AN ONLINE campaign to halt development plans on Westbridge Park is still gathering steam and Stafford planners have been forced to take note.
The petition, which was brought to the attention of Stafford Borough Council at a cabinet meeting last night, has already seen more than 600 people register their disapproval over the plans which saw the popular community site earmarked for “mixed use development”.
Stone councillor Rob Kenny said the good news from the meeting where the Borough Plan was discussed was that the borough council had stated “no housing would be built on Westbridge Park”.
“On the down side though, the petition is not just about housing but is about mixed development, as stated in the Borough Plan,” he said. “Unfortunately they didn’t make a statement that other developments like retail or hotels would not take place.”
Councillor Kenny said campaigners could take comfort the petition was having the desired effect at such an early stage.
“No doubt that they will be trying to discredit the Petition in the near future,” he said. “Going by the reaction to the Petition, the sheer numbers of people that have signed it, the people of Stone feel strongly that they do not wish development on Westbridge Park to take place.”
He said the written version of the petition was now in shops, cafes, restaurants and public houses in Stone.
“I have no doubt that we will be breaching the 1,000 signature mark over the weekend,” he added. “Please keep asking friends, relations and anyone else that would be interested to sign the petition.”
