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23/10/09. Ashton's Halifax branch is to close in the New Year. The estate agency is likely to continue under new ownership, but Halifax banking customers will have to use alternative branches.
21/02/09. The Golden Lion pub in Gerard Street has recently been refurbished and has reopened as the "Nag's Head". This ends a long history of the pub's name in Ashton - it was mentioned in Baines' History of Lancashire in 1824.
18/12/08. Traders in Garswood Street are complaining that the Council is neglecting to offer festive lighting on the lamposts as in the main streets of the town. Council officers have responded that the lamposts are not designed to take additional weight, and that traders in other parts of the Borough have decorated their shops with small illuminated trees instead.
22/08/08. Local farmer Tom Barton was a judge at the Annual Anniversary Prize Show at Cockermouth on August 15th, He went on to purchase the prizewinning Limousin bullock.
22/07/08. A Preston family firm - Speedwell Tool Company - is leaving Preston to open a new sales and warehouse facility on the Three Sisters Trading Estate. The firm was established before the second World War, and most of its 40-strong workforce will be staying with the company.
12/07/08. Chemviron Carbon, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of activated carbons, has made a substantial investment to further develop its Lockett Road site, as part of a major European investment programme. The company, which employs 50 people locally, will run a 24-hour operation producing 'respirator carbons' for use in air filters sold across Europe.
12/07/08. Freight trains are set to return on the Haydock branch line in Golborne after an absence of nearly four years. Although the line was never actually closed, trains are to return to the three-quarters of a mile section of track, which branches off the West Coast Main Line between Wigan and Warrington.
Trains could be running again in the next few months, carrying stone and gravel from a quarry in Shap, Cumbria, for Hanson Aggregates. Two trains a week will run into the works, with between 15 and 20 wagons loaded with stone, which will then return empty to the quarry. The stone is to be crushed at the plant, previously Kelbit Bitumen, before being made into road surfacing 'bitmac'.
The line was built by the Great Central Railway in 1899 and originally ran past Haydock Racecourse before joining the route to St Helens.
17/12/07. Jackie Gordon, proprietor of Fleur and Flair in Garswood Street, has received a certificate in the annual 'Best Dressed Window' competition, organised by Emma Gaster, Wigan Council Town Centre Co-ordinator.
08/03/07. The popular Wetherspoons' pub The Sir Thomas Gerard will be closed on 12th to 14th March for changing of beer pumps to provide super-cool lagers. The refurbishment is the first stage in preparation for the introduction of legislation banning smoking. The front area of the pub is to be restyled for coffee drinkers, a canopy installed at the rear, and changes will take place to the layout in other areas in keeping with the new law.
11/02/07. The planned extension of the Gerard Centre to the old gas works site on York Road is still awaiting the approval of the Environment Agency for the remediation of the contamination of the site. The HMG Group, owners of the Gerard Centre, planned to have the work to provide extra car parking and eight additional units completed by last April, but cannot proceed until approval has been gained.
14/06/06. Patrick Properties are proposing to extend the South Lancashire Industrial Estate to form the Sapphire Business Park. The development would be situated between Lockett Road and Bolton Road, in the area behind the allotments stretching from Stubshaw Cross Labour Club to Lily Lane Farm. The Park would be served by a road linking Lockett Road and Bolton Road, with a major junction opposite the houses between Conway Road and Riding Lane.
A public consultation exhibition is being held between 15.00 and 20.00 on Wednesday, 21st June at Stubshaw Cross Independent Methodist Church. Following this, it is planned that a development proposal will be submitted to Wigan MBC as part of a detailed planning application.
26/05/06. Ashton Fancy Dress, situated opposite the Presidential, is closing down. The lease has expired on the premises, and the contents of the shop are being sold off in a closing-down sale.
05/05/06. The Angel Hotel on Warrington Road, currently advertised as 'To Let', is the subject of a planning application to replace the pub with apartments and parking space. Calderbank's on Gerard Street is also for letting - another long-established Ashton business disappearing.
04/04/06. Greens supermarket in Gerard Street is reported to be closing and the premises transferred to B&Ms, a chain of 22 cut-price stores in the North of England.
14/03/06. Administrators searching for a buyer for HL Gorner have conceded defeat, and the business has ceased trading, resulting in the loss of 70 jobs. The company has been a family business and a landmark firm in Ashton for decades, and at one stage operated two garages in Warrington as well as the Nicol Road site.
10/02/06. Walter Corless, landlord of the Hingemakers Arms in Heath Road, is retiring after 40 years pulling pints for local customers. The pub derives its unique name from the small blacksmiths and locksmiths forges sited in local terraced houses during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries before Thomas Crompton's factory opened.
30/01/06. HL Gorner, the local car dealership trading since the 1930s, is under administration. The administrators are hopeful that a buyer can be found, but seven redundancies have been made and a further 60 jobs are at risk unless a buyer comes forward.
24/12/05. Wigan Council and the new Aldi store are planning to spend £90,000 on improving the Hilton Street car park. The scheme to replace the current town centre eyesore with 65 new car park spaces should be completed by March.
16/12/05. The car park at the Gerard Centre now has restrictions on the length of time shoppers may park there. Notices warning of a two and a half hour limit are posted at several places in the Centre.
01/10/05. As part of a £155m nationwide programme Somerfield are investing £200,000 in the former Kwik Save store in the Gerard Centre. The store will re-open on Wednesday 5th October with a celebratory party, and the changes will result in an additional 20 jobs at the supermarket.
16/09/05. A series of improvements are planned for Ashton Market. New fencing has already been erected to the rear of the market. Improved lighting is to be implemented and stalls repainted, with stallholders consulted over the preferred colour scheme. Tenders are to be invited for landscaping of the area between the market and the rear of Gerard Street, although a source of funding has yet to be identified.
06/09/05. The Pit Pony Inn on Lowbank Road is causing problems for nearby residents. Noise and foul language from the pub's beer garden is causing misery for neighbours wishing to sit out in their gardens on summer evenings. Thwaites Brewery has promised to look into residents' complaints and seek a solution.
06/09/05. Roydon Domestic in Garswood Street, a long-established Ashton business, is due to close and is clearing its stock at reduced prices.
06/09/05. Concerned about the continued undercutting of producer prices by supermarkets, a north west firm is providing doorstep deliveries of fresh farm produce via a website (www.farmerjack.co.uk).
20/06/05. The Aldi supermarket on Princess Road is due to open on the 23rd June.
16/12/04. Work continues on development in the York Road/Princess Road area. The site of the new Aldi is clear ready for construction, and the old gasworks site is having the contaminated soil removed. Travis Perkins has had a new warehouse built and the old shop is being demolished.
15/12/04. Fencing is being erected round the field owned by Haydock Racecourse adjacent to Ashton Heath. The field is used for occasional parking during events at the racecourse.
02/11/04. A new Tesco Express store and petrol station on Bolton Road is due to open on Monday, December 6th.
26/10/04. The Liberty Symons group has announced that they are pulling out of the proposed major development in the town centre. After six years planning, the cost of building a new ring road and relocating St Oswald's School has proved more than any supermarket would invest. In addition, concerted opposition from residents living adjacent to the areas affected led to a campaign to influence public opinion against objective appraisal of the proposals.
06/10/04. HMG - the developers of the Gerard Centre - are investing £9.5m into the third phase of development. Up to eight new units will create almost 50 jobs. With several national retailers expressing interest in the site, building is expected to begin in January next and be completed within fifteen months.
01/07/04. As part of a commitment to improved customer service Ashton Jobcentre is holding an Open Day for Jobseekers
and Employers to see what services are offered locally. To be held on Monday 12th July between 10.30 and 16.00, the
event will offer information on local job opportunities, training opportunities, lone parent issues, returning to
work (and financial support), disability employment issues, and incapacity benefits.
The centre will offer guided tours around the Jobcentre, and Employer suites and advice on how to use
the 'Jobpoints' technology to access vacancies and training opportunities. 'Kevin the Clown' will also be on site
to entertain younger guests.
15/04/04. Work is commencing on the new Aldi development off Princess Road/Ladysmith Avenue.
14/04/04. Wigan MBC have terminated plans for the proposed development of a supermarket and relief road
scheme in the town centre. The Director of Planning, Martin Kimber, stated that the failure of the developer to
consult with the public and make progress with the planning application by the due date of May 2004 was a key
element in the Council's decision.
Community Forum Reports
November 2003. The work on the market steps has been delayed while ownership of the land
was determined.
15/10/03. Annette, our Town Centre Co-ordinator, is leaving her post to take up a new position with Sefton Council.
During her long association with the Forum Annette has been a keen and most helpful member, taking up issues and
liaising with Council departments to ensure the best service for our local community. In addition, she has been a
keen member of the Forum's Festival Committee. Our thanks are due to Annette, and she was presented with a floral
arrangement during the Festival to mark her contribution. Our good wishes for the future go with her.
24/09/03.
The Stubshaw Cross post office is scheduled to close in order to increase trade at other Ashton and Golborne post offices
which are under threat due to lack of use. However, the post office serves as a centre for the local community, and
users may wish to register their views for or against closure. The address to contact is Eddie Herbert, National
Consultation Team, PO Box 641, St Albans, AL1 5XN before October 29th.
June 2003. Annette Root reported that work was due to start shortly on restoring and
improving the steps to the market adjacent to Greensway.
March 2003.The April Forum meeting would be a joint meeting with Ashton Traders' Group in
order to hear a presentation on the Wigan Unitary Development Plan.
February 2003.A Root said she would like the Forum to invite local businesses to attend a
future meeting regarding the proposed Unitary Development Plan and its relevance to Ashton
06/08/02
Annette Root, Town Centre Manager, has organised a series of Fun Days on Tuesday 13th, 20th and 27th August. Each
day will offer entertainment and children's face painting.
November 2001.R Green reported that the market steps would be reopened before Xmas, and that
the Council were looking to improve the access at the top of the steps.
24/11/01 The Xmas lights are now switched on, and Victorian Minstrels will be in the town on Saturday 15th December.
20/10/01 From next Saturday car boot sales will be held on the market place in conjunction with the market. Entry
£6.00. Further details from 513613.
September 2001.Car boot sales are to be held each Saturday at the lower end of the market
square.
August 2001.Objections to the proposed Aldi supermarket continued to be heard. While the
meeting felt it could not give blanket support to local residents' objections, it was agreed that the
Forum would express concern regarding the effects of the plans on local traffic and pollution.
Members viewed outline plans for a proposed supermarket and ring road in the vicinity
of Bryn Street. Formal planning application had not yet been made, but the Forum was concerned to
monitor events, particularly any proposed change of use to the King George V Playing Fields.
R Green said she was pleased to see that railings had been installed on the
market steps.
July 2001.The meeting heard from Annette Root that Fun Days would be taking place on
the market on the 7, 14 and 21 August as part of market promotion. Also, a pilot project would
be taking place for two weeks in August linking local businesses and police by radio to reduce
shop crime.
Plans for the proposed Aldi supermarket on the Poolthorpe site were available for
viewing at the meeting. Certain local residents were completely opposing the plans, and others were seeking
further information to make detailed objections to the proposals. In general, there were mixed
feelings about the new supermarket; a number of members felt that improvement to the Poolthorpe site
was long overdue, and had been a particular concern of the Forum.
20/07/01 The owners of the Gerard Centre, Hollins Murray Group, have begun work in fencing off the precinct to prevent the
vandalism and noise which have occurred since the Centre opened.
October 2000.Annette Root reported that local businesses had been invited to attend the
November forum meeting, where Director of Planning J Sloane would be in attendance.
Ashton and Haydock Rotary Club would be promoting an event on Ashton Market
on 16th December
The CCTV bid had now been finalised and submitted, aided by support from
local businesses and the Community Forum
06/09/00 Meeting at Ashton Library on Tuesday 12/9/00 at 18.00. Agenda: Shopwatch, CCTV update, and
Wigan & Leigh College Development Services.
August 2000. The CCTV bid continued in preparation, and it was agreed
a supportive letter be supplied from the Forum. It was expected that the bid
would go forward in October.
Concern was expressed regarding the inadequate cleansing on the market, and it was
agreed this would be raised with the Metro.
June 2000. Letters have now gone to traders seeking support for the CCTV
bid. Already £1,400 has been pledged, and the HMG Group - owners of the Gerard
Centre - have offered generous assistance.
14/6/00 The secure market stalls chosen by the market traders
are now being set in place and are scheduled to be completed by Saturday, June
24th. The official re-opening of the market will take place on July 29th, with
a family fun day from 09.00 to 17.00.
May 2000. Annette Daykin gave an account of last week's meeting with local
traders. Attendance was growing, and firm consideration was being given to the
preparation of a bid for CCTV.
March 2000. Brian Yates from Wigan MBC explained the current upgrading of the
market place and answered questions. The site was being cleared and nineteen new stalls being erected. He said that the Council wished to support all the town's markets despite
the decline in trade markets were experiencing nationally. Ashton's was the second marketplace to be upgraded,
and he heard suggestions for marking the opening of the refurbished market at the beginning of May.
February 2000. The Town Centre Co-ordinator continues to
meet with traders to help develop the town. Work is due to start on upgrading Ashton
market place next month.
November 1999. Work due to start on improving the market
place has been deferred until January following requests from traders to avoid disruption
during the Christmas shopping period. The amount available has been increased from
£28,000 to £50,000.
Annette Daykin, Town Centre Co-ordinator, is circulating
questionnaires to local traders requesting feedback regarding a CCTV bid, and also views
on the proposal to establish a lap-dancing bar in the town.
October 1999. A further meeting of Ashton Traders took
place prior to the Community Forum meeting. Two groups considered the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats to development of the town. Ideas will be relayed to
traders unable to attend the meeting to promote progress.
August 1999. A meeting of Ashton Traders took place on
Tuesday 31st August at Heath Road Day Centre, organised by Annette Daykin, Town Centre
Co-ordinator, and attended by representatives of the police, Wigan MBC and the market. The
meeting stimulated discussion on the future of Ashton, and heard of current initiatives to
promote the town. Particular items of interest to traders were the plans to improve the
market place, the next round of CCTV bids, and funding initiatives which might benefit the
town. It was intended that regular meetings would be held in future in order to address
issues affecting local trade and to mirror the efforts of the Community Forum in creating
a better local environment.
June 1999. Annette Daykin, Town Centre Co-ordinator for
Ashton, Hindley, Atherton and Tyldesley, attended the meeting and explained her role in
promoting the town via liaison with local traders and the Community Forum.
April 1999. Ian Winstanley reported that he had received a
favourable approach from several traders adjacent to the Poolthorpe site off Princess Road
who were prepared to consider contributing to improving the land, which is a considerable
eyesore in the centre of the town.
The Forum had written to Waterfields, welcoming them to their new
shop in the Gerard Centre.
March 1999. The meeting thanked Ashton, Hindley and
Golborne Market Traders' Group for their generous donation of £50 to support the work of
the Ashton Community Forum.
September 1998. The Group held a business breakfast seminar
at Heath Road Centre for local business people. Mark Bigley, Investment Manager for Wigan
Borough Partnership and PC Peter Harmer addressed the meeting, highlighting the need for
planning the future of Ashton. The following issues and challenges were identified:
- PC Harmer's recent business crime questionnaire had a very positive
response
- Crime and the fear of crime is affecting business
- Crime and its prevention are society issues, and the Police require
the support of all the community
- Business Watch would be a positive move towards reducing the risks of
crime, and would increase confidence within the business community
- Initiatives to reduce crime can and will reduce the costs of
insurance to business
- Other towns with Wigan Borough have established successful links with
the Local Authority through local business groups
- All successful local economies have been achieved through initiatives
which were private sector led
- There is a need to undertake a comprehensive assessment and survey of
the town and its users in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses. This will allow
a strategy to be formed to address the matters raised, and to identify the relative
marketing needs
- The local community must be involved in a partnership to create a
sense of ownership in order to address Ashton's problems
- Local Authority funding will only be accessible by organised groups,
not individuals
- An opportunity exists for the community of Ashton to have a say in
the future of Ashton, provided that the business community and residents work together.
August 1998. The Chair of the market traders' group
reported on current proposals for renovating the market toilets and for demolishing
redundant market stalls.
June 1998. Discussion took place on the decline of the
local market. It was noted that this was a national problem, and that even markets such as
Earlestown were also suffering. It was recognised that local people needed to support the
markets rather than conduct out of town shopping if these were to survive.
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