New objection to tower demolition

A STRONGLY worded objection has been sent to Warrington Borough Council’s planning department following the controversial application for permission to demolish the landmark Garnett Tower in the town centre.
The objection was put together by Margaret Tye, chairman of Warrington Arts Council, and Harry Wells, correspondent of Warrington Civic Society, following a public meeting at the weekend.
Last week, the borough council’s development management committee unanimously deferred a decision on an application by developers PTS Property to demolish the tower – a locally listed building – and the school room associated with the Grade 2 Listed Cairo Street Unitarian Chapel.
Members decided they wanted to visit the site – even though they were warned they would be unable to go inside the building because it was in a dangerous condition.
PTS claim the cost of stabilising the tower would be up to £150,000 and this would not be viable.
The public meeting, called by Warrington Arts Council, was attended by conservation architect James Gibson and a number of other people interested in town centre heritage.
The objection says they demolition would seriously and deleteriously affect a significant part of the only fully preserved central quadrant of historic character in central Warrington, the three other quadrants have been “virtually obliterated.”
Other points stressed are:
“This is not an application for a positive proposal to either preserve or enhance the conservation area. This is a proposal for demolition, car-parking and a small area of landscape.
“This site appears to have been bought by the applicants as a speculative venture with no particular proposal of preservation or enhancement in mind except to demolish.
“They should never have purchased this site without such a development proposal. Despite their stated efforts to secure the building which have apparently failed; they should now offer the buildings and site on the open market again with the full knowledge of the implications of the heritage issues.”
Dr Michael Murphy, the new secretary of Warrington Arts Council said: “The supposedly independent survey which says that the site is too dangerous to enter was paid for by the developers.
” In my opinion the various developers over the years appear to have neglected to maintain and protect the site as they should have done, and now claim that it is unsafe and must be demolished because it is costing them money.
” They stand to make many, many millions of pounds from the redevelopment of this site but seem unwilling to spend anything on preserving something which has been part of our town skyline for over 100 years.
“There are many towers just like this in Italy but there is – as far as I know – only one in England and it is in Warrington. We should be proud of it and moneygrubbers should not be allowed to destroy it just so that they can grub more money”.
The application submitted to council states that the demolition of buildings in the area – including the tower – would make way for a comprehensive redevelopment of the area to provide a restaurant, shops, café and drinking establishment.
Almost three years ago, a scheme that would have preserved the landmark tower was approved, but was never implemented.