Boom town set to
enter retail top 40
by Gary Skentelbery
BOOM town Warrington is set to break into the top 40 UK retail destinations thanks to a new ?120 million extension to the Golden Square shopping centre.
Leading High Street retailers including fashion retailers Hennes and Mauritz, Next, Sports World and Boots have joined Debenhams and signed up for premises in the new look centre.
Lend Lease, who are undertaking the redevelopment of Golden Square Shopping Centre in which they have invested as a major shareholder, have confirmed that a string of new retailers have taken space within the planned extension.
In addition to Debenhams, who will be opening their first store in Warrington with an 115,000 sq ft unit which will anchor the scheme, H&M has taken a 23,500 sqft unit and Sports World is taking a 20,000 sqft unit – also their first store in Warrington. In addition Next and Boots will be opening new stores within the redevelopment taking units of 18,000 sqft and 25,000 sqft respectively.
Incorporating over 330,000 sqft of new retail space, the scheme is owned by the Warrington Retail Limited Partnership, a partnership between Lend Lease, Legal and General and a client of Arlington Investors.
The project will also include the refurbishment of the existing Golden Square Shopping Centre which comprises a further 310,000 sqft of retail space, which is anchored by Marks & Spencer and BhS.
Lend Lease are development managers as well as asset & property managers and Bovis Lend Lease are the main contractor. Construction is already underway around the Town Centre, but it is business as usual for the people of Warrington. The project is due to be completed in Spring 2007.
Richard Din, Managing Director for H&M said: “We have stores in other Lend Lease retail developments in the UK and are pleased to have secured space in its latest development at Golden Square.”
Project Manager Rupert Wood added: “This is a hugely positive and exciting step for the project. The new extension, together with the refurbishment of the existing centre, will help us to position Warrington as one of the top 40 UK retail destinations.
“With such a strong regional catchment and the benefit of these new lettings, Golden Square is now in a great position to attract new retailers to the town.”
Students offered MMR jab
after mumps “explosion”
by John Hendon
HUNDREDS of students at Warrington are to be given the MMR jab following an outbreak of mumps.
The outbreak – described as “an explosion” – has affected young people attending Priestley College and the Warrington campus of University College Chester at Padgate.
Health officials are visiting the colleges and a number of schools to give the vaccination to students aged 15-18.
So far this year, 320 teenagers and young adults have been diagnosed with mumps – more than five times the number for the whole of last year.
The vaccination sessions are being organised by Warrington Primary Care Trust.
Youngsters who are no longer at school or college are being advised to get an MMR jab from their GP.
Dr Hilary Thurston, consultant in communicable disease control for the Cheshire Health Protection Agency said: “Mumps is spreading among teenagers because they have not been exposed to mumps as children and have not be vaccinated with the MMR vaccine.
“I would urge anyone in their teens or early 20s who has not previously had two doses of the MMR vaccine to ensure they are protected. MMR vaccine is safe and scientifically proven to be effective.” The MMR vaccine – a three-in-one jab to give protection against Mumps, Measles and Rubella – has been used in this country since 1988. Two doses are need to give full protection – but a large number of teenagers and young adults received only one dose.
Many parents decided not to have their children given the vaccination because of fears it was associated with autism. But most doctors and health experts have discounted the theory.
Councillor’s warning on
“prostitution zones”
by staff reporter
PLANS to legalise prostitution in Liverpool would set a dangerous precedent and could lead to a similar scheme in Warrington, according to Conservative councillor Fiona Bruce.
She slammed plans by the Liberal Democrat led Liverpool Council to introduce “managed zones” – designated areas where prostitution will be openly tolerated.
“Warrington is only about 30 minutes away from these proposed zones. As a borough councillor, I am publicly opposing these plans to ensure that no precedent is set within the North West, which could then be followed by other towns such as our own.
“Some of these areas are right next to children’s nurseries, residential homes and student accommodation. This is wholly inappropriate. Other designated areas are near local businesses. This is similarly unacceptable. Indeed, it is hard to imagine any area in any town where such zones would be acceptable to local people,” she said Coun Bruce, Prospective Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Warrington South, said the plans would mean that Liverpool was the first city in the UK with legalised prostitution zones. In Europe, where zones are permitted, drug use and violence are also prevalent.
“This is not something North West people want to see happening here,” she added.
Congestion charges would
lead to “ghost town”
by Lesley Wilkinson
PROPOSED congestion charges for Warrington would have the same impact on small businesses as a “wrecking ball”, according to a business pressure group.
The Forum of Private Business is vowing to fight “tooth and nail” against proposals after finding massive opposition to the scheme from its members.
National chairman Len Collinson warned that setting up a congestion charge would be, “tantamount to sending a wrecking ball into the town’s small business community.”
Mr Collinson, a successful North West based businessman, said Warrington should learn from the bad mistakes of the London congestion charge.
“In November last year the FPB surveyed 500 small businesses in London and found the charge was having a devastating impact on trade with well over half reporting a slump in profits,” he said.
A 60 per cent increase in charges had been announced, up to ?8 and 80 per cent of his organisation’s London members opposed the move.
“This is the dreadful reality of congestion charging and Warrington must learn from it and abandon any plans to introduce congestion charging immediately,” said Len.
“FPB members are vehemently opposed to road tolls in Warrington which they believe would be commercial suicide for the town.
“The FPB is concerned that in the panic to tackle congestion in Warrington there is not enough thought or attention being paid to the small business community and their concerns.”
A toll scheme would drive customers elsewhere – to out of town shopping centres and supermarkets. Better transport facilities and roads and more car parking spaces would help solve the town’s problems.
“Warrington Council should be looking at ways of attracting shoppers into the town centre – not hounding them out,” he added.
Director Paul Booth, of LN Booth and Sons, motor repairs, Warrington, an organisation member, said: “I think this idea is disgusting. I’m really angry. A congestion charge will drive shoppers away from here, to places like the Trafford Centre, leaving Warrington a ghost town. It would be a disaster.”
Same faces, new titles
after council re-shuffle
by David Skentelbery
A RE-SHUFFLE of Town Hall bosses at Warrington has left the borough council with the same executive board – but new job titles for most portfolio holders.
Some changes have taken place in responsibilities but the main changes are in job titles.
A council spokeswoman said: “One of the aims of the review is to encourage more joint working betwe
en portfolios to help improve services.”
Coun John Joyce remains leader of the council, and Coun Paul Ross remains deputy leader.
The rest of the team is as follows – with their former job titles in brackets:
Children’s Services: Coun Colin Froggatt (Social Services and Health Promotions).
Community Services: Coun Pat Wright (Housing and Urban Renewal).
Resources: Coun John Morris (Resources and Performance).
Sustainable Environment: Coun Linda Dirir (Transportation).
Safer Communities: Coun Mike Hannon (Community and Well Being).
Well Being: Coun Maureen Banner (Education, Culture and Lifelong Learning).
Customer Contact and Access: Coun John Kerr-Brown (Neighbourhood Services).
Sustainable Regeneration: Coun Terry O’Neill (Environment and Regeneration).
Businessman wins
battle of the barns
by David Skentelbery
BUSINESSMAN John Bryan has won a lengthy planning battle to build two barns on land off Firs Lane and Park Lane, Appleton.
Warrington’s development control committee approved the proposals despite objections from Appleton Parish Council who claimed the buildings would be of “grandiose design” and “extremely ostentatious and elaborate” for their intended use.
The parish council also argued that the building would be inappropriate for Green Belt land and would have an unacceptable impact on the character of the area.
Mr Bryan had previously had to applications to build a farmhouse on the site refused.
The committee was told that although architects’ drawings of the barns indicated windows at ground and first floor levels, there was no indication of any separate first floor accommodation or internal staircase.
But planners said the fact that the form and construction of the proposed buildings was untypical of the majority of new farm buildings that was not sufficient justification for withholding planning permission.
It would not be appropriate to refuse permission on the grounds the buildings could be converted to another use as this would require separate planning consent.
The meeting was told Mr Bryan did not in fact need planning consent as he could erect an agricultural building under permitted development rights. But he sought planning consent to give him greater peace of mind over what would be a substantial investment.
Hospital chaplain who
patrolled the jungle
by staff reporter
A MAN who in his youth patrolled the jungles of Malaya and trekked the plains of Africa, plans to indulge his love of walking during his retirement.
Warrington Hospital’s assistant chaplain Barry Jenkins, aged 70, has retired and he and his wife, Maureen, are looking forward to many walks and to spending time with their three young grandchildren Owen, Luke and Masie.
During his time at the hospital he became a familiar face, either conducting services in the multi-faith chapel or visiting patients on the wards.
He said: “The people I work with are the very best and we always had a pray together to strengthen ourselves before going into what can be difficult situations with the patients.
“It was a source of great joy for me to go onto the wards, listening and spending time with people. If one patient has a lot of problems, we can spend the time with them, safe in the knowledge that those we didn’t visit today, we can visit tomorrow.”
Barry, originally from Pontypool in South Wales, started work as an engineer with Pilkington Glass before joining the South Wales Borderers for his national service.
He served in Malaya in 1953 – a time recognised by a gift of a white vest from fellow chaplain John Duffield at his retirement party. He also received gifts from friends and colleagues.
Barry said: “My grandmother gave me a pack of white vests as I was leaving, but I thought they’d make me stand out in the jungle so I swapped them with some of the lads on their way back.
“I have a keen interest in military history and I’m a member of the Anglo-Zulu War Research Society. I have a done a lot of research into the battle of Rorke’s Drift, especially because of the Welshmen who served there, even travelling to Africa at one point.”
After returning from Malaya, Barry continued working with Pilkington until he decided to enter the church full time.
He said: “I understand that my great-great grandfather was a clergyman and an innkeeper, which is an unusual mix. That religious theme has gone right through the generations and marked me out for what I was going to do.”
Barry worked at churches in South Wales, St Helens and at Whiston Hospital for 24 years before moving to Warrington – when his daughter, Julia Harvey, who also works at the hospital – told him the position was available.
[ 13.04.2005, 08:53: Message edited by: DS ]
