Thornton    Action    Group

TAG Open Space Survey 2004



Thornton Open Spaces Survey

  1. Pheasant’s Wood 1.22ha WBC conservation area Dense wood with pond, pedestrian access from 2 points along Pheasant’s Wood Drive Not maintained, no litter, some paths very boggy, dark and dangerous?

  2. Mayfield Drive WBC? Well maintained grass area with trees, open access, potential wild life area What is its purpose?

  3. East of Amounderness Way 1.53ha. Thin strips along Amounderness Way - old hedge borders Way, then excavated area which is wild, then ridge of excavated material (noise buffer) with mown grass which looks into back gardens of bungalows. Access at 2 places for pedestrians only, some dog fouling (no bin), some vandalism, litter and garden waste dumped. Area needs attention and regular cleaning up. Thank goodness access by car is impossible!

  4. Poacher’s Way  -- Barratt’s ? Well maintained grass area with trees, open access, NBG sign.

  5. North of Bourne Way (Phase II) 0.9 ha NPL? Grassed area unmaintained, open access, mainly dog walking (14-60+) Poor quality - litter, dog fouling, safety. Needs urgent attention.

  6. North of Bourne Way 1.67ha NPL 2 football pitches - hedges around, organised football for under 17’s. Near Bourne Way/Fleetwood Road, open access. Also used informally for football, motor bikes.

  7. South of Bourne Way NPL Strip of land along Bourne Way, maintained grass and trees, open access, too near Bourne Way for sport, wild life potential.

  8. South of Bourne Way 3.6 ha (?inc no.7) NPL 3 football pitches, car parking, pavilion and toilets, trees around, open access Organised football ages 14-60, also dog running area. Problem of dog fouling , some litter/graffiti, could be better looked after.

    8 (a) Bowling Green NPL/Barratt’s? Private, restricted access (replaced old ICI bowling green)


  9. FleetwoodRd/Bourne Rd (Thornton International) NPL Restricted access Quarter of area is 1 football pitch, parking area, toilet,pavilion used privately by Thornton International (ages 13-60), play equipment for young children. Rest is informal open spaces - fields/hedges/ditches/trees, not maintained. Thornton International also use pitches on No 10 (Poolfoot), but use changing facilities are here. NPL propose to move this pitch onto Poolfoot and put houses on this area.

  10. Gamble Road Sports Field (Poolfoot) NPL 3 football pitches, hedges/trees around, Restricted access-(?ignored), poor access, walking and dog walking all ages, also meeting, informal as well as formal sports use for 0-17 year olds. Problems of litter, vandalism (football stand and dug outs now removed), quad bikes churning up grass, some dog fouling.

  11. Gamble Road Chidren’s Play Area 0.4 ha NPL. Was CPA now derelict (hard standing remains) grass infrequently cut, some trees, open access. Used by children 0-17, dog walkers of all ages, informal sport 0-17. Very poor quality, rubbish dumped, vandalism, litter, noise, asb, stones thrown at passing cars.

  12. Edward St 0.24 ha WBC Maintained grass and trees, seating, open access, no ball games sign, relaxing/informal play for young children, some noise, some dog fouling, Good quality but some problems.

  13. Heys St 0.8 ha WHA Maintained grass area plus hard standing used for football, Children’s play area with equipment 2 swings, 1 rocking duck, 1 see saw (there was more equipment but that has been removed by WBC and not replaced). Grass used for dog walking, (ages 18-60+) with one bench. Children 0-17 use play area, (one bench) also cycling and meeting (no problems reported). Generally good quality but problem of being alongside Heys St without fencing. Nb. Local school playing fields Burn Naze, Great Arley, Red Marsh, Sacred Heart - no access and not used by children in holidays.

  14. Hargreaves St 0.64 ha WBC Grassed area (infrequently mown - long grass) surrounded by hedges/trees, Informal recreation - ball games, kite flying, well used, Also dog walking with bin. Litter a problem (does anyone clean it up?), little vandalism (nb hedges/trees not replaced after removal by Utilities for pipe laying)

  15. Trinity Way 0.1 ha Small grassy area with trees in centre of small estate, grass infrequently cut, well used for meeting by children.

  16. Branksome/Linden Ave 1.7 ha WBC Grassed area, regularly mown, bounded by trees and also has pond used by anglers. Limited access from end of Linden Ave. Walking 0-13, 31-60, dogs, informal sports. Good natural space, largely trouble free, some litter.

  17. Rugby Club NPFA Was Rugby Club pitch with pavilion. Rugby Club moved to KGPF, pavilion was burned down and pitch vandalised when RC left. Will be used by Wyre Juniors Football teams when land cleared of glass etc (2 pitches) and changing facilities erected. Area of hard standing where pavilion was, trees around site. Private access only via locked gate. Nb Royle’s Brook School Playing Fields used with permission from Head Teacher in summer holidays by North West Child Care Ltd.

  18. Former Millfield School Playing Fields. Rugby pitch (Thornton RUFC second pitch) , some trees, open access. Walking 31-60, dogs 60+, informal play 0-17. Generally good quality area.

  19. Church Road Pond Barratt’s. Maintained grass area around unmaintained pond with trees - good quality wild life habitat. No access to pond, only use of grassed area is informal play 0-13.

  20. Exeter Drive Barratt’s. Very small (see map) area of maintained grass, open access, no ball games. Walking and informal play 0-13, no dogs observed, soft ground in wet weather.

  21. King George’s Playing Fields WBC 4.6 ha (includes which areas). 2 areas - formal pitches and car park/trees around sports centre. 2 football, 1 Rugby pitch, open access, used to have children’s play area at Tavern at the Mill. Whitbread’s paid £20,000 to WBC so they could remove this facility. Relaxing 0-13,31-60+, dogs (all ages), sport both formal and informal 0-17, Rugby adults. Some seating, toilets etc at Sports Centre. Youth Shelter - graffiti, vandalism, noise , asb, - a nuisance. Some dog fouling, litter in ditches - need cleaning out, not well maintained and dangerous.

  22. Ashdell Bowling Club WBC. 3 greens, well used by Bowling Club only, although open access - hence some vandalism and graffiti. Pavilion and Toilets and Car Park are not included in the open space because it is planned that they will be demolished if/when Ashdell Nurseries is sold by WBC for housing. What do the Bowling Club Members do then????

  23. Woodland Ave. Maintained grass with trees, not open access to public, no recreational use made of it. Seen as front gardens to Royle’s Court flats.

  24. Knowsley Crescent 0.2 ha WBC. Maintained grassy area/trees with children’s play area - swings, climbing frame, open access. Informal recreation 0-13, 13-60+ dog walking, 0-17 relaxing. Regular vandalism, play equipment frequently repaired, loud and abusive noise, missiles thrown at houses, some litter, dog fouling - a conflict area.

  25. Sandringham Ave 0.24 ha WBC. Maintained grass with area of hard standing, too small for ball games. Children’s Play area fenced off - 0-13, swing, baby swing, see-saw, slide. 0-17 meeting area, some dog fouling on grassy area. Grass cut infrequently, some alcohol consumption - evenings, Could be better looked after, eg a gate across the access passage.

  26. War Memorial 0.16 WBC Civic Space. Formal flower beds, paths, seating. No use made of this area seen in survey - too difficult for old people to cross Victoria Road/Fleetwood Road.

  27. Hawthorne Road 1.21 ha WBC. Semi-maintained grass area with trees around. Tarmac area once used for car park, now fenced off. Open access. Children’s Play Area , 3 benches, dog walking, informal recreation. Some vandalism, litter, dog fouling, considerable nuisance on occasions to neighbours. Poor landscaping and maintainance. Has potential for multi-use recreation (see bid by Wyre Strategic Partnership, and plans drawn up by WBC (two consultations with local residents held this summer).

    Nb Schools - Millfield - no apparent use out of school hours/terms Baines Endowed - gates locked, children not allowed in (apart from school use)



  28. Tarnway Ave 0.4 ha WBC. Well maintained area, grass with trees around half the site. Open access. Walking 18-60+, dogs 18-60+, meeting 0-13, informal games 0-17 (football, tennis). Dog fouling problem, needs another bin. Young people well behaved (sometimes noisy if too near houses).

  29. Kenyon Gardens 1.5 ha WBC covenant gift. Maintained and landscaped (low grassy mounds), established trees, paths, 4 areas of seating. Open access. Left for amenity not recreational use. No ball games - but still used by 0-17 for football, skate boards, cycling, cricket, ie informal play, Relaxing - all ages, dog walking. Some broken fences, dog fouling, landscape quality could be improved, one section prone to flooding (including paths). This area is being used for games despite the covenant. Stanah School field is not used outside school time. The area beyond Stanah school was bought by WBC for the specific purpose of recreation (see map). This included the land on which the school stands. The rest is rented by Raikes Farm. Developmemnt of facilities here would ease the pressure on Kenyon Gardens.

  30. Hillylaid Road 2 adjacent areas.

    (A) Harlech Grove McLean. Grass not properly maintained, children’s Play area- fenced off, bench. Lots of children 0-17, dog walkers 31-60+, informal football 0-17. Not properly looked after by developer (?abandoned), litter, dog fouling, glass, stones. Popular area for meeting 0-17 noisy at times.

    (B) Cathrow Way Red Row Maintained grass, small area of hard standing in centre (?purpose), land made into mounds (was this designed or just a way of using unwanted soil?) Open access. Meeting 0-17, some dog walkers 31-60+, informal cricket,football 0-13. Residents clear up litter, planted trees broken and not replaced, high noise levels. No fences round so with steep slopes down the mounds children run or cycle straight out into the road or down into the non maintained ditches which collect litter and smell. Both these areas need urgent attention.



  31. Wyre Estuary Country Park 61.6 ha. Natural areas, some grassy areas mown, trees, 4 car parks, seating, picnic tables, toilets, information centre. Open access. Walking 31-60+, dog walking (much used) 31-60+, horse riding, some angling. Jetty for launching sailing boats, jet skis. Good quality site.

  32. Skippool Creek Picnic Area. Maintained and unmaintained grassy areas with trees, open access, seating and picnic tables. Walking 60+. Grass needed cutting. A good natural looking space.

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