Residents’ fury over
homes plan for
“vulnerable” youths
by David Skentelbery
ANGRY neighbours are up in arms over a plan to build a four-storey block of flats at Warrington for vulnerable young people who require special training in independent living and life skills.
The 38 self-contained flats off Mersey Street would replace the existing 40-year-old John Morris House ? one of Warrington?s earliest multi-storey flat developments.
Nearly 100 nearby residents have lodged objections, fearing that old people and young families in the area will be put at risk.
They want to know if the new flats will cater for young offenders ? and they say the site is unsuitable because of the proximity of residential properties, including the new Trinity Green development.
The application has been submitted by Arena Housing who are prepared to contribute ?106,000 for sports facilities, ?6,000 for footpaths and ?15,000 to provide CCTV cameras.
In addition to the flats, the development will include a training facility and offices on the ground floor.
The young people will be in the 16-25 age group. There would be 24-hour staff cover and the youngsters would have the benefit of in-house learning programmes, individually tailored action plans, life skills sessions and basic skills provision.
A planning department spokesman said: ?The emphasis of the facility is to enable young people to make the transition to independence with the ultimate aim of successfully moving young people so they can sustain a tenancy in their own home.
?The facility will be a community asset which would add to the existing services in the surrounding area.
?The provision of 24-hour staff cover and CCTV cameras would ensure the security of the future residents of the building and should discourage any anti-social behaviour in the vicinity of the building.
Objectors claim the development will be a ?prison-type? building which could lead to noise, increased traffic and disturbances close to their homes.
Students give free time
STUDENTS from the Warrington Campus of the University of Chester gave up their free time to help family-based charity Homestart.
The students weeded and cleared the garden at the charity?s headquarters and then put in bedding plants.
One of them said: ?We were able to make a real difference and the project certainly improved our CVs.?
The students had advice and assistance from David Milbourne, team leader with Warrington?s parks and gardens and members of his staff. The placement was organised by volunteer co-ordinator Debra Donoghue.
Super microscope
goes on show
by Terry Johnson
DARESBURY’S world-leading atom microscope will be revealed to schoolchildren and the public at the Royal Society’s summer science exhibition in London this week.
Developed by Universities’ of Liverpool and Cambridge scientists, the SuperSTEM microscope is the UK’s most powerful atoms-imaging machine – leading development of electronic materials like next-generation computer chips and crucial understanding of disease.
The super microscope brings atoms – the smallest indivisible part of matter – into focus. They are so small that a billion of them can fit into the width of a full stop.
Daresbury Lab’s Tony Buckley said: “SuperSTEM is one of only four such microscopes in the world. Our system is so stable that any sample in the microscope would move no more than half a millimetre in 100 years. That’s 2,000 times slower than continental drift”.
The powerful microscope is at the leading edge of next-generation computer chips. It also has vital applications in medicine, such as understanding disease where the liver becomes overloaded with iron.
Conservation area homes:
planners to make decision
by David Skentelbery
A CONTROVERSIAL plan to convert a former office building for residential purposes is to come before Warrington planners a second time.
Members of Warrington’s development control committee put off a decision when it first came before them so that they could visit the site.
But on Wednesday they hope to reach a decision on whether Berkeley House – the former Lymm Urban Council offices in Whitbarrow Road, Lymm, can be converted. PLANNING chiefs are to visit the site of a controversial residential development before deciding if it can go ahead.
Plans have been submitted for conversion of the property ? currently offices but largely unoccupied ? to five apartments.
Lymm Parish Council has lodged objections, as has local borough councillor Sheila Woodyatt and nearby residents.
The property is a late 19th or early 20th century building with a prominent tower feature, locally listed and within the Lymm Conservation Area.
Coun Woodyatt says the building is totally unsuited for conversion to flats because of its location and lack of parking.
She claims there is an existing parking problem in Brookfield Road which would be worsened ? and points out that there is an embargo on residential development in Warrington at present.
The parish council says the appearance of the building should not be altered and also claims there would be insufficient parking for residents.
Parking and traffic problems are also flagged up by neighbours, one of who has written: ?Please don?t let this beautiful building be turned into more expensive apartments and bought by people who care nothing for the area.? Some residents say the building to be preserved for community use as there is a need for a local meeting room.
Planning officers are recommending the scheme be approved.
House hit by lightning
as freak storm arrives
by David Skentelbery
PARTS of the Warrington area were hit by a freak storm which caused chaos in the Manchester area.
A house at Rixton was struck by lightning which caused a small fire which affected the exterior of the building.
Road bridges under the Bridgewater Canal at Lymm were blocked by floodwater as torrential rain lashed the village for more than half an hour.
Other parts of the town also suffered downpours – but so long lasting.
Traffic came to a standstill on the A56 and the M56 as motorists were forced to stop due to the force of the rain.
But there were no reports of casualties – and some parts of the borough escaped the storm completely.
In Manchester, however, homes were swamped, motorists stranded and several properties struck by lightning.
The ‘plane carrying England soccer players home after their World Cup exit had to be diverted from Manchester to Liverpool. Weathermen said 44mm of rain fell in an hour.
World record attempt to
drum home trade justice
by Terry Johnson
A DRUMBEAT protest in Warrington town centre on July 8 is part of a world record attempt to ‘drum home’ the message of trade justice.
The Christian Aid event hopes to recruit more than 10,103 people in communities across the country to drum a rhythm from Senegal, simultaneously for five minutes, to let G8 Summit decision-makers know that the call for trade justice has not gone away.
The campaign to raise awareness in Warrington is focused on the frontage of Warrington Market, where drummers are asked to gather at 11.30am.
First they will sign a petition sheet, to be sent to the Govt. Then schoolchildren will teach people the beat and at 12.00 noon the record-breaking attempt begins.
At the same time supporters will be campaigning to ‘Cut the Strings’ of debt burden in African countries.
Warrington MP, Helen Southworth, will be supporting moves for intervention where countries pay $100m every day to service their debts.
A spokesman for the campaign said: “In Warrington anyone who supports trade justice is welcome to join in this fun awareness-raising event. Bring along a bucket, dustbin lid, sacepan, tin cans, yoghurt pots and a wooden spoon.”
Sweet d
onation!
by staff reporter
WARRINGTON-based Polar Ford made an ‘egg-straordinary’ donation to Europe’s largest children’s hospital.
The motor dealer gave 90 chocolate eggs, each containing a hidden discount voucher, in a total ?1,450 hand-out to sick children at Liverpool’s Alder Hey.
The youngsters had a lot of fun searching for the vouchers….then the bonus of chocolate pieces to enjoy!
Parcel carrier
wins oscar!
PARCEL carrier Interlink Express, which has a depot in Warrington, has scooped an industry ‘Oscar’ for customer service.
Keith Dickinson, franchise owner of Interlink’s depot in Ravenhurst Court, said: “Premium service is critical to the success of the small businesses we serve. This is a great accolade”.
Interlink is the first carrier to offer a combination of time-critical services which bring big business benefits to the country’s small business sector – such as standard 3.00pm next day delivery.
