Gypsy caravan plan
splits community
by David Skentelbery
A GYPSY family who moved their caravan homes on to farm land have split a rural community near Warrington.
Sixteen nearby residents have lodged objections and claim the family is in breach of green belt planning regulations.
But 13 others are supporting the family’s application and say they have already made a vast improvement to a previously derelict site.
Mr Andrew Smith is seeking retrospective planning approval from Warrington Borough Council to keep his two caravans on land at Woodend Farm, Woodend Lane, Rixton.
Mr Smith, his wife and three children want to establish a permanent home on the site. Mr Smith is a self-employed tree contractor working in the Warrington and West Manchester area. Two of his children are pupils at Rixton Primary School If they are unable to remain at Woodend Farm, they say they will be forced to return to the roadside Objectors say the site is in the green belt and set a precedent for future similar applications. They claim the caravans will have a damaging impact on Rixton Moss, which is an environmental sensitive area and will also destroy the natural habitat of several threatened species, including barn owls, tree sparrow and grey partridge.
They fear discharges from a septic tank will pollute a nearby watercourse and that the caravans have a damaging on the green belt.
However, supporters of the family say the applicant is an honest and respectable man and they are glad he is moving into the area. They say he has already made a considerable improvement to what was a derelict site.
They point out that most of the farms in the area originated from families squatting on the moss land in the area. They also stress there is no affordable housing nearby and that the family has strong links with the area.
Walking Day is still
town’s premier event
by staff reporter
THE 171st Warrington Walking Day confounded its critics by proving it is still the town’s premier event of the year.
An estimated 4,000 people, of all ages, walked through the town’s streets in a procession made all the more colourful by bright sunshine.
The weather forecast had not been good and grey clouds threatened early on. But by the time the walk got under way from the Town Hall lawn, it was ideal conditions for walking.
Churches, schools, uniformed youth organisations and individuals took part in the great display of Christian witness, originally started as a counter-attraction to the drunken depravity of the now defunct Newton Races.
It is true that there are some who now see Walking Day itself as an excuse for excessive drinking. The town’s licensed premises do a brisk trade after the walk has finished.
But police have not reported any major incident to mar the occasion – although a fire at Wetherspoons’ pub in Barbauld Street meant three fire engines had to negotiate their way past walkers to reach the scene.
The blaze, involving an industrial deep fat fryer, caused little damage.
Warrington-Worldwide photographers were out and about in the crowds and a selection of pictures of the procession were published on this site within 90 minutes of the walk starting.
School entertainment
licence bid deferred
by staff reporter
TOWN Hall licensing chiefs at Warrington have put off a decision on a school’s application for a new entertainment licence after hearing of furious objections from nearby residents.
The borough council’s licences committee decided to defer consideration of the application by William Beamont High School until further information is available.
Residents are not directing their anger at the school, however, but at the commercially run Vida sports centre which forms part of the school complex in Long Lane.
They say they never had any problems with the school, which has held an entertainment for years, until the sports centre opened.
But now they claim their lives are being made unbearable because of noise, vandalism, late night hooliganism and drunkenness involved youths using the sports centre.
The Vida centre opened after William Beamont School was designated a specialist sports college.
Enhanced sporting facilities were provided at the school by Vida – along with a bar. It holds an “on” licence but not an entertainment licence, which it does not need because only private functions are held there of an evening.
It is the school which is applying for a renewal of its entertainment licence.
Five nearby residents have lodged objections. One said: “Opening a bar in a school was always going to cause a problem, but I was not expecting to be half as bad as it turned out to be. It is attracting the wrong type of people to the area.”
Others complain of gangs of youths vandalising gardens, fences, parked cars and causing noise and disturbance. Another says her garden is littered with bottles and plastic glasses. One objector asks why, if the school application is nothing to do with the sports centre, it is for midnight – a time when students should be at home in bed.
Festival’s tasty curtain raiser
THIS year’s Lymm Festival – now recognised as one of the largest combined arts festivals in Cheshire, got under way with the popular curtain raiser – the Lymm Food Fest.
Hundreds of people crowded the village centre to be tempted by a wide variety of foods on offer by local shops.
Apart from traditional British fare, there was Indian, Chinese, Thai and Italian food on offer, along with wine, locally made ice cream and much more.
A children’s entertainer kept the youngsters amused and Lymm’s own samba band provided lively background music.
The festival continues for the next two weeks with a wide variety of attractions, music, drama, comedy, poetry, dance, exhibitions, etc.
After the success of last year’s Scarecrow Trail, a second scarecrow competition is being held and the village is full of scarecrows made by children, adults, businesses, etc.
The ” Art in the Garden exhibition” introduced last year is also being repeated and the extremely popular Festival Picnic at Lymm Hall on Saturday July 9 bring the festival to an end.
In between there is music of all kinds from classical to jazz, blues and folk, comedy, drama, poetry, storytelling, dance, visual arts, creative writing, photography and many other events provided by the best of local talent and by visitors invited to take part in the festival from further afield.
Among professional attractions are drama group Oddsocks, The Festival Baroque Concert and the Indigo Moon Puppet Theatre This year is the seventh annual festival.
Council objects to
swimming pool plan
by staff reporter
THE parish council at Appleton, near Warrington, is to object to proposals to build an enclosed swimming pool at The Woodlands, a house off Lyons Lane, Appleton.
Members said the proposed 280 sq metre building, with an apex roof eight metres high in the garden would appear out of character in an area of ancient woodland and could involve the removal of protected trees.
They consider the development would be unneighbourly due to its size, massing effect and lighting requirements to the nearby residents in Staines Close.
The parish council is also opposing an application for outline permission for a detached bungalow on land in Yew Tree Lane, Appleton Thorn.
They say the proposal appears contrary to Supplementary Planning Guidance on restricting the housing supply and is in an area of green belt.
News in brief
Hospital lottery
WINNING numbers in the weekly lottery run by the League of Friends of Warrington Hospital were 6, 7, 13 and 16. Two winners shared the ?286 jackpot and the consolation prize of ?25 went to USA.
More walks
MORE village walks are set to take place. Stockton Heath Walking Day and Glazebury Carnival – whi
ch involves a procession along the A574 Warrington Road through the village – both take place on Saturday, July 9.
Home extensions
PLANS for a two storey rear extension and a single storey front extension, with porch, at a house in Common Lane, Culcheth, near Warrington, have been approved.
Chimney plan
NOVELIS UK Ltd are seeking planning consent for a 60ft high chimney and bag filter room at Latchford Locks Works, Latchford, Warrington.
