for permission to obtain the information.
Meanwhile 100s of people are now up in arms as at last they have realised that all the minor planning amendments look like Post Office Road and Vicarage lane being linked to the new housing estate as entrances. Also from the surveyors it appears a 3rd entrance could be planned on to Moor Road. Feelings are running high including talk of taking a council seat in the coming election to help stop the madness.

An interesting development, today W.D.H. have issued letter to residents on The Victoria Estate. The letter informs of talks next week towards an “environmental scheme”. We will have to wait and see what this choice of words describes.....

It appears that the “environment scheme” is nice. WDH are asking their tenants for a list of further improvements they require. I wonder if any other estate has been asked the same?

What a fantastic achievement. A new Featherstone record was achieved on Saturday 14th March 2015......
Sadly it was not a positive.........
The new Colliers Court road works managed to cause the biggest traffic jam in all directions that has been recorded since records were last burnt.
Not surprisingly no one seems to care why? If you remember the plans posted earlier, there were to be no more traffic lights at the Travellers Junction. Guess the WMDC records will update shortly to show a minor amendment to alter the junction.
What next?
The beck behind the houses on Pontefract Road that does not officially exist looks to have gained a lake?
But hey! Its only Featherstone!

You may have seen surveyors and other similar people working on the Victoria estate since November 2014. The surveys took about 4 months and covered the whole estate. When the surveyors were questioned they informed those asking that they were employed by WMDC and not WDH to carry out a survey of the gardens on the estate. The survey included Post Office Road where gardens were trespassed upon to take measurements.

Nothing further was seen until Wednesday 22nd July 2015. WDH held a meeting at the library. The meeting was not advertised to the public. The people attending had been invited. Apparently those invited had answered their doors when WDH had made a daytime house to house door knock of the estate. Nobody on Post Office Road was visited.

The meeting consisted of approximately 25 people. The plan was explained.
The end of moor road is to be opened opposite Chesney’s. The garages on moor road are to be demolished. Parking space is to be made on the green in the middle of Moor Road and at the end near the allotments. The path at the rear of Moor Road is to be narrowed and parking bays made. Parking will be lost at the end of Moor Road along the turn up towards Post office Road and the road widened. Where possible garden walls, gates and fences will be replaced with new. The number of parking spaces will be reduced.

When questioned why after months of work and research only one area of the estate is being “up-graded” which just happens to be opposite a new road on a new housing estate only blocked off by a gate that only emergency services will have a key for the response was to improve the area. It was then further pointed out that;
a.   This would create a short cut
b.   This would create easy parking for visitors to the Chesney’s Centre / Rovers centre / Games / events thus reducing residents’ space more frequently than the present quiet culdisack.
c.   This is an early start to creating a new connection to the new housing estate.
A full response was not given.
When questioned further is this a link to the new housing estate the response was we are WDH not WMDC. The reply was why has WMDC paid for the survey that WDH is basing its proposed developments upon? No answer was given.

People attending the meeting were asked to sign for or against the alterations. Many refused. It appears from here WDH are to move forward with their plan as it has had consultation.
The questions are
A. do you agree?
B. Do you disagree?
C. Would you like to know more before work starts?

It appears someone is still trying to pull the wool over our eyes. The latest development on Moor Road is a couple of meetings have been called. Apparently every resident has been contacted and in formed there will be a street meeting on Moor Road on Thursday 20th and Saturday the 22nd between 11am and 3pm. After checking with a number of residents it appears not everyone has been contacted. In fact only a few have been informed. Why?

Oh dear, looks like our local Cllrs have been forced to pull their heads out of the stack and are to visit residents on Moor Road on Friday, What about those who work? Apparently they knew nothing about the Moor Road plans. Apparently Featherstone Cllrs have received no complaints although a record number have been recorded as sent? Residents have commented it sounds like "Lister Baths". Apparently WDH told WMDC nothing. Strange when WMDC paid for the 5 month survey of the whole estate that we witnessed and is now being used by WDH?
Apparently people who wish to speak to Cllrs need to put a tick in their window. Apparently some residents feel there should be a public meeting on an evening, but some residents feel unsettled by putting a tick in their window as they are aware they are in Featherstone opposing an authority and previous implications.
The problem isn't going away................ ::)

A question?
At a cost of over £20k to us rate payers, less than 4 years ago finally a substantial metal fence was fitted down one side of the Jube Steps path. This has now been removed and replaced with a wooden fence. Where has the metal fence gone and who will maintain the wooden fence that WILL get trashed in the first year? ::)

What an interesting local council meeting to help residents!
The Cllrs turned up..........hurray............! ::)

Residents rightly immediately felt intimidated as the Cllrs had brought 4 PCSOS. Why? Why would 2 local Cllrs and 2 WDH men need 4 PCSOS to guard them?
Nothing new with the Cllrs and their private police to hand while we all defend our homes with no police for most crimes these days. When was the last time Featherstone had 4 PCSOS on site?

More surprising was the attitude of one WDH men. The other had to be excused as he knew nothing at all about the plans but was introduced as one of the developers. At the end of the day the meeting was to discuss if the plans for Moor Road were to happen. The response ranged from it might happen, it’s going to happen, we are going to consult more, we have consulted enough to do what we want, and The Chesney’s centre does not allow parking on the streets around it. This is not to mention a few choice accusations heard by a number of people accusing a female of being a trouble causer. A normal day in Featherstone development for the worse then!

It was perhaps ironic that the meeting was held in the street near Chesney’s. The surrounding streets were full of parked cars that were not the residents. The WDH man suggested that parking would be helped just as a car pulled up and parked in the residential area.  The poor lady who got out of the car was a little taken back by the crowd when asked where she was going. Yep she was off to Chesney’s. A long chat went on. At the end of the day Chesney’s could have more parking but chooses not to and hinder the residents instead.

The story is a long way from over yet....... For the local Cllrs who don’t read this site what you going to do when the Posh Penguin site arm up the back vanishes? ;) ;D

Don't you just love fate! As the first residents moved in to the new Colliers Court all new systems are up and running, including the sewage and flooding prevention pump. Within 2 minutes of heavy rain last night Station Lane and other areas began to flood in record time. Not only faster flooding but new flooding was reported including the beck. ::) But hey who cares? ???

Interesting comments from a number of local people regards Colliers Court. For some strange reason at least 3 times a week a very large drain suction truck is still cleaning out the drains at the front of Colliers Court. The latest people moving in this week have questioned why the drains are visibly just under the metal grates full of gravel / stone.

Colliers Court August 2016 from Post Office Road

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May 2017 and growing

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