Cabinet Must Listen to Local People!

It's Our City are calling on Lancaster City Council Cabinet to turn down Centros Miller's proposals to develop the Canal Corridor North site. It's Our City are planning to lobby the Cabinet before their meeting at Morecambe Town Hall on 25th July, and will be holding an information stall in Lancaster city centre on 22nd July to invite local people to join them at the lobby.

The Cabinet must not allow Centros Miller to proceed any further with their development as major problems regarding increased traffic and the impact on existing city centres in Lancaster and Morecambe have not been addressed.

It has been estimated that 10,000 extra car journeys per day would be generated by this development, yet Centros Miller have failed to provide detailed information on how this will be dealt with. Instead Centros Miller have made vague claims about how increased traffic will miraculously solve congestion problems!

At the packed public meeting held on 10th July by It's Our City, it was clear that despite Centros Miller's so-called 'consultation' many local people were not even aware of the plans for the Canal Corridor. Furthermore, despite Centros Miller's claims to the contrary, local residents do not support Centros Miller's plans and do not want the Council to enter into any further agreements with Centros Miller.

The sheer number of people at the meeting - far more than ever attended any of Centros' meetings - gives the Cabinet a clear message from those who elected them that they must not go any further forward with this development.

Andy Marsh of It's Our City comments 'The Cabinet have a responsibility to the people of Lancaster to listen to what they want and to do what is in the best interests of Lancaster and Morecambe. Centros Miller's plans fail in every way to satisfy these conditions - the Cabinet must turn them down'.

In addition, It's Our City are concerned that the Leader of the Council and the Chief Planning Officer were identified as the 'probable' champions of the Centros Miller scheme by Steve Bryson of Halogen. Emilie Secker says 'It is extremely worrying that people who have a duty to make impartial decisions seem to have already made their minds up. Surely this is a conflict of interest for these people? They should act in the interests of the people of Lancaster and Morecambe who elected them, not some outside company whose only concern is making money for themselves.'