Latest news with #Swash
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Councillor to continue fight against Hawarden 300 homes
Last week, Flintshire Council's planning committee voted in favour of Castle Green Home's Ash Lane development - located between Hawarden and Mancot. The proposal has been fiercely contested by local councillors and residents - and subject to a "Stop the Gladstone Estate Build" campaign, fronted by Hawarden councillor, Sam Swash. The council received 2,500 objections from local residents ahead of the planning meeting. The land had been ear-marked for development in Flintshire's Local Development Plan (LDP) - despite grave concerns over the potential impact on flooding in the already badly hit Sandycroft area, and on the strain placed on local infrastructure. Following the meeting, Cllr Swash has voiced his anger at the decision - and vowed to continue the fight against the development. He said: "This is, without a doubt, a major setback – but it isn't the end of the road. "I've fought this proposal from the very beginning, and I've always said: I won't stop fighting until there are bricks in the ground. I am not giving up. "Not when our doctors are already at more than double the safe number of patients. Not when residents in Lower Mancot and Sandycroft are being flooded again and again. Not when traffic chaos outside our schools is putting children's safety at risk." The layout of the Ash Lane development. (Image: Planning documents) MORE NEWS: An online petition set up by a local resident calling for the decision to be overturned has already gathered over 1,000 signatures. It states: "The decision not only threatens to exacerbate traffic hazards but also increases the flood potential of the area. The residents of Sandycroft, and Sandycroft Primary School are particularly at risk of flooding. "The Ash Lane agricultural fields are the natural boundary between the villages of Hawarden and Mancot. Building these houses will destroy the historical identities for both villages. Eliminating this green space will have severe consequences for local residents already wary of environmental threats. "Moreover, the addition of 300 new houses will place an incredible strain on essential public services which are already stretched beyond their limits. "The demand for GP appointments, NHS dental services, and local school places will surge, negatively impacting the quality of life for all residents. It's crucial to assess whether our current infrastructure can cope with this potential increase, a concern many local residents share." Cllr Swash added: "There are still barriers for the developer to overcome. If they think we're going to roll over while they ride roughshod over our community's views, they're in for a surprise. "To everyone who has supported the campaign – who emailed, submitted objections, attended meetings, or put up placards – thank you. I know many of you will feel as angry and distraught as I do. "But this fight isn't over. The next steps in our campaign are already being drawn up – and your support will remain absolutely vital. So, watch this space."
Leader Live
09-06-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Planning committee urged to reject 300-home Hawarden plan
Flintshire People's Voice councillor Sam Swash - who represents the Hawarden Mancot ward - has supported residents' campaigning against plans to develop on agricultural land at Ash Lane off Gladstone Way for six years. With Flintshire County Council planning officers recommending approval of the scheme this week, Cllr Swash has asked councillors to back Hawarden residents who have opposed the plans since they were first proposed. "This is the most unpopular housing development in Flintshire's history," said Cllr Swash. "It has led to the largest petition ever submitted to Flintshire County Council, hundreds of placards being erected across the local community and the most objections to a single planning application in the county's recent history." Read more: 300-home Ash Lane, Hawarden development backed for approval Opposition to developing the land began in 2019 when the agricultural fields between Gladstone Way, Ash Lane and Park Avenue on the Hawarden/Mancot border were first included in Flintshire's Local Development Plan. Opponents quickly formed an action group - Stop the Gladstone Estate Development - and a Facebook page to oppose the plans. The land - now owned by Castle Green Homes - continued to be earmarked for development in the county's 2015 Local Development Plan. In March last year the application was submitted to Flintshire County Council's planning department to build 300 homes - including 104 affordable homes - on the site. Of 697 neighbours notified of the plans during consultation, 684 objected to the plans. There were also objections from Hawarden Community Council and Queensferry Community Council with regard the impact on flood risk on the proposed site and the surrounding areas and the pressure the development would place on local services, while Clwyd Badger Group were concerned about the impact on badgers active near the site. Nevertheless officers have recommended approval of the scheme, subject to a Section 106 order which would see Hawarden Village School receive just over £625,000 to make improvements to serve the new estate while Hawarden High School would receive almost £950,000. Cllr Swash believes the weight of local opposition means councillors on Flintshire's Planning Committee should refuse the application when it is considered on Wednesday at Flintshire Council's Ty Dewi Sant headquarters. "For those councillors with a vote on Wednesday, there is no more hiding behind the Local Development Plan," he said. "They must now judge this site on its own merits, or lack of them. "The choice facing them is a simple one - they can vote to stand with the people they're elected to represent, or they can vote to approve a demonstrably reckless plan for the benefit of private housing developers. "The Hawarden community has been completely united in its opposition to these plans for years, and with good reason. This is the council's final opportunity to restore our community's trust in local democracy, by listening to the overwhelming views of the people this development will impact on a daily basis."
Powys County Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
BBC show about Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash to return for a second series
A fly-on-the-wall reality TV show about Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash will return for a second series, the BBC has announced. The first series of Stacey And Joe launched in April and followed the couple and their children, as well as their ducks and two dogs, during their day-to-day life at their Pickle Cottage home in Essex. Across six episodes, viewers watched Solomon, 35, win a National Television Award (NTA) award for her reality show Sort Your Life Out, and Swash grapple with his ADHD diagnosis. Filming for the second series is getting under way and will include footage of the couple taking a family trip. Solomon and Swash said: 'The biggest thank you to every single person who watched the first series of Stacey And Joe… We've been so grateful for all the lovely messages and we're so excited to bring out another series with the BBC.' Former EastEnders actor Swash, 43, and Loose Women panellist Solomon have been together since 2016 after they met in 2010 when Solomon was competing on I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! and Swash was co-hosting the spin-off. The couple, who married in 2022, are parents to Rex, who was born in 2019, Rose, born in 2021, and Belle, born in 2023. There is also Zach (Solomon's first son with ex-boyfriend Dean Cox), Leighton (Solomon's son with ex-fiance Aaron Barnham), and Harry, Swash's son with ex-fiance Emma Sophocleous. Clare Sillery, head of commissioning, BBC Documentaries, said: 'We are delighted to be working with the Solomon Swash family and (production company) Optomen once again, on what already promises to be an incredibly exciting second series. 'It's been great to see how viewers have taken Stacey, Joe, their kids and beloved pets to their hearts and series two will continue to honestly reflect their bustling lives at Pickle Cottage.' Charlotte Brookes, head of popular factual, Optomen, said: 'We're thrilled with how Series 1 performed and delighted to be able to continue filming the next chapter for Stacey and Joe, and their ever-growing family at Pickle Cottage.' Stacey And Joe will air on BBC One as a six-part series of hour-long episodes, with a launch date yet to be announced by the BBC.
Evening Standard
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
BBC show about Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash to return for a second series
Solomon and Swash said: 'The biggest thank you to every single person who watched the first series of Stacey And Joe… We've been so grateful for all the lovely messages and we're so excited to bring out another series with the BBC.'
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
First look at Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash's new show from crazy parenting to romantic kisses
Fun-filled photographs reveal the first intimate look at Stacey Solomon and Joe Swash's lives set to play out on BBC reality series Stacey & Joe. The countdown is on until the six part series airs on BBC One on 1 April after the British TV couple invited the cameras into their family home Pickle Cottage, in Essex last year filmed over the summer and autumn. Behind the scenes of their lives, the photographs show Solomon and Swash's romance as well as the "craziness" of parenting. Sort Your Life Out star Solomon, 35, and Swash, 43, have put their marriage centre stage of the BBC show after tying the knot in 2022 but the couple have been together for almost a decade since they started dating in 2016. See all of the fun first look photographs below from Stacey & Joe... One chaotic moment shows Joe Swash juggling parenting two of his youngest children. (BBC) Intimate photographs capture their love story as Solomon and Swash were comfortable kissing in front of the camera. Over an alfresco lunch, the couple shared a kiss while enjoying time with their children. Another sweet moment between Solomon and Swash kissing was captured on camera when no one else seemed to be around. This only backs the picture-perfect idea that they have one of the strongest marriages in the British showbiz circuit. Despite some of their lovey-dovey displays making the edit of their BBC reality show, Solomon insisted their marriage isn't always flawless. She told OK! magazine: "What we've learnt about each other is that we're not a perfect couple. We've never said we're a perfect couple, but you get to watch yourself back, which is something that doesn't happen often." Having six children between them is always going to be a little bit chaotic, with the mum admitting it "gets intense" and they're in their "stress era". Solomon has two children Zachary, 16, and Leighton, 12, from previous relationships while Swash has a son Harry, 17, with his former fiance. They share their youngest three children together: Rex, five, Rose, three and Belle, two. One photograph from the show showed the true parenting chaos — or in Solomon's own words "at the peak of craziness" — as Swash was seen juggling two of the youngest children. Another photograph of chaos captured Leighton falling over while taking the bins out with his brother Zachary. It's clear Solomon and Swash love being parents with the question of another baby on their lips. The mum cheekily quipped: "Joe would like me to be a baby machine! I quit, I quit! My pelvic floor is a shambles, the whole of my back is screaming at me. I can't do it again." Last May, Solomon said she was giving up her glittering showbiz career to be a stay at home mum meaning she would only take jobs where she could work at Pickle Cottage or not be away for too long — making the reality show with BBC the perfect opportunity. At the time, she told Glad We Had This Chat podcast: "Every year I have a team meeting with my agent and everyone on the team to say 'What's your plan, what's your goals, blah, blah, blah'. And this year when they asked me my five-year goals, I was like 'I want to be a stay at home mum'. "That is like my dream, my ultimate dream. I just want to be with my kids. I mean it is conflicting, because I also want to fulfil my dreams and my goals and the things that I'm passionate about, because if I don't have that, will I feel unfulfilled? "So what I'm trying to do at this point is make sure everything that I work on I can work on 90 per cent of the time at home. And then just do passion projects outside of the house, and then try and be around for them more." Stacey & Joe is coming to BBC One on 1 April.
