‘Shut our gates forever’
From the archive, first published Monday 11th Sep 2006.
A COMMUNITY fighting plans by Bolton Council to open a set of gates has presented a petition with almost 500 signatures to councillors.
Residents living in and around Shepherd Cross Street, in Halliwell, Bolton, want gates at the bottom of the street to be removed and bricked up.
The gates are at the side of Mortfield Fishing Club and lead to a footpath, open land and a stretch of water used by the club.
Bolton Council believes the attractive area should be accessible to the whole community.
But members of the Safeguard Our Community group fear that if council plans to keep them permanently open go ahead, children could be attracted to the water and criminals could be given a route to elderly people's homes.
Now 487 local campaigners have put their names to a 33-page petition which was presented to the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Walter Hall, at a meeting of Bolton Council last week.
Zoey Gregory, aged 33, lives on nearby Victory Grove, and represented the group with her five-year-old daughter, Shauna, at the meeting.
Miss Gregory said: "I feel very strongly about this and wanted to see the petition handed over myself.
"My the main concern is children's safety. It's too easy for them to get through those gates and near open water in an area where they can't be seen.
"If people want access to the land, they can use another set of gates on Avenue Street. Residents around Shepherd Cross Street feel so strongly about this that I think the council should just brick it up and put our minds at rest."
Sandra Bridger, acting chairman of the Safeguard Our Community group and keyholder at Mortfield Fishing Club, said: "We're really hoping the council will see how many people are against this and want the area bricked up.
"We feel that if the gates are simply locked, a decision could be made to reopen them in a year or two under the premise that public opinion may have changed.
"We want to ensure that it stays safe for future residents as well as those living in the area now."
A council spokesman said: "A report will be prepared for consideration by the executive member for development."
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