Local Planning Issues
APPLICATIONS RECENTLY REVIEWED
0223 47 Chatsworth Road - Two storey side and rear extensions - withdrawn
0246 Tower College, Mill Lane - Nursery, Kindergarten, classrooms, staff room - granted.
0302 135 Longton lane - Conservatory - granted
1376 60 View Road - Conversion of dormer bungalow to two storey + two storey side extension - granted
0253 8 Stapleton Road - Two storey side and rear extension - granted
0275 20 Stonecross Drive - Single storey rear extension - granted
0285 92 Bishopsdale Drive - Two storey side extension - granted
0348 619 Warrington Road - Pitched roof garage - granted
0301 140 St James Road - Work to protected trees - granted
0309 533 Warrington Road - Erection of one dwelling reserved matters - granted
0337 45 Vincent Road - Single storey side and rear extension - granted
0350 3 Owen Road - Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of a replacement dwelling - withdrawn
0339 4a View Road - Change of use from flat to management consultancy office - granted
0368 4 Houghton Street / 503 Warrington Road - Change of use from bookmakers to restaurant - granted
0395 3 Lawton Road - Detached garage and refurbishment work - granted
0401 CO OP Warrington Road - Erection of illuminated front fascia sign - granted
RECENT SUBMISSIONS0423 372 Warrington Road - Single storey rear extension
0433 Oakdene Primary School, Ashton Avenue - Tarmacadamed area
0441 51 St James Road - Single storey side extension
0470 20 Brancker Avenue - Demolish garage / build two storey side extension
0481 13 Lowther Drive - Single storey side extension
0486 8 Dorgan Close - Demolish garage / erect single storey extensions and conservatory
0487 13 Kendal Drive - Demolish garage / erect conservatory
0496 Land to North West of 114 Stoney Lane - Car Park for use of Whiston Hospital developers for period of 2 years
0507 Shirebrook Fairchild Farm, Foxs Bank Lane - Demolish stable block / erect stable block, wash/dry room and open fronted barn
0514 8 Victoria Terrace - Single storey rear extension
0528 Briars Hey, Mill Lane - Two storey rear extension
0540 18 Wharfedale Drive - Retention of rear conservatory / front porch
0559 Briars Hey, Mill Lane - Two storey rear extension
0571 2b Victoria Street - Two new windows to gable elevation
0584 104 Sandhurst Road - Two storey rear extension
0590 4 Horwood Avenue - Single storey rear extension
0599 36 Galston Avenue - Demolish garage / side and rear extensions
0601 7 Sherman Drive - Retain pitched roofs / conservatory
0602 Signature House, 232a Rainhill Road - Telecommunication equipment on gable end
0631 111 Stoney Lane - Car Park for 80 vehicles for 2 years
0638 The Ship Inn, Warrington Road - Terrace
0641 13 Ritherup Lane - Two storey rear extension + garage
COMPLAINTS RECEIVED
092 1 Knowsley Road - Unauthorised development
097 140 St James Road - Breach of conditions (construction times and tree protection)
142 Land at Sandstone Close - Untidy land
171 8 Second Avenue - Unauthorised use of domestic property
176 Cricket Club, Victoria Terrace - Erection of fencing
189 6 Second Avenue - Erection of conservatory
206 Holt Lane - high hedge complaint
ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
346 31 Deepdale Drive - Untidy land - 2 successful prosecutions - awaiting requests for tender to carry out works in default.
359 Fairchilds Farm, Foxs Bank Lane - Unauthorised development - Appeal rejected - new compliance date 23/11/2006 - monitor compliance.
368 Land south of Fairchilds Farm, Foxs Bank Lane - Unauthorised development - new compiance dat 03012007 - monitoring.
TBA Land south of Fairchilds Farm, Foxs Bank Lane - Unauthorised development - awaiting compliance.
Carriageway Resurfacing
Resurfacing work will be carried out in the next 6 weeks on the following roads: Warrington Road - between The Crescent and Holt Lane. Rainhill Road - between Elderswood and Elton Head Road (also to include footway resurfacing) Fawley Road - between School Lane and Caxton Road has also been identified for resurfacing in the forthcoming months. The council are also due to complete the disabled parking bays at Rainhill Station shortly.
WARD COMMITTEE UPDATE - RECYCLING
 Ironically, the main national issue today on TV and radio concerns the possible extra cost to residents who fail to recycle and load up their refuse bins. This coincides with a wide discussion last night at the ward committee where there was local support for further initiatives. Council officials are telling us that plastic recycling is expensive to maintain a new service. They are also telling us that because landfill prices are determined on weight and not bulk, plastics are not the first priority because of their very small weight to mass ratio. Another issue they say is the wide variety of types of plastic causes confusion. SORRY - BUT THIS TORY / LIB DEM RUN COUNCIL IS NOT LISTENINGWe believe this is hiding your head in the sand hoping it will go away. IT WILL NOT..!!! We know that many people in Rainhill feel strongly about recycling because we lead the borough in recycling figures. The highest in the whole of the 16 wards. Residents have approached us and demanded that plastic bottles should be recycled. We have therefore put a proposal to the council executive:- INSTIGATE A PILOT SCHEME IN RAINHILL FOR DOOR TO DOOR PLASTIC RECYCLING
UPDATE - Invitation to a recycling forumA Community Recycling Forum will be held in Rainhill Library on Thursday 23rd August and will provide opportunities for people to chat with the Council’s ‘green team’. During the session, which will be held from 2-4pm, residents will have their chance to influence Council recycling policies. The recycling team will be carrying out surveys about the current service and what residents think could make it even better. GO ALONG AND TELL THEM
"WE WANT DOOR TO DOOR PLASTIC RECYCLING...!!!"
ANOTHER PHONE MAST...ANOTHER BATTLE...!!!
 Signature House on Rainhill Road is the latest idea of a good location for a mobile phone mast..!! I have tried to accurately sketch the scene as it would then look - totally surrounded by residential properties, a large sheltered housing scheme directly opposite and the nearest house to the mast just one rear access width away.We will be again OPPOSING such a scheme and will be contacting local residents to again pledge them our support. Sometimes I get the feeling that everybody is trying to spoil our village.
FRIDAY 6th JULY - THIS APPLICATION HAS BEEN REFUSED...!!!
WOULD YOU WANT A CAR PARK HERE...???
 The greenbelt area shown above, on Stoney Lane and running alongside the railway lines, is where the builders of Whiston Hospital want to put a temporary 700+ space car park. We strongly oppose the application and alongside over 40 local residents have lodged our objections.A further application for an 80 vehicle car park is also with the planning department and the builders have actively been seeking similar sites just over the Knowsley MBC border.The cumulation of traffic attempting to reach these locations on the already busy road network will cause ABSOLUTE CHAOS and we have told the planners the same...!!!
June 1st Update -- GREAT NEWS...!!! We were able to leaflet about 100 homes in the near vicinity, far more than the council had to inform. As a result, 60 letters of objection to the 700+ car park were sent to the Town Hall, numbers which even surprised us. THANK YOU..!!
As a direct result, the planning application has been WITHDRAWN
RAINHILL WARD COMMITTEE
The next planned ward committee is to take place next Wednesday, 23rd May in the Village Hall from 7.00pm. All residents of the village will we most welcome to attend to discuss local environmental improvement issues. I feel however that there may be a small attendance, I believe a game is being played between Liverpool and A C Milan....!!!
CONTINENTAL MARKET RETURNS
The ever popular continental market is to return to St Helens town centre next week. The work around the St Helen church is now complete and will site the 40 strong market from Thursday May 24th until Sunday 27th May. Normal shop opening times (9.00am - 5.30pm) except for Sunday which will be 10.00am until 4.00pm
Rainhill Station - Disabled Access Update
 Work has now finished on the access to the Liverpool bound platform. Safety rails are in place but minor work outside is still ongoing. The two disabled parking places (by the access gate) have been layed with tarmac and are now awaiting parking bay markings.
PARISH COUNCIL NEWS
We always welcome input from local residents regarding issues which can be dealt with at parish level. Any relevant comments will be fed back to other parish councillors. We now have three new councillors and I hope to post a photo of the new "line-up" after the next meeting later this month. Mrs Glover, alias Lynn my wife, has joined us so I will now have to be on my best behaviour. 22nd May 2007 UPDATE :
At the Annual General Meeting held last night, the newly elected Chair is Cllr. Joe De Asha. It is with great pride that I have been chosen as the elected Vice - Chair for the forthcoming year.
MEETING WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES
The three Labour councillors met with a large number of local business people in the Millennium Centre in March. They are very concerned over the lack of parking in the village centre. Many who have shops in the village centre are seeing turnover reduce as shoppers spend their money in Prescot and other areas wider afield where parking is much easier. There were lots of frank exchanges but we are determined to help all we can and have instigated several initiatives on their behalf. We will endeavour to feedback to all residents of Rainhill any moves which could alleviate the problem.
RAINHILL'S FIRST SECTION 30 ORDER - ONE MONTH ON
Residents in the Martin Close area have undergone extensive harassment and annoyance over the past months by antisocial behaviour from large groups of youths. We believe that the worst troublemakers live outside the area and have appeared in Rainhill after being moved on from other areas with Section 30 Orders already in place. They have been fuelled by alcohol supplied, we believe, by others who are old enough to purchase the drinks. We have worked alongside the police and a Section 30 Order was put in place on April 6th 2007. It was also found prudent to widen the area to specifically include the Village Shopping Centre. Section 30 Order allows:- Police to disperse groups of two or more who are causing ‘harassment, alarm or distress’ to local residents within the designated area.If members of the group fail to disperse, or they return to the area within a specified period (not exceeding 24 hours), they can be arrested. It also allows the police to return a young person home if they are under 16 years old and unsupervised in a public place after 9pm. Early indications are that there is a marked improvement in local residents lifestyles, the order will ensure that the same exists for the whole of the summer period. (The order lasts 6 months)
Warburton Hey site for Redevelopment - Update
 We recently inspected the area and many of the flats are now unoccupied, their residents have moved on to better accommodation. The particular block in the photo is almost totally empty - we estimate that only about half of the whole site is now occupied. Helena Housing has submitted a planning application for demolition of the old flats and the project appears to be going ahead on time. We are sure that there are many fond and amusing stories concerning the Warburton Hey Site and would love to hear them if anyone would pass them on..!!! However, we all look forward in anticipation to the new development which will surely be very popular and regenerate the village centre. May 23rd UPDATE - the site is now 64% empty and hopefully the first stage of demolition will take place shortly. The demolition will be by individual blocks as they become empty and secured. There has recently been serious cases of containers / skips being set on fire. A night watchman is now employed to try and stop more instances of this nature happening.
CATCHING UP - Part One - PLANNING ISSUES
One of our priorities is trying to keep Rainhill Village free from over-development and projects not suitable either by design or consequence. We have been involved in several planning applications recently, and represented concerned residents whenever they requested help. P/2006/1435 New Children's Centre on the Community Nursery Grounds, Deepdale Drive
This application was revised and has been GRANTED. We assisted local residents whose main issue was a projected increase in traffic volume. We pressed for a site visit by the Planning Committee and requested a traffic survey by the authority. We also requested a presence by the police and community support officers to stop illegal parking - some motorists were parking across driveways. P/2007/0332 Telecommunication Mast on Warrington Road by Oak Tyres Ltd.
We have opposed this application from it's onset. After taking soundings from local residents, only one resident applauded the application. We liaised with one concerned resident, gave advice on issues appropriate to the application, wrote letters for distribution to concerned residents which were kindly distributed by the resident herself. We were concerned that the mast would be by the pathway a few yards from a busy bus stop, passed by hundreds of residents everyday on this busy thoroughfare, and potentially could cause a distraction to motorists and result in an accident. We know that dozens of letters of objection were sent in but no decision has yet been taken. IN TODAY'S POST - THIS APPLICATION HAS BEEN REFUSEDP/2007/0496 Temporary Car Park (2 years...!!!) off Stoney Lane
This application is for construction workers to use during the rebuild of Whiston Hospital. It is expected to hold 500 vehicles and would be positioned within the greenbelt of Rainhill Village. We are TOTALLY OPPOSED to this and are at present working with local residents to present a substantial case why this would be a complete disaster for the village. We believe there would be traffic gridlock at peak times with this amount of new traffic all converging into Rainhill together. Local residents know how bad it can get at the present time - just imagine how it would be on our narrow village roads..!! We still want these workers to park outside Rainhill and be brought in by bus, etc., as was originally intended.
BACK IN ACTION - HOPING TO SERVE THE RAINHILL PEOPLE BETTER THAN EVER
 It's quite a while since this blog was updated, we have all been busy campaigning over the weeks before the elections to maintain our position in Rainhill as the electorate's choice at the polls. Many thanks from us all but especially from Joe De Asha who was duly re-elected on May 3rd. On the evening of the count it is always a nervous nail biting occasion and we never take anything for granted. Votes stacked up and it was soon clear we had the edge. Against the national trend, Joe amassed a bigger percentage of votes than last year and took votes from both the Lib Dems and the Tories. Sadly, the BNP took 8% of the votes and created some scaremongery within the village. Full result was:
De Asha - LABOUR - 1508 Spriggs - CONSERVATIVE - 872 Duncan - LIB DEM - 629 Chesney - BNP - 278Clearly, our work in the community all year round counts and we promise to continue to serve local residents to the best of our ability.
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