£32,000 facelift for precinct

Chadderton District Partnership reports

CHADDERTON Precinct is to be given a £32,000 spruce-up to make it cleaner and more attractive.

Residents have been crying out for environmental improvements in ward forums. The partnership approved a host of work to be carried out and funding including:

:: Providing seven new and replacement litter bins: £3,220.

:: l Providing six new metal anti-vandal benches: £3,540.

:: Pressure clean all paved concrete surfaces and brick raised planters: £2,775.

:: Replace broken and damaged paving slabs to precinct frontage: £780.

:: Re-sand all concrete paved areas following cleaning: £1,572.

:: Provide five new Street Tree cast iron planters and maintain for five years: £9,390.

:: Repaint existing metal bollards: £450.

:: Extend two existing low kerb planters to precinct front and replant: £6,190.

:: Replant existing low level planter in frontage and two raised brick planters: £2,330.

:: Provide maintenance to raised brick planters for five years: £1,500.

Council officer Ian Monaghan said the precinct was looking dated, needed a splash of colour and had only two litter bins and one bench.

He said grubby paving would be pressure cleaned to rejuvenate it and the improvements would brighten up the area and make it more attractive.

Greater Manchester Pension Fund owns the centre of the precinct and will contribute.

Councillor Len Quinn said he was sure it would look fantastic and thanked resident Enid Johnson for the initial idea.

Councillors want to see Chadderton’s coat of arms on planters and bins and more contribution from the pension fund who will benefit.

The partnership also wants to look at a similar project for the front of Chadderton Town Hall and the War Memorial.


Groups furious at library eviction

THE partnership will demand that cabinet member Councillor Mark Alcock attends a meeting to answer questions on why community groups can’t continue to use Chadderton Library and the costs to keep it open.

Council officer John Studholme said it was not possible for Chadderton Historical Society, two bands and a dance school to stay in the building as it would cost too much to keep it open. He said the dance school had now found alternative premises and the bands could soon follow.

But Mark Johnson, from the historical society, said they were given only 19 days notice to vacate and wants to know they were being evicted while other groups were allowed to stay much longer. They’ve still not had written confirmation.

Councillor Colin McLaren said the historical society wanted a temporary lease until the building is sold and it makes no sense to leave it empty.

Councillor Dave Hibbert said it was important the building didn’t go the way of Oldham Town Hall and become an eyesore prone to vandalism when it could be kept alive.

Councillor Len Quinn said the way users were dismissed by stealth and misinformation was a disgrace.

And Councillor Jack Hulme raised concerns about the lack of information elected members have received about the library closure and said repeated requests for a breakdown of the costs to keep it open had still not been answered two months later despite promises. Without the figures users can’t make a definite decision on what to do.


Alleygating schemes approved
SEVERAL streets in Chadderton have been approved for having alleygates fitted to help prevent crime and anti-social behaviour.

They are: Wern Street/Thompson Lane, expected to cost £2,400, Priory Grove/Thompson Lane (£4,600), Summercroft/Derby Street (£3,500), Higher House Close/ Scholes Street (£3,200), and Butterworth Street (£2,500). They have previously been identified as problem areas from information collected from police, residents and councillors.

For them to progress to having the work done depends on getting an approval rate of 80 per cent from resident consultation.

The partnership heard that alleyways can help burglars break into the rear of houses and provide easy escape routes, while attracting drug taking, fly-tipping, dog fouling and graffiti. But in some areas alleygating has reduced burglary levels by 90 per cent.

So far in Chadderton, 81 alleygating projects have been approved with 239 gates fitted at a cost of £273,821.