Residents demand freeze
on high-rise homes
by Lesley Wilkinson
ANGRY residents of Howley, Warrington, fed up with the number of tower blocks planned for the area, have called for a “freeze” on any more building.
A public meeting of residents won the backing of ward councillor Yvonne Fovargue and Warrington Community Action Party leader Mike Hughes – a former leader of the borough council and one time planning chief.
Outline plans have been approved for a series of high-rise apartment blocks along the River Mersey and Farrell Street.
Residents are furious about this and are calling on Warrington Borough Council planners to put a “freeze” on further development until a planning brief for the area has been drawn up and residents consulted.
Local councillors are to meet planners to discuss the complaints.
Howley-born Mr Hughes said: “Planning briefs that are pro-active and take into account local aspirations and concerns, are the only rational way forward.
“Otherwise, if piecemeal developments go ahead, without any overall context and without taking account of the cumulative traffic generation consequences of continued unbridled building, we will finish up with traffic gridlock and a townscape to be ashamed of.
“A golden opportunity presents itself for planning briefs to dictate to developers the nature of future building in Warrington, and the potential use of the River Mersey for community leisure uses.” Coun Fovargue said: “Already we have seen planning permission granted for apartment blocks on the Cheshire Lines site and house building has already commenced at Sixpenny Fields and Trinity Green.
“With the potential for over 2,000 dwellings along the waterside local people are quite rightly asking when this will stop.
“We have already had some success in reducing the height of one of the blocks which had originally been planned as 17 storeys high, but there needs to be a much more detailed analysis of the infrastructure needs of the area and the residents aspirations for Howley must be a major consideration,” she said.
Men get a chance to
experience pregnancy!
by staff reporter
STAFF at the Cheshire and Warrington Learning and Skills Council don’t normally get to plumb in a washing machine, decorate a cake or fight the flab in the course of their normal duties.
But to celebrate national Learning at Work Day the organisation responsible for boosting the skills and productivity of the local workforce decided to practice what it preached …and gave their employees the opportunity to swap their usual daily routines for something a little different.
Staff members with skills in plumbing, cake design, and computer skills conducted short skill taster sessions for their work pals throughout the day. There was even a pregnancy simulator kit which gave male workers a taste of what it’s like to be working while pregnant.
The LSC is responsible for the planning and funding of all post-16 learning across the county.
To show its commitment to staff development and demonstrate that work can be a great place to learn the LSC encouraged staff to break from their normal job and learn something new.
LSC executive director Liz Davis said: “Every year’s Learning at Work Day reaches more and more employees, giving them the chance to break from routine and learn new skills that will help them at work and in their own lives. The energy, enthusiasm and excitement for learning generated on the day is exceptional.
“In Cheshire and Warrington we are lucky in that many of our residents are well-qualified and unemployment is low. But that can mask the fact that a fifth of the local population struggles with basic reading, writing and IT skills, and many of those individuals who need support are employed. Encouraging people to learn in the workplace by providing short, fun taster sessions can help demonstrate that learning isn’t about sitting in a classroom, and raising skills levels within the local workforce is in everyone’s interests.”
National Learning at Work Day is co-ordinated by the Campaign for Learning.
Garage man held
at knife point
by David Skentelbery
A MASKED raider brandishing a knife robbed a Warrington petrol filling station in the early evening.
The robbery was at the Park Filling Station, on the A56 at Agden, Lymm where a long, male cashier was working.
A member of staff was threatened with a knife by the robber who demanded that he open the till and hand over cash.
No-one was hurt, but the member of staff was left badly shaken.
The raider ran off on foot in the direction of the Jolly Thresher pub. He was about 5ft 7 tall, of slight build and appeared to be in his early 20s.
He wore a balaclava and was dressed all in black, with a zip- up type windcheater.
Police are investigating.
Robbery victim was
punched and kicked
by John Hendon
A WARRINGTON man is recovering at home after being attacked, robbed and knocked unconscious as he walked home late at night.
The man, in his early 20s, was walking along Grasmere Avenue, Orford at around 11pm when he was attacked by a group of youths.
He was punched and kicked, knocked to the ground and left unconscious. When he recovered he found his mobile phone and a quantity of cash had been stolen.
A police spokesman said the man suffered bruising to his head and body, although his injuries were not serious.
A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbery the same night and the following day a 20-year-old man was also arrested. Both were questioned and then freed on police bail pending further inquiries.
However, police were still seeking witnesses of the incident.
Caring planners approve
covered pool for child
by David Skentelbery
PLANNING bosses at Warrington have given the go ahead for a building to enclose an existing open air swimming pool used by a child who suffers from asthma.
Officers had recommended members of the borough council’s development control committee to reject the scheme at Wilton Grange, in Kenyon Lane, Kenyon because of its “damaging impact” on the Green Belt.
But councillors, after visiting the site and hearing of the child’s very bad asthma, decided the single storey extension would have no significant impact.
Coun Les Hoyle (pictured)said: “I don’t think it causes any impact on the street scene or on the Green Belt. It’s at the rear of the property and can’t be seen from the road.”
The committee voted 6-4 to allow the scheme to proceed.
Members heard the applicants, Mr and Mrs D Maisey, had grave concerns about the health of their daughter and needed to have the pool enclosed.
Fires at a nearby nursery had caused smoke to hang over the garden.
The plan involves a single storey structure over the pool, with an enclosed link to the adjoining house.
Officers had claimed the proposed extension represented a 67.2 per cent increase in floor space. They said the site was in an elevated position, meaning the new structure would be quite visible from the Green Belt.
A spokesman said: “The size and scale of the development in its present form would be harmful to the character of the existing building and would represent significant encroachment of development into the countryside and impact on the openness of the Green Belt.
“These matters are exacerbated by the unbroken nature of the development, causing a spreading form of development out from the existing dwelling house.”
He added that the health of an individual had to be weighed against wider community and land use issues and should be afforded very limited weight.
Royal couple “touched”
by choir’s offer
by Lesley Wilkinson
A LETTER of thanks from the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall has been received by Warrington Male Voice Choir.
The choir had offered the couple joi
nt Royal patronage to mark the occasion of their marriage.
But in a reply from Clarence House they said they were “touched” by the offer but felt they could only accept new patronages when they were able to give time to the organisation concerned.
The letter said: “Their commitments are so great that it is very difficult to take on any more at the moment.”
The Royal reply continued: “The Royal Highnesses much appreciated the thoughtful invitation and extended their thanks for your congratulations on their marriage.”
Choir chairman Barrie Johnson said: “In making the offer, the choir felt it appropriate that they should make the gesture to ease the Royal pair into this new chapter of their lives, but acknowledged that the possibility of acceptance was remote, as the Prince of Wales alone is currently the patron of some 17 core charities, as well as 360 plus organisations.
“Whilst we are disappointed, we know that the choir’s recorded works are now part of the Royal CD collection, and we look forward to performing for the newly weds in the future if, and when they visit the town.”
?1.7 million improvement
for local railway line
by John Hendon
IMPROVEMENTS totalling ?1.7 million are being carried out on the Crewe to Warrington railway line to ensure a high standard of service for passengers.
The project is part of Network Rail’s commitment to improving railways, and the company is investing the money to stabilise the railway cutting at Preston Brook, near Warrington.
Gary Openshaw, general manager at Preston, said: “This has been a major project for Network Rail and careful planning has ensured that disruption has been kept to a minimum. The scheme will ensure that passengers can continue to use this busy stretch of track for many years to come.”
Work is being concentrated on both sides of a 350-metre section and a soil nailing technique will ensure the embankment is stabilised. About 2,000 soil nails will be installed along the railway cutting during the scheme which started in January and is due to finish at the end of June.
The need for the work was identified during a 12-month monitoring programme using specialist ground equipment. Work has been carried out during the daytime to minimise disruption to residents and there has been no interruption to the operational railway.
