Fear factor makes town
a no go zone at night
by Gary Skentelbery
FEAR factor prevents up to 86 per cent of people visiting Warrington town centre at night, according to a new survey.
Many people are too afraid to come into town because of fear of being a victim of violence or crime through the drinking culture, which has over populated the area, in particular, Bridge Street.
Only seven per cent believed Warrington to be a vibrant town with 64 per cent voting for Manchester, 13 per cent Liverpool and 12 per cent Chester.
The statistics were revealed following the borough council?s interactive ?Which Way Warrington? event at the Parr Hall, which gave members of the public a chance to have an influence on the future of the town.
Hosted by former TV political commentator Jim Hancock, who lives in Lymm, the event gave Warringtonians a chance to vote on a wide variety of issues affecting their day to day lives.
Council leader Ian Marks, who sat alongside his deputy Keith Bland and council chief executive David Whitehead, stressed the event was ?certainly not a PR stunt.?
He added: ?We want to listen to what the people have to say so we can take it on board and learn from it. All the data collected will be fed into a database. There are some serious problems regarding finance and we want to use this as the first rung on the ladder to solving some of the issues facing the town.?
Mr Whitehead added: ?It is important that we learn a great deal from this event and learn more and more about how we develop this consultation.?
The audience was made up of around 150 people, many who sit on Warrington Citizens Panel, from a cross section of the borough ? with the survey revealing 84 per cent had travelled to the event by car, seven per cent had walked and only five per cent had used a bus, with 42 per cent stating there was no bus available to use.
Nearly half those questioned (47 per cent) believe Warrington is a safe place to live, with 39 per cent feeling unsafe and 14 per cent not sure.
Half the audience said they would be prepared to pay more council tax for extra police or community support officers, although 28 per cent think they are already paying too much.
Traffic congestion in Warrington is believed to be worse than in other towns by 56 per cent, with 40 per cent believing it is no worse than other towns. More than sixty per cent have never used or hardly ever used a bus, although 58 per cent want more bus routes and 52 per cent more frequent buses.
A total of 43 per cent want the council to spend more money on new roads and a bypass around the town centre.
Coun Marks used the opportunity to stress that there were no current proposals to introduce congestion charging in Warrington.
Other interesting statistics showed 54 per cent are much more concerned about environmental issues, with a further 28 per cent a bit concerned. On recycling 42 per cent are enthusiastic, 53 per cent would be more willing if the council collected and only five per cent are not interested. Seventy two per cent believe it is important to be near a park or open space and 41 per cent would pay more council tax for recycling and 35 per cent for cleaner streets.
Options to make Warrington more vibrant including 42 per cent in favour of an attractive and accessible water front on the River Mersey, 38 per cent good shops and shopping and 40 per cent in favour of a clean and safer environment.
A total of 74 per cent want a new theatre in the town centre, with 30 per cent in favour of a cinema and swimming pool.
Only 18 per cent visited the town centre often, with 27 per cent every week, 31 per cent occasionally and 24 per cent never.
Factors which would influence more people into the town centre included 39 per cent wider variety of shops, 36 per cent safer at night, 36 per cent family orientated, 19 per cent cheaper parking and 9 per cent visual attractions.
Car park ban – to stop
staff driving to work
by David Skentelbery
PLANNING chiefs at Warrington are urging councillors to refuse permission for a major extension to an office car park – to try and stop staff travelling to work by car.
More than 120 nearby residents have written letters supporting the application by Carphone Warehouse at Standford House, Birchwood.
Members of Birchwood Town Council are also supporting the scheme.
But borough council planning officers say the availability of parking has a major influence on people’s choice of transport.
A spokesman said: “Increasing the level of parking would detract from the important objective of promoting sustainable travel choices.” The company want to increase the number of parking spaces from 223 to 343.
Birchwood councillors and residents say parking by Carphone Warehouse staff in nearby Glover Road is causing road safety problems – particularly for primary school pupils. The company has had limited success in persuading staff not to use their cars.
Two nearby residents are opposing the plan on the grounds it will turn the area into an “ugly and demoralising sea of tarmac”
There is also opposition to the scheme from planners on the grounds it would result in the loss of trees and shrubberies which form part of a ?greenway? network throughout the Risley employment area.
College waits on
art and design award
by John Hendon
STAFF and students at Warrington?s Priestley College are keeping their fingers crossed as they wait to see if the college has been successful in obtaining a National Beacon Award for its work in Art and Design.
Principal Michael Southworth and the head of Art and Design Andrea Marren are at the presentation ceremony in Birmingham today (Thursday) after the college was one of four short-listed for the award.
Priestley is hoping to come out on top after being pitted against top national competition including colleges from North Devon, South East Essex and Oldham.
The college?s submission follows its work based in the Ropewalks district of Liverpool as students embarked on a lengthy project that saw them produce artistic outcomes on the theory of urban renewal.
Many different partners came together to work on the brief including The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment as well as professional artists and guest tutors.
The work was then displayed in one of the city centre?s most prestigious art galleries ? The Renew Rooms.
Since the exhibition further good news has followed too with students Hannah Slater and Annice Callery named in the top five national performers for Art and Design, while many of this summer?s other leavers went on to study at world famous art institutions.
Ms Marren said: ?It has taken a tremendous amount of hard work to get to this stage and hopefully we will be able to celebrate the outstanding performance of Art and Design at Priestley once again.?
Theme park fined for
breach of safety rules
by court reporter
WARRINGTON?S Gulliver?s World theme park has been fined ?80,000 for breaching health and safety laws after a girl fell to her death from a ferris wheel.
The company pleaded guilty at Chester Crown Court to failing to ensure the safety of someone not an employee and failing to carry out appropriate risk assessments.
Fifteen-year-old Salma Saleem, from Nelson, in Lancashire, died four years ago when she fell 30ft from the ride at the Old Hall theme park.
The prosecution was brought by the Health and Safety Executive who claimed there had been a catalogue of safety failures which could have caused a similar accident.
The court was told since the tragic accident, the company had invested about ?400,000 on health and safety measures.
?1,300 boost for
community groups
by staff reporter
TWO Warrington groups have received a total of ?1,300 – thanks to the generosity of people who shop at the Co-op.
Th
e money was from the consumer-owned retailer’s Community Fund, which makes grants to caring groups and charities.
The top award of ?800 went to charity group Families United to buy soft play equipment, toys and instruments to stimulate the senses of disabled children.
Families United development officer Jill Oakes said: “We are very grateful for this Co-op funding. It will help us to support more than 80 children with physical, sensory and associated disabilities and their families, with opportunities for creative play and social interaction.” New Leaf Publishing, which provides creative reading and writing activities for adults with low literacy levels, will spend its ?500 grant on a digital camera and mini disc recorder.
The Co-op Community Fund offers grants of between ?100 and ?5,000, with local Co-op members’ committees allocating awards based on a set of values and principles such as social responsibility and caring for others. Approximately ?160,000 is available annually to support charities and community groups in the region.
Co-op regional secretary Paul Cranfield said: “The Community Fund can make a real and lasting contribution to local communities and we are delighted to support these two Warrington groups. Many community groups share our co-operative values and could benefit from an award, and we would certainly welcome their applications.”
Application forms are available in all Co-operative Group stores.
Vandals go on
orgy of destruction
by David Skentelbery
RESIDENTS of Appleton Thorn are still picking up the pieces after unknown hooligans went on an orgy of vandalism late at night.
More than 30 incidents were reported involving public, private and church property.
Police are investigating the incidents but the offenders appear to have managed to trash the village without alerting any residents.
Coun Dot Edwards, chairman of Appleton Parish Council, said: ?It was absolutely appalling ? really mindless vandalism. But it must have happened very late because nobody seems to have seen or heard anything.? Heavy litter bins throughout the village were overturned, grid covers removed, hanging baskets damaged at the village hall and serious damage caused to the bowling green hut, with items strewn all over the bowling green.
A fountain in a garden pond was smashed, car tyres were let down and a heavy coping stone removed from a wall at St Cross Church.
The damage was caused on the Saturday night before Remembrance Sunday and a number of early rising residents had to do a swift clean-up for the local Service of Remembrance.
Smoke detectors
failed to operate
by staff reporter
SMOKE detectors failed to operate at a house in Cardigan Close, Callands, Warrington when fire broke out in the integral garage.
An electrical failure, resulting from the blaze in a 240 volt intake in the garage, caused the hard wired smoke detectors to fail.
Fire crews used a ventilation unit to clear smoke from the premises and, later, fitted a smoke detector to the first floor landing in the house. No one was hurt.
