Blaze won’t stop the celebrations

LEAMINGTON’S Bath Place is celebrating its 150th anniversary next month, despite fire almost destroying the building in September.

A drop-in session is being held at South Lodge, Jephson Gardens, opposite the Pump Rooms on November 3 to commemorate the opening of Bath Place National Schools in 1859.

Many children in early Victorian England never went to school and more than half never learned to read or write.

Churches eventually started to run Sunday Schools, followed by day schools, and by the end of Queen Victoria’s reign, all children under 12 had to go to school.

In 1822, a school was founded in Church Lane, Leamington, and later transferred to Kenilworth Street in 1829.

Ten years later, half of the pupils were moved to the old workhouse in Court Street and in 1846 the Kenilworth Street site closed.

In 1851, the Court Street site was also closed and the school moved to temporary accommodation in Clemens Street.

Finally, in 1859 the National Schools opened in Bath Place as Leamington Priors All Saints Church of England Junior and Infants School.

The year after the school closed in 1973, Bath Street Community Venture was established in Bath Place, with the aim of helping local people access support, information and education they could not get elsewhere.

The Venture remained in Bath Place until September this year when fire destroyed much of the historical building.

A week of celebrations had been planned to take place in October but had to be postponed.

But at the drop-in session on November 3, visitors will be able to sign a memory book, add their name to a petition to restore services after the fire and visit the Victorian schoolroom at the lodge.

There will also be the chance to contribute to the Bath Place com-munity archive project, Moving Times.

The event runs from 9.30am to 7pm, with
refreshments provided by the award-winning Veggie Table Cafe.

New chief refuting claims on cut plans

WARWICKSHIRE’S fire chief has hit out at accusations that the Fire and Rescue Service Improvement Plan is just about saving money.

If the Improvement Plan goes ahead, seven fire stations across the county will close and up to 100 firefighters could lose their jobs.

Concerns have been raised about the DNV report, an independent risk assessment, including the costs which would be saved by the Improvement Plan proposals.

But chief fire officer, Graeme Smith, said that if the savings aren’t made, money cannot be reinvested into things such as more training to carry out community fire safety activities including carrying out safety checks on smoke alarms.

He added: “I know that residents have concerns about the proposals and I do understand why they are focusing on what is happening to their local station. However, I would urge people to think carefully about the whole plan and understand that we have to invest in our firefighters, community fire safety activities and new equipment, in order to make our communities safer.

“Many of our current ways of working were shaped over 50 years ago when Warwickshire was a different place. Threats and hazards have changed since then; which means that we also need to change if we are to properly protect the county’s residents.

“The proposed closure of any
station is obviously a huge step and at this stage, that is what they are – proposals. I want to assure com-
munities that their voice will be
listened to, but equally I would like them to look at the impact on the Fire and Rescue Service if we don’t make the changes towards becoming a fitter, stronger, Fire and Rescue Service.”

Portfolio Holder for Community
Protection, Councillor Richard Hobbs, added: “We understand and acknowledge these proposals will present
difficult decisions and there are local fears about what is going to happen in the area they live. I would like to reassure residents their views are being listened to and will be considered as part of the consultation process.

“However, as portfolio holder for community protection, it is my aim to protect our firefighters and the people of Warwickshire. This cannot be achieved if we do not modernise the service to tackle the incidents our communities now face.”

Around 5000 have already signed a petition to save Warwick Fire Station, with another 2000 joining the Facebook group.

There is still plenty of time to have your say about the Improvement Plan proposals. Consultation meetings are being held around the county including at the town hall, on The Parade in Leamington at 7pm on November 3 and in the Graham Adams Centre, St James Road, Southam on November 12 at 7pm.

Leamington's Spa Centre could close

LEAMINGTON’S loss-making Spa Centre will close its doors for good unless residents start visiting it, a district councillor has warned.

The 37-year-old venue in Newbold Terrace had to be subsidised £557,508 by Warwick District Council last year.

It can lose up to £2,000 every time it hosts a show.

And now the district council, which owns the building, is considering shutting the centre to help it make planned savings of £1.6million by 2013.

Councillor Susan Gallagher, the district councillor responsible for culture, said: “The decision is nowhere near definite but it is an option that’s been looked at.

“Everybody is trying to save money – life is tough; it’s no different for councils.

“A group of councillors looked at the costs and expenses of a lot of things and how taxpayer’s money is being used.

“It’s true the theatre is making a loss but most community theatres do.

“I personally will be fighting like crazy to keep it open. Leamington needs a theatre. But people must go and use the venue.

“To the people complaining that it might shut, I would ask them, ‘When is the last time you went?’ I want people to go to the theatre and see the tremendous work it does.”

The Spa Centre opened in 1972 and includes an 800-seat theatre and a 200-seat cinema.

It hosts productions by local amateur dramatics companies including Leamington and Warwick Musical Society, the Spa Theatre Company and Spa Opera Group.

The National Blood Service also holds drop-in donation sessions.

Cllr Gallagher added: “We have a great programme of events coming up; for example the Ice Show is stunning. But we need people to go.

“Cultural things may be something people don’t have to go to, but it is very nice to go out and it’s not too expensive. I will do all I can to save the Spa Centre. I’m a local person, I use the centre and a great variety of shows go on there featuring highly talented people.

“The people working at the centre do a great job, they don’t want to see it closed.

“We desperately need the Spa Centre in Leamington. If we lose it, we’ll never get it back.”

But the group of councillors identified a number of problems with the centre, including the design of the building and an overall lack of a defined role the venue should play.

A list of possible options for the centre’s future has been drawn up, including closing the centre and
redeveloping the area into a hotel and conference centre, transferring the centre to a trust or closing the centre, selling the land and rebuilding on another site.

The committee also emphasised the need to consult widely with the public before any decisions are made.

A spokesperson for Warwick District Council said: “A report has been presented to the Executive outlining different options. Closing the centre isn’t the only option, although if the centre doesn’t bring in money it will have to be considered.

“A group of councillors put the report together and at the minute, we’re just asking for councillors to comment on them.

“No decision has been made and won’t be for a while.”

Plaskitt ordered to pay back £112

LEAMINGTON and Warwick MP James Plaskitt has been ordered to pay back £112 – following an independent review of MPs’ expenses claims.

An inquiry was carried out by Sir Thomas Legg, appointed by the House of Commons to review all expenses made by MPs over the last five years.

As well as looking at second home allowances, Mr Legg said all expenses claims should only be made for the performance of Parliamentary duties, should not be excessive and should be “value for money.”

The £112 Mr Plaskitt has been asked to pay back is for a payment the fees office inadvertently made twice in 2004.

He has also been asked to supply mortgage statements to Sir Thomas, so the auditor can double check claims for mortgage interest.

Mr Plaskitt said: “I welcome this process, which should help close the debate on our old discredited allowances system. I will fully comply with the auditor’s requests.

“The double payment of one amount in 2004 was, in the auditor’s view, an error by the Common’s administration, not me. But I will, of course, repay it anyway, without question.

“I already knew my mortgage claim was wrong in 2004/05. It was corrected at the time, and I repaid £900. I will let the auditor have the documents he is requesting as quickly as I can. If there was any more over-claim, then, of course, I will repay the amount without question.”

All of his other expenses claims have been cleared.

Jeremy Wright, Rugby and Kenilworth MP, has not revealed Sir Thomas Legg’s recommendations, but said: “I am happy to co-operate with Sir Thomas Legg’s review.

“It is clear that his provisional conclusions have been reached without sight of some significant information, which I will supply to him as soon as I can.

“My constituents have been able to see what I have claimed and they can see that I have done nothing extravagant or dishonest.”

Fire station closures will increase risk

A RISK assessment of the proposed closure of seven Warwickshire fire stations has finally been made public – and it reveals that average response times will increase if the plans are approved.

The risk analysis report by consultants Det Norske Veritas was presented to Warwickshire County Council’s cabinet in July.

Up until now, the document has not been made available to members of the public because it was believed to be too complex.

But it has now been posted on Warwickshire County Council’s website for the public to access.

The aim of the risk review is to provide an independent assessment of the risks of the nine improvement objectives put forward by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue, including flooding response, small fires unit, duty systems and resources and false alarm attendance policy.

And it revealed that there will be an impact on the average response time, if the proposals are given the go-ahead.

While the review says the service will continue to meet emergency response standards of 10 minutes for urban call-outs and 20 minutes for rural call-outs, it said there will be an 18 second increase in average response times, which will increase fire and road accident risks.

The report said that this would require “careful management of change.”

It concluded: “Objective one increases risk, but this is outweighed by the significant cost saving.”

It also said there would be a large reduction in call-outs for false alarms, reducing wear and tear, fuel consumption and road accident risk because, under the proposals, there will be no attendance at automatic fire alarms without human confirmation of a fire.

However, the fire brigade will still respond to automatic fire alarms at defined premises that are slow to evacuate, such as hospitals and care homes.

But the risk analysis said there would be a “slower response to fires detected automatically and a consequent increase in fire damage risk”.

The study concluded that the overall package of improvements would be beneficial.

But it said there were some uncertainties in the proposals because it had been completed over a short timescale and makes use of national calculations of the effects of response times, instead of local models.

The proposals are also based on fire statistics from 2006/07 and fire damage costs from 2004, instead of using more recent data which the analysis said would “have a small impact because fire frequencies have reduced but costs have increased.”

Warwick and Leamington MP James Plaskitt, who is continuing his campaign to stop the fire station closures, said: “The secret internal report shows this is a hurried cost-cutting exercise which carries significant risk to the community.

“It’s shocking that the council has been trying to hide this evidence throughout the consultation, and instead set out a deliberately misleading prospectus.”

Mr Plaskitt also arranged a meeting with the Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Warwick firefighter Ben Cleminson to raise concerns about the proposals.

He added: “I continue to be inundated with support for my campaign to save Warwick Fire Station. The petition is now at 6,000 and still growing.

“Now we can add the occupant at 10 Downing Street to the list. Having listened to what Ben had to say, the Prime Minister has asked me to keep him briefed on the progress of my campaign.”

Post strike hits Warwickshire

USINESS and educations leaders in Wawickshire have condemned the national post strike for the devastating impact it will cause.

The strike, which will cripple Christmas deliveries and could cost the economy £1.5billion, looked set to go ahead despite last-ditch talks.

Local business leaders say it must be stopped and education bosses are warning it could cost children a place at their preferred secondary school.

Bosses from the Communication Workers Union announced plans for the national strike last week.

As the Times went to press, mail centre staff and drivers were planning to walk out for 24 hours tomorrow.

Delivery and collection staff were also planning to stage a 24 hour strike on Friday as part of a bitter dispute over pay, conditions and modernisation.

A series of strikes have already been held in Leamington, with distribution workers at Priory Terrace walking out and postal workers in Warwick refusing to work overtime.

But business leaders are warning a national strike will have a devastating effect.

Bruce Undy, chairman of the Warwickshire and Coventry branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “At a time when small businesses are cutting costs and doing all they can to keep afloat during the recession, the postal strikes can have a disastrous impact on their cash flow.

“FSB research shows that small businesses find it difficult to find an alternative carrier to Royal Mail because of their smaller mailing volumes.”

A spokesman for the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce added: “The previous postal delays have already hurt small businesses as well as major companies. Many are already finding it a struggle. Striking will solve nothing, it will just hurt them even more, especially in the run up to Christmas which is a vital time for them.

“The union and Royal Mail need to continue talks until they work something out which will avoid a national strike.”

A national strike could also mean children in Warwickshire fail to get a place at their preferred secondary school.

Forms listing favoured schools need to be posted to Warwickshire County Council by the end of the month.

But the Local Government Association has warned a national post strike will “throw the system into disarray” and mean parents could have to courier letters to the council or drop them off themselves.

To try and ease the problem, Warwickshire County Council has extended its deadline from October 23 to October 30, but parents will have to prove they posted their form before October 23.

There could also be delays for people across the county who receive benefits and pensions by post.

A spokesman for the Department for Working Pensions said: “Only two per cent of people nationwide receive theirs by post so the vast majority of people won’t be affected.

“But for those who are, we have contingency plans in place. Couriers will take cheques to local post offices for people to pick them up from.”

South Warwickshire General Hospitals NHS Trust has also put plans in place in case of a strike.

Mark Rowlands, hotel services manager, said: “If the postal strikes were to take place, the Trust has
arrangements with Royal Mail to ensure that there is limited disruption to the service.

“If the strikes were to continue for longer periods of time and Royal Mail couldn’t continue with the contingency arrangements then we would seek alternative suppliers.”

Royal Mail has condemned the national strike as “appalling and unjustified”.

But union leaders say they have tried to stop the strike and said they were concerned about Royal Mail’s plans to bring in 300,000 temps to keep mailing moving during the strikes.

A spokesman for CWU said: “We’re disappointed that Royal Mail appears to be more interested in sidelining the views and concerns of its staff than reaching an agreement to bring this dispute to an end.

“CWU remains available for talks to avoid a strike.”

New home found for blaze-hit centre

NEW home has been found for Bath Place Community Venture after it was virtually destroyed by fire last month.

Venture bosses received confir-mation yesterday that the Leamington project will be able to move into Warwickshire College’s old library building – for the next six months.

The old library building, in York Road, used to be the girl’s school and arts college, but has been
unused for months, and is in need of a face-lift.

The Venture estimates it will take four to six weeks to bring the building back to life, before they can open from it, and start running their services as normal.

Claire Glasbey, marketing and events manager, said: “We are very excited about our move to the library as this allows a beautiful building to return to community use, and provides us with some fantastic space for new and exciting opportunities.

“But while this work is in progress, we will be unable to provide public access to the building until this is complete.”

A new home has also been found for Bath Place nursery, which is currently being run from Shrubland Street Primary School.

And plans to run a mobile catering unit to allow the Veggie Cafe to continue are also being investigated.

Fire swept through the Bath Place building on September 24 when work was being carried out on the roof. Around 50 people had to be evacuated. More than 30 groups used to be run from the Venture, which regularly saw up to 900 people a week come through the door.

No work has been carried out on the building since the fire, and it is not yet known whether or not it will be rebuilt.

The Venture is also asking for donations of any unwanted furniture, such as meeting room
furniture, that they could use in their new home. Call 01926 338 421 if you have something to
donate.

A Facebook group has also been set up for people to keep up to date with progress – just log in and search for Bath Place Community Venture.

Theatre forced to stop using children

A LEAMINGTON theatre company has been forced to stop using children in its productions because of new child protection measures put forward by the government.

The trustees of the Loft Theatre Company, in Victoria Colonnade, have decided not to use under-18s in future plays because of the recently proposed vetting and barring scheme.

And current legislation has also forced the theatre to stop using under-16s.

Michael Rayns, chairman of the Loft Theatre Company, said: “We took two decisions. The first was dealing with existing law that relates to people up to the age of 16.

“We took the decision not to use under-16s because of the bureaucracy we are currently faced with. At the minute, under-16s have to be accompanied everywhere by a chaperone.

“The chaperones also have to have CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) checks. That’s even if they already
have had a check and are, for example, teachers.

“This is just crazy, mad and stupid and we don’t want to play those games.

“The second is to do with the new vetting and barring system that relates to children under-18. No-one can tell us what the rules are.

“I tried to ask the Independent Safeguarding Agency but they said they don’t know yet.

“When the regulations come out, they will come from three different government organisations and I’m just not interested. To be involved with all three would be a nightmare. It would be madness.”

From next year, employees who have regular contact with children must register with the Independent Safeguarding Authority – a new vetting agency that will check the backgrounds of an estimated 11.3million people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Detailed guidance has not yet been published but the theatre company said it feared everyone, from its stage carpenter and barman, would have to be screened before they were allowed to work alongside youngsters.

Mr Rayns added: “We don’t use vast numbers of children in our productions but some productions do call for a child. We couldn’t stage Macbeth and we can’t do a Winter’s Tale without a child.

“It actually does have quite an impact. It’s insane. I don’t think the new rules were intended to stop children in the theatre but it will have that effect.

“If people are prepared to go along with the new rules, it’s up to them. We’re not.”

A review of the proposals is currently taking place after concerns were raised that parents who take children to sports matches would be included in the measures.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The new Vetting and Barring Scheme will mean everyone working or volunteering in a supervisory role with children will have to be checked to ensure they do not pose a risk. We believe this is a common sense approach and what parents would expect.

“In recognition of the fantastic contribution that volunteers make to our community, this check will be free for those undertaking unpaid work.”

Plans to replace Leamington’s Loft Theatre with restaurants and offices were approved by Warwick District Council last week.

The theatre company plans to move from its current home in Victoria Colonnade to the former United
Reformed Church in Spencer Street next year.

The church, a grade II listed building, will be able to host productions with other companies, as well as classical music, opera, dance and film events.

Violence drops by one third

REPORTS of domestic violence in Warwickshire have dropped by one third, new figures show.

Between April and August 2009, 269 fewer people (31 per cent) reported a physical domestic assault to police.

Police say the drop is due partly to more protection being available to victims.

Detective Chief Inspector James Essex, who heads up Warwickshire’s Domestic Abuse Unit, said: “Domestic related violence – a major cause of harm – has been massively reduced as a result of effective police and partnership action and greater protection for victims is now being delivered.”

DCI Essex said the contribution that domestic abuse makes to Warwickshire’s overall violence figures has fallen from 30 per cent to 26 per cent.

DCI Essex added: “Domestic abuse whether physical, emotional, financial or sexual is totally unacceptable.

“We are taking positive action in every case and arresting abusers wherever possible.

“All incidents are managed by the duty inspector. The incident cannot be closed until that officer is satisfied with the service provided.

“Significant improvements have been made by police and partners to increase protection to
victims from harm in Warwickshire. This includes increased staffing in the Domestic Abuse Unit, improved officer and staff training, vigorous incident monitoring and review processes, investigative improvements, and an expanded referrals desk.

“We now monitor and review all domestic abuse incidents reported daily at a tasking meeting bringing together senior officers from all areas of the force.

“This allows us to intervene more quickly and more effectively where needed, thereby reducing the number of incidents as a whole, including possible repeat offences against the same individual.”

An ongoing campaign is taking place in Warwickshire to try and combat domestic violence across the county.

Sue Ingram, domestic abuse manager at Warwickshire County Council, said: “There is a huge amount of positive work being done in the county to encourage people who are being abused to come forward and seek help and to deter abusers encouraging them to take responsibility for their behaviour.

“To be abused by someone you love or care about can have a devastating effect on people who do not know who to talk to about what is happening to them. That is why Warwickshire Police is working alongside 30 other public services and voluntary agencies including Warwickshire County Council as Warwickshire Against Domestic Abuse to encourage victims of domestic abuse to talk to someone.

“We hope this campaign has encouraged more people to seek help and change their situation.”

For more details about domestic abuse services in Warwickshire visit www.talk2someone.org.uk or call 0800 408 1552.

Police are heading towards crime cut

ATTEMPTS to cut crime in Warwickshire have been given a boost with the launch of headcams to catch offenders in action.

Following an initial pilot, 32 headcams have been bought by Warwickshire Police to help officers gather evidence of crimes taking place.

Last year, the force trialled the new technology in Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth, Nuneaton and Bedworth.

Officers used the cameras to accumulate evidence to support prosecutions for incidents such as domestic abuse, anti-social behaviour and public disorder.

The pilot scheme proved successful in increasing protection to communities and the 32 new headcams will now be distributed across the force for use.

The Body Worn Video equipment records images and sound that can then be replayed.

The evidence recorded on the equipment is submissible in court and magistrates can see an individual’s behaviour in real time. The headcams self adjust for light and officers cannot edit anything on the recorder.

Chief Inspector Martin McNevin, who headed up the pilot scheme, said: “This is excellent news for the people of Warwickshire.

“The implementation and use of Body Worn Video equipment is seen as a positive step in securing evidence and information, to increase the level of protection that we afford our communities from harm.

“This technology is evolving rapidly and although we already have had some experience using headcams where they have proved valuable, we now have good technology to gather information throughout the county.

“We are hoping that the overt use of recording equipment will be a real deterrent to any potential offenders who we expect will modify their behaviour as soon as they see the cameras.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to increase the level of protection to our communities in Warwickshire and we will be encouraging officers to use the headcams as often as possible.”

Post office battle continues

ATTEMPTS to reopen a post office branch in Leamington are continuing despite initial proposals being rejected.

The Milverton branch was shut last year as part of a raft of post offices closures which also saw the West Street branch in Warwick shut.

Warwick District Council had launched a bid to try and incorporate a new post office counter into a revamp of its Riverside House building.

But Post Office Ltd has told the council it will not agree to the plans, saying the re-introduction of post office services in Milverton would be to the “detriment” of the remaining post offices in the area.

The new development at Riverside House will see a Citizens Advice Bureau, police, Credit Union, Warwickshire County Council and the District Council all under one roof.

And after significant work by council officers and Cllr Les Caborn, portfolio holder for customer and information services, the council had ensured that space for a post office facility was also part of the plans.

Cllr Caborn said: “This is obviously very disappointing news especially as the council was prepared to help with the funding to bring back this valuable community amenity. However, I’m determined that the pressure will continue on Post Offices Ltd and will ensure that should the Post Office see sense, space will be available at Riverside House.”

The campaign to reopen the Milverton post office branch has been backed by MP James Plaskitt who said he wasn’t convinced of the case for closing the branch.

In March, he sent out a survey to all Milverton residents asking how they had been affected by the closure of their branch and launched an online petition to save the post office.

But Mr Plaskitt said the council should be doing more to try and ensure the Milverton post office is eventually reopened.

He added: “Leaving an empty space and waiting for something to happen isn’t going to solve the problem.

“The Riverside House location was a good option but it sounds like the council has now given up.”

Fire bosses accused of covering up real number of Warwick incidents

FIRE bosses were accused of failing to reveal the real number of incidents attended by Warwick fire station during a heated public meeting to discuss fire service cuts.

About 100 concerned residents
attended Myton School on Monday to protest over plans put forward by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue
Service to axe jobs and close seven stations, including Warwick.

Among the protestors was MP James Plaskitt whose petition to save Warwick fire station has already been signed by more than 5,000 people.

He said: “That so many people have signed the petition shows the strength of feeling there is.”

But the Warwick and Leamington MP also accused the fire service of putting the wrong information in the consultation documents.

Mr Plaskitt, who lives in Warwick, said: “There is a section in the consultation document showing statistics of activity levels at the station, and in
respect of Warwick, it says that over the last five years there were 1,231 incidents But I’ve been in to the fire station and gone through the log books and counted 2,026 incidents. Warwick
fire station is the busiest retained fire station in the south of the county. Can you explain that?”

Glen Ranger, the county’s deputy chief fire officer, defended the figures and said the fire service wasn’t trying to hide anything. He added: “I should imagine the figures were the number of incidents on Warwick ground, not the number they attended altogether.

“We’ll look into it, it won’t change the plans but it’s not something we’re trying to keep a secret.”

Residents also raised concerns about the pressure that would be put on Leamington fire station if Warwick fire station was to close.

Tim Griffiths, of Myton Road, said the towns were only linked by two bridges, which were heavily con-
gested at peak times. And other residents said the area would need more fire cover in the coming years, not less, as thousands of new homes are due to be built.

But Mr Ranger insisted there was “no issue” with the number of
incidents Leamington would have to attend.

“It is an easily manageable number,” he said. “We will still be able to attend fires in Warwick from Leamington in the same time as we do now from Warwick –
that’s 10 minutes for urban areas and
20 minutes for non-urban areas.

“We don’t see an increase in call-outs from Leamington because we intend to respond to a third less calls, which are hoax calls. At the minute, 35 per cent of calls are false alarms which is a massive drain.

“We are professional firefighters and are not going to make proposals that would put lives at risk.”

The new chief fire office for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service was also called on to have his say.

Graeme Smith, who took over the top job from Paul Fuller on Monday, said: “It’s important to understand that there are some good things in the
proposals. But there is an impact, there’s no getting away from that.

“Fires are very difficult things, they are horrendous.

“We’re proposing to shift money from response to prevention – it’s
difficult to do everything all at once.

“It is a dilemma – we’re looking at things globally and trying to do the best we can.

“But it’s right for residents to look at things from a Warwick point of view. We’ll look at them together and see what we can do.”

Another public consultation is taking place on October 14 at Kenilworth School and Sports College starting at 6.30pm.

Plans to change pub into Tesco given go ahead

PLANS to convert a pub in Lillington into a Tesco store have been given the go-ahead despite strong opposition from residents.

Warwick District Council met last week and agreed to allow a 40 square metre extension to the Walnut Tree pub, in Crown Way, which will turn the boarded up building into a Tesco Express store.

Because of planning laws, changing the use of a pub into a shop the size of a Tesco Express store does not require planning permission.

But consent was required for the retailer to make changes or extensions to the building and install equipment.

Tesco said the new store will boost local business as it will encourage more people to come to the area.

A spokesman added: “The store will be an efficient use of urban land.

“It will provide a valuable and high quality service to local residents and will be a major visual improvement to the site.

“It will also provide 30 jobs for local people.”

But hundreds of people have spent months campaigning against the proposals.

Since Tesco bought the store in May, more than 3,000 people signed a petition against the plans and a Facebook group supporting the Save the Walnut Tree campaign gathered the support of more than 250 people.

Campaign leader Gary Timlin said the decision will rip the heart out of the community.

He said: “It was our community centre and an important place to meet up and there’s now nowhere for people to go.

“A lot of councillors were saying they opposed it but when it came to a show of hands there was only a few who had the nerve to stand up to the bullies.’’

Leamington Town Council had objected to the
application but Warwick District Council planners had recommended it be passed.

Councillors approved the application but stipulated delivery times for lorries accessing the site must avoid the school run.

Battle to save fire stations continues

A SERIES of public meetings are being held as the fight continues against plans to axe seven fire stations in Warwickshire.

Dozens of firefighters face losing their jobs
under radical proposals put forward by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service.

If the plans are given the go-ahead, Warwick and Kenilworth stations would close and up to 100 retained firefighters across the county would lose their jobs.

More than 1,500 people have already signed
petitions to save the fire stations, led by Warwick and Leamington MP James Plaskitt, and now a
series of meetings are planned at individual fire
stations in October and November.

Mr Plaskitt said he first became aware of a plan to cut back on fire stations in 2007 and again in July 2008 but was assured there was no threat to Warwick station.

But he added: “Finally, we have been told the truth. The county council have proposed closing Warwick fire station, leaving just one station to cover Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth.

“With only two bridges linking Leamington and Warwick, both of which can get quite congested at peak times, this strikes me as an incredibly dangerous plan.”

Mr Plaskitt joined firefighters outside Warwick’s Sainsbury’s supermarket last weekend to collect more names on his petition.

Eva Haskins, who has lived in Warwick for 85 years, was angry at the plans to shut the town’s fire station.

She said: “We’ve always known the fire
station was there if we needed it.

“It would take much longer for fire engines to reach us from Leamington.

“And what about all those firemen who’ve
given years of service? Are they just going to throw them on the scrapheap?”

Mr Plaskitt has set up a Facebook group called Save Warwick Fire Station which currently has more than 1,000 members.

One member labelled the plans as “madness” and another said: “What’s the point of even thinking about closing the fire station? At the end of the day they save lives and help the community. If we get rid of the fire station there is more of a chance there would be nothing left of people’s homes, there could even be deaths because it will take twice as long for the fire services to get to the emergency.”

Rugby and Kenilworth MP Jeremy Wright is fighting plans to close Kenilworth fire station.

He said: “Kenilworth is a town of sufficient size to merit its own fire station and the reasons for keeping it are psychological as well as operational.

“People in the town feel safer with their own fire station.”

It costs about £205,000 a year to fund Warwick and Kenilworth stations but fire bosses and council representatives insist the plans are not a bid to cut costs in the fire service’s £25million-a-year budget.

A 12-week consultation questionnaire about the plans has been issued to the public.

The public meetings take place at Warwick fire station on October 5 at 6.30pm and Leamington fire station on November 3 from 6.30pm.

We will rise from the ashes

A COMMUNITY centre in Leamington almost destroyed by fire will rise again from the ashes, its director has vowed.

Steve Baylis fears Bath Place Community Venture will be impossible to rebuild but believes the swift and generous levels of support will see full services at the popular centre
restored in the future.

A blaze swept through the venue, in Bath Place, just before 3pm on September 24.

Mums and toddlers had to be led to safety as eight fire crews were called to tackle the blaze at the former
Victorian school.

Leamington-based crew manger Andy Corbett told the Times: “There was smoke and flames issuing from 50 per cent of the property. Smoke could be seen from half a mile away so I immediately called for back up.

“We then had crews from Warwick, Kenilworth, Southam, Rugby,
Nuneaton and Atherstone, together with an hydraulic platform from Leamington and a command support unit from Atherstone.

“There was a huge pall of smoke over Leamington and it took about two hours to bring the fire under control.”

The full extent of the damage and the length of time until the centre can reopen will not be known until safety inspectors, insurers and surveyors have assessed the building.

But Mr Baylis said it’s likely the building has been so badly damaged it will be impossible to rebuild.

He added: “The fire was a real blow, a real loss. It’s just devastating.

“The bottom line is the building could be a complete write-off. The fire has taken out the back end which
included the main hall and the IT suite.

“The cafe and the main office were water damaged – the only part that remained was the nursery. That only had slight smoke damage.”

The community centre has managed to secure a temporary base in Court Street while investigations continue and work to get its services up and running again has already begun.

Services provided by the centre
include the Veggie Table cafe, a
nursery, opportunities to volunteer, computer courses, English and
history for speakers of other languages and venue hire.

Shrubland Street Primary School has offered rooms for the nursery to use.

And Warwick District Council has said it will let Venture and the neighbouring African Caribbean
Centre move into the town hall for at least six months for a peppercorn rent of £1 a month.

Mr Baylis said: “The offers of
support have been great. We’ve
literally got nothing and when we’ve told people that they’ve been really, really good. There’s so much goodwill.

“Our main priority is to find a base. We’re here for the next couple of weeks but then we need a semi-
permanent home. We’re keen to be in the Old Town area and we’ve already had some offers.

“We need our independence and we need to be flexible.

“At the minute we’re just dealing with day-to-day things but then we’ll be getting our services started again and we’ll look to see how we develop from there. We want to get our youth projects and IT classes back up and running.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future but we’re doing everything we can to move forward.”