Meetings | Projects | Tourism |

Urgent traffic problem!

Hall Hill field On Watch!

St John's Church Residential use proposed

Cumberland Drive Result!

See our wide variety of activities!

Clarence canal bridge Now open!

Forthcoming events - please join us, everyone very welcome!
 

 
We provide a very interesting line up of meetings for you to participate in and enjoy!

Everyone is welcome to attend Civic Society meetings including non-members who will be asked to make a small voluntary contribution. This is redeemable against a subscription if you join on the night.

All members with email addresses are sent a reminder a couple of days before each meeting. If you would also like a reminder please send an email now and we will send you a memory jogger too.

The Society holds monthly meetings from September to May (but not in December) each year to provide maximum opportunities to discuss matters of direct concern to Bollington. If there is a particular subject you would like considered at a future meeting then please email the committee.

Meetings in 2010/11:

Monday 20th September Ted Clunn will tell us about The Ingersley Vale Development. Monday 18th October Talk by Speaker from 'Friends of the Peaks'. Monday 15th November AGM followed by 'Changes to the Planning Process'. December 2008 No evening meeting in December! Monday 17th January 2011 Paul Williams - Tullis Russell, Paper Coaters. Monday 21st February Bollington Carbon Revolution - annual update on projects and progress. Monday 21st March Kevin Dranfield - 'The Goyt Valley Miner'. Monday 18th April The Village Design Statement. Monday 16th May Bollington Matters - an Open Discussion + photos

Bollington Civic Society meets indoors from September to May (but not December) each year. All our meetings are open to non-members. Additional meetings, usually outdoor, are arranged for summer evenings and weekends.

Download a leaflet now

Bollington Civic Society joins Civic Voice!

Bollington Civic Society is pleased to join the new (17 April 2010) Civic Voice, launched with the support of Restoration presenter Griff Rhys Jones to represent the interests of civic societies across the country to government, national bodies and local councils. We hope this body will be successful in raising the profile of civic societies and the work that these bands of concerned volunteers do, and gain a position of influence so that the concerns of civic minded groups like ours will get a better hearing from government, local councils and authorities in general. Our conservation areas, in particular, are under threat from inappropriate developments, householder 'improvements' and the general clutter of modern life such as too many road signs, yellow lines and so on. We need a national body that can raise awareness where it matters to get more consideration for the community built into public decision making and to raise the public's awareness of what they, the community, are at risk of losing.

Officers and Committee

Sandra Edwards was elected chairman once again at the 2009 AGM. Sandra has a history of community activity including several years as a councillor on Bollington Town Council.

Chairman: Sandra Edwards
Vice Chairman: Tim Boddington
Secretary: David Haddleton
Treasurer: Barry Matthews
Committee: Graham Barrow, Ted Clunn, Chris Kettlety

A sub-committee chaired by Graham Hibbert is responsible to the main committee for the management of the Discovery Centre.

A further group under the leadership of Nicola Percival is responsible for the Bollington Carbon Revolution project.

Civic Society activities

Your Civic Society is involved in a number of important aspects of Bollington life:

Cumberland Drive development appeal

We strongly contested the appeal made by H Cumberbirch & Son Ltd against the rejection of their plan to build on the Red Lion car park. Happily we have won our case and their appeal was rejected. They have subsequently submitted a further application for four three story houses on Cumberland Drive. We contested this at planning committee and won our case again. What next?. See the page on this.

They consulted us about the site opposite the Red Lion. They subsequently submitted an application answering all of our main comments and we decided not to contest it. This has now been approved.

The Future of St John's Church

The Committee decided that a group should be formed with the objective of looking after the interests of the town with respect to the future of St John's Church. A plan was put to the Church authorities by a developer and they have agreed to sell on that basis. The Civic Society was concerned on a number of matters but since seeing the full plans and heard the developers intentions we have withdrawn our objections. A page is devoted to this.

Town Plan

The Civic Society supports and is involved in the further development of the Town Plan. This is particularly important in 2010 because of the imminent closure of Kay Metzelers Waterhouse Mill site (history). We are acutely concerned about the future re-development of the site - we don't want a huge housing estate!

Bollington Tourism - Destination Bollington!

There were concerns that tourism was not developing sufficiently well but that is now changing with the development outside the Civic Society (although members are involved) of the Destination Bollington project! Have a look at the page.

Clarence footbridge over the canal

The Civic Society, represented by Graham Barrow, were at the forefront of the campaign to construct the new footbridge over the canal at Clarence Mill to enable canal users on the towpath to access the mill, its businesses and facilities, particularly the café and our own Discovery Centre, and to enable those who live in and around the mill to access the towpath and the Recreation Ground for their recreational purposes. To break an impasse we even agreed to own the finished structure! The opening of the bridge at the end of August 2009 has resulted in very significant increases in the numbers of visitors to both the café and the Discovery Centre. See the bridge page for the full story.

Bollington Carbon Revolution project

A considerable amount of interest was shown in our article in the Summer 2006 edition of Bollington Live! regarding a possible Carbon Reduction project. We held a special meeting to inaugurate a project which has now been developing with great success ever since. Please look at the team's web site devoted to this interesting project.

The Discovery Centre Project

We have developed a Discovery Centre at Clarence Mill which opened on 14th May 2005. It is on the canal side at Clarence Mill by the great generosity of the owners Clarence Mill Properties Ltd. We obtained grants for its development from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Cheshire Rural Recovery, Macclesfield Borough Council, Bollington Town Council and other private donors. It provides information and exhibitions designed to show the past, present and future of Bollington, its industries and its people.

The Discovery Centre houses the very popular historic picture collection which contains over 5,000 pictures of Bollington and its people going back well over a century.

Conservation Areas

We are taking a closer interest in the changes that take place in the four Conservation Areas (CA) in Bollington. These are described in full on separate pages.

We were very pleased that Cllr Ken Edwards (Bollington Town Council) supported the society with the specific responsibility for Conservation Areas. One of his primary interests is in establishing a further CA at Lowerhouse and discussions have been taking place with CEC.

We have also discussed with the CEC Highway Authority their compliance with Conservation Area guidelines while maintaining our roads.

Development planning (ongoing)

We watch planning applications, discuss them with those having an interest and make representations to Councilors and CEC planners where we wish to challenge proposals. If you are concerned about a proposal and would like to discuss it with the Civic Society please email Vice Chairman Tim Boddington who takes a special interest in planning matters for the society.

History and heritage (ongoing)

A group of historians and their helpers have assembled a very large collection of photographs showing Bollington and its population through the past 100+ years - our oldest picture dates from about 1860, before the railway was built! They continue to research the history of the town, its industries and the people who made it what it is today. The Discovery Centre provides public access to the collection for the first time. The collection is also now available online - go to the Discovery Centre pages. We have re-published two of the well known books about Bollington and further publications are planned.

The Kerridge Ridge & Ingersley Vale Countryside & Heritage Project

The Society was involved in the historical survey which formed an early part of this project. More on this. We are also acutely interested in what development takes place in the Vale. The KRIV project finished in summer 2010.

Bollington Live!

The Civic Society originally founded Bollington Live! and has remained as a sponsor since it became independent. The village magazine is published three times each year and delivered free to every home. Several of our members are involved in the writing, editing, selling of advertising, and delivery of the magazine.

Future projects

The Civic Society supports a Friends of the Rec project to create a footpath through Swinerood Wood between the canal towpath opposite Clarence Mill and the Recreation Ground.

A number of other projects are in the backs of our minds but yet to be formally launched. These include canal towpath refurbishment and a Middlewood Way conservation area.

If you would like to be involved in any of these interests please email the chairman now telling me what you would like to know more about and I will introduce you to the relevant member.

 
Mike Braddock, MD, Slater Harrison, gave a very interesting presentation celebrating more than 70 years of Slater Harrison in Bollington (they celebrated 75 years in 2004). Check out their web page for a sound and video tour of the historic Lowerhouse Mill.