From the Canal to Sevenways

Category: Community

  • Focus on Derbyshire Lane West

    Focus on Derbyshire Lane West

    We’ve been out and about in Derbyshire Lane West, asking how it’s going. As you can see below, you’ve been saying lots of good things about the area.

    But there are things you’d like to see improved…

    You don’t feel as safe as you deserve to feel.

    This has been raised a few times. The police figures are not too bad, but they don’t tell the whole story. You’ve told us about drug dealing in alleys and instances of self-injecting in the open. The area is not far from well-publicised tragic events involving knives and there has been a lot of worry about an incident in Moss Park about a year ago.

    I want to bring the police into this. I’d like to see some community engagement. I’m not sure police surgeries are the answer, but there are actions we need to consider.

    It’s not good for anyone if we don’t feel safe enough to engage fully in community activity, particularly if that means children are denied the freedom granted to older generations.

    Flytipping and graffiti

    We need to do better at clearing flytipping. There’s graffiti on the back of the flats above the shops. People have told me it adds to the general sense of a neighbourhood that’s not looking after itself.

    Decline of the road

    The state of the speed-humps in particular has been raised. They’re by no means the worst, but I get that people expect better.

    Subway under railway

    The subway has received some attention lately but it needs major investment. Andy Burnham wants all Greater Manchester stations to be accessible. The condition of the Humphrey Park subway means it can not be said to be wheelchair accessible.

    Actions

    I’m going to talk to the police over the general perception of personal safety in the neighbourhood. I’m already talking to Trafford over graffiti.

    Ideally, I’d like to improve general engagement with the area. The Friends of Moss Park is not currently active because people have left the area.

    I almost live too close to the area, because it’s easy to take things for granted and I’d like us to improve our channels of communication with the area.

    I’d really love for people to engage with the comments below and tell me how we need to respond. Should we be doing more in terms of litter picking for instance? I’d suggest public meetings but is there an appetite?

    I’m intending to update the site on how we’re getting on. But please do comment below!

  • Le Tour de Barton

    Le Tour de Barton

    A trip around the ward to check out what’s happening

    Kellogg’s Closure

    Although the Kellogg’s factory is just outside the ward boundary, the warehouse and loading bays are ours. There’s a perceptible slowing down of activity on the site. It’s rare to encounter an incoming HGV on Park Road now. Landscape maintenance has lost its edge. It’s sad seeing the slowdown. Manufacture might continue for a few more years, but the focus is shifting to what happens next. The land remains allocated for industry in Trafford’s strategic plan. We’ll have to see if that changes. I’ve not heard any discussions. These are quite large parcels of land and there may be more than one solution.

    Barton Dock Road and underpass

    I don’t remember a time when there wasn’t a cycleway down Barton Dock Road. It was there when Massey Ferguson was there. It might even go back to the war. Trafford Park has always had a lot of workers travelling by bike. So it’s sad to see parts getting overgrown. I’m going to try to get Amey to attend to it.

    For some reason, the underpass is decked with Red Bull cans, dozens of them. We have had some rough sleeping there in the past. It might be happening again although there was no obvious sign of bedding, just the empty cans. I’ve reported.

    Surf Centre and Therme

    There are no visible signs of life at either of the two proposed water-based projects on Barton Dock Road although, by coincidence, new planning applications have come in both for Therme and the site of the Surf Centre. I suspect the surf centre is only one of many options for that site, but I’d love both Therme and the Surf Centre to happen!

    Link to latest Therme planning application

    Link to latest Surf Centre site application

    Asda Crossing

    There’s been some bad press lately for the company. They’re slipping down the Supermarket popularity charts. Having said that, the Trafford Park store tends to be my supermarket of choice largely because it’s so accessible by bike. I just wish they’d improve their bike parking. If you’re blessed with a segregated cycling route all the way to your front door, make the most of it, get rid of the wheel bender brackets and install some proper stands! Please!

    That crossing outside Asda that links to the Trafford Centre needs to be more responsive to allow the crowds to cross. It’s an incredibly long wait for the lights to change even when the traffic is barely moving. The Bee Network is improving crossings across GM. I’m asking them to look at the Asda crossing.

    Bee Network Publicity 31st August 2024

    Church of All Saints, Barton on Irwell, Barton Swing Aqueduct and their joint Conservation Area

    Note: All the interior photos are from the Greyfriars website

    The church is Trafford’s only Grade 1 listed building north of the River Mersey. We’ve got a small number of Grade 1s in around Dunham Park and Hale, but nothing as highly regarded as this up here.

    Nikolaus Pevsner described the church as (Edward) Pugin’s masterpiece. It sits with Barton Swing Aqueduct (listed class 2 + star) in its own conservation area. You would not know it. The area opposite is a dumping ground for old fridges and mattresses and the swing bridge is looking unloved.

    According to April’s ‘Tablet’, the Greyfriars who are the current custodians of the church are moving on. I want to engage with Trafford’s heritage officers to prioritise this conservation area.

    I also want to visit the church and attend a service there. Definitely on my to-do list.

    Trafford Centre Premier Inn

    An application has been submitted to demolish the former premier inn next to the motorway (not to be confused with the one on Trafford Boulevard). This one has been empty for a few years.

  • Visit to One Trafford

    Visit to One Trafford

    This morning, I went with a cross-party selection of Trafford Councillors to Tatton House in Baguley which is the main base for the mix of council and Amey staff that make up the Trafford Partnership.

    I really dislike the Amey contract – it places far too much control in the hands of a private company. The visit hasn’t changed my personal view that in 2028 we have to say that the contract won’t be extended. I’m not totally against contracting out services like bin collections, most councils do it, but Trafford’s almost complete handover was ridiculous and not a model that others have followed.

    Despite my abhorrence of the arrangement, the staff that work from Baguley are excellent. It’s a tragic constant of privatisation, whether it’s the water utilities pumping sewage into rivers or different modes of public transport, the staff on the ground always do their best.

    There are successes, our recycling rates are high. We compete with Stockport as to who has the best recycling in GM. There is a real prize for reducing it further as we pay more in the waste levy than we spend on the entire Amey operation, which begs the questions as to how can we increase recycling further. What is the upper limit subject to current practices of packaging etc?

    I think it’s also worth asking what the incentives are to people for whom there are much more pressing priorities than the council making a saving. For a lot of people, the link between their well-being and council finances is more tenuous than some councillors assume is a given. We can do more with communities both in terms of empowerment and delegating spending.

    Achieved a success whilst there in the offer of an extra marked disabled space to Lostock Court on Barton Road. They’ve had two spaces for years, but pressures and changing need caused some of the residents to come to me last year (it’s taken that long) to ask for an additional space. A letter will be going out soon making that offer. I’m really pleased with that.

    It was an enjoyable and informative visit. There’s some real stars there on both sides of the contract divide. As always, I really welcome your feedback particularly on the One Trafford arrangements.

  • Latest Stretford Consultation: heights, greenspace and parking

    Latest Stretford Consultation: heights, greenspace and parking

    I suppose I ought to make a full disclosure: l am on the record as preferring the demolition of the Mall and pretty much most of King Street apart from the former Post Office.

    I felt the old town centre was turned in on itself and didn’t even attempt to capture passing walking trade coming from the Metrolink or bus connections. I overwhelmingly lost that argument. The majority wanted to retain and improve salvageable assets in the then-existing layout. I get that and I’m happy to support the regeneration of the town centre via the retention of parts of the Mall that have had the roof removed.

    Generally, I think there’s a consensus that the centre should be smaller and that the night-time economy; restaurants, entertainment and bars should play an increasing role. There’s a general acceptance the space created in reducing the Mall can be used for housing. Nevertheless, it’s vital that the town centre continues its day job of performing as a place for routine shopping and services. I sense that the scale of retail is still not settled.

    We know that King Street is the retail heart of the centre and that links via King St Square to Quality Save and Little King Street next to the multi-storey car park.

    Known retail arteries of redeveloped town centre

    What I don’t know is what is going on around that new ‘central park’ just below the multi-storey. If those blocks are purely residential I think we have a problem. On the other hand, if the ground floors are taken up by prime retail like Marks and Spencer, or similar then that changes everything.

    This image below hints at shop fronts surrounding the central park. I wish they were more explicit as it makes all the difference to my thoughts on the Central Park in the consultation below.

    Consultation

    The latest consultation covers three aspects. It covers:

    • the maximum heights of apartment blocks,
    • the realignment of the central park strip of green space.
    • a revision in car-parking to retain surface parking for Aldi,

    Maximum Heights

    The architecture is important. The consultation is on a desire to increase the height of blocks close to the centre to 12 storeys. This is still 3 storeys shy of Circle Court at Lostock Circle, so it’s hardly massive. And while Circle Court became hard to update, it was never the scale that was the problem. It was a very popular block with tenants.

    Judging by public submissions, however, not to mention social media, these medium-sized towers do seem incredibly unpopular with Stretford residents. My problem is that they’re hidden away. I really want Stretford to have active frontages facing on Kingsway and Chester Road. The interior elements of the centre should be peeping out and enticing me to shop. The apartments should work with the retail elements to put people and movement in at ground level.

    It doesn’t look at this stage that the residential is integrated with the retail elements very much at all. As a whole, the development looks to be zoned. I don’t mind the heights so much as the fact residential elements are not working with the retail elements as much as I had anticipated.

    I’m hoping the computer-generated images are just illustrative. There are many examples of really good integration between retail and residential. It’s nothing new, Paris managed this more than 100 years ago.

    Reorientation of Central Park

    We were discussing this on Facebook. I think we came to the conclusion that it would work better as a paved square area. I wonder if the aspiration for green space is working against good design. It does deserve to be the prime area in the whole development with the best retail units.

    Aldi retail surface car park

    I hate this proposal. It cuts Aldi off leaving no interplay with the town centre. The ‘left-turn in, left-turn out’ proposal is awful, putting more traffic onto the roads, looking for somewhere to do a U-turn. Lastly, the car park itself works as barrier for those walking from the Sevenways direction.

    Summing Up

    On the whole, this is still exciting. I’m not sure the consultation has helped. It’s not easy to consult on heights of buildings without understanding how the buildings interact with the centre. All the focus has been on King Street and Little King Street. The town centre is so much more than this. I can’t pretend to like the arrangement with Aldi but there are hints there are contractual obligations that have to be met. I’d love to see Central Park become a town square with good quality retail on four sides. I’m still hopeful.

  • Consultation to begin on Davyhulme’s “Active Neighbourhood”

    Consultation to begin on Davyhulme’s “Active Neighbourhood”

    On Monday 2nd October the consultation begins on Davyhulme’s Active Neighbourhood.

    Consultation
    (opens 2nd Oct)

    The proposals limit north-south traffic cutting through roads like Wallingford and Guildford Roads. It focuses east-west traffic on Lostock Road, Winchester Road and Canterbury Road.

    Railway Road will no longer be a through road.

    Full list of closures – these will often effectively create new cul-de-sacs or crescent arrangements:

    • Sandgate Drive – Point closure
    • Salisbury Road – Point closure
    • Exeter Road – Point closure
    • Rochester Road/Westminster Road Junction – Point closure
    • Lichfield Road – south of Lichfield Road/ Westminster Road Junction – Point closure
    • Hartford Road/Westminster Road Junction – Diagonal closure
    • Tiverton Road – south of Tiverton Road/ Westminster Road Junction – Point closure
    • Guildford Road/Westminster Road Junction – Diagonal closure
    • Winchester Rd/Westbourne Rd junction – Point closure
    • Furness Rd/Newstead Rd Junction – Point closure
    • Newstead Road/Sherborne Road Junction – Point closure
    • On Abingdon Road northwest of Newstead Rd/Abingdon Rd Junction – Point closure
    • Wallingford Road at Y-Junction – Point closure
    • on the eastern arm of Railway Road at Railway Rd/Westbourne Park Junction Point closure
    • Granville Road/Langley Close Junction – Point closure with cycle-about

    My view

    I don’t pretend this is where I would prioritise my active travel interventions. My view has always been to focus first on enabling people to cross those roads that sever neighbourhoods through their sheer weight of traffic. People who can’t get across the main road won’t pick up a bike anyway, so enabling people to get across is essential. That would mean a lot of new crossings.

    That said, a strategic decision was taken to make Urmston an active neighbourhood and these plans attempt to address some of the concerns raised by residents where rat-running is an issue and they do include a few new crossings.

    So this is for a trial of at least six months. It’s created a lot of comments on FaceBook, mostly adverse. I talked to a few residents while I was riding through the area today. No one I spoke to was totally against it, although a few wondered if it was a good use of money. Some only vaguely knew about it. Others were disappointed that the busiest roads, Canterbury and Winchester weren’t going to benefit. The Railway Road filter was going to put one person I spoke to on the wrong side for Urmston. I think that might be a wider problem, but it’s outside my ward.

    I am struggling to test the scheme against objectives as they’ve not really been published. The scheme doesn’t really benefit cycling. In most instances, it doesn’t benefit walking. There are some small incidental forced gains in walking to Davyhulme school – particularly with regard to those approaching the school from Winchester Road. On the whole, these are already walkable streets requiring tree work in places and dropped kerbs to be fully accessible, but more walkable than most.

    Without a doubt, it will quieten some streets that currently have an amount of through-traffic. I’m thinking of Wallingford Road and parallel roads etc. It’s a strange scheme to benefit from Active Travel funding though, as I want to see more than a handful of quieter streets coming out of it and that troubles me as an advocate of active travel investment.

    Conclusion

    I’m keen to see the consultation reach the largest audience. I’m surprised Transport for Greater Manchester has approved it as meeting their criteria. We are where we are and if it gets the support I will be content to see it proceed.

    Links

    It will be the ‘the UK’s largest inner city walking and cycling route’ – and hundreds wanted their say – From the Canal to Sevenways (canal27ways.uk)

    Information for the public | Physical activity and the environment | Guidance | NICE

    Agenda item – URMSTON ACTIVE NEIGHBOURHOOD (trafford.gov.uk)

  • Trafford’s Council is weaker without Adele

    Trafford’s Council is weaker without Adele

    The Messenger is reporting that Adele New, Councillor for Bucklow St Martins (essentially Partington, Carrington and a neighbourhood of Sale) is to stand down with immediate effect.

    Messenger Article

    I want to pay tribute to the achievements that Adele strived for in her ward and Partington in particular.

    I’m tremendously sad to see Adele go. Partington is a unique place within Trafford, and Adele is the perfect representative, living and working there and being at the heart of everything. It is down to Adele that Partington’s profile within Greater Manchester has risen to the extent that it’s cited in almost every Transport for Greater Manchester communication as a place that needs the better transport connections that only a public commissioned service can provide.

    Adele has carried the flag for her ward wherever she goes. I never use the word ‘tirelessly’. Adele has not worked tirelessly. She has worked when she’s beyond tired and visibly exhausted.

    Adele is someone you measure yourself against, and know that if you’re half as good as her, you’re doing a grand job.