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Editorial
In this issue you will find reports from our Chairman mentioning the Medical Centre plan which Dennis Clegg, our Planning Consultant, effectively, as the principal witness, persuaded the Inspector to reject, and this makes the Telegraph Road site very important to the centre of Heswall. We will seek to persuade the relevant authorities to move the Ambulance Station into the Fire Station site and the Adult Learning Centre to another site. This would leave a much enlarged site for a superb Medical Centre with adequate car parking off the main road. The Chairman also mentions the Spatial Strategy Review and there is a full report on this by our very busy "planner". There is news of the new History Section and the Friends of Heswall Open Spaces.
As you see, a great deal of activity by your Committee on your behalf and we need more members to support this.
David Stewart, Editor
[You can find a membership form for your friends to join by going to the
Heswall Society website HERE
and clicking on Contact Us].....Mike, Heswall.com
Chairman's Notes
The future of Heswall Hall and Alexander Hall will still be at the forefront of many members concerns. Our Honorary Treasurer Graham Hurton and Society member Stephen Ross have continued with their important work on the Steering Group. Graham, who Chairs the Group,reports elsewhere in this newsletter, so may I thank them and all members of the Group for all their efforts on behalf of the Heswall community. They still have a great deal of work to do, but ultimately survival of the Hall(s) will depend on sufficient numbers of residents being prepared to help by giving a little of their time and expertise.
Dennis Clegg, who also reports elsewhere in this newsletter, has been extremely busy since our Autumn edition. Quite apart from the normal planning activities, Dennis both prepared a written submission and appeared at the Appeal against the refusal by Wirral MBC of planning permission for the new Medical Centre building opposite Tesco. We much appreciate the time and effort he devoted to this matter. I should add that we are in favour of a Medical Centre on this site, but considered the proposed new building to be inappropriate and unsuitable for the location.
Our December "Carol singing round the tree", greatly helped by some very clement weather, saw a record turnout. The Rector, who led the singing, must have had a clear direct line Upstairs! The Port Sunlight Lyceum Brass Band has already been booked for Wednesday 8th December 2010 - so do make a note in your diaries and join in.
Our final meeting of the season - our AGM - is on Thursday 25th March in St. Peter's Centre. John Billington, who arranges all our speakers, has achieved quite a coup in persuading The Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside, Dame Lorna Muirhead, to address us. She is an excellent speaker so I hope to see a full hall for this special occasion.
John Pyke, Chairman
Heswall Society Local History Group - March Update
The local History Group consists of a small group of enthusiasts keen to research and record the history of Heswall. Each member has their own particular interests which ensure we have good coverage of the full scope of the events, people and buildings which have contributed to the development of Heswall's unique character and landscape. We extend a warm welcome to anyone who would like to participate either through a general interest in Heswall or due to a particular expertise. The level of involvement can be as large or small as desired. Please contact Roger Lane on 01513429269 or roger.m.lane@btinternet.com
Many Heswall Society members will have seen the output of the group in the series of articles written for the recently launched "Heswall" magazine, covering Castle Buildings, the Wells of Heswall, Alexander and Heswall Hall, and most recently the Old Halls of Heswall. We have made good use of the prolific output of Jenny McRonald and also the material gathered during the previous Heswall Heritage Open Day. These articles have been written to raise publicity for the Heswall Society and have also resulted in additional information being made available on the specific topics covered. Hopefully, as the distribution of this free publication improves, we will be able to reach more members and potential members.
A recent highlight for the group has been a visit to the Wirral Archives in Birkenhead in late November. We are very grateful to the Archivist, William Meredith, for organising a fascinating afternoon in which the role and contents of the archives were explained. This was followed by an examination of some of the documents in the collection pertaining to Heswall. There is an excellent collection of documents from the Bromley-Davenport family history which will form the subject of future research, as this family were the principle landowners in Heswall until fairly recently. There is a good selection of early maps, including full details of the Heswall Enclosure Act in the mid-19th century, which defined the land ownership and laid out where the new roads should be constructed. There are countless other files still to be explored. During the visit several members of the group were totally engrossed by the excellent collection of old copies of the Heswall and Neston Chronicle, evoking half-forgotten memories of events from their early upbringing in Heswall.
Our next major event will be the Wirral History Fair to be held on Saturday 6th March in the former Town Hall in Birkenhead. Most of the local societies in Wirral will be exhibiting, and this will be the first time that the Heswall Society will have a stand. It is a good opportunity to see the breadth and scope of the multitude of societies which exist on the Wirral and to compare notes on topics of common interest. We would be very pleased if any members could spare an hour or so to help man the stand and perhaps to encourage new members. We still have copies of the Wirral Album to sell and hopefully the new Heswall Walks leaflet will be available in time.
We are currently sifting through many old photographs of Heswall in order to select suitable examples for a "Heswall Now and Then" book. We are grateful for members who have already loaned us documents and photographs relating to the history of Heswall. Analysing the information is like assembling a huge jigsaw puzzle, but with many pieces missing. Please let us know if you have any material which can help us fill these gaps - there must be many old photographs from long term residents which would provide us with a unique glimpse into the past. As an example of how connections can be made between different pieces of information, the author recently received a package of information relating to the old Hotel Victoria, going as far back as its sale to the Chester Lion Brewery Company in 1897. Also included in this package was a catalogue describing the three day auction of its contents in December 1913. I have a postcard in my collection dating from 1907 which depicts the magnificently furnished entrance hall. Alas all the wonderful furniture shown in the picture was included in the auction. Clearly the Hotel has a very colourful history to unearth which the remaining documents, which include many other leases and conveyances, may help us to unravel. This information may have been lost but for the fact that the solicitor found reference to the existence of the local history group with contact details on the Heswall Society website. Recently the same reference has resulted in an enquiry from New Zealand from the descendants of Fred Bower "The Rolling Stone Mason" who was a famous resident of Heswall in the 1930's.
Whilst we are having great fun preparing our pictorial history of Heswall, the serious work on an authoritative history has also commenced. We are looking at how other local history groups have tackled this task, e.g. in Burton and Neston. At this stage it is probably unwise for the group to dwell too long on the size of the challenge facing us and we have broken the task into more manageable pieces by agreeing the chapter headings we will need and assigning individual responsibilities for these.
Roger Lane, Local History
Heswall and Alexander Halls - A Progress Report
As reported in our last edition a Steering Group was formed in 2009 to investigate how the future of the Halls might be secured through a transfer of the Halls to the Community. Early in 2010 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council announced that the Steering Group had been selected as the preferred organisation to develop full proposals to show how the Halls could be operated in the future.
Detailed proposals are now being developed by the Steering Group under the overall chairmanship of Graham Hurton covering all aspects of how the Halls might be operated for the benefit of the Community and by the Community. This covers such matters as;
How the Halls will be operated and managed on a day to day basis
How the Halls could be governed as a community Asset
How the Finances can be brought into balance
The identification of the works necessary to bring the fabric of the Halls back to a good standard prior to any transfer to the Community
The implications for Alexander Hall, bearing in mind that the building itself is nearing the end of its useful life and that the costs associated with extending its useful life may be excessive
Detail the changes which could be made to make the assets a thriving centre of the Heswall Community
Identify those tasks where local individuals or organisations could play significant roles in the future
Identify external sources of finance which could provide Grants for future improvements to the Halls
As part of this process the Steering Group is visiting comparable facilities, talking to the existing User groups about their specific needs and engaging in ongoing formal discussions with the Borough Council. If the Steering Group are able to produce viable proposals it will produce an overall Business Plan covering all aspect of the possible future operation of the Halls. This is planned to be completed by around Easter 2010
As it is central to the future of the Halls that they be managed by and for the Community the Steering group intend, at the appropriate time, to present this Business Plan both to the existing Users of the Halls but also through meetings with interested Community Groups. Once the Business Plan has been completed the Council will commence their assessment of whether the Plan has sufficient merit so that the future management and governance of the Assets will be transferred to the proposed Community organisation
Graham Hurton, Treasurer
Planning
The autumn saw the lowest level of new planning applications for house extensions and changes to town centre premises that I can recall. The planning process relating to the application for the new medical centre on Green Belt land at The Warrens came to an end. The Council is therefore at liberty to implement its decision to grant permission for The Warrens site.
In October 2008 we responded to the public consultation on the proposal to build a new medical centre on the site of the present Medical Centre and Clinic opposite Tesco. We suggested that the restricted size of the site led to problems with the design. We wrote to the Council objecting to the subsequent planning application and at the Councillor's formal site visit drew attention to the features of the building. The applicant then appealed against the Council's refusal and opted to go for a Public Inquiry. The Society made a strong submission opposing the design of the new centre both in writing and by appearance at the Inquiry. I am pleased to report that the inspector has dismissed the appeal. In his conclusion he wrote that "although the proposed development would provide a high quality local health facility in a sustainable location these favourable findings do not outweigh the serious visual harm caused by the bulk and prominence of the three storey forward projection of the building within the street scene and the disproportionate scale of the development in views from the town centre across the Puddydale open space".
We would like to thank our local councillors for their support in fighting what we believe would have been a very harmful development.
The major event of the New Year has been the publication of the Council's "Core Strategy Spatial Options Report". Planning in Wirral is presently governed by the Unitary Development Plan which originated in the 1980''s but incorporates some modifications to reflect changing circumstances. The Government has been changing National Planning Guidance and has required local authorities to produce new "Local Development Frameworks" which, together with the Regional Spatial Strategy, will form the Statutory Development Plan for the North West. The Options Report which was published in January is a very important document because the options chosen by the council, after consultation, are intended to set the framework for development and investment in Wirral over the next 20 years. The Heswall Society Committee has carefully considered this 200 page document and made its comments to the Council. In many areas we are broadly in agreement with the council's current preferred options but we have some reservations and have made these known.
In January we were informed that, following an inspection of all the trees in the Rectory garden which had been commissioned by the Diocese, it was proposed that the two beech trees just inside the entrance should be felled on the grounds of safety. The Diocese had to report this to the Council's Tree Officer because they are in the Conservation Area. However, we understand that because the trees were dying it was not possible to issue a Tree Preservation Order. The Committee e-mailed the Council's Tree Officer with a series of questions and he replied that "there is not an immediate risk of failure and allowing the trees to come into leaf will allow a better idea of the extent of the decline ...... Autumn would be a good time for further inspection as this is when significant decay fungi produce fruiting bodies" ..... However the risks of failure need to be considered by the diocese and a decision made by them
At the time of writing we await the Diocese response to our e-mail to them.
Dennis Clegg, Planning Co-ordinator
Council News
At a recent meeting with the Police the subject of the danger of cars parked on the pavement in Thurstaston Road was raised, along with the traffic conditions of the road. Not only are the residents concerned, but also the parents and carers of children attending St. Peter's School. Because the road only has one narrow pavement on one side, it makes it very dangerous for children going to and from school.
In the past there have been requests for speed reduction and traffic calming measures, only to be turned down. I am now in the process, along with the Police, of trying to have a flashing sign to warn drivers to slow down.
Due to the recession, the number of Planning applications for Heswall has reduced considerably. One Planning Appeal, that of the proposed new Medical Centre on Telegraph Road opposite Tesco, was dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate on the grounds of design and out of keeping with the openness of the area. One man, who has to be thanked for the Appeal being dismissed, is Dennis Clegg, the Society's Planning Officer, for all his hard work and the professional way he presented the case for refusal at the Hearing. He really did stop a blot on the landscape being built.
Once again, I would like to remind you there is constant work being done by the Heswall Hall Steering Group to ensure that the Hall remains open, not only for us, but for future generations.
SO PLEASE KEEP SUPPORTING USE OF THE HALL
Councillor Peter Johnson
View from Westminister
I write with it in mind that this will be my final contribution to the Heswall Society's newsletter as the Member of Parliament for Wirral South. I would like to thank all its officers and members who have worked with me during my time as MP and for their continued and valuable hard work on behalf of Heswall and Gayton. 1 am pleased to have contributed to the wellbeing of Heswall, especially as a local resident, in the context of the Dales, campaigning for better facilities at Heswall train station, raising in Parliament the issue of the electrification of the Bidston to Wrexham railway line, lobbying for the retention of key local services such as school crossing patrols, preserving the condition of the roads etc.
One of the issues about which I have corresponded with the Society in recent times is that of the proposed development of a One Stop Primary Care Centre at the Warrens. I was personally disappointed that the scheme was approved by Wirral Council and, furthermore, that its referral to Government Office North West did not bring about the call that, I feel, a lot of local residents wanted. I am, of course, in favour of good health services but there were alternative sites available outside of the greenbelt and this one is some distance away from the valued local facilities it will replace. This brings with it issues about access.
I am delighted that the Heswall Halls Steering Group was chosen by Wirral Council as the preferred organisation to develop proposals to transfer both Heswall Hall and Alexander Hall to community ownership. Naturally, I wish the Group well in taking its plans forward. I have asked a number of parliamentary questions on the issue of community transfer and have also corresponded with the Steering Group. I was pleased to meet several members recently to discuss their ambitions. It is important that the local community supports the Group but it is not an easy task that they have set themselves.
The Environment Agency recently wrote to tell me that the Dee Estuary has been formally designated as a Special Area of Conservation. The Dee was already a RAMSAR site and also has Sites of Special Scientific Interest. This is good news and will protect vital habitats for our wildlife.
I will continue to represent my constituents and, of course, community groups such as the Heswall Society, to the best of my ability until I stand down at the election.
Ben Chapman MP
Open Meetings
In October Colonel Martin Amlot gave us a lecture on the modern army and the problems facing it in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was a very good insight into these problems and came just prior to Poppy Day. Incidently the collection for Heswall was £12800 this year, which was a record. Our January talk was given by Heswall resident Mr Nick Wainwright on special jewels and it was accompanied with examples from his shop which members were allowed to handle. The lecture is on February 22nd was by His Honour Judge Roberts who gave a humourous and very interesting talk about his time on the Liverpool bench.
Our AGM this year is on 25th March in St Peters church hall. The Lord Lieutenant Dame Lorna Muirhead, DBE has agreed to be with us and talk to us. This is a great honour for the Heswall Society as she has a very busy schedule but as Heswall comes in her area she wants to come and pay us a visit. We hope the society will have a good attendance on that day.
John Billington
Heswall Lawn Tennis Club
This year Heswall LTC will celebrate its centenary and is planning various events for members to enjoy.
Since the last war the club has progressed in updating its courts and its club house. A club that was primarily a grass court establishment, pioneered the laying of sand filled artificial grass surfaces, but before taking this bold step, they played on this type of surface both in the South of England and in Holland.
The courts were opened by the President of the Lawn Tennis Association, Jim Cochrane, after which an exhibition match was played, followed by a clinic. Further improvements to the clubhouse have recently been made costing some £250,000.00, giving the club one of the finest facilities for a tennis club.
All this is a far cry from 1910 when Messrs Boxwell and Lyell founded the club where archery and croquet were also played and, but for the First World War, a golf course would have been laid on what was adjoining heath land.
The club has produced many great players and in the amateur days of tennis many players qualified to play in the All England Championships at Wimbledon, The best known female, no doubt, was Miss B G Beasley who took Alice Marble, the Wimbledon Champion to two close sets; and J D Anderson was credited as the best ever to represent Cheshire.
The present membership is very healthy and the club is still producing good players who keep Heswall at the forefront of tennis in this area.
Two juniors who are representing the County are Sam Wileman and Jacob Walley who has qualified to play at Wimbledon in a national tournament next month.
Bryan Joynes
Heswall Dales Review 2009
The Friends met twice in October and February with discussions and reports on our open spaces. We heard a very full report from Bryan Joynes, the Ranger and reprint it here for all members. We need more people to attend these meetings and the regular working parties on the Dales.
In 2008 the Ranger Service put together a proposal for a special project on Heswall Dales looking for additional funding from Natural England to carry out a major restoration programme to reinstate the sites lowland heath habitat.
Natural England agreed to the value of this project awarding £85,000 for specialist contractors to carry out the work in February 2009 with an eight week scheme.
Although the Dales has had much work carried out by Wirral Ranger Service and many volunteers over the years halting the increase in scrub encroachment has been a major management issue.
Originally the Dales was mainly a lowland heath habitat comprising common heather, bell heather, bilberry and other such heathland species. This is a rare and valuable habitat. It was because of this valuable habitat that the Dales was given the status of an S.S.S.I. (site of special scientific interest).
The silver birch, European gorse, bracken and bramble found across our site formed scrub which had quickly spread and invaded the low lying areas of heather and bilberry, blocking out sunlight to the low heathland plants and enriching the ground with leaf fall, promoting the growth of undesirable species.
The project allowed us to work towards getting back this rare lowland heath habitat across all the upper areas of Heswall Dales while managing and keeping the woodland found in the valleys - which are a S.S.S.I. in their own right - so keeping a diversity of habitats to support many flora and fauna on the site.
All will notice a difference across the whole site with hectares being cleared of scrub. The time scale for the regeneration of the heathland will be years rather than months but the project's long term value for the Dales is massive.
The story so far - Stage 1
The initial 8 weeks of contractor works cleared all the major areas of scrub using specialist forestry machinery. The site was then scraped to collect as much of the enriched material and leaf mulch as possible. This was then moved to a suitable area leaving the original heathland soil exposed which hopefully will contain a good source of seeds from heathland species.
Stage 2 - (Summer 2009)
Aproxmately half the site was then treated for bracken control to retard the growth rate and halt the succession of the species over the heather which is a major issue for the heathland restoration. Areas cleared of scrub and undesirable species in the main work programme also received treatment for the regenerating growth.
Stage 3 - (Winter 2009/10)
Numerous volunteer days and corporate environmental task days with members of Unilever have continued the removal of unwanted birch and scrub growth in the more delicate areas that the heavy machinery originally used could not reach. Using a tractor and flail half the areas that were cleared have been recut to stem the regrowth of the birch and scrub promoting easier future management.
2010 onwards
The flailing of the site will now be included in the sites future management to keep any undesirable regrowth in check. A five year spraying regime for bracken control has been started which takes in virtually half the site rotating from the east of the site to the west each year.
Summer 2009 also saw the start of a monitoring programme, where ten test areas across the site are being recorded for the plant species found giving us usful data for the future management of the site (can I please give my thanks to Dr Anna Scott for her time).
The regeneration of the heathland will be looked at again in spring 2010 and areas found low in heathland species will be considered for a reseeding programme with seeds collected each autumn from our own heather on site.
Continuing volunteer task days will play an important role in the management of the Dales while much of the more specific work requires a hands on approach.
From 2011, hopefully with the agreement of Natural England, Heswall Dales will also enter the higher level stewardship scheme, providing future funding and a management programme for the next ten years. The works carried out so far are just the start of the reinstatement of the lowland heath found on Heswall Dales.
Its success and future will take the support and input of the Dales' users and the local community as well as education about the importance of such wonderful sites to our area.
Dan Travis, Ranger
The Heswall Society: What does the Society do?
We are involved in all local environment issues
We vet all planning applications.
We are consulted over all Conservation matters - The Lower Village and Gayton Conservation Areas.
We are in close contact with our Friends in other Societies (Oxton, Wirral Society, Footpaths Association, Merseyside Civic Society, Neston Society).
We publish a Newsletter twice a year.
We hold five open meetings in the year and publish a separate programme.
We have two specialist groups - the Heswall Local History Group and the Friends of Heswall Open Spaces - open to anyone interested.
We are members of WBC's Dales Advisory Group.
Officers and their responsibilities:
Officers -
Chairman: John Pyke 0151-342 3245
Immediate Past Chairman: Stuart Marsden 0151-342 1335
Secretary: Carolyn Eddowes 0151-342 5066
Treasurer: Graham Hurton 0151 342 9746
Membership Secretary: Diana Lane 0151-342 6749
Planning Co-ordinator: Dennis Clegg 0151-342 4158
Committee -
John Billington Open meetings Suzanne Cook Publications
Brian Joynes Upper Village Roger Lane Local History
David Stewart Newsletter Editor; SSSI's
Co-opted Member: Councillor Peter Johnson
Our coleagues in the Friends of Wirral Country Park are holding their A.G.M. on 23rd March at the Thurstaston Centre at 7.30pm.
We would like to remind members that subscriptions are due.
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