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Application in to demolish Unitarian school room (Cairo Street) and Garnett Cabinet Works (including the water tower). Part of the school room roof has already collapsed. It would be a significant change to the skyline http://www.mywarrington.me.uk/big_wheel_aerial_071205_06.JPG but I have a suspicion that in 1906 there would have been a few saying the tower would detract from the prominence of the town clock!

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Shame that WBC has been allowed it to fall into such a state of disrepair :evil::roll: Guess there's not much else that can be done with it all now other than to demolish it.... or is there :wink:

 

You're right about the removal of the water tower changing the skyline though. It's something that you can't help but notice as you approach the town centre and I always look at it... no idea why, maybe it's just because like you say it's part of our heritage and a reminder of times and people past.. :cry:

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well look at it this way there is room there for at least two brand new nightclubs or a great big shiny new (empty) office building.

the ultimate though is a nice new "affordable" block of flats and apartments handy for the town centre and close to road and rail links to out of town shopping centres :wink::twisted:

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Anything at all remotely connected with the word 'heritage' then you can safely guarantee that the council of this town will want to demolish it ....... they can't stand heritage and history in this town .... every other place in Britain respects theirs but not this one ... they do all this to try and make the town supposedly attractive :roll: as the old saying goes though ' ya can't polish a turd' !

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Why is anyone blaming the Council? If there were a viable scheme to use the site, the planners would want to insist on retaining the tower (the Conservation Officer said it should be jacked up and a new structure put underneath it rather than take it down and rebuild) but as there is no viable development in the present climate (other than empty office space) and the building is dangerous, what do you expect the Council to do?

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.......what do you expect the Council to do?

 

1. Firstly they can sort our their website's planning search facility.

 

YET AGAIN... it doesn't work and when it occasionally does it's so blummin slow that you could knock down and rebuild things while you wait :roll::roll::evil:

 

Attention

An error occurred which prevented the execution of your request.

 

.... blah blah blah

 

:roll::roll::roll:

 

2... Maybe they could start taking an real interest in Warrington's Heritage rather than allowing the buildings which they are responsible for to fall into such a state of disrepair whereby they become dangerous, unusable and financialy 'not viable' to save.

 

I wont list all the buildings that have fallen into this category as I'm sure you are more than aware of them all Vic.

 

 

Also re: the cabinet works and school room....

 

In 2007 a Historic Building Survey was carried out on the Garnett's Cabinet Works and the Old School Room...... where's the report ?

 

I still like the old tower and school room though... maybe the tower could be taken down brick by brick and built elsewhere :wink:

 

Rest of the buildings deninately need demolishing as they are in a right state

 

garnetscabinettower.jpg

 

garnetcabinetxmas.jpg

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Here's a thought.

 

Why don't they knock down the modern buildings in the Warrington town centre and replace them with what was there and put back the heritage and what was unique about Warrington, instead of creating a clone of every other boring town in England.

 

I would start by demolishing the Golden Square.

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.....the Conservation Officer said it should be jacked up and a new structure put underneath it rather than take it down and rebuild .....

 

Forgot to ask you Vic.... has Warrington got a Conservation Officer again now as I seem to remember that Ms CC was made redundant in March 2010 as part of the cost cutting excercise :roll:

 

PS I have now managed to find the planning application on the council's planning portal but there are NO documents or details available for viewing... people can comment though :roll:

 

PPS Who actually owns the Garnett buildings as thinking about it I'm sure the council don't own it so I take back the comment that it's 'their fault' :lol: ?

 

PPPS And work is due to start on the demolition of Warrington Baths this month :wink:

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and replace it with what though :wink::shock:

 

It's not that bad... really :?

 

Yes it is!

 

How about creating character, rebuilding streets with proper shops and places of interest, too many of our towns are becoming huge highways of shoppings malls, with big windows displays that have nothing to sell, but over-priced items, that are slowly being replaced with pound shops and second hand stores.

 

The wide corridors in the Golden Square seem to be just play grounds for the chavs of Warrington to cause a nuisance to let there pitbulls to run free and terrorise what shoppers are left to buy things.

 

Warrington of today bares no comparison of 10 years ago never mind 40 years ago. It's about time the redesigning oof Warrington came to a stop, and think retro, and give the heart of Warrington a new pulse, rythym and life blood that would give the folk of Warrington new pride in their town.

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I do actually agree with you on all that SD... but the Golden Square is there now so we'll just have to learn to like it or lump it ... or stay away from it of course :wink:

 

It was dumped on us and we can't get rid off it totally now... but maybe mistakes of the past will result in better forethought, planning and design for the rest of the town in the future.

 

... but probably not eh :?:roll:

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What character is left building wise is slowly being destroyed by pre-fabricated, metal sheeted and made mostly of glass shops and buildings.

 

Where have all the architects gone who have the necessary design skills and ethics to put the heart back in Warrington, have the planners and their government regulations scared them away? Do they build new premises that come off the shelf, marked ?Clone? in some government approved office?

 

Never mind eh!... at least we still have the green skittles or Guardians to look at while the town centre becomes a no go area!

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The poor old Market :cry::cry: I'd not been in there for a long time but we went in the week before xmas.

 

It was like a forgotton and run down hovel. Even my other half commented on how bad it had become. Empty stalls, gaping spaces, a bit of a no-mans land.

 

There was a display near the entrance with a vintage car 'please look but do not touch' and all that. There was a car (which was dirty and rather rusty and old) with a plastic chain around it, a few old photos and handfulls of various leaflets just thrown on the floor around it. Really sad :cry:

 

There was a big banner on one of the stalls for the young local chap who had won fishmonger of the year... well done to him :D ... but even that seemed sad when you looked around at the environment they were having to trade in. Empty stalls nearby with the remains of the plumbing and grubby tiles being the only reminder of whatever once thriving business was once there.

 

The Market itself was empty of shoppers too and there was hardly a soul in there... the week before xmas too... what must it be like in the quieter months :?:cry:

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Application now up: 2010/17541

 

Danger of collapse of some parts of the buildings, injury to trespassers, and arson (firefighters might not be able to enter the premises because of the rotten floors, so risk to adjacent property). I'm told cost of demolition will be ?250,000 (got to be done very carefully....) Worst job will be removing pigeon muck before demolition can start....

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Erm.. these risks and dangers have been there for many years Vic due the building sitting there empty and abandoned.

 

Most risks listed are for the contractors themselves and not the public and once the controls are in place the risk levels are reduced to LOW.... allegidely :wink:

 

You did forget to mention in the report of the risk of Weils Disease thoughc... now that would have scared the 'less understanding' more :lol:

 

Now pigeon muck carries many pathogenic organisms which cause disease and of course if they don't clear it all up thoroughly, and gosh is there a lot of it, the organisms could become airbourne during the demolition process and affect nearby shoppers and workers... :shock:

 

Now that brings me on the the actual control of the demolition and indeed dust.....

 

'dust is to be controlled by the use of light water sprays both before and during demolition ... blah blah blah'

 

Do you think this will work, I say DENINATELY NOT :wink:

 

Oh and isn't the frontage of the Cabinet Works actually Grade II Listed and the Tower Locally Listed ?

 

...and when the previous plans were approved a few years ago for demolition/rebuild etc one of the conditions of the granted approval was that THE TOWER REMAINED !! :D

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The tower is on the local list, but none of the buildings to be demolished is on the national list (not of sufficient historical or architectural interest). If there was a commercial use that could pay for retention of the tower, you could argue that it might be kept, but there isn't.

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Maybe we could ask Deborah Lewis.. ooh sorry she left.. or Christine Caruthers (Planning Dept then Conservation) Oooh sorry she left too, actually she was made redundant :roll::wink:

 

There was an application to have the Tower statutory listed but as with all cases this often requires the 'want and determination' from the local authority but if they are not interested then EH tend to follow in what the LA class as being important locally and tend to try and not 'rock the boat' on local importance.

 

So what are the plans for the site once it has all been cleared then Vic.. you must have an insiders 'idea' :wink:

 

Any future development could be impounded by the fact that the site sits near the old chapel and friars gate.... ancient burials, medieval past... all disturbed... 'friars reunited' :shock::wink:

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.....injury to trespassers, and arson

 

these are still criminal offences, arent they?

 

I'm told cost of demolition will be ?250,000

 

Oh please- have the council have no imagination??? Why employ some overpriced demolition firm such an amount to execute mindless destruction on a landmark building when you can force slav... I mean the unemployed to do the dirty work in order to keep their benefits? After many people always blame unemployed youths for all the vandalism and destruction of property anyway...

 

Thinking about it, the owners of the site could employ the same people who did such a wonderful job of "removing" the Old Bay Horse pub before the Halliwell Jones was built! After all, there does seem to be a lot of arson in Warrington...

 

Question for me is, if the Cabinet Works do go, whats going to be in its place? And cant that new function use the old shell in some way?

 

As for Heritage in Warrington *snicker*...anyone bought any postcards of the town anywhere recently? By which I mean Postcards with modern views of its tourist attractions- not ones with scenes that are at least five years old!

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.....injury to trespassers, and arson

 

these are still criminal offences, arent they?

And your point is? (And trespass isn't a criminal offence)

 

I'm told cost of demolition will be ?250,000

 

Oh please- have the council have no imagination???

 

Why employ some overpriced demolition firm ....

 

It's the site owners paying for this. I imagine they're paying it because this is what safe demolition costs.

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So what are the plans for the site once it has all been cleared then Vic.. you must have an insiders 'idea' :wink:

 

Any future development could be impounded by the fact that the site sits near the old chapel and friars gate.... ancient burials, medieval past... all disturbed... 'friars reunited' :shock::wink:

 

No insider knowledge needed. It's in the application. 56-space car park, and without the need to keep the expensive to maintain tower, it will be easier to get a new use for the site when the economy is better. The archeologists seem happy that there's nothing left of great interest.

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