The FUTURE OF HORWICH

THE FUTURE OF HORWICH
SEEKING A FAIRER DEAL FOR OUR COMMUNITY
DECLINE & EROSION OF HORWICH

A little about us
THE FUTURE OF HORWICH
Decline & Erosion of Horwich
On 3 February 2015 Horwich First arranged a meeting with
Councillor Morris (Leader of Bolton Council), Sean Harriss
(Chief Executive) and Keith Davis (Director of Regeneration
and Environment) in which we discuss the Future of Horwich.
As part of our introduction we highlighted the sysmatic decline of services
and amenities within the town. We pointed out that Bolton Council where not
responsible for all of this decline as many fell outside their control. However,
Bolton Council are not blameless and have featured heavily in this decline whether
directly or indirectly through decisions they have made or influenced.
Prepared by the following Horwich Community Groups:
Horwich First, Horwich Loco Works Action Group, Friends of Horwich Football
and Horwich RMI Cricket Club.
Email Contact: horwichfirst@gmail.com
THE FUTURE OF HORWICH - THE DECLINE AND EROSION OF SERVICES & AMENITIES
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The narrative is simple,
the progressive and
sustained decline and
erosion of services and
amenities within Horwich
over the past 30 years.
Sadly, we have seen an
acceleration of this due
to financial pressures and
centralisation in recent
years. At the same time
Horwich’s own population
has steadily increased and
within the next decade it
is set to explode, placing
even greater pressures
on the few resources still
remaining.
Before I continue we are not saying that Bolton
Council are responsible for all of this decline as
many fall outside their control. However, Bolton
Council are not blameless and have featured heavily
in this decline whether directly or indirectly through
decisions they have made or influenced.
As mentioned previously the disconnect between
the interests of Horwich and those of Bolton
Council has been an ongoing cause of frustration
and sometimes anger for many of those that live in
Horwich, spanning decades.
Horwich is not a ward or borough of Bolton Council,
it is a Town within its own right with our own Town
Council. A status we are proud of, yet many here
feel that it is treated as a ward or borough. Our own
Town Council has throughout the years pointed out
its own frustrations in which decisions made locally
have been ignored and often overruled by Bolton
Council.
As recent as 2011 Cllr Levin, Chair of Horwich
Planning sent a scathing letter to Bolton Council
outlining these very same concerns. 3 years later
we understand these concerns have still not been
addressed. Horwich has little control of planning,
having what can only be described as a role of
Consultee. To our knowledge not a single hard
copy of the 2000+ pages that represented the Loco
Works application was give to the Towns Planning
Committee and from what was observed a few scant
footnotes was all that they could rely on in making
a decision about the largest housing development in
Bolton’s History. This is not acceptable by anyone’s
standards and is just another example of the
dismissive nature Bolton Council has towards both
the elected representatives and this community.
Horwich is not a political town but it does have a
strong community spirit, this was evident at last
year’s street party in which thousands attended
this charitable event. Horwich also has the last
remaining Carnival in Bolton organised by a small
dedicated team of volunteers. This is a great town
to live in.
But don’t for one moment under estimate this
community, if pushed, it is a force to be reckoned
with. Bolton Council found this out when it
attempted to force a super tip on Horwich in 1995
resulting in an avalanche of protest. The damage
caused by this reckless act of community vandalism
has continued to underpin the belief that Bolton
Council has a centralised agenda in which it rarely
supports or delivers investment into our Town.
As a town we have seen a shameless pattern -
resources and investment have been starved to
the point in which services and amenities become
unused and redundant. This was clearly evident
with our once bustling market hall; Horwich
College; public toilets; recreational green spaces and
sporting facilities which have all succumbed to an
unjust end. Horwich Baths and Leisure Centre along
with our Community Centres have seen minimal
investments and look tired and unloved. This
doesn’t encourage usage, but deters it.
We have seen the centralisation of services such
as the Job Centre, Specialist and Acute Health
Provision, the closure of our Police Station and
decommissioning of the Recycling Centre at
Blackrod to name a few.
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The promise of a state-of-art super Health Centre
which would have delivered a whole list of practical
and specialist Health and Lifestyle services has
disappeared. We now have to travel across Bolton
for the most basic of services and this is an acute
problem for the Elderly and Disabled.
We have witnessed an incoherent and nonenforcement
policy of the Conservation Areas
within the Town Centre and the Loco Works,
this statutory obligation has resulted in much of
the Heritage on the loco works earmarked for
demolition and a Town Centre which has become
shabby and unloved.
With the loss of a vast range of diverse retailers
in which much blame can be laid at the door of
Middlebrook selling comparison goods this has
resulted in the Town Center plummeting 291 places
in retail ranking. Horwich was beginning to recover
due to some great restaurants opening up, sadly
this was short lived as permission was given to
Middlebrook to open up various national restaurant
chains in direct competition to Horwich’s thriving
independent restaurant businesses. We have also
seen the loss of 4 Sub Post Offices, 8 Butchers to
mention a few.
All of these things are what makes a community,
giving it purpose and a sense of identity, otherwise
we just become a sprawling housing estate in which
we have little cause to interact with one another.
This onslaught of decline and erosion needs to be
stopped and reversed and a plan needs to be put in
place to secure this.
This is why, like many other towns up and down
the country we need to develop as a priority a
comprehensive Town Plan for Horwich. A plan
in which we work closely with Bolton Council to
address the anticipated rapid population growth
within the next decade, in which local people
can influence the provision and delivery of local
services, amenities and infrastructure. Making
Horwich a better, healthier and even more
successful town to live.
WHAT WE HAVE LOST AS A COMMUNITY
We have lost the following services, amenities and
infrastructure. This is not an exhaustive list but
covers much of the items that have disappeared in
Horwich and haven’t been replaced:
Amenities:
- Market Hall
- Horwich College
- 3 x Public Toilets
- Brazely Library
- Job Centre
- Specialist and Acute Health Provision
- Horwich Clinic NHS Dentist
- Police Station
- Recycling Centre at Blackrod
- 4 Sub Post Offices
- The Public Hall
- Fox Street Youth Club
- Public bench at the Leisure Centre
- Public bench at the former Mechanics’ Institute
(Residents Home) is damaged and now not useable
- State-of-art super Health Centre
Retail:
The Middlebrook has had a major impact on
Horwich Town Centre with the loss of a huge array
of diverse retailers. Falling 291 places in retail
ranking after countless assurance by Bolton Council
that it wouldn’t, who then went on to allow them to
sell comparison goods:
Restauarants, Pubs and Clubs:
Since the Middlebrook was allowed to introduce
more restaurants in recent years we have witness
an accelerate failure rate in Horwich restaurants
with others struggling to survive.
The Greenwood Pub
Victoria Pub
Blackdog Pub
Squirrel Pub
Queens Head
Central Club
Royal British Legion Club
British Aerospace Club
Labour Club
Nibblers & Trickshots
Sporting Amenities:
- The number of pitches on Green Lane & Pick Ups
Fields reduced/lost
- Station Park Astroturf is not fit for purpose
- Slaters Field is now half unusable - top end
wasteland
- Former British Aerospace site has lost multiple
football, rugby, cricket pitches and bowling greens.
- Telford Mill Playing Fields/Taylor’s Field
- Bob’s Brew cricket wicket and football pitch
- Victoria Mill pitches
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- St Elizabeth’s/Cedar Avenue lost to football
- Squirrel bowing green
- Greenwood bowling green
- Bromilow Arms bowling green
- Horwich RMI bowling green x1
- Sportshall at Barnstomers (indoor cricket nets)
- Tennis Courts x3 at Horwich RMI & a pavilion
- Gymnasium at the former Mechanics Institute
- Grundy Hill, former home of Horwich RMI FC
- x2 pitches, including a Northern - Premier League
standard ground, resulting in the loss of our
town’s senior team, (now play in Leigh as Leigh
Genesis). - Compare this to Chorley.
- Horwich College: Horwich RMI Juniors evicted and
planning permission granted for homes.
Horwich Golf Club will be next.
Within the last 12 months alone we have lost
Green Spaces and Recreational Play Areas at:
- Green space at the top of Crown Lane
- Recreational Play Area at Berne Avenue
This list in neither conclusive or exhaustive.
- Cricket Pitch where Ridgmont Close is now (New
Chapel CC).
- Cricket Pitch where Greenhalgh’s Bakery is now
(Various Teams).
- Cricket Pitch where St Joseph’s School is now, plus
in formal Football pitches (St Elizabeths CC).
- Cricket Pitch on Green Lane/Pick Ups
- Football field off the track to Rivington Castle
on the right, played on by many teams including
Crown FC.
Also worth mentioning the most recent landlord
at the Bridge Inn has now forced out the bowling
teams off their green and the locks have been
changed.
- Hilton Fields are now privately leased.
- Ridgmont Park whilst remaining is of poor quality.
- Green Lane: included in housing allocations and
therefore will be lost
THE FUTURE OF HORWICH - THE DECLINE AND EROSION OF SERVICES & AMENITIES
Seeking a Fairer Deal for our Community 5

THE FUTURE OF HORWICH
SEEKING A FAIRER DEAL FOR OUR COMMUNITY