Prestwich Local Area Partnership Meeting will meeting at 6.30 Thu 13 November 2008, Prestwich Arts College.

We will be providing on update about Love Prestwich Regeneration Plans including:
* Number of responses to date
* What people like about the plans
* What people do not like about the plans
* Highlighted concerns
* The next steps

Formal meeting 6.30, public question time from 7.30pm

Late last year Bury Council commissioned the consultants URBED and AGDR to draw up a vision, and strategy for the centre of Prestwich. This was after many years of campaigning by your local Prestwich Liberal Democrat Focus Team to get Bury to take our town centre seriously.

Local people are now being asked to have our say on the proposals in the consultation period which is 13 October - 24 November 2008. Every household in Prestwich is being sent a consultation newsletter which includes a survey to send in your views. The newsletter is here, the full report is here.

The vision for Prestwich is that it becomes a sustainable “urban village” inlcuding:
- a community hub
- a lively high street
- a gateway to parkland
- a place to live
- a place to work

You can visit the special consultation website at www.bury.gov.uk/prestwich regeneration or email your views to prestwichregeneration@bury.gov.uk.

Please let us, your local Councillors what you think so we can best represent your views.

The Council have received a premises application We have received an application for: Luna Rossa 82 Bury Old Road, Whitefield, Manchester

They have applied for the supply of alcohol for the timings below:
Monday, Tuesday & Thursday from 8.00am until 18.00pm
Friday & Saturday from 9.00am until 20.00pm
Sunday from 9.00am until 13.00pm
Christmas Eve from 9.00am until 22.00pm
Objection period finishes on 18th November 2008.
If you need any further information please contact a member of the licensing team on 0161 253 5208

The next meeting of Prestwich Local Area Partnership takes place this Thursday, 10 July 2008 at St Monica’s RC High School.

All members of the public are very welcome to attend and have your say about what happens in our local area. There is a “business meeting” from 6.30pm - 7.30pm, then at 7.30pm we have time for the public “open forum” where you can ask or raise any issue you need to.

The main business item for the Partnership meeting this month is the draft Prestwich Community Plan for 2008-2011.

Please don’t forget to vote in the important local elections on Thursday 1 May 2008. These elections will decide who will represent you at the Council for the next four years.

Vic D’Albert, our hard working local councillor for the last 17 years is the Liberal Democrat Focus Team candidate on Thursday.

Important Information
- Polling Stations are open from 7.00am - 10.00pm
- You don’t need your polling card to vote
- If you have a postal ballot, but have not yet sent it in, you can complete it as normal and take the completed envelope to your local polling station on the day.

Polling Stations in Holyrood
Baguley Crescent and Bow Lea - Mobile Van at Baguley Crescent
Simister - Lady Wilton Hall
Polefield, Parenthorn and St Margarets areas - St Margarets CE Centre on St Margarets Road
Heaton Park Area - Heaton Park Social Club, Bury Old Road
Northern area - Nursery Road, Glebelands Road, Langley etc - Prestwich Arts College, Heys Road
“Kirkhams” area (M45 postcodes) - Heaton Park School on Cuckoo Lane

If you need any more information, or need a lift to the polling station call our helpline on 0161 798 0117

Thank you!

Many residents will be aware about the discussions that have been taking place around the development of play facilities in the area of the Holyrood Ward to the East of Bury Old Road (Polefield, Parenthorn, Cuckoo Lane areas etc). At present there are no play facilities at all anywhere between the younger children play area on Bailey Street (near Heaton Park Metrolink) and Simister.

Many residents have raised this as a concern with their local councillors and we have been campaigning for the money to change this. This money has now been made available.

Original Plan

The origional plan (which is now not proposed) was to construct three play areas on the grounds of Heaton Park County Primary School on Cuckoo Lane (one for Under 5s, one for slightly older children, and a “ball zone” for teenagers).

We have held extensive consultations with residents who live nearby to the school, and also with parents and children at the school. It very quickly became clear that there were major security problems around the back of the school playing fields which is causing nuisance to local residents. Understandably, local people were concerned that the plans would make the issue worse, not better!

We have listened to these concerns and the plans have now been changed:

Current Proposals

The current proposal is in three parts:

Firstly, we propose to invest money (both money from the Local Area Partnership and the School will invest some money) to make the fencing around the school and the school playing fields more secure to reduce trespassing and nuisance to local residents. In addition a CCTV camera will be installed to monitor the area.

Seondly, we propose to build only one play area on the School site - this will be a play area for small children (under 5’s) and will only be locked after around 6.30pm by the School Caretaker. This will also be monitored by the CCTV scheme to make sure that the area isn’t abused.

 Play area plan - click to see larger image

Thirdly, we propose to build a “ball zone” for older children on the grounds of Parenthorn High School further up Heywood Road. Plans for this are at an early stage.

The Local Area Partnership has agreed all the necessary funding for these three schemes, but at the request of your local Councillors this funding has been agreed subject to further consultation with local residents and the two schools concerned. We want to make sure that the schemes are exactly right for the area and will only proceed when local people, including local children and young people are happy with the proposals.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need to know more.

Tim, Vic and Wilf