WIRRAL MATTERS Showing a Few Cracks Here and There? Than Moses
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Alan Brack reports.... the first. Way back in 1580 our own Good Queen Bess banned all building activities within a three-mile wide Summertime 2011 Ye Olde Greene Beltes belt around the City of London. It was not done to provide safe archery facilities or duelling areas. It was Have you noticed, a friend asked me recently, that an attempt to stop the spread of plague. whilst the Prime Minister is trying hard to push home his But green belts go back hundreds of years before that dream of The Big Society, the Little Society seems to be and the credit for originating them goes to none other WIRRAL MATTERS showing a few cracks here and there? than Moses. Yes, he of the Bible. The Old Testament NEWS and VIEWS from THE WIRRAL SOCIETY - FOUNDED 1928 A whisper here, a whisper there, he went on, outlines his proposals for a green belt round all the THE WIRRAL COMMITTEE OF THE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND (CPRE) suggests that some voluntary organisations, whether Levite towns in the Land of Israel. Furthermore, in the do-good or just pastime, are experiencing slow 7th century Muhammad established a sort of green belt President: Professor John Tarn OBE DL FRIBA FRSA FRHistS FSA membership leakage. The reason? Who knows? The around Medina. He did this by prohibiting the felling of any trees in a twelve-mile long strip around the city. BARRY LELLO The Wirral Society has supported a number of Friends’ irresistible lure of tv and computers and apps? The groups over the years, making donations towards community Ah, yes, there’s nothing new under the sun. wins the Keith Davidson Award dreaded ‘cuts’ in some way? Or, simply, just the planting schemes. One recent donation to FROG – the Here endeth the lesson. Given annually to a person or group who has made an changing times? Whatever it is, members of the rising important contribution to the Wirral environment Friends of Grange Community Park in West Kirby, enabled and maturing generation are proving hard to recruit into ++++++ the group to plant two fine walnut trees, which now form part societies and clubs of all sorts and committee vacancies WIRRAL HERITAGE OPEN DAYS of the mini community orchard, which was started in are even harder to fill. 3 to 11 September, many venues conjunction with Transition Town West Kirby. Sadly, one recent victim has been the old-established [email protected] www.transitiontownwestkirby.org.uk and worthy Wirral Green Belt Council which has had to cease its activities for lack of voluntary support. Some Current Society Casework Social Housing by Professor John Tarn The Wirral Society, of course, has always been a keen We are asking- - former Head of Liverpool University member of the Green Belt Council and has come to the • Cheshire West Council to find out what is School of Architecture, rescue and the good work is now continuing under our happening to the long-derelict garage on the A540 at Industrial towns in the 1830s were rife with typhoid and guardianship. Burton cholera – rich and poor alike were struck down. Novelists – The original idea of Green Belts around cities and • Wirral Council to make the owners of the retail units, Charles Dickens, Disraeli and Elizabeth Gaskell highlighted towns was to keep urban sprawl under control and at the former Champion factory at Arrowebrook, remove Photo credit: Valerie Burnett the desperate state of life for many of the workers. Severely crowded housing had no proper water supplies nor prevent towns merging into one another. This would be old signs & erect a proper sign board, for which they Barry joined the Committee of Wirral Footpaths and Open Spaces Preservation Society in 1997 and was elected drainage. done by designating and maintaining a belt of open have permission. Chairman in 1998. From then on he presented the views Gradually an awareness of the benefits of decent housing countryside around the boundaries where building • Wirral Council to reject plans for a further would be banned. This would also preserve the special of the Society to the Highways Authorities of Wirral and led to the 1875 Public Health Act. Many industrialists started supermarket in Greasby, to help safeguard existing Cheshire during consultations which led to the passing of to build well thought out, more spacious places for their characteristics of historic towns and help get rid of businesses laws such as The Countryside and Rights of Way Act and derelict areas. Moreover, green belts would preserve workers to live in. Titus Salt at Saltaire in Bradford, Price in • English Heritage to List the Burton Factory building The Marine Act. Bromborough Pool, Lever at Port Sunlight; Hartley’s Jam easy-getattable countryside where folk of all ages could He carried out footpath inspections and led some of the at Moreton, together with its important Jellicoe designed factory at Aintree and Akroydon in Halifax. There was railway play, go walking, hiking, camping and biking and landscaping. monthly walks run by the Footpaths Society. Barry also played a prominent role in the work of the Wirral housing and colliery housing. Well built council house estates generally relax and where children could play. • Wirral Council and the Rail station operator to clear Green Belt Council – dealing with planning applications such as Woodchurch sprung up. It seemed a simple and obvious course to take and, mounds of litter in and around Birkenhead North & The 1980s council house sell off policy destabilized the once in modern Britain a green belt policy was actively involving properties and Rights of Way. Birkenhead Park stations Margaret, his wife has supported the WFOSPS in various thriving communities and social problems began to again pursued in the 1930s following a determined CPRE • Peel Holdings for a meeting to discuss how the key roles and now cares for Barry after he suffered a impact badly on residents’ lives. campaign and the London metropolitan green belt was Society can become involved in detailed arrangements stroke. established in 1935. Following the campaign, fourteen for progressing ‘Wirral Waters’. other green belts were also established elsewhere in the ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ W.Victor Smith Lectures UK but they were by no means the first. Peak oil by Patrick Cleary, a The green belt concept, however, was not a British professional economist, and Margaret idea at all and it was certainly nothing new. Green belts Campbell, a retired doctor - members of Transition Town West Kirby. have been established in many countries around the World oil production peaked in the 1970s - now as supplies world including, unexpectedly, countries which one are hard to find, the citizens of the world need to look at thinks of as having vast open spaces. Countries like alternative fuels and lifestyles. The UK, now energy poor, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, the Philippines has an increasing trade gap. and South Korea. Oil is so much part of our modern life – used in clothes and Ironically, in Germany that infamous ‘Iron Curtain’ food, toys, paint and computers. The desperation for oil has which, in the post-war years, split the country into two led to energy inefficient schemes – including growing grain for bio fuel. Extracting oil from sand in Alberta has laid bitterly hostile factions had also protected a vast area waste vast areas. A positive response is Transition Towns of land from any incursions. So, when the barriers came – communities can serve their needs with lower energy down the land they had occupied plus holes made by Mr. J. Miles Duncan’s superbly layered input. This is a worldwide movement – from Canada to exploding landmines which had become ponds became hedges at Home Farm Landican received a Finland to Australia. West Kirby was an early Transition a de facto wildlife preserve and a ready-made green CPRE certificate. CPRE encourages Town and has developed many local initiatives – raising belt. farmers and landowners to see hedges and awareness of renewable energy, allotments and local food; community planting and bread-making projects. They will Moreover, even here in our green and pleasant land trees as valuable, well managed help anyone to set up as a TT. Eastham, Bromborough green belts established in the nineteen-thirties were not ecological systems and Chester have also joined the scheme. Good social housing – Brackenwood Estate, Bebington WIRRAL MATTERS 4 WIRRAL MATTERS 1 A Comment from the Chairman Liverpool. They aim to concentrate their giving on JOHN DOUGLAS, ARCHITECT - 1830 -1911 For many years the WGBC and the Wirral Society have Many of you will have heard of the Coalition strategic grants for work which contributes to the worked together in preserving the Green Belt on the Wirral. Government’s ‘Localism Bill’, which has recently been future wellbeing of Merseyside. By Elizabeth Davey making its way through Parliament. These radical The Foundation recognise that the region benefits Neil Parry, the WGBC Hon Secretary, has joined the proposals, if agreed, will introduce the new concept of from the work of voluntary bodies which, like Wirral Few visitors to Port Sunlight, who walk over the Dell Neighbourhood Planning. Wirral Society’s Committee as the Green Belt Co- Bridge, realise that this was the work of John Douglas, CPRE has said - “Empowering local communities to the Society, are small organisations having core costs not ordinator and is the focal point for any Green Belt issues. one of Cheshire’s most significant architects. places where they live should be a central part of the new easily funded or which are unable to devote significant His contact details are 0151 632 3481, email planning system… We welcome the aspirations that effort to fund raising.