THE SUB – REGIONAL STRATEGY (THE SECRET PLAN)
During the last 10 years there have been enormous and rapid changes in North Wales. So called progress. There is a long catalogue of controversial planning decisions being pushed through, often bending the rules and ignoring planning policy in order to do so. Many decisions going against local people’s opinion.
The face of North Wales has changed drastically and seems to be changing more and more each day, with tens of thousands of houses being built across North Wales that locals can’t afford. What are the real benefits in terms of quality of life, environment and community cohesion for the people of North Wales? For a start, with North Wales catering for the housing market of the North West of England we have seen a massive rise in house prices, pricing local people out of the housing market. With an ever increasing amount of land being taken up for externally fuelled housing wants and also major retail development, we are actually running out of land. We will now not physically be able to cater for the housing needs of local people here without building on public open space or green barrier.
The West Cheshire/North East Wales sub-regional strategy (from now on to be referred to as ‘the secret plan’) is the blueprint for what’s been happening. In its summary it states its aims are joint strategies on housing, economic development, transport and waste. This was later expanded to include joint strategies on leisure and tourism. Another stated aim for the plan is ‘to create a distinct identity for the sub-region’. The new ’sub-region’ is made up of the Welsh Counties of Wrecsam, Flintshire, Denbighshire and Conwy and the English areas of Cheshire, Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston. Running alongside the secret plan is also the Liverpool City Region plan, which also incorporates North East Wales into its development aspirations for the future, especially that of land supply for housing.
So why have our councils and our Government kept these subversive plans from the people of North Wales?
Back in 2002 a study was undertaken by the North West Development Agency in England, it was called the Mersey Belt Study. It recommended forming a sub-region between North East Wales and the North West of England to address land supply issues. This was the beginning of the secret plan which, after a series of drafts was eventually adopted by Wrecsam, Denbighshire and Flintshire councils in 2006. There was no public consultation with the people of North Wales about this plan, the only groups to be involved in the consultation were development companies, house builders, councils and a few environmental agencies (many of the environmental groups objected strongly).
In order to implement the plan, an organisation made up of ‘representatives’ from both Countries was formed, this organisation is called the Mersey Dee Alliance. The ‘Welsh representatives’ on the Mersey Dee Alliance are officers from the Welsh Assembly Government, officers from the 3 North East Wales counties and also a few County Borough Councillors. Outside of the groups mentioned here, the vast majority of local people in North East wales, including most of our elected representatives know very little about it.
As for why we weren’t told about these plans, an answer has yet to materialise. It is for this reason more than any other that the People’s council for North Wales has been formed, to ensure everyone in North Wales is informed about this plan, which amounts to social engineering and that everyone has an opportunity to object to it should they wish to do so. The democratic process has so far been ignored, we have been let down and betrayed by our representatives in a way that is completely unforgivable. This situation needs to be remedied. We aim to ensure that the powers that be are made aware of our views on this plan and also that it is the people of North Wales who inform the vision for the future of our home, not developers, officers and others who put pound signs before people.
The campaign against the sub-regional strategy is called Deffro’r Ddraig / Awaken the Dragon. Either through apathy or having vital information kept from us, the people of Wales have become disconnected from the decision making process. The result is the secret plan (sub-regional strategy) and the threat of our Welsh identity in North Wales being eroded forever. We urge you to read through the information on this site and also that available online about the sub-regional plan itself. We would also urge you to become a member of the People’s Council for North Wales, to show your opposition to this plan and the backward and ignorant thinking behind it.