Tag: OXTON

Tower Bridge repairs, the future of Williamson Art Gallery and school crossing patrols u-turn

Tower Bridge repairs, the future of Williamson Art Gallery and school crossing patrols u-turn

Tower Bridge repairs, the future of Williamson Art Gallery and school crossing patrols u-turn

                            

It’s time to answer some questions from readers. First there’s a topical question.

1. How long is the Tower Bridge road closed for in Birkenhead?

Ah yes, a recurring question that pops up from the Wirral motorist wanting to get from Wallasey to Birkenhead (or vice versa). The bridge closed on Saturday 15th February 2014 and work is predicted to take a week for urgent repairs to the A bridge. Wirral Council say the work is necessary due to a loose steel plate.

Last week I received a phone call from a woman who wanted to know what is happening to the Williamson Art Gallery following last week’s Cabinet meeting on the 12th February to discuss the budget and that she trusted this blog to let her know what was going on.

2. What’s happening to the Williamson Art Gallery?

Well this was also mentioned at the recent Birkenhead Constituency Committee meeting too. I’ve looked through the nine page handout given out during the meeting that details Labour’s proposals to the Council meeting on Tuesday 25th February to decide the budget for 2014/15.

On page six, the Williamson Art Gallery is mentioned and I quote:

“Re-phasing the savings from Williamson Art Gallery (£100,000 of saving rephased to 2015/16)
The engagement of local people and ‘Friends’ groups has been welcomed in exploring new models for funding the Williamson Art Gallery in the future. It is acknowledged that more time is required to develop the proposals. Therefore the saving of £400,000 is to be delivered over the next two years, i.e. £150,000 in 2014/15 and £250,000 in 2015/16. Cabinet strongly favours keeping the Williamson open. This will be funded from reserves in 2014/15.”

The Williamson Art Gallery is in Oxton ward. Last time there was an election there it was won by the Liberal Democrats in 2012 by a majority of 263 votes (with Labour in second place). The two major issues raised by Lib Dems in Oxton in the recent past have been the future of the Williamson Art Gallery and whether schools (or Wirral Council) should fund school crossing patrols. Strangely enough school crossing patrols forms the next bit of Labour’s budget resolution which I quote here.

“School Crossing Patrols
Cabinet believes the safety of children is paramount. In December Cabinet agreed to ask schools to take over the funding of school crossing patrols. Given the concerns expressed by a minority of schools, officers are instructed to continue discussions with schools with a guarantee that no funding is removed where agreement cannot be reached.”

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Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00398: 11 Templemore Road, Oxton, CH43 2HB – Single Storey Garage

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00398: 11 Templemore Road, Oxton, CH43 2HB – Single Storey Garage

Continues from Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): OK, errm. Right, the next agenda item number ten please. Can we have a presentation for item number ten?

Matthew Davies: Thank you Chair, there is a qualifying petition for this application.

The proposal is for a single storey garage extension to the dwelling found at the rear of the property. The key issues are the siting and scale of the proposed extension and its impact on the character. The dwelling itself actually remains to the rear of the property. Another feature to consider is that the garage is in a Conservation Area.

Errm the proposal is modest in scale and size and is not considered to dominate the existing dwelling, in fact it is considered that there is a uniform pattern of development in this … but considered a relatively mixed design, mixed spacing. It is noted that there a number of properties in the road which do have side garages, a number of which are also in the Conservation Area creating narrow spacing with the remaining properties.

Errm the development will have some impact on the existing street scene on the road particularly during … but the impacts are not considered to be significant, given that there’s … at the property. the pattern of … of the property. Given that the application is recommended for approval, subject to conditions to secure err .. and the materials used in the dwelling, cross sectional drawings proposed although cross sectional drawings … necessary.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): Thank you, does the petitioner wish to speak, is there a petitioner here? No, alright, thanks for that.

Continues at Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00398: 11 Templemore Road, Oxton, CH43 2HB – Single Storey Garage.

Prenton/Oxton Area Forum 1st November 2012 Part 1 Belmont Suite, Tranmere Rovers Football Club

Prenton/Oxton Area Forum 1st November 2012 Belmont Suite, Tranmere Rovers Football Club Part 1

Prenton/Oxton Area Forum
1/11/2012
Belmont Suite, Tranmere Rovers Football Club

1830 to 2030

Present
Louise Harland Davies (Community Engagement)
Cllr Tony Norbury Labour (Chair)
Steve Preston (Community Safety)
Sarah Goulding (Community Rep)
Kay Crook (Community Rep)
Brian Griffiths (Merseyside Police)
Ian Lowrie (Community Safety)
Chris McCarthy (Interim Director, Technical Services)
Cllr Stuart Kelly
Cllr Paul Doughty
Paul Murphy (Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service)
Cllr Patricia Williams
Cllr Alan Brighouse
Cllr Denise Realey (arrived late)

The Chair, Cllr Norbury welcomed people to the Area Forum and informed people he had been elected as a councillor in May [2012]. He asked people to introduce themselves and gave apologies for a number of people who couldn’t make it including the Lead Officer.

Chris McCarthy, deputising for the Lead Officer who wasn’t present read out a brief statement on the suspension of the Neighbourhood Forum funds. He said the fund was frozen as it was “non-essential” and there was a projected £17 million overspend.

Ed – at the time the projected overspend as of September 2012 was £13.2 million not £17 million as claimed, as the figure for £17 million was the position five months prior to the November Area Forum meeting (June 2012). However no-one will know the true figure until the 2012/2013 accounts have been audited in September 2013, until then it’s “just a guess” and falls into the selective quoting of statistics Wirral Council is famous for, where incorrect information supplied by others is repeated until some of the press and public believe it through repetition.

Candidate: Patricia Williams Ward: Oxton Council: Metropolitan Borough of Wirral Year: 2012

Page 1 Patricia Williams (candidate) Allan Brame (agent) Candidate Declaration Oxton Wirral Council 2012

Page 2 Patricia Williams (candidate) Allan Brame (agent) Agent Declaration Oxton Wirral Council 2012

Page 3 – Patricia Williams section 1 Details of candidate and election section 2 Details of election agent Oxton Wirral Council 2012

Page 4 – Patricia Williams section 3a Types of payment section 3b categories of spending Oxton Wirral Council 2012

Page 5 – Patricia Williams section 4 donations Oxton Wirral Council 2012

Page 6 – Patricia Williams rejected donations Oxton Wirral Council 2012

Page 7 – Patricia Williams accepted donations Oxton Wirral Council 2012 Note blacked out sections are Oxton Liberal Democrats, 29 Shrewsbury Road, Prenton, CH43 2JB and political party.

Page 8 – Patricia Williams WAPS invoice 1 Oxton Wirral Council 2012

Page 9 – Patricia Williams WAPS invoice 2 Oxton Wirral Council 2012

Page 10 – Patricia Williams WAPS invoice 3 Oxton Wirral Council 2012

Page 11 – Patricia Williams WAPS invoice 4 Oxton Wirral Council 2012

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) 3rd January 2011 Part 8 APP/11/01279 – 457 Borough Road, Oxton, CH42 0HB & APP/11/01282 – 455 Borough Road, Oxton, CH42 0HB

The Chair said item 13 (APP/11/01279 – 457 Borough Road, Oxton, CH42 0HB – Change of use of the ground floor unit from A1 (retail) to C3 (dwelling houses) to convert the building into two flats with associated alterations to front and rear elevations, including an external staircase to the rear.) and item 14 (APP/11/01282 – 455 Borough Road, Oxton, CH42 0HB – Segregation of existing dwelling in to two flats and erection of an external staircase to the rear.) would be taken together as they were adjacent properties and both submitted by SDA. He said the flats used alley gates and there was no provision for parking.

Matthew said the flats had access to the rear, but they didn’t feel the staircases would block windows. Access via an allley gate would not warrant refusal, as it was a management issue. Residents would be allocated a key, no parking was provided and there was no off street parking. The junctions were well protected by waiting restrictions.

The Chair said it held to have transparency over these two issues. He asked for a proposer and seconder for item 13.

Cllr Peter Johnson proposed approval for item 13, Cllr Dave Mitchell seconded approval for item 13.

There was a vote on item 13.

For: Cllrs Elderton, Clements, Boult, Johnson, Kenny, Salter, Realey, Mooney, Walsh, Kelly and Mitchell (11)
Against: None (0)
Abstention: None (0)

Application APP/11/01279 with conditions was approved (11:0:0).

Cllr Wendy Clements seconded approval for item 14.

For: Cllrs Elderton, Clements, Boult, Johnson, Kenny, Salter, Realey, Mooney, Walsh, Kelly and Mitchell (11)
Against: None (0)
Abstention: None (0)

Application APP/11/01282 with conditions was approved (11:0:0).