Distillery devastated
by two-day inferno
by David Skentelbery
FIRE crews were still busy today at the scene of one of the biggest fires in the Warrington area for many years ? at the famous G and J Greenalls distillery off Loushers Lane.
Today it was largely a matter of ?damping down? but over the weekend more than 100 firefighters from four brigades were battling a major blaze which devastated a warehouse building.
Families were evacuated from nearby homes ? and those living further away were advised to stay indoors and keep all doors and windows closed.
There were fears that vats of alcohol could explode and people living nearby were warned not to disturb fibrous material which settled on the ground from the dense smoke.
Anyone who found the material was asked to contact Warrington Borough Council on an emergency line 01925 458034.
Residents who felt unwell was advised to contact their GP or NHS Direct for advice.
The fire broke out on Saturday afternoon, although some people did not realise its significance. Some residents complained of a bonfire with fireworks in progress.
Fire crews from Cheshire, Staffordshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester were drafted in.
Residents evacuated from their homes were initially taken to Broomfields Leisure Centre but were moved in local hotels overnight ? paid for by the warehouse owners.
Roads were closed ? and a 500 metre exclusion zone set up around the scene of the fire.
The warehouse is understood to have contained thousands of cases of vodka and gin.
Fire crews pumped water from the Manchester Ship Canal to fight the blaze and the canal was closed to shipping on Saturday evening and all day Sunday.
Environment Agency experts were called in because of fears that foam used to fight the fire could run into the canal and harm wildlife. But so far there have been no reports of environmental problems.
Town Hall chiefs study
plans for youth club
by David Skentelbery
A FEASIBILITY study is being prepared on the relocation of a youth club at Culcheth, near Warrington to a new site only a few hundred yards away.
Borough council chiefs are considering whether it would be feasible to move Culcheth Youth Base from its present location in Church Lane to land at the Shaw Street recreation ground.
Originally a plan to proposal to provide community, youth, sport and medical facilities at Shaw Street was being contemplated.
But it is understood Warrington Primary Care Trust is unwilling to proceed with the medical facilities part of the scheme.
The youth club?s future has been in doubt for some two years, ever since Town Hall chiefs came up with proposals to build housing on the Church Lane site.
Nearby residents have campaigned for the youth club to be moved for years on the grounds that it led to noise, vandalism and other disturbance.
Outline plans for housing on the site have been approved ? and were supported by Culcheth Parish Council subject to a condition that demolition should not take place before a new youth facility was provided.
A condition has also been imposed to protect trees on the site.
Shaw Street is considered an ideal site for a youth club, given its existing use for sport.
One possibility is that a new building could incorporate improved changing facilities for the sports pitches.
Top jazz musician will
showcase new work
by staff reporter
TOP British jazz artist Courtney Pine is to visit Warrington in November ? and is expected to give the first public performances of music from his new album ?Resistance.? Saxophonist Pine, although he has paid his dues to the jazz tradition, is never afraid to cross into r & b and nu-fuusion to reach a wider audience.
With his award winning band, mixing jazz improvisation, hip hop, reggae, r ‘n’ b and global beats, his live shows are a street-smart blend of tradition and technology, with retro grooves and hard sax solos.
Awarded an OBE for his services to jazz, Pine has been the subject of a prestigious South Bank Show special and was composer of the BBC’s acclaimed two part special ?Mandela – The Living Legend?.
He also recently presented a special concert as part of BBC2’s Jazz Britannia series, and launched his first animated film for children, JAZZDAZE.
The concert features Robert Fordjour (drums), Darren Taylor (bass) Chris Jerome (piano), Cameron Pierre (guitars) and Donald Gamble (percussion).
“Workers should
get free parking”
by Lesley Wilkinson
A SUGGESTION that people working in the village should be given free parking at The Forge precinct to avoid on-street parking was put to Stockton Heath Parish Council.
Mr C Bryan, of East Avenue, said: “People who work in the village should be given free parking. As it is we often have the same cars parked outside our homes for eight hours a day.
“The road is so busy with shoppers, that no-one can visit us at the weekend as there is nowhere to park,” he added.
Coun Celia Jordan said that when the car park was free the spaces were often taken all day and traders complained that they lost business as shoppers could not find parking spaces.
Residents object to
restaurant scheme
by Terry Johnson
NEARLY 50 people and the local parish council have objected to development of a restaurant in the heart of Woolston, near Warrington.
Plans for the new eatery at an existing car showroom on the corner of Manchester Road and New Cut Lane have created a furore, with a 46-signature petition and 11 letters of protest.
The proposal adjoins semi-detached homes on Manchester Road and Hawthorne Avenue and there is concern about odours, noise and disturbance.
Neighbours say there is no demand for another restaurant in Woolston and they are worried about the site becoming a focus for anti-social behaviour.
There is also concern about loss of property value and parking/congestion problems.
Local planners, however, recommend approval of the plans, which will be decided by Borough Development Control councillors on Wednesday.
Six home-owners object to a proposal to convert a house in London Road, Stockton Heath to a shop retailing clothing.
They claim the plan would be ?unneighbourly? and sets a precedent for future use of property in the area.
Approval is being recommended by officers.
Housing scheme
refused on appeal
by John Hendon
PLANS to build two houses in Greenalls Avenue, Warrington have been thrown out by a Government-appointed inspector following a planning appeal.
The inspector ruled the proposed houses would relate unacceptably to an existing pair of 19th century semi-detached houses, dominating their setting.
They would also have a detrimental impact on adjoining Grade 2 listed buildings.
Borough council environment director Alan Stephenson said the inspector’s decision showed a clear acceptanance of the council’s concerns over the impact of development on the setting of Listed buildings.
Warrington’s housing supply position and the absence of any clear benefit arising from the development further justified refusal in terms of housing restraint policies.
The inspector also expressed the view that the site, in its current, undeveloped open state, made a positive contribution to the area.
Air quality
condemned
by Lesley Wilkinson
AIR quality in Stockton Heath village was condemned by a local resident at a meeting of the parish council.
Julie Kueres, of Appleton, said: “Stockton Heath is the filthiest area in Cheshire. The air quality is really bad.”
She complained that the traffic in the village, made worse by the Victoria Square developments, caused pollution in the village.
Coun Celia Jordan said: “For years we have campaigned for notices to get cars to switch off their engines when the bridge is of
f.”
She complained that the air pollution around the shops in London Road was made worse by extra traffic and by cars standing with their engines running when the bridge was off.
News in brief
IT suite opens
WARRINGTON Disability Partnerships new “Discover IT” computer suite is to be officially launched at the Centre for Independent Living in Beaufort Street, Warrington on Wednesday October 19.
Store plan
TESCO have been given planning consent to widen the access to the foodstore in Winwick Road, Warrington and also make adjustments to footways, verges and traffic signals.
Road closures
TEMPORARY road and footway closures have been introduced throughout the Bewsey housing estate while traffic calming features are constructed and improvements carried out to street lighting columns.
Dentist expands
PLANNING approval has been given for the change of use of a house in Warrington Road, Penketh, to form part of an adjoining dental surgery.
