Manchester based regeneration experts ‘URBED’ are seeking the views of local people on their initial options for a regeneration strategy that is looking to reshape the face, and the fortunes of Prestwich.

Having conducted an appraisal of the area, the masterplanning options are now available to view in Prestwich Library and at the Longfield Centre for a three week period between 19th May and 6th June 2008. The library is open from 9am to 7.30 Mondays and Thursdays, 9am to 5pm Tuesdays and Fridays , 9am to 1pm Wednesdays and Saturdays and 10am to 2pm on Sundays.

For those unable to attend the consultation, the documents are available to view online by visiting Urbed’s website on http://www.urbed.coop/ . There are three documents available online which (links below) including the “Options Report” which looks at a number of options for areas in Prestwich for development, including; The Longfield Centre, The Health Centre, Metrolink Station, Tesco’s, a Techno Park and Prestwich Hospital among others.

URBED will use feedback from the options to help produce a final masterplan and development strategy for further consultation later on in the year that addresses the concerns of the community and local business community, as well as the development aspirations of developers.

Prestwich Option 1 - using an expanded Tescos to anchor the centre

Prestwich Option 2 - Anchoring the centre in the south

Prestwich Baseline Report
Draft Baseline Report May 2008

Prestwich Consultation Report
Report of proceedings of the Prestwich Roundtable Workshop in the Longfield Suite 13th March 2008

Prestwich Options Report
Options Report for Prestwich May 2008

Prestwich Masterplanning Options

I’ve been away on holiday for a week, so apologies if I’ve been away when people phone/email.

I was in the Spanish city of Valencia - this is it’s “town hall square” (the Town Hall is on the left). More pictures here

Last night was the first meeting of the Prestwich Local Area Partnership for the new municipal year. This is the body that brings together the nine local councillors in Prestwich (who are all Lib Dems now!), key partners like the police, NHS and fire service and community representatives from business, charities and local groups.

The main item on the agenda last night was the URBED study into the Prestwich Village Centre, which I’ve already reported on below. Other than that the main issues were:

- Local Grants - we’ve received applications for grants from the Prestwich (anti) Litter Campaign, to purchase Graffiti Cleaning Equipment and to support the Bent Hill area for environmental improvements. The grants were referred to the Finance Working Group to study in detail. Personally I hope that this can be done as quickly as possible as, with the graffiti in particular, there is a issue that needs dealing with as soon as possible.

- Highway Maintenance Program - each year the Area Partnership is asked for its views on which local roads and pavements should be repaired. My view is that this is becoming a bit of a joke - we’ve been given a budget of £108,000 for the whole of Prestwich and the “worst” road, which was deferred from last year because it wasn’t done then, would cost £152,000! I’m not sure how we’re meant to do with that!
In our ward of Holyrood, the most urgent roads were Oaklands Drive, a part of Cuckoo Lane, Mount Road and Parrenthorn Road. We’ve asked the Town Centre Working Group to look into these in detail and make a decision on our £108,000. Obviously with such limited funds lots of people are going to be disappointed, I suspect that the Lib Dem group will be taking this up at a Council level to see what can be done to improve the situation.

- Youth Manager Update - we received an excellent update from the Prestwich Youth Manager on some of the different activities for young people that are being organised. This includes the regular youth facilities which are at the Phoenix Centre in St Mary’s Park and also at Parenthorn High and Rainsough Community Centre. The groups that meet at the Phoenix Centre include time for disabled young people, young mums and young people who are involved in the Duke of Edinbugh scheme. Another good initiative is the “BRAG” scheme, which is running in the half term and summer holidays an d includes a really good value bus pass - more information here.

- Prestwich Cash Office - we received another presentation on the possible closure of the Prestwich Cash Office (see earlier post), yet again we made the points that some people do need a face to face service and ask for this to be considered during the consultation.

Tim

At tonights Prestwich Local Area Partnership (6.30-8.30pm Longfield Centre) the “URBED” design consultants who have been appointed to come up with plans for the future of the Prestwich Village Centre will be making an initial presentation of options to local people.

As your councillors we got a “sneak preview” last night, and there are some excellent ideas, but ones which give us all lots to think about. Issues we need to consider include:
- the link between Tesco’s and the Village, and whether Tescos should/could be rebuilt on the “road front” to bring it closer to the village centre.
- ideas for new buildings in the whole village centre area including shops, housing above shops, a new Health Centre and Library and extended open spaces.
- What do we do with the Longfield Centre? - its an excellent public facility now, but if it was removed would there be any chance of it getting paid for again?
- How do we make the A56 through the Village Centre a more “friendly road” for shoppers and pedestrians whilst maintaining its through traffic role both for local people and as a trunk route into Manchester?
- Is there scope for re-opening up a second road onto the A56 from the east to relieve Fairfax Road?

For me the most important thing is that as many people as possible get the chance to say what they think about the plans and options. Its our village centre and we need to get it right! Do come along to the Area Partnership meeting or to other events. As soon as I have some links or electronic versions of the options I’ll post them on this site.

More information from URBED here.

A number of local people will have noticed the signs that have been put up at the “Cash Office” at the Library announcing its closure. We have been assured that these have been put up in error (!) and the office is not closing at the present time.

Prestwich Councillors all met with Mike Owen, the Council’s Director of Finance and E-Government yesterday, who answered questions on the cash office. The Council does want to review whether the Office is viable nowardays and will be consulting on this over the summer. We made some very strong points about the benefits of face-to-face human contact - particularly as post offices are closing and some shops are reluctant to run the “Pay-Point” system because of security issues. The Prestwich Local Area Partnership will be receiving a full report and consultation at its July meeting.

Tim

Yesterday was the “Annual Council” meeting of Bury MBC attended by all 51 councillors - including the 17 that were elected or re-elected on 1st May 2008.

Annual Council is in two parts - a civic “Mayor Making” and the Annual Meeting itself. At Mayor Making councillors elected Cllr Peter Ashworth to serve as the Mayor of Bury for 2008-2009. Peter is a Conservative councillor for Moorside Ward in north Bury and we wish him well in his year as the borough’s “first citizen”. Councillors appointed Cllr Farook Choudrey, who has been the mayor for the last year as Deputy Mayor. This is the normal convention in Bury.

In Bury we’ve become used in recent years to Annual Council meetings being significant occasions when the council was in “no-overall control”. As the Conservatives now have a majority of one seat on the Council, the drama was missing from this year’s event somewhat! The only thing of note is that the Council’s Executive Committee will now just consist of Councillors from one Party (the Conservatives), whereas previously under both Labour and the Conservative minority administration last year, the two Opposition Leaders have been included on the Executive Committee as “without portfolio”. We will still be there, but as co-opted and non-voting members. Obviously as the ruling group the Conservatives have the right to do this. Bury has been somewhat unusual including the opposition on the Executive, but somehow it seems a backward move to me.

Some proposals for amending the questions at meetings from both members of the public and from ordinary councils were to be discussed, but these have now been referred to the Democratic Arrangements Forum (which brings together all three Parties on the Council) for further discussion. I think we all recognise that some reform is needed, but I am concerned that we still keep the right balance between openness and public participation, and efficient working.

The Annual Council appointed Councillors to the various Committees, Scrutiny Panels and Working Groups. Liberal Democrats are entitled to a mix of one and two seats on each committee and we’ve appointed to all these places. We have been allocated one Scrutiny Committee to Chair, and this will be my ward colleague Wilf Davison. Apart from Leading the Lib Dem Group, my main role will be as the new “co-opted non-voting member” on the Executive Committee.

Any questions, please ask!
tim

Prestwich Local Area Partnership will launch its Love Prestwich Anti-Litter Campaign for the summer which aims to target Prestwich Village Town Centre to promote respect of the environment to residents and businesses to Love Prestwich and keep it clean.

The campaign is aimed at local businesses, schools and residents to work alongside Council officers to make Prestwich a cleaner, safer, greener place to live.

Aims of the Campaign

Raise awareness
- raise awareness of fixed penalties for fly tipping
- encourage residents and businesses to be greener and cleaner
- promote street care team

Take Action
- schools, residents and businesses sign up to the BURY STREET CARE PLEDGE
- educate local businesses on their DUTY OF CARE to legally dispose of business waste
- educational school visits and poster campaign
- community clean up day

Catch’em
- identify hotspots
- encourage reporting
- undertake enforcement where necessary

Do you want to become a Community Champion for Prestwich?
You can sign up to the LOVE Prestwich Anti-Litter Campaign by filling out the form below and handing it in to Prestwich Library, or alternatively contact :
Carran O’Grady (LAP Manager)
Tel: 0161 253 7245 EMail: c.o’grady@bury.gov.uk

You can download an application form http://www.bury.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1F1891E5-F291-4F06-953F-7497A9B816F8/0/LOVEPrestwichLitterCampaignFlyerweb.pdf

Last night was the Annual General Meeting of the Liberal Democrat Group on Bury Council. As we’re now up to 9 councillors, it was the largest AGM ever! The Councillors agreed a range of appointments and nominations to committees, working groups and outside bodies which will be proposed to the Annual Meeting of the Council which is next Wednesday.

I had the honour of being re-elected as Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group in Bury, a position I’ve held for the last two years. Its a great privilege to be chosen by your fellow councillors to act as their Leader, and I’m looking forward to continuing the development of the Liberal Democrats in Bury in the coming years. Cllr Andrew Garner, one of our team of Sedgley ward councillors was re-elected as Deputy Group Leader.

Tim

Last night I had the honour of accompanying the newest member of the Liberal Democrat Group Councillor Mary D’Albert to the new Councillor’s induction at Bury Town Hall.

Mary will make an excellent Councillor for the St Mary’s ward of Prestwich, joining our existing team there of Donal O’Hanlon and Richard Baum. Mary is the wife of Vic D’Albert who is one of our Councillors here in Holyrood Ward. After 17 years of Vic going to council meetings it will be excellent to have Mary there too!

tim

Liberal Democrats now hold all 9 council seats in Prestwich!
Here’s our new team of Councillors in St Mary’s Ward - Donal O’Hanlon, Mary D’Albert and Richard Baum…… Labour MP Ivan Lewis sneaks past behind.

Lib Dem Councillors elected last night Mary D’Albert, Vic D’Albert and Ann Garner with some of their group colleagues Steve Wright, Wilf Davison and Donal O’Hanlon.

More photos here

Liberal Democrats have continued to move forward on Bury Council making another gain from Labour and holding off a challenges from the Conservatives. This is the fifth election in a row in Bury where we have made gains.

Full results to follow, but in our key wards in Prestwich the results were as follows:

Holyrood
Vic D’Albert (Lib Dem) 1632
Labour 669
Conservative 852

St Mary’s
Mary D’Albert (Lib Dem) 1308
Labour 1013
Conservatives 692

Sedgley
Ann Garner (Lib Dem) 1488
Labour 906
Conservatives 1238

Across Prestwich the share of the vote was:
Liberal Democrats - 45%
Labour 26%
Conservatives 28%

The Liberal Democrats now have ALL NINE councillors in Prestwich. We’ll be doing our best all year round to stand up for the local community.

Across the motorway Lib Dem candidate Julie Baum put in a stunning performance to move into second place with a 50% increase in the Lib Dem vote.
Besses
Julie Baum (Lib Dem) 614
Labour 1084
Conservatives 584
Others 354

Well done to all our candidates, but particularly to re-elected Councillors Vic D’Albert and Ann Garner, and to new Councillor Mary D’Albert.
A huge thank you to the whole Lib Dem campaign team for a stunning result. Full results to follow.

Planning Applications for Holyrood Ward in April 2008
More information on each case is available here.

Application Number: 49915
Registration Date: 28/04/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 42 POPPYTHORN LANE, PRESTWICH, M25 3BY
Proposal: CONSERVATION AREA CONSENT FOR DEMOLITION OF CONSERVATORY AT REAR
Case Officer: Jan Brejwo
Decision: This case has not yet been decided
Appeal Received Date: This case has no appeals against it

Application Number: 49914
Registration Date: 28/04/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 42 POPPYTHORN LANE, PRESTWICH, M25 7BY
Proposal: DEMOLITION OF EXISTING CONSERVATORY AND ERECTION OF REPLACEMENT SINGLE STOREY REAR EXTENSION AND INTERNAL ALTERATIONS INCLUDING BASEMENT CONVERSION
Case Officer: Jan Brejwo
Decision: This case has not yet been decided
Appeal Received Date: This case has no appeals against it

Application Number: 49908
Registration Date: 28/04/2008
Ward Name: Prestwich - Holyrood
Location: 1 PINE GROVE, PRESTWICH, M25 3DR
Proposal: TWO STOREY REAR EXTENSION
Case Officer: Amanda Uhunmwagho
Decision: Approve with Conditions
Appeal Received Date: This case has no appeals against it
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