Canal27ways

Category: Blog

  • First week back

    First week back

    The election is over. Many thanks if you voted for me. I’m overwhelmed to have got 65% of the vote in Gorse Hill Ward which is humbling given the state of politics at the moment.

    The priority has to be to get the services that Trafford provides back up to scratch. There can be no excuses, Labour now has majority control. The Conservatives are in disarray.

    Headline in Manchester Evening News days after the election

    There could not have been a more stark demonstration of the responsibilities that fall upon the shoulders of the local leadership than the headlines that greeted us following the the publication of Ofsted’s inspection into Trafford’s children’s services. We received an ‘inadequate’ rating.

    It will be the most pressing priority to get this put right. It’s on our watch and we must deliver.

    The New Executive

    I relayed my decision back in January to the Leader that I wouldn’t serve on the Executive this coming year. It’s been a real privilege to have been there for a year in the finance role. I know that it’s been no secret that I disagreed with the scrapping of the green bin charge. We have such a low council tax in comparison with others, I felt the green bin charge needed to be retained, but I lost. And it’s right therefore, that I withdraw from the Executive at this time.

    So this year I focus on Gorse Hill Ward.

    Gorgeous Gorse Hill Spring Fair

    One of the bonuses of being councillor here is that you get invited to all the best gigs. And so it was on Saturday that I came to be manning the plant stall at the spring fair. If you’re not aware of Gorgeous Gorse Hill then you need to be. We have brought so many of those pocket parks along Chester Road back into life as well as artwork on walls, bollards and shutters. It’s going to be great to see the Pankhurst Mural reveal itself on Trafford House. It’ll be the largest public artwork. Venessa Scott is an artist so closely part of the Gorgeous Gorse Hill story we can’t wait to see the big reveal on Trafford House.

  • What to do about Stretford

    What to do about Stretford

    Stretford town centre has hit the press again. In a league table of a thousand towns it’s been placed at number 999.

    It’s infuriating. Stretford Arndale is fifty years old this year. It feels to have been a slow decline for decades. For a brief period when it first opened Stretford would have been top of the league. The idea of a covered town centre with everything you needed under one roof was novel and exciting. I used to get on the bus to Stretford with my brother and mum, and it was the epitome of modern living to shop without fear of a soaking, or worries about being pushed into road traffic.

    However Stretford soon got overtaken by bigger supermarkets and better planned centres. We can blame the Trafford Centre and Tesco-Extra as much as we want, but it still became easier to get the weekly shopping from Sale or even Irlam if you had a car than it was Stretford. It is not even competing with nearby town centres like Chorlton, Urmston and Sale.

    So what’s to be done?

    It’s fairly clear that planners’ main thrust in addressing Stretford’s decline is to repopulate the immediate vicinity. There’s scope for increasing the population across the road at Lacy Street and on the land released with the demolition of the southern wing of the mall.

    Of course there are other elements such as bringing the Essoldo back into use but the strategy remains one of giving the Mall a bigger local catchment in order to revive it. It’s a jump-start via repopulation.

    I am sceptical. The Mall has inherent design challenges. By definition a high street should be a natural route for people to be taking. Even an indoor parade normally links one place to another. Stretford’s Mall is a detour from most natural pathways.

    If it can’t attract the accidental shopper, the question then becomes one of whether it can be a destination shopping area. Can the Mall attract a quality retail offer into its units to entice these new residents? It’s a key question.

    At the same time it feels to me as though the space with the best potential is close to the canal. The canal is Stretford’s prime asset but then we get into the dilemma that to develop a retail/leisure/evening economy mix on that canalside we’re pulling them away from the mall.

    We have to lift Stretford’s town centre. I don’t think there’s a risk free solution out there but we are going to have to take some decisions. We really can’t guarantee either approach. Whilst a Stretford version of Venice is enticing, are we really capable of delivering such a destination here on the towpath of the Bridgewater canal?


  • Councils do it better (but don’t short change us)

    Councils do it better (but don’t short change us)

    Councils in England say there has been a marked improvement in public health since they took over responsibility for delivering services nearly six years ago, despite budget cuts.
    The Local Government Association points to a fall in the number of smokers, fewer teenage pregnancies and a decrease in the suicide rate.
    But it warns progress could stop if there are further funding cuts.

    Public Health Improving under Councils – BBC online

    It’s obvious really. Only at a local level can things be joined up and be flexible enough to make the best of the circumstances of place. But we could do a lot more, particularly in education and training. It’s time for Government to deliver its social care reform too so that we can be allowed to provide the promised cradle to grave joined up health and care we so badly need.

  • Weekly Update 12th – 18th January

    Weekly Update 12th – 18th January

    I got to cut the ribbon on the Lidl opening. I wish them all the best. More signs of Gorse Hill’s renaissance. Pleased for the jobs, pleased for the retail offer we’re getting here.

    Politics is all about Brexit. It’s a mess, isn’t it? Personal view – we’re nowhere near ready to leave. For example, the Government’s taking all its Northern Ireland soundings from the DUP – when Northern Ireland actually voted to remain in the EU. We’ve now had a car bomb in Londonderry. The Good Friday peace process matters, it’s not a little detail to be ignored. We have to pause article 50 to attend to so many issues that the government has been ignoring.

    Again personally, I’m not won over by the People’s Vote argument. I voted to remain, I lost, and I think we should honour the vote. I’d be happy with a similar arrangement to Norway. I suspect whatever arrangement we start with will change over years. I might be wrong but I don’t believe you need something similar to Article 50 in order to leave or change Norway plus. It seems obvious we should be pursuing a relationship with the EU that’s close but respects the referendum result. But we need far more time to get businesses and people ready. But the main concern has to be Northern Ireland. I don’t want a return to the troubles. I can’t think of anything more likely to undermine confidence in Good Friday than only dealing with the DUP.


  • Weekly update 5th – 11th Jan

    Weekend

    Canvassing in Ashton on Mersey. Good response – local issues predominated. For and against a parking scheme being consulted upon around Mersey Road.

    Monday

    Busy Labour Group meeting. One of the items discussed was the awarding of community grants. For the last few years the council has used a process called participatory budgeting. In Stretford and Old Trafford they’ve worked ok; the community gets to vote on those schemes they give most support to. There was criticism that groups would bring along people to vote but that was the point. If a group had little or no support, why would the council back it?

    It’s not worked well everywhere – Altrincham was hardly oversubscribed with bids. Taking everything into account we’ve taken the decision that participatory budgeting should not be used and we’re freshening the process up:

    Thursday

    Early start for Transport for Greater Manchester meeting. Clean air policy and the 2040 delivery plan.

    I have reservations over the clean air policy and need to be convinced that we sort traffic emissions by charging certain groups. Modern cities should be aspiring to making their space a place for people rather than vehicles. There are no ‘good’ or ‘clean’ private vehicles on city centre roads.

    The 2040 delivery plan is much more interesting, particularly given that once again a station at White City is floated. The railway already travels through the roundabout there and with it being convenient for both Pomona and Media City, a station just makes so much sense.

    Followed by library volunteering and Governors Meeting at Lostock.

  • Weekly Update 8th December 2018

    Tuesday

    Back from a family wedding in Edinburgh; I’m absolutely blown away by the bus services there. Every bus stop I used had real-time information. The buses were frequent and direct – it was about 20 minutes into town for £1.70. They seemed to be used by all classes of folk. There was lots of information on the bus including details of the next stop.

    Since getting home I’ve tried to understand the differences between Scotland and England with regard to buses. The main operator in Edinburgh is Lothian buses and they’re a municipal company owned by a number of councils. I think there’s the rub. By all means let other operators operate but set the standards that the others have to follow. It makes a profit too (Annual Accounts 2017) 

    Learn that Amey are looking for a buyer and the controversial Private Equity Group – Greybull are the most likely buyer. The ft describes Greybull’s business model as:

    The firm’s approach is to find troubled companies that have assets but weak cash flows. It then presses stakeholders — from investors who sell out, to customers and suppliers — to minimise the stake it must actually put up.

    FT – Greybull eyes profit from Monarch Collapse

    Clearly not of our making and but yet another questionable policy choice of the previous Tory administration.

    Civic Quarter Masterplan Meeting

    The last of the big consultation meetings was held in the evening. This is in relation to a strategic planning document in relation to an area centring on Trafford Town Hall. Because this area is attracting increased developmental interest primarily because of the proposed University but also because of retail, leisure and housing pressures. A finger in the air assessment would make it about 80% prohibitive and 20% enabling.

    As is normal with these sorts of proposals it’s the developments that the plan suggests and enables that attract the most attention. I am focussing below on three aspects that were of concern on my table in the evening.

    A civic square

    In front of the Town Hall and alongside the proposed University.

    Civic Square
    Currently Car Parking – A new civic square crossed by Talbot Road (wellbeing route) and Warwick Road (processional route)

    • Creating a high quality urban square that would become an everyday destination, as well as a congregating space for match and event days, and other civic functions
    • Finely integrated with Talbot Road and Brian Statham Way
    • Flexible design and street furniture that is inviting for everyday uses, but can accommodate large masses on match and event days
    • Opportunities for accommodating spill-out and temporary structures for events and activities
    • A high quality pavilion building active on all sides offering quality food and drink offer

    Whilst described as a civic square, a lot of residents have questioned whether its ‘Fanzone’ use is the more prevalent intended role. Ideal for Test Matches, but does it work for Manchester United matches? Is it not too far from their ground? Are there enough fans coming in on the Tram to the Old Trafford stop? As a civic space on non-event days are there enough people around even with the University?

    Wellbeing Route – Talbot Road

    • Accentuating the road’s green character by adding more street trees and creating a boulevard
    • De-engineering the street – narrowing the carriageway, widening footpaths, lowering kerbs, etc.
    • Designated bike lane – create a strategic route that aligns with the principles and is part of the network of Manchester’s new Beelines
    • Use of high quality materials to create a distinctive sense of place
    • Multiple road crossings to aid permeability of pedestrian movement
    • One side of the street to accommodate an ‘active ribbon’ – furniture and signage for activities and recreation, including running track, outdoor gym, ping pong tables, kids’ play etc.
    • Supercrossing at junction with Great Stone Road – potentially a diagonal crossing – to create a direct link with the existing Stretford Leisure ‘Talbot Centre’.

    Residents rightly questioned the displacement affect onto Chester Road. It’s a road that has received a lot of cycle infrastructure investment over the past couple of years so there has been questions as to whether the priority lies elsewhere. I have heard a lot of support for the Greatstone Road ‘supercrossing’ and I think this is welcome. However, the vision of a running track has generally been received sceptically and I think we might need to carry on the discussion more about the Wellbeing Route.

    Processional Route – Brian Statham Way / Warwick Road

    Vision (from the masterplan)

    Today Brian Statham Way and Warwick Road are a direct, if unremarkable, link between Old Trafford Metrolink station, Lancashire Cricket Club, Trafford Town Hall and, across Chester Road, Manchester United FC. The Processional Route as defined in the adopted Core Strategy has an aspiration to ultimately link the Civic Quarter to MediaCityUK .

    The SPD reimagines the link as a pedestrianised ceremonial route, amplifying the connection between the two stadia; a space to accommodate fans on match day and welcome them on every other day of the year to celebrate the uniqueness of this place and its history.

    I think the authors have to acknowledge that they haven’t given enough profile in that vision to the residents who live on Warwick Road and the side roads off it – Hornby Road and Barlow Road. Although there was some concern about prohibiting motor vehicles from Brian Statham Way, particularly in regard to safety, I think those concerns can be met by opening up the ‘Civic Square’ and making it a much busier area. I am more concerned about Warwick Road.

    It’s clear to me that we’re already imposing on Warwick Road with regard to marathons as well as Rugby and Football matches, sometimes on the same weekend. In increasing the ‘processional role’ we’ve got to ensure that residents can live their lives and use their cars. We can neither lock them in nor lock them out. They have to have access, and this needs to be a key protection within the SPD. It may be that non residential traffic is prohibited on event days but those residents need access.

    Wednesday

    Meeting with Lostock Partnership and Friends of Lostock Park.

    I’m particularly keen that we never forget our youth. We have made damaging cuts over the years that will cost us all in the long run. Crazy politics. Thankfully, Lostock Partnership have taken on the lease of the youth centre. At the moment we’re trying to scrape together what youth provision we can from there, but in the long run I think we have to bring back a full provision and at least we’ll still have the building to run them from.

    Thursday

    Library volunteering and video stream of planning committee.

    Why am I watching a planning committee that I don’t sit on?

    An application for affordable housing in Hale supported by all Labour. I can’t remember the last time affordable housing was permitted in an area where it was most needed. It’s taken a Labour administration and it felt really good watching the video stream.

    It really is worth voting.

    Friday

    Horrible day. I know she was only a cat, but learning that a pet you’ve had for nearly 20 years is too ill to ever come back home from the vets with you is still quite a knock.

    RIP  YoYo