Developers riding roughshod
over conservation blueprints
by David Skentelbery
DEVELOPERS are riding roughshod over blueprints drawn up to preserve the character of Warrington’s outlying villages, a councillor has warned.
Housebuilders are ignoring Village Design Statements – which supposed to have the status of supplementary planning guidance – because they think they have no teeth, says Coun Ian Marks.
The plans have been prepared by volunteers, working with planners, at Lymm, Burtonwood, Grappenhall and Thelwall.
Similar blueprints are still being completed in other villages, with most of the work being carried out by local residents on a voluntary basis.
But when an attempt was made to use the Village Design Statement at Lymm to oppose a controversial housing development, planning officers said “things had moved on” and the document was no longer appropriate.
Coun Marks said: “Local people devoted a huge amount of voluntary time and effort into the preparation of these very comprehensive documents. They did this in good faith in the belief they would be used for the benefit of their local communities.” The documents have been adopted by the borough council and are supposed to be used by developers and planners to help in the design of housing developments to ensure they fit in with the local environment.
But Coun Marks said he was not happy they were being used properly.
He said: “I have written to the planning bosses at the council asking them about the role of these Statements.
“I am worried that developers are ignoring them because they think they have no teeth. I hope I am wrong. The new Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act is coming into force and this does away with Supplementary Planning Guidance and replaces it with something else.
“I want to know what the future of Village Design Statements is? I hope all the hard work by local people will not go down the drain.”
Coun Les Hoyle also expressed concern about the situation.
He said: “The members of the Lymm Village Design Group put a lot of time and thought into their statement and it was hailed by the borough council as being the way forward. Now we are being told it is more or less irrelevant.
“Consideration had been given to preparing a similar statement for Croft, but if it is going to be ineffective there doesn’t seem much point.”
Christenings at the double
for mother and daughter!
by Gary Skentelbery
IT was a case of “double trouble” when Debbie Leigh and her daughter Sarah both had their babies christened at the same time.
Grandmother Debbie, 37, was having her five-month old daughter Mollie baptised alongside daughter Sarah’s 11-month-old son Jordan Webb.
They were joined at St Mary’s Church by two other members of the family who lined up at the font. Also being Christened were family members one-year-old Tyler Lovatt and six-year-old Owen Leigh.
Debbie, who has four children, Sarah 19, Jamie, 16, Kisten 11 and latest addition Mollie, said: “We decided to make it a bit of a family do and have everyone done at the same time.
“Everything went very smoothly, although following the family relationship is a little confusing.
Debbie is mother of Sarah and Mollie and grandmother of Jordan who is Mollie’s uncle!
The christening also coincided with Debbie and husband Mark’s wedding anniversary!
Prehistoric treasures
on display at library
by Gary Skentelbery
AN amazing rare collection of over 250 flint and stone tools, many dating back 6000 years to the Neolithic period, have gone on display at Warrington Central Library.
The exhibition is the brainchild of local archaeologist James Balme who discovered the prehistoric implements during his investigation of ancient activity in the area.
James made the discoveries as part of his investigations in the Lymm and Warburton areas.
He said: “Since 1998 I have been searching for evidence of prehistoric mans’ activity. It was when I first uncovered the Roman fortlet at Warburton that flint tools and weapons came to light close to the military defences that clearly pre-dated any Roman influence on the landscape.
“But it was during 2004 that I was to prove beyond all doubt that the area had been a hive of stone-age activity with my discovery of another two major sites that had been regularly occupied by man some 4000 to 6000 years ago.
The concentration of the flint tools and weapons clearly show that the sites, one at Warburton and the other at Heatley would have been used as Neolithic and Early Bronze Age hunting grounds where wild animals would have been killed to provide food and skins for the people. What I find particularly exciting is the fact that much of the flint used to produce these artefacts is indeed of the highest quality and has clearly been imported into the area from other parts of Britain and Europe proving that there was an active trade taking place between various groups across the country.”
The display which runs throughout February gives members of the public the chance to see for themselves the overwhelming evidence recovered from the fields by James that goes to prove that the area has been occupied by man since pre-historic times.
Also available at the library are details of how to book James for one of his ‘ live ‘ presentations he carries out around the region to groups, societies and schools.
Meanwhile James will soon be returning to his investigations in search of further Roman and Saxon evidence.
For further information or to enquire about a live presentation please contact [email protected].
A&E is open again – but
some operations cancelled
by David Skentelbery
THE accident and emergency department at Warrington Hospital is fully open to admission following the fire which blacked out parts of the hospital on Friday.
A statement issued by the hospital today said the department was open within 24 hours of the incident which led to it being closed.
Relatives, and patients with non-urgent medical needs, who were asked on Friday not to come to the hospital unless absolutely necessary, are now welcomed back,” a spokeswoman said.
However, because repair work to underground cabling is expected to take most of the week, hospital chiefs are warning that some planned – as opposed to emergency – operations will have to be postponed.
Although back-up generators are now supplying all the hospital’s power needs to enable it to function safely, they are not able to provide sufficient capacity for all operating theatres to be brought back into use at the present time.
The spokeswoman added: “Hospital bosses deeply regret the inconvenience to patients and thank them for their understanding. Patients will be notified in good time if their surgery is to be postponed and they will be offered an alternative, mutually convenient date to come into hospital.”
A full investigation into the cause of the incident is now being undertaken by the fire service and health and safety experts.
Hospital chiefs paid tribute today to the highly professional response to the incident from staff who acted quickly and efficiently to ensure patient safety was in no way compromised at any time by the incident.
The fire service also came in for praise and thanks for their rapid and effective response to the situation.
Earlier reports of the hospital blaze can be seen on the Friday and Saturday pages in our Review of the Week. Click here
Tory chief drops in to
“listen to Warrington”
SHADOW Foreign Secretary and deputy leader of the Conservative Party Michael Ancram dropped in on Lymm to listen to the views of local people.
He attended an open community meeting organised by Prospective Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Warrington South Fiona Bruce.
At a lively meeting, Mr Ancram set out the party’s values and visions
for Britain and took questions from residents.
He said: “This is the second time I’ve been to Warrington within a year. Fiona’s ‘Listening to Warrington’ project is an excellent one.
“I know that Fiona Bruce would make a first class MP for Warrington South; I know her and I know what she stands for. At my office in the House of Commons I have a photo on my wall of myself with Fiona from my last visit here next to a photo of myself with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. As you’ll realize, I have high expectations for Fiona!”
Mrs Bruce said: “I am delighted that Michael has come to listen to the people of Lymm and it was great to see that political debate is alive and well in Warrington. This is exactly this sort of pavement politics needed to engage with people in the town. Politicians shouldn’t be afraid of contentious views, nor should they be afraid to stand up and say what they believe in. I’ve found in these meetings across Warrington that people care deeply about political issues and relish being given the opportunity to have their views heard.
“Warrington has been a one-party town for too long and I’m challenging that. Under Labour violent crime in Warrington has risen by over 90 per cent since 1999, truancy in Warrington has increased by 56 per cent since 1997 and Council Tax has risen by five times the rate of inflation in the same period. It’s time for a change.”
Booming town makes
headlines in Germany
by John Hendon
WARRINGTON has been making headlines in Germany – for its economic prowess.
The national daily Die Welt has carried a major article about Warrington’s commercial success as part of a special supplement on the UK.
Journalist Jochen Clemens spent two days in the town, learning about the prosperity of the area and key commercial sites and activities.
He met with key players in the Warrington business community including Colin Daniels, chief executive of Warrington Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Mike Collins, director of International Trade, Business Link Cheshire and Warrington.
Site visits included Birchwood Park, Lingley Mere, Centre Park and the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Jochen also managed to fit a few visits into businesses from his native Germany, including Jungheinrich UK Ltd, as well as visits to companies trading with counterparts in Germany, such as, Connected World Communications and Applied Computing and Engineering.
Neil Healey, regional director for Jungheinrich, which has its headquarters in Hamburg, but a large site in Warrington, said: “The Warrington office is our northern hub and you can’t get a better location. We’ve never had difficulty finding the right calibre of staff in Warrington.”
Carsten Kressel, Warrington Borough Council’s head of economic development, said: “We are extremely pleased that tales of our economic successes have reached our European counterparts. Warrington has a thriving economy, one that we are extremely proud of. Warrington is not just reaching out on a regional and local scale, but on an international scale.”
Inquiry into
housing plan
by staff reporter
A PUBLIC inquiry has been ordered into controversial plans for nine detached houses in Grappenhall Road, Stockton Heath, Warrington.
The outline plan, for land adjacent to 81a Grappenhall Road, was thrown out by borough council planning chiefs last year.
But the applicant has appealed and an inspector appointed by the Planning Inspectorate will hear arguments for and against the scheme at the Town Hall, Sankey Street, on July 12.
Objections should be sent to The Planning Inspectorate, Temple Quay House, 2, The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN.
