Residents win battle
over “waste mountain”
by Terry Johnson
BATTLING residents fighting to stop a mushrooming ?waste mountain? have won the support of planning chiefs.
The Collier waste tip at Moss Side Lane, Rixton, Warrington, already soars more than 100ft, creating ?an alien dome? on flat farmland.
Seventy householders say the dominant feature harms their view and affects 10 public rights of way.
Parts of the waste mountain exceed approved levels by 15ft. – but owners Collier Industrial Waste Ltd want to grow the dump by a further 505,000 cubic metres, extending the life of the site from 2008 to 2011.
The company says the tip could grow to around 110ft, but they would increase woodland planting of the completed site.
Residents have protested to planners that they would suffer further smells, noise, fumes and traffic nuisance if the extension went ahead.
The Rixton and Hollins Green Action Group had objected to ?potentially long-term pollution?, affecting people’s health and quality of life.
The local Agenda 21 Group says there are major environmental issues – particularly relating to air quality, dust, noise and vermin.
“Waste should be diverted away from landfill”, said a spokesman.
Collier say they need to alter the landform and surface water drainage to provide for long-term management of the site.
In refusing the scheme, planners said the mass and height of the tip meant that it would always appear an ?alien feature?.
A spokesman said: “Officers are of the opinion that existing levels exceed the permitted levels. This exacerbates the visual impact of the existing site”.
Properties between 30 and 200 metres from the tip were worst affected, suffering severe loss of amenity.
Footpaths and lanes were also affected – particularly Prospect Lane and the footpath from Dam Lane to Moss Side Lane.
“Backroom” girl gets
a new front-line role
by John Hendon
A ?BACKROOM worker? with Cheshire Police has been given a new, front-line community role.
Katie Morris is now patrolling the streets of Woolston, Rixton and Glazebrook, near Warrington, as the area’s latest Police Community Support Officer.
For the past four years, Katie has been a police call-handler, answering emergency and other calls.
Now she is enjoying face-to-face contact with people as part of the four-member PCSO team covering east-Warrington.
She is working with PC Anthony Blow to re-open Woolston’s community police office on Dam Lane.
Said Katie: “We want to make it easy for people to contact us, at Woolston and also the local police station in Risley.
“We shall be running an appointment system. All residents need do is call our Community Action Team voicemail number and leave their contact details and a brief message. We’ll call them back and organise to meet. This means we can spend effective time out on patrol in local neighbourhoods”.
The Woolston office can be contacted on 0845-458-6390. Appointments can be made weekdays and also week-ends.
Town’s schools make
“steady progress”
by Terry Johnson
WARRINGTON’S 21 primary and seven secondary schools have been given an overall “steady progress” report by education assessors.
The 2005-06 inspection carried out by Ofsted’s team revealed:
Two primary schools CAME OUT of the legacy category of “Serious Weaknesses”.
One secondary school CAME OUT of Special Measures.
One secondary school was NO LONGER “under achieving”.
Only one primary school remains in Special Measures and is expected to COME BACK to the required standard next term.
That’s the good news. But the report also discloses that primary schools are performing better than their secondary counterparts.
Of the seven Warrington secondary schools inspected, two had previously been in an Ofsted category. And they were unlikely to gain a grade higher than “satisfactory”. Furthermore, two secondaries were said to be “in challenging circumstances”.
The overview of the official government inspection of schools does not name the under-performing secondaries. What it does say is that there should be more tracking of pupils’ progress and use of assessment to show students how to improve.
Teachers’ use of data should be improved and there be greater consistency in the quality of learning and teaching.
Development areas for primary schools include placing greater focus on writing, maths – and the expectations of more able students.
Nationally, nine per cent of primary schools and 15 per cent of secondaries have been categorised ‘inadequate’ by Ofsted.
No Warrington school inspected has been categorised or given an overall Grade 4.
Schools will now be inspected every three years, tightening the previous six-year cycle.
Village artists
to “go public”
by staff reporter
CULCHETH?S creative artists ?go public? in November with a three-day exhibition of their watercolours and canvasses.
The display in the Jackson Avenue Day Centre will include paintings in all mediums, many for sale.
The 30-member village art group meets on Thursday afternoons, under the leadership of Jean Hockenhall.
The exhibition of members’ work is on Thursday, November 23(7.00.-9.00pm), Friday, Nov 24(10.00am-6.00pm) and Saturday, Nov 25(10.00am-4.00pm).
Council’s U-turn
fails to impress
by Terry Johnson
PARISH councillors did a U-turn in opposing a horsewoman’s floodlighting plans at Croft near Warrington.
But their reversal failed to impress borough planning chiefs. They overruled the local objection and gave the lights project for a m?nage area the go-ahead.
Mrs K.A. Duckers had applied for backdated consent to floodlight meadowland behind her home in Smithy Brow, Croft.
She wanted to retain floodlights on six-metre columns surrounding a large exercise area.
Although Croft Parish Council at first raised no concerns, the council later withdrew its letter and put in an objection that the proposal was ?environmentally unacceptable to the neighbourhood?.
No neighbours, however, had protested.
The borough council?s development control committee was told the floodlights were 75m from the nearest property. Lights would not be used after 8.30pm to avoid annoyance.
Reunion for the
Class of ’72
by staff reporter
MEMBERS of the “Class of ’72” at the former Lymm Secondary Modern School, in Grammar School Road, are being sought for a reunion next month.
Jill Penton, formerly Jillian Driscoll, is trying to contact former pupils with a view to having the reunion on Saturday, November 11.
No venue has been decided yet and will depend on the number of people who come forward.
Jill now lives in Hampshire and would like former pupils to contact her either by writing to her at 10, Knox Close, Church Crookham, Fleet, Hampshire, GU 52 6TR or by emailing her at [email protected]
She would like people to contact her by October 1.
Old, and indeed not so old, Lymm residents will recall that Lymm Secondary Modern occupied the former Lymm Grammar School buildings after the grammar school moved to Oughtrington Lane and later was part of the two-site Lymm High School. The buildings were demolished some years ago to make way for the Scholar’s Green housing development.
