A road which has been blighted by fly tipping and incursions by the travelling community at Rislye, Warrington, is to be closed to public access.
Councillors in Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft have welcomed the decision by Warrington Borough Council’s traffic committee to give the green light to the “stopping up” of Silver Lane in Risley.
The decision came following a recommendation by council officers that the Lane be “stopped up” to prevent vehicles from parking there overnight and to make the Lane less susceptible to incidents of fly-tipping.
Silver Lane has also been the site of a number of incursions from members of the travelling community in recent months.
The road once led to a landfill site but in recent years has been restored to a mixture of woodland, meadows and nature conservation areas.
Croft Borough and Parish Councillor Chris Vobe (pictured) made representations to the committee on behalf of residents of Croft and nearby Newchurch. He spoke of the need to tackle the repeated incidents of fly tipping which he described as “some of the worst in the Borough”. He also outlined the benefits of “stopping up” Silver Lane to prevent incursions by travellers, and how the restrictions and installation of parking bays would dovetail neatly with the plans to turn the former Risley Landfill Site into a community nature reserve.
The traffic committee heard one objection to the plans, but voted unanimously to support Cllr Vobe’s representations.
Speaking after the meeting, he said: “Helen Jones, Cathy Mitchell, Matt Smith and I have all been very determined to put an end to what has been described locally as “the saga of Silver Lane”.
The plans to “stop up” the Lane will be very much welcomed by our local community and are a huge step forward for Croft and Newchurch. With this project, we will be able to put an end to traveller incursions, stop the disgraceful incidents of fly-tipping we have witnessed, and provide parking facilities for the forthcoming community nature reserve on the former Risley Landfill site.
“Residents who suffered for many years with the problems associated with the tip will now have the assurance that their current councillors are doing all we can to make sure the community benefits, instead of being blighted by nuisance. We welcome the decision by the Traffic committee and thank them for listening to, and acting upon, our representations.”
