Is it good farmland?

The land off Queensway is partly Grade 2, (Very Good) and 3a (Good Quality) with some Grade 3b (Moderate Quality) located close to the main road. In Lancashire, Grade 1 and 2 agricultural land occupies just 14% of the total. Mostly, Lancashire has Grade 3 (28%), or 4 (23%), or 5 (20%) land. Lancashire Map Of Agricultural Land

As Grade 2, and 3a it is important. It is similar in quality to Marton moss, and the productive over-wyre mossland soils such as Pilling moss..

the 2005 planning application

Fylde Council failed to make a decision on the plans within the time allowed, and permission was granted to Kensington after they appealed to a Government Inspector.

But John Prescott stepped in, overrode his own Inspector's decision, and blocked Kensington's plans to build the development.

Malcolm Hawe of Kensington told the Gazette:

"I am disappointed but not surprised by the decision as it shows the shambolic planning legislation we have to live with at the moment. They have taken two years to come to this decision. We own the land so will now sit on it and wait and see if there is a change in Government policy in the area."

2007 - a new planning application

Perhaps anticipating a change in Government housing policy, Denley Barrow, Managing Director at Kensington told the Blackpool Gazette

"We intend to build about 175 homes a year so they can be drip fed onto the market. It's going to create a lot of jobs and be very long-term. There will be affordable housing. It's a big issue. At the moment they are asking for 60 per cent to be affordable."

"We need to look at this scheme very carefully. We know we have got to build houses and they have to go somewhere. This site is earmarked for development. St Anne's really needs the M55 link road and this will come on the back of development. The infrastructure to go with the building is obviously vital. We need to ensure there is doctors, dentists and schooling for this site."

Kensington held an exhibition at St Alban's Church Hall on Kilnhouse Lane to gauge public reaction to the plans.

QED is formed

Concluding there were proper grounds for objection, on 24th September 2008, supported by Defend Lytham and the Fylde Civic Awareness Group, a preliminary public meeting was held in the same hall that Kensington had held their exhibition nine months earlier. More details of that meeting are in the QED Launch Report  (PDF File)