Plans breathe life into fields

Royton, Shaw and Crompton Area Committee


CLAYTON playing fields could be turned into a state-of-the-art sports village, under ambitious plans to transform the site.

A team of consultants is currently looking at a number options, with plans ranging from a simple resurrection of the changing rooms, which were demolished last year, to a full-scale sports village with recreational facilities.

The sports village option could see the development of a floodlit synthetic pitch which would be open 365 days a year and meeting rooms for coaching education sessions and referee development.

Other services, including GP surgeries, could also be considered for the site in Broadway, Royton.

David McHendry, from the consultants Knight, Cavanagh and Page, told the meeting of a larger vision to provide more general recreational facilities on the fields, including areas where people can cycle or walk their dog.

The consultants are also looking at the possibility of building a grasscrete car park on the field to accommodate the vehicles which regularly clog up the roads around the Clayton playing fields.

Councillor Steve Bashforth said: “Grasscrete is a like concrete grid that lets the grass grow though, it ensures that the cars don’t churn the ground up. It’s not an ideal solution, but it is worth sacrificing some of the field in order to make the most of this popular green space.”

The planners will consult with football associations, the PCT and the wider council among other parties, before a decision is made in the full council meeting in December.




£4,000 drugs bust



THOUSANDS of pounds worth of cocaine has been taken off the streets of Royton and Shaw after the police cracked a major supply gang.



Five men were arrested after officers discovered £4,000 worth of cocaine at an address in The Crag, Milnrow.

Further searches of two addresses in Shaw and Royton revealed a cache of weapons, which included a crossbow, two machetes and knuckle- dusters. Four of the men were later charged.

Willy Harrow has been remanded in custody, Calum Coward from Shaw, Steven Thompson, from Milnrow and Tyler Wolstenholme from Royton were charged and released on bail pending a court appearance.

Sergeant Rob Howarth, from GMP’s Operational Support Unit, said: “We believe we have taken out of action drug dealers responsible for class A drugs in Royton and Shaw. We are delighted with this result.”




Trader ‘was not forced out’



POLICE officers and councillors denied that they had conspired to drive a popular Royton market trader out.



Wayne Lowery ran a fruit and vegetable stall on Royton market for a number of years and his recent departure prompted a flurry of speculation.

One resident said: “I have spoken to a number of the other stallholders, who have all said that his products were stolen by yobs and that the police didn’t help him.”

Other residents talked of rumours that the council had put Mr Lowery’s rents up.

Another resident, a member of the local community group, the Royton Happy Circle, demanded answers, saying: “That market stall was a goldmine and tremendously popular. ”

Councillor Steve Bashforth said: “It isn’t true that the council pushed up the stallholder’s rent. I have spoken to David Mycock, head of markets, and I understand that the stallholder left the market for personal as well as other reasons.”

Area Inspector Colette Rose defended the police, saying: “I understand that this man was experiencing problems with revellers who were stealing from him and damaging the stall.

“PCSOs are not on duty when this happens and, although we have response officers who are on duty 24/7, they cannot be in one place all the time.”

Mr Lowery is now trading on Smithfield market in Manchester.




Residents urged to ‘shop local’



OTHER parts of the borough will soon benefit from new health and well-being centres—and now residents in Shaw, who were consulted as part of plans to regenerate the district centre, said they wanted a new health and well-being centre of their own.



The improvement of pedestrian links, car parking and changes to the market are also high on the agenda for Shaw folk.

Royton residents, who were also consulted on plans to revamp their district centre, highlighted the need for precinct improvements, better car parking facilities and expressed concerns about the future of the existing health centre, the slow progress of the assembly hall construction and the state of the public toilets.

Regeneration officers will now undertake a further round of consultation on these options, speaking to area committees, organisations like the PCT and residents who asked that they be kept informed of the progress of the plans.

A final draft masterplan will then be developed and put out for further consultation before a final masterplan is put to the council for approval around this time next year.




“THINK local, shop Shaw” that’s the message being sent to Shaw and Crompton residents as a new campaign urges them to make the most of the wealth of shops on their doorstep.



The Shaw Shop Local Campaign will distribute cotton shopping bags bearing the campaign logo “Think Local, Shop Shaw”.

The installation of a town map at key locations, will also be a feature of the scheme, launched next month.




NEW cycling stands are among many improvements in the pipeline for Shaw after Asda made available more than £300,000 worth of funds.



The shopping giant offered £112,000 for new highway works and £200,000 for district centre improvements and a number of renovations have already taken place.

Improvements to some pedestrian routes through the passageways to Market Street are also in progress, as well as the provision of new short-term parking bays in Westway.




LAX security at homes has fuelled a spike in burglaries in the area.



Police officers have dealt with one burglary every night for the past two weeks and area Inspector Colette Rose said that burglars had been striking at homes where doors and windows had been left unlocked.

A dedicated officer is working night shifts to try and catch the culprit.