Residents in the Kidsgrove area are being asked for their opinions on proposed improvements to the town’s station.
Network Rail, East Midlands Trains and Staffordshire County Council are holding a drop-in session at the station on Friday 20 March to discuss the plans with residents and find out more about their thoughts on what the improvements should look like. [Read more…]
Biddulph Primary Care Centre has been shortlisted for two accolades at this year’s Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) West Midlands Awards.
Opened in July 2013, Biddulph’s 3,500 sqm state-of-the-art primary care centre, which is the home to two GP practices, will go head-to-head with other new and regeneration projects from around the region. Its innovative ‘figure-of-eight’ design, which plays on the different heights of land across the site, and its thoughtful choice of materials inspired by the local area has earned the centre a place in the list of finalists for the ‘Design Through Innovation’ category, and the passion shown by the Biddulph community for the centre has also secured it a place on the ‘Community Benefit’ shortlist, with centre staff especially impressed with their workplace. [Read more…]
Two schemes to improve sporting facilities in Biddulph have recently been completed.
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has invested £25,000 in new lighting for the sports hall at Biddulph Valley Leisure Centre and almost £208,000 on a project to create a new multi-use games area, tennis courts and car parking at Halls Road.
Improving sporting amenities is a priority for the Council – a commitment which has already seen work begin on a synthetic bowling green and a new pavilion at St Lawrence Recreation Ground and improved drainage at the Mill Hayes sports ground pitches. Further work to provide outdoor gym equipment and a new playground at Halls Road is planned.
The future of how fire services are to be provided in Kidsgrove are to undergo a review that could see the Kidsgrove Community Fire Station in Lower Ash Road closed down.
Over the next 12 weeks the Fire Service will be consulting with the community on the options for change.
There are four options being considered for Kidsgrove:
• Only have the station operational at times of highest demand.
• Replace the current fire appliance with a smaller vehicle and crew.
• To remove the fire appliance and crew from Kidsgrove.
• Work with Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service to provide a combined response from stations at Alsager and Kidsgrove.
The need to meet financial challenges due to cuts in funding and a decrease in demand (over the past 5 years fire calls in the Kidsgrove area have fallen from 383 to 85 per year) has led to a review of how the Fire Service combines their prevention, protection and response activities to make communities safer, meet the challenge of reduced public sector funding and reflect the changing demands and risks placed on the Service. [Read more…]
Cheshire East Council has given more than £14,000 to boost community projects in Alsager.
Cheshire East Council Deputy Leader Councillor David Brown presented the grant cheque for £14,200 during a visit to Christ Church, Alsager.
The money is being used to buy new computer equipment and support community initiatives for people across all age groups, which operate out of the thriving community church – including youth clubs, pensioner coffee morning gatherings and a jobs club.
Cllr Brown, who presented the community ‘give back’ grant cheque at a regular ‘coffee and communion’ event, said: “It was a pleasure to visit the church hall at Christ Church and to get a flavour of the many good things which go on here. [Read more…]
Cheshire East Council is to target resources to address local community concerns about road safety – as part of its commitment to putting ‘residents first’.
To ensure this investment is targeted in the right areas, residents are being asked to provide the authority with feedback about their local priorities.
The information gathered will be used to develop an initial local community road safety programme and will also be fed into the Council’s forward programme of speed limit reviews across the Borough.
Cheshire East residents have ranked ‘improving road safety’ as one of their most important highway service priorities.
Only ‘improving the conditions of the Borough’s roads’ and ‘tackling congestion’ are rated as higher priorities.
The Council continues to invest in improving the condition of our extensive highways network – and its strategic approach has been effective in reversing deterioration.
This does not mean the work is complete – as there is clearly more work to be done. However, the process being followed is working and will continue to be developed over the coming years. [Read more…]
Council’s highways study will help ensure development is ‘sustainable and suitable’ for Alsager.
Cheshire East Council has undertaken a highways study to help ensure that any development in Alsager is both suitable and sustainable – and it suggests the town has reached its limit for housing development.
Following a series of development proposals on the outskirts of Alsager, the Council has acted to produce a comprehensive highways report for the town.
The study takes account of current planning permissions and planning appeals and advocates a coordinated approach to the local highway network.
The report reveals that, even allowing for planned improvements, some road junctions are still likely to operate ‘over capacity’ at peak times.
The new study will guide the response to any further developments in the locality – and will help ensure that appropriate improvements are made to the existing highways and transport network. [Read more…]
An application has been submitted to Newcastle Under Lyme Borough Council for this site in the rookery – Rookery Heights – to be considered in the latest local plan for housing development.
The Rookery Heights Project would consist of 73 affordable homes ranging from starter homes to family homes all with parking and gardens. A feasibility study is currently being conducted via social media @rookeryheights on twitter and facebook.
The Rookery Heights Team value peoples opinions on development in this area.
A group set up to promote Kidsgrove have identified Kidsgrove’s rich heritage as a potential way to attract more visitors to the town. The Go Kidsgrove group aim to utilise the historical Harecastle Tunnel and Trent and Mersey canal to increase visitor numbers to the town. They have outlined a scheme to improve the canal waterfront to make it more appealing. More moorings, improved lighting, security and signage will be developed in a bid to attract canal users to visit the town centre. [Read more…]
Multi-million pound plans to provide new leisure facilities in Kidsgrove have won approval. The borough council’s Cabinet has confirmed its support for the replacement of the town’s aging sports centre following an in-depth report produced by a working group of councillors. The report states that there is currently an under provision of water space in the Borough and therefore the loss of the pools at Kidsgrove would result in a significant level of under provision. [Read more…]