Lydiate – Parish Council notes for May

* Lydiate Parish Council was in effect no change as a consequence of the local elections held on 2nd May – 7 Labour and 2 Lib Dems although 4 of the Labour members are new to the Council. Cllr. Edie Pope and myself are the two Lib Dem members. I think we all hope that the Parish Council can continue to work well for the community as has been the case for many years now. I’m sure that it will.

Footpath sign at Sandy Ln – There’s a similar one off Moss Ln

* A site meeting took place today to try to resolve issues surrounding the public right of way from Sandy Lane to Moss Lane (Lydiate Footpath No.14) – my posting of 14th May refers – see link below:-

tonyrobertson.mycouncillor.org.uk/2019/05/14/lydiate-footpath-no-14-and-a-dog-run-may-be-a-conflict-of-uses/

The outcome was, I understand, inconclusive as the presently held legal documentation is not detailed enough for Sefton Council’s Footpath Officer to determine the exact route of the public right of way. More detailed research will be required using the deeds of Sandy Lane Playing Field. More news when I have it.

* A suggestion was made at the last but one Parish Council meeting that an outdoor table tennis facility could be provided by the Parish Council on the Village Center site and the idea met with general approval. If it comes off it may look something like this:-

Labour Party ‘Broken to the core’

The Guardian has the article on its website – see link below:-

www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/20/labour-party-broken-to-core-former-blair-minister-jane-kennedy

Jane Kennedy has form when it comes to fighting Militants as she battled against them in Liverpool’s Tuebrook Ward Labour Party back in Neil Kinnock’s day. Militant lost that battle of course but Momentum has very much won the battle for the Labour Party in 2019 and Jane has this time walked away from the party she has been a member of for many years.

It’s interesting, although probably not surprising, that she is backing Change UK the new political party which seems to have got pretty much everything wrong since it launched and is potentially facing a very short working life.

With thnaks to Roy Connell for the lead to this posting.

Aughton – Census and speed checks/traffic counts

The other day whilst cycling in Aughton I came across the Council (Lancashire County?) and the Police stopping traffic on Prescot Road for a census count. They were stopping each vehicle and doing a short interview with each driver. I’m guessing asking them where they had come from and were going to.

They were, however, not interested in cyclists (much to the grumbling of vehicle drivers I expect) I was waved through. Actually, I would have been more than happy to have engaged in the census and wonder why cyclists are excluded, after all we are traffic on the road.

No sooner had I turned into Town Green Lane/Bold Lane than I encountered yet another check point doing the same thing and a lady pedestrian asked me what was going on. This was the scene in Bold Lane near the junction with Winifred Lane:-

And then I noticed speed/traffic counting wires across Bold Lane literally yards away from where Melling resident and councillor Alison Doyle died whilst on a cycle ride a few months back:-

I’ve noticed that Bold Lane can at times be a bit of a racetrack for vehicle speedsters when I’m out cycling it so I wonder whether any of what I saw a few days ago is linked to that problem?

Maghull – Now about that vast urban extension to the east of the Town

The vast Maghull East urban extension (presently high grade agricultural land) site as seen from Poverty Lane, Maghull

The Liverpool Echo has the article on its website – see link below

www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/housing-company-banned-joe-anderson-16287342

I wonder where this is heading and will Sefton Council take the same approach to these developers as Liverpool City Council seems to be doing? It feels like a long time now since Sefton Council picked the vast Maghull East site for an urban extension to the Town on what is presently high grade agricultural land. And it was a hugely controversial move which created a significant environmental protest movement in the Town and indeed across the Borough of Sefton, which I was a part of – see my many previous posting about it on this Sefton Focus Blog Site.

But there is danger here in thinking that Sefton Council or indeed Liverpool City Council can achieve much on land which is in private ownership. Yes, if the land to be sold is owned by a Council it gives it far more leverage as to the use it is put to otherwise, if the land is in private hands, the leverage is far, far less.

Like many I want to see the end to leasehold and ground rents etc.

Merseyrail – A cab-ride from Liverpool Central to Ormskirk in 1990

A Merseyrail train passes the former Maghull Signal Box @1990. The last track plan, from the now demolished box, is now on display as part of the Frank Hornby Trust’s exhibition area within the Town’s Meadows Leisure Center – Copyright Noted HSG

Take a while to sit back to look at this video on You Tube, it’s surprising what has changed since 1990 just using Maghull Station as an example:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuqL1P8l6B4&feature=player_embedded

Maghull Station in 1991 looking south – the old semaphore signals are of course long gone – Copyright Noted HSG

At 17 minutes and 25 seconds on the video the train passes the former Maghull Signal Box (removed in 1994) and straight after the former Station Master’s House which was then falling into disuse and subsequently dereliction – see photos below – but it is rising from the ashes once again and being rebuilt as part of a new housing development on land behind the Liverpool bound platform.

Maghull Station Master’s House in July 2006

Maghull Station Master’s House May 2019

It is said that world famous toy maker Frank Hornby who lived in two separate houses in the Town, both close to Maghull Station (The Hollies & Quarry Brook), may have used Maghull’s station buildings as inspiration for his model buildings as he regularly took the train from his local station.

With thanks to Mike Penn for the lead to this posting