A planning notice that appeared in Lymm village centre advertising an application to convert the former Barclays Bank into a Poundland has been revealed as an elaborate hoax.
At first glance, the planning notice looked authentic but a closer inspection revealed that the planning application number didn’t tally with the current council list of applications.
Local Councillor Graham Gowland commented “I was a bit disappointed that the planning notice wasn’t for a Netto, but someone’s done a creative job putting the fake notice together.
“The Barclays Building has been an eyesore for years, and we’re looking forwards to it finally moving to new ownership and being appropriately developed.
“I suspect leafy Lymm isn’t likely to be a prime location for a Poundland.
“No planning application has been put into Warrington Borough Council yet for the site, and being in a conservation area most changes would need to go through a proper planning process.”
Warrington Borough Council’s planning department has confirmed that the planning notice is fake.
When the notice first appeared earlier this week it sparked a mixed response on social media, with some opposed to the idea, while others welcoming it during the current “cost of living crisis.”
In 2016 there was controversy in the village when a Netto store opened – but it closed after just eight months and now is a Sainsbury’s store.
3 Comments
A similar fake notice appeared a number of months ago on the Trans Pennine Trailing Lymm. While vaguely amusing, it was designed to mislead and upset.
Repeating the ‘joke’ suggests someone has too much time on their hands and isn’t concerned that they could be charged with forgery.
BOB BARR if you are a councillor, then you need to resign. Maybe the hoaxer should stand. They would get more votes!
Have a word with yourself, Bob. Anyone who is “upset” by this needs to take a look around and see what’s genuinely upsetting in the world. This was a bit of harmless joshing, nothing more.