PLANNING committee chairman John Cocker often finds himself on the receiving end of council debate regarding controversial planning decisions.

The Labour councillor for Liscard, a retired town planner, knows his stuff and weighs pros and cons. Often he has to tell opposing councillors or residents that while his decision may not be popular, in planning terms it is correct. A costly, unsuccessful public inquiry could result if a planning application is turned down wrongly. However, Coun Cocker's decision, endorsed by Wirral Council, to throw out proposals for a major out-of-town leisure park at Upton Cricket Club site, will find favour with many residents. Councillors on a planning committee had a lengthy report from planning officers recommending refusal.

"This sort of major commercial project is just not appropriate in a residential area like Upton," said the chair of the planning committee afterwards. "It would also take much needed investment away from our existing town centres. Wirral Council has been successful in attracting new investment into Birkenhead over recent years, as everyone can see. To allow a scheme like this would put all that work in jeopardy."

There had been a flood of objections to the cricket club development proposal. London-based developer Clearwater Estates wanted consent to build a 45,000 sq ft health and fitness centre, a 52-bed travel lodge, a Tom Cobleigh family pub and restaurant plus another free-standing restaurant on the prominent greenfield site owned by Leverhulme Estates between Greasby and Upton.

The overall package would have included the relocation of the cricket club to a new site in Greasby. This proposal was also rejected by Coun Cocker because the scale of the proposed new facility would have been inappropriate within the Green Belt and because of the impact on agricultural land. The club has been at the Upton site since 1901. Applying for relocation, Upton Cricket Club said they had begun to out grow their present playing facilities. Six petitions and hundreds of letters were received objecting to loss of a 'green lung' and concern that an already busy road would become worse.

Coun Cocker had to weigh all the pros and cons before making the decision, with other councillors, that the scheme would be better located within one of the borough's existing commercial centres.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.