Hyndburn sore shuts after 50 years (From Blackburn Citizen)
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Hyndburn sore shuts after 50 years
4:35pm Friday 21st September 2012 in News
SHUTTING UP SHOP Bolton Avenue Newsagents
A CONVENIENCE store at the heart of an estate has closed its doors after more than 50 years with the loss of six jobs.
Bolton Avenue Newsagents, which served the Within Grove estate, Huncoat, for decades, made the decision after new pavement bollards prevented passing trade parking directly outside.
Owner Keith Windle said a zebra crossing outside his shop, along with pavement bollards, should have been sited a further 30 yards down directly opposite the children’s play park area.
But Lancashire County Council said the move was necessary for safety to prevent pavement parking near the crossing.
Mr Windle said he took on the business, which provides six part-time jobs, 20 years ago on the expectation that a 400-house development would be built only for the plans to fall through. Coun Whittaker said residents were “devastated” by the loss of the shop.
He explained: “Now people will have to walk another mile to top up their phone and get electric cards. The estate is up in arms. It has been trading there for years and was doing well until the council intervened.”
Huncoat councillor Dave Parkins said: “We have campaigned for a zebra crossing and I’m glad it’s here because children have been killed on Bolton Avenue. Safety comes first.
“However, I am not sure why it is sited exactly where it is, although I am not a traffic officer.
“It is very sad that they have gone out of business because something is needed here. I had a meeting with a convenience chain but they weren’t interested because the catchment area is so small and access is bad for deliveries.”
Oliver Starkey, Lancashire County Council highways manager for Hyndburn, said: “The zebra crossing on Bolton Avenue was introduced in response to requests to provide a safer connection between housing on the west side of the road at Within Grove and the play area to the east.
“It was necessary to place bollards at the back of the pavement to prevent cars from being driven across it and possibly endangering pedestrians on the crossing.
“Parking is available next to the shop on Oakhurst Avenue where there are no waiting restrictions."
Comments(15)
buzzinfly
says...
4:42pm Fri 21 Sep 12
prince of darkness
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4:58pm Fri 21 Sep 12
Bat E Karen
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5:07pm Fri 21 Sep 12
darwenTower
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5:21pm Fri 21 Sep 12
anonther
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5:50pm Fri 21 Sep 12
useyourhead
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6:33pm Fri 21 Sep 12
anonther wrote:The hot vimto, sweetie shop?
Nothing new here. LCC highways manager riding roughshod over local concerns. This is why they are well paid and have a good pension - to supposedly have the ability to find solutions to problems, not to solve one problem by creating another. This has echos of the death of another well supported local shop which had to close when LCC operatives imposed a pelican crossing out side the shop in Blackburn Road Great Harwood.
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still miss it today, used it daily.
davidinburnley
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9:03pm Fri 21 Sep 12
I do agree though that it's about time the LET learnt to spell - or at least recruited a proof reader.
timeforcommonsense
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9:13pm Fri 21 Sep 12
anonther wrote:The planning bosses don't give a c**p. They don't listen to residents, it is anything for the cheapest. In Clayton-le-Moors they are placing bollards on an estate where the roads are too narrow for the volume of cars and the pathways are so narrow that people with pushchairs and prams have to walk in the road. Still they are managing to make £1200 out of residents so that they can traverse backwards and forwards over the pavement onto a hard standing, increasing the risk of there being at least one driver who doesn't pay attention and runs someone over. Still the head of planning at Hyndburn council doesn't care because they live elsewhere.
Nothing new here. LCC highways manager riding roughshod over local concerns. This is why they are well paid and have a good pension - to supposedly have the ability to find solutions to problems, not to solve one problem by creating another. This has echos of the death of another well supported local shop which had to close when LCC operatives imposed a pelican crossing out side the shop in Blackburn Road Great Harwood.
anonther
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9:18pm Fri 21 Sep 12
useyourhead wrote:I was thinking about the the newsagents. I'd forgotten about the other shop - you're quite correct.
anonther wrote:The hot vimto, sweetie shop?
Nothing new here. LCC highways manager riding roughshod over local concerns. This is why they are well paid and have a good pension - to supposedly have the ability to find solutions to problems, not to solve one problem by creating another. This has echos of the death of another well supported local shop which had to close when LCC operatives imposed a pelican crossing out side the shop in Blackburn Road Great Harwood.
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still miss it today, used it daily.
rggraham1947
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10:00am Sat 22 Sep 12
Gennoe1
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2:36pm Sat 22 Sep 12
nonjob
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3:03pm Sat 22 Sep 12
Only when their ceaseless incompetence has resulted in so many businesses failing, that their tax payer funded, magic money tree is no more, will they finally make the connection.
Until then, we will have to continue reading stories like this one.
w w w.nonjob.tumblr.com
2 for 5p
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11:05am Sun 23 Sep 12
Gaius Grossus
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4:45pm Mon 24 Sep 12
1 As Mr Starkey says there is plenty of parking space in Oakhurst Ave, including the church car park.
2 When traffic parked immediatly outside the shop
it became very difficult to see down Bolton Avenue when coming out of Oakhurst, especially when turnining left.
So don't blame the LCC, blame those who do not wish to walk more than 5 yards!!!.
LittleMissKc says...
4:40pm Fri 21 Sep 12