For more up to date information on current issues and in depth reports from our guest speakers,
read summaries of our Committee Meeting Minutes by CLICKING HERE:
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The following issues are currently being discussed and worked on by the committee.
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Heritage at Risk-Broadheath Canal Warehouse
UPDATE – A planning application has now been submitted by developer Silverlane.
The proposed £10m development would see the three-storey industrial building converted into 34, one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
The proposals also include the construction of a Grade A office building next door, providing 7,000 sq ft over five floors.
Read the full story, click on this link:https://altrincham.todaynews.co.uk/altrincham-property/2023/08/22/bridgeworks-broadheath-canal-warehouse-apartments/
The Civic movement is about protecting our heritage for future generation.
One of our most significant local heritage assets is at very serious risk.
The Broadheath Canal Warehouse 1833 is now is in an extremely poor state of repair and preservation.
Unless we get something done to protect this heritage asset it is going to be lost for ever.
The revised report on the building is now available. CLICK HERE TO READ IT
Pictures of the interior are available in a second document,CLICK HERE TO READ IT
If volunteering please include your name, address and phone number.
THE FUTURE OF THE DEVISDALE
Some concerns recently over the future of the Devisdale and who ultimately will take responsibility for it’s upkeep.
Leslie Cupitt our Green Spaces Lead said ” The Devisdale as a green space is common land, so it is already an Asset of Community Value. It’s like a village green, you can’t build on it”. It was agreed we need to contact Trafford and Amey about it’s continuing maintenance.
The Green Party has asked Trafford Council to consider Fields in Trust status for all our parks in Trafford. This means that a legal deed is placed on the land (usually a park or common land) protecting it indefinitely and defining its community value. It doesn’t mean our parks are under threat but it just sets a higher level of protection that goes to the Land Registry. Here are the examples of other Council’s that have taken this step:
https://www.fieldsintrust.org/protection-successes
Electric vehicle charging network
Britain’s EV charging network is not keeping up with growth in the sales of electric vehicles. Last year (2020) 108,205 EV were purchased, an increase of 186% on the year before.
By contrast, a total of 4,270 new public charging points were installed in the same 12 months, just a 26% increase.
Britain needs around 12,000 new public fast chargers per year to maintain current ratios to new vehicles. By 2050 an estimated 25 million charging points will be required.
Trafford is currently a ‘charging desert’, compared to other authorities.
With over 14% of recent car purchases being electric, the future has arrived and Trafford is well behind.
The Civic Society thinks having plenty of electric charging points will be absolutely essential to any place which considers itself a destination and wishes to incentivise people to visit in the first place, as well as to spend dwell time.
It is to be hoped that the retail parks and big supermarket car parks in the future will have more charging points, as it will certainly influence where people choose to shop and spend their time, while their car charges.
Any new development should ensure it at least has the electric capacity already in place and ideally the cabling, even if the chargers are installed later. The Regent Road car park developer has advised us that they will install ten fast chargers, or a lesser number of rapid chargers. We feel this is a drop in the ocean considering the size of the car park, as it is also serving residents of the apartments.
By 2030 there will be many more Hybrid and Fully Electric cars on the road. Please give us your views on this either through the website contact us page, Facebook or Twitter. We would like to hear from as many people as possible so we can feed back to the developers and Trafford Council.
Town Centre Flooding
Angela Stone our Town Centre & Business Lead has been looking into creating more green areas to alleviate flooding issues.
At a recent meeting she reported: “Following up from our AGM I’m keen to talk to Stephen O’Malley to look at what we might be able to do to alleviate flooding problems in Altrincham town centre. I have done a lot or work with Andy Hague to sort out the grids on the A56 and Regent Road (including us all physically clearing the grids!). Sarah has come up with an idea to green up bus shelters, Information from Clodagh (TfGM) suggests this might be difficult, but it’s worth exploring”.
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Promoting safer cycling and walking around Altrincham
The Society has been contacted by Councillor Michael Welton (Green Party) for support, as none of the public realm improvements agreed by Trafford feature local streets and spaces.
Altrincham and Bowdon Civic Society promoted the centre of Altrincham as a more pleasant place for walking and cycling with improvements to the public realm a decade ago. We approached Plan-it and were mentored by Poynton Town Council a front runner in public realm design. Everyone now knows the success of Altrincham Forward in turning the town round.
At another crisis point we are happy to support our Ward Councillors to install further improvements for safer cycling and walking in and around the town.
If you have any views on this, please contact us via Twitter, Facebook or the website contact page.
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OTHER WORKING PARTNERSHIPS
Outside the town centre we continue to work with Bowdon Conservation Group.
We sit on the Broadheath Partnership, work with Stamford Brook Residents Association and the Friends of the Cowfield in Oldfield Brow. Broadheath Partnership met and minutes will be forthcoming.
If you have any comments or suggestions about any of the above, please get in touch
via the CONTACT US page, we would be pleased to hear from you.
Or contact your local councillor directly and copy us in.
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