Demolition gets under way

Demolition of the derelict Sefton Arms public house on the Longmead estate is due to get under way within days and will take about four weeks.

Lib Dem Councillors Buxton and Morgan have kept the subject at the forefront of the council agenda for the past year and finances were finally put aside in January to do the work. After the site has been cleared, the area will be levelled off and hopefully turfed over, complete with perimeter bollards to stop improper use of what should be a useful amenity for the neighbourhood.

The project also includes substantial security measures for the disused shops site at Hollymoor Lane, but the remaining shopkeeper will stay open. Until Rosebery Housing Association can secure the required investment for the Hollymoor Lane redevelopment project there may be little progress, but our Court ward Councillors will be exploring every avenue to find a way forward.

Cllr Buxton said "It's seemed to take forever to get to this stage, but I am really pleased the council is at last treating the issue as important. In a couple of months' time, we should be able to go along Sefton Road and see a new area of green space. We have so many disused buildings in Court ward, the Horton Chapel and Water Tower amongst them, and it casts a slur on the environment if they are simply ignored for years on end."

The Longmead area is again scheduled to become a Community Safety Action Zone: this is a collaborative effort on the part of the local authority, police and other agencies, to reduce crime and improve the local environment. A meeting of the Environment Committee on Wednesday 25th March will discuss the merits of several locations to mount the next CSAZ in the borough.