DATE TO DECIDE FIRE STATION CLOSURES ANNOUNCED

A LONG-awaited decision on the future of seven Warwickshire fire stations will be made next month – and union leaders are expecting the “worst case scenario”.

Warwickshire County Council has announced July 20 as the date a meeting will take place to decide the fate of Warwick, Bidford, Brinklow, Kenilworth, Studley, Fenny Compton and Bedworth fire stations, which are under threat of closure.

About 100 retained firefighters also face losing their jobs under the council’s Fire and Rescue Improvement Plan.

The council has always maintained the plan is not a cost-cutting exercise, but one to see how a better service can be delivered.

But hundreds of residents have held protest marches and submitted petitions to the council, backed by the Fire Brigades’ Union (FBU) and MPs.

Mark Rattray, FBU’s Warwickshire brigade secretary, said: “What we have been told is that the proposal is the same as last year, which means losses are still part of the plan.

“This is after a lot of hard work from people campaigning to keep them and the feeling is still strong.

“We are still opposed to any closures and we are expecting the worst case scenario.

“We can understand that savings need to be made, but we need to ensure the safety of people first. We can bring to the table other ideas that would make savings and still keep the stations, such as modernising them.

“Some of the buildings are so old that they need investing in now – this will help to save later.”

Originally a decision was due to be made in February, but it was delayed because of the elections.

In the past eight months petitions have been handed in and protest marches organised by scores of angry residents.

Chris Downes, regional secretary of the FBU, said: “We will be looking at the local authority to see which way they will go. This whole process has been strange, and because of the elections, faced many delays.

“The public have supported a campaign to keep the stations open and the FBU have also submitted many reports. But I’m in the dark as much as everyone else on this matter.

“But they have to make a decision now and the FBU will take on what they say and deal with it accordingly.”

Tory MP Chris White, for Warwick and Leamington, said: “I still want the fire stations to stay open and there is still a high level of support from residents, district and county councillors.

“We’re looking to close this proposal down.

“The stations are essential for the confidence and safety for people of Warwickshire.

“People’s views must be listened to by the local authority.”

A campaign set up on social-networking site Facebook has attracted more than 2,000 members calling for an immediate halt of the proposed plans.

One person wrote: “No fire stations should close, every town should have one. For the community it is essential. Like a pub or a post office, it serves the area in its own way and should never be closed through cutbacks.”

What do you think? Write to us or email timesletters@mrn.co.uk.

CASTEL FROMA COULD MOVE TO OLD SCHOOL SITE

A SPECIALIST care centre could be moving to the former site of North Leamington School to improve its facilities.

Castel Froma in Leamington, is hoping to buy 3.4 acres of land at the site in Cloister Way to build a new 72-bed facility.

Chief executive Robert Pearce said that contracts had been exchanged, and they were now waiting for planning permission to be granted.

If successful, the charity could be looking to raise as much as £12million for the project, some of which would come from the sale of its present centre in Lillington Road.

The centre, which has an annual operating cost of £3.25million, cares for people who have suffered an acquired brain injury, contracted Multiple Sclerosis or other neurological conditions such as motor neurone disease, muscular dystrophy, or Parkinson’s Disease.

It provides 24-hour care for 57 residents, and has a staff of 150, which would be increased if the move to the new site took place.

The charity moved to its current premises in the mid-1950s, and the search for a new site began two years ago when the trustees decided it wouldn’t be practical to redevelop it.

Steve Nicklin, chairman of the trustees, said: “Our current premises are not ideal, and we need a new state-of-the-art building to give us an appropriate facility for the 21st century, one which will secure our future.

“We need to be able to move beds and wheelchairs about and our present centre, being a grand old house, has lots of steep staircases, some narrow corridors, and many small rooms. It also requires high maintenance.

“I have often said that our nursing staff delivers excellent care to our residents in spite of their
difficult working environment.”

The move will be the latest step in the master plan that chief executive Mr Pearce brought in two years’ ago to devise and implement.

He has already been responsible for restructuring the centre, devising and implementing new procedures, overseeing building work and redecoration, opening a new respite facility and
introducing new-look uniforms for all staff.

“We have also been in the process of re-branding, and now have a new brochure which better reflects the high quality care and facilities available at the centre,” he said.

“With this latest news, everyone is now very enthusiastic about the future.”

A planning meeting on the application is due to be held within the next four months.

For more information on services visit www.castelfroma.org.uk.

DECISION TO BE MADE OVER TRAVELLERS' SITE

A RETROSPECTIVE planning application put in by a group of travellers in Beausale will be heard at the end of this month.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday June 30 and Warwick District Council’s (WDC) planning committee will decide whether permission will be given to develop the site in Kites Nest Lane, near Kenilworth.

A public meeting took place last Friday evening to discuss the site.

It was held at Hatton Village Hall, in Birmingham Road, and was attended by scores of people, including residents, representatives from the travellers’ site, chief executive of WDC Chris Elliott, council members and Warwickshire Police.

Tory MPs Jeremy Wright, for Kenilworth and Southam, and Chris White, for Warwick and Leamington, were also there to provide their objections to the planning application, alongside the Council for the Protection of Rural England.

The meeting provided a platform for people to ask the council questions about the planning application.

A spokesman for action group Friends of the Greenbelt, said: “It is great to see such a cohesive front against this cynical retrospective planning application and we particularly appreciate the show of support at this meeting from other action groups such as Meriden Raid and Budbrooke Barg.

“The next big milestone is June 30 when the planning application will be heard and a decision made and we would ask the local community to continue in their unanimous objection to this application.”

During the first May bank holiday, travellers in 15 caravans turned up at the site with diggers and rollers and began to develop the site without planning permission.

WDC issued an emergency stop notice to ensure no further work was carried out until the planning application was heard.

A High Court injunction was also granted last month to stop any further development.

The application is seeking permission for the change of use of the land for British Romani Gypsy families for 13 permanent pitches for mobile homes, 13 touring caravans for nomadic use only and 13 utility day rooms.

What do you think? Write to us or email timesletters@mrn.co.uk.

CLUB RISES FROM ASHES AND LOOKS TO FUTURE

RACING Club Warwick has “risen like a phoenix from the ashes”, according to a member of the new management committee set up to save the club.

For the past 18 months the club, in Hampton Road, has been riddled with problems that meant its future was hanging in the balance.

But fresh hope has been given after Warwick District Council and Warwick Town Council have been working together to help.

A management committee team made up of 12 people has also been set up and includes Mayor of Warwick Cllr Mike Kinson, Councillor Linda Bromley and chairman of the previous committee Andi Feasey.

Cllr Bromley (Con, Warwick West) said: “Racing Club Warwick has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of the previous organisation since Warwick Town Council came to the rescue of this vital community-based facility.”

The club is now renting changing rooms that have been bought by the town council and has offered a home to the 3rd Warwick Scouts.

They are also offering activities such as boxing, bingo, darts and football and are hoping to set up a youth club too.

Andi Feasey took over as chairman of the previous committee in July last year and has also become a member of the management committee.

He said: “Before Christmas whether the club was staying open was being decided on a week-by-week basis, but now we have the town and district council to help us.

“We have increased bookings, which generates revenue, so things are really starting to look up.

“I can’t see us going backwards now, we’re all pushing in the same direction and that’s to only go forward.

“We’ve got a club AGM meeting on July 11 and we’ll decide from there how to carry on taking the club forward.”

To make a booking at the club’s function room call 01926 491849 after 6.30pm.

What do you think? Write to us or email timesletters@mrn.co.uk.

ALERT FOR HOMES IN PROPOSED HS2 RAIL LINE

HOMEOWNERS living near the proposed route of the high speed rail link are being urged to get their homes valued now before house prices plummet by a predicted 25 per cent.

The stark warning comes from estate agents who have drawn parallels between the HS2 link and the widening of the M40 which had a devastating impact on local house prices.

The London to Birmingham rail line would cut through greenery in Warwickshire and see trains thunder past at 250mph every 20 minutes.

It has led to scores of property owners fearing house prices will plummet and sparked an outcry over the government’s compensation scheme.

Richard Kenyon, who has lived with his wife in Dalehouse Lane, Kenilworth, for 40 years, could be one of the worst affected by the predicted property blight.

The couple are considering selling their estimated £1.5million home but fear it will prove unsaleable if the proposed rail link is approved.

Mr Kenyon, a 72-year-old independent financial administrator, said: “The rail route would be 100 yards from my doorstep and will be noisier than a jet engine.

“There are two issues I have with HS2. The first is the Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS) that is the compensation package being proposed by the government, which is not good enough.

“We need to be offered 100 per cent compensation on the value of our homes before the HS2 announcement was made, similar to what home-owners were offered when there are talks of runway expansions elsewhere in the country.

“Secondly, from what I can see there isn’t a big enough demand for this link judging by HS1, which links London to the south east of Kent.

“As I understand half the carriages on the service have been removed because they have been travelling empty.

“This is a very expensive project where money could be spent on schools and the health services.”

The EHS has a raft of requirements people need to meet before they become eligible to any compensation – this includes demonstrating an urgent need to move for work, financial or medical reasons and property that was bought prior to know-ledge of HS2.

Kenilworth resident Mark Evans, of Crackley Lane, thinks the EHS needs to be expanded to include more people.

The 44-year-old consultant engineer said: “I have lived here for eight years and deliberately moved here because it is a quiet area with green space.

“There is a great deal of uncertainty at the moment and even though the train won’t be too close to my house there will be a certain amount of noise pollution that will come into play.

“We had our home valued prior to the HS2 announcement because we’re planning on building an extension on our property, but we are concerned about the impact of the rail route.

“If the price of my property does fall because of HS2 then people should get full compensation back rather than what the EHS is currently offering. It has strict conditions that need to be changed.”

Warwickshire chartered surveyors and estate agents Hawkesford has already carried out several valuations for people who want to monitor any future drop in their house price.

Managing director James Hawkesford said: “There may be many claims for compensation and it is important the current valuation is obtained now, before prices begin to drop.

“It was inevitable that just the threat of this happening has already affected the value of properties in Southam, Offchurch, Cubbington and Kenilworth, that lie close to the proposed route.

“Sellers are legally required to tell prospective buyers about the plans, even though they’re yet to be decided and construction wouldn’t begin until 2019 at the earliest.”

Comparisons have been made to homeowners seeking compensation when the M40 was widened about 10 years ago.

Hawkesford agent Peter Wilson, an associate member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, said: “When we dealt with valuations because of the M40 we saw house prices in the area fall by 20 to 25 per cent.

“And there are certain similarities between what homeowners near the HS2 line face compared to the M40.”

Alex Khan, head of conveyancing at Leamington law firm Blythe Liggins, said: “In order to help those affected by the proposals, the government intends to introduce an EHS so home-owners with a pressing need to sell can apply to the government to purchase their property at the full market rate.”

Joe Rukin, chairman of the Kenil-worth Action Group, who oppose HS2, branded the whole scheme “ridiculous”.

He added: “People are expected to put their lives on hold for about 10 years because of this.

“The cost factor hasn’t been looked at properly, because there isn’t enough money in the country to fund this.”

What do you think? Write to us or email timesletters@mrn.co.uk.

CONFUSION OVER INCINERATOR PLANS

A MEETING held to discuss the future of a proposed £1billion super incinerator indicated it could be put on the scrap-heap.

Representatives from Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City Council and Solihull Borough Council met this week to discuss the viability of a bigger incinerator in Coventry.

It would burn waste coming in from all three areas.

But revamping the ageing burner instead of signing up for a 25-year PFI contract seems to be gaining support.

Councillor John Whitehouse, (Lib Dem, Kenilworth Abbey), was a Warwickshire represen-tative at the meeting on Monday.

He said: “The meeting was rather inconclusive as two out of the three Coventry reps didn’t turn up.

“Everyone was quite keen to hear from them because of the amount of press coverage they have got regarding their stance on the plan.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty about the future of this project. We don’t know if the new
government will scrap PFI credits that have not yet reached an advanced stage.

“I wanted to ask Coventry councillors about their position.

“Solihull seem to be in favour of looking at a refurbishment, which means Warwickshire would have to follow.

“As we know as recently as March we’ve called for Warwickshire council not to back the idea, but so far they have said they would.”

As the Times has previously reported, the new Labour administration in Coventry has said it would prefer to revamp the current incinerator rather than having a new one.

A public “engagement” to give people a chance to give their views on a proposed incinerator, which would be located in Whitley, Coventry, has been postponed.

The consultation was due to start this month, but chiefs behind Project Transform said that they need more time to brief members since the election.

Lucy Rumble, of Project Transform, said: “Rather than a consultation, we prefer to call it an engagement where people will be given the chance to look at the outline planning permission case for the incinerator in Whitley.

“The plan was to hold a number of drop-in sessions, like an exhibition, that would invite people’s comments.

“But we decided we should delay this so we can get all members up to speed.

“The engagement should start by the summer holidays though.”

CAMPAIGN FOR ST JOHN AMBULANCE

A DOOR to door campaign to fundraise for St John Ambulance is being launched in Warwickshire tomorrow.

A team of fundraisers, who have been specially trained by charity promotion agency Wesser, will be calling house to house from Thursday June 10 to ask residents to support the work of St John Ambulance in their community.

They will be visiting Kenilworth, Lapworth, Burton Green, Baginton and Southam and will not be collecting cash or cheques, but instead asking people to consider becoming long-term supporters with a voluntarily chosen donation, for as long as they like.

Les Thacker, county executive officer for St John Ambulance in Warwickshire, said: “We depend heavily on private and corporate donations, as we receive no core government funding in carrying out our first aid duties.

“By working with Wesser we are able to tell people about our charitable work, as well as raising funds, in the most cost effective and efficient way possible – through regular donations.

“This leaves our volunteers to continue to make a difference in their communities and work towards reducing the number of lives which are lost needlessly each year. We are confident by handing out the first aid guides we will also be empowering others to make a difference too.”

Each fundraiser will be dressed in St John Ambulance branded clothing and will also be carrying identification which residents are encouraged to check before signing anything.

The police and local neighbourhood watch groups have been made aware of the fundraisers’ work in the area and if anyone has any concerns, they are able to phone the supporter hotline number on 0845 222 11 99.