On 10 August, the Liberal Democrat Focus team carried out a residents’ survey in this area. Many thanks to all who gave us their comments. Here is report-back on what you said and what we are doing about the issues you raised. Several respondents stated they liked living in this part of Chester. Excellent news! All too often, any feedback concentrates on the negative. For the most part, Chester is a beautiful city and sometimes perhaps we lose sight of that. But there were some issues that concerned you:

YOU SAID Some of the verges are not being maintained.

WE’VE DONE The maintenance team have been contacted and the supervisor will review.

YOU SAID There are a number of issues associated with the car park to the rear of Grafton Mews.

WE’VE DONE The Community Safety Wardens have been contacted and will add the site to their patrol routine; Highways will review the state of the trees (overhanging branches) and report back.

YOU SAID There’s dog muck on the Greenway.

WE’VE DONE Bob Thompson, Liberal Democrat Borough Councillor, has been running a campaign to get the dog bins on the cycleway emptied on a regular basis. Council staff are reviewing their emptying rota. In addition, Bob has offered to fund additional bins (dual purpose ones) along this part of the cycleway to make it easier for dog owners to dispose of their pets’ waste. Bob has been working with the “friends of the greenway” on this. Hopefully there will be progress to report shortly.

YOU SAID There are a number of issues with the Northgate Ponds.

WE’VE DONE The Focus team has contacted both the Police and the Rangers about the Northgate Ponds area. When opened a few years ago, this was a delightful area where young and ….. let’s say more mature ….. could rest; work or play. It is still an attractive area but needs a little help to bring it back to its former standard. Some local residents spend time picking up litter and keeping the area tidy. But they need some help from the council who have largely abdicated their responsibility and currently only do the minimum necessary. The Focus team have asked that the ponds be emptied of “dumped items”. Tesco have been contacted to recover their trolleys and the local ranger has agreed to meet local residents to discuss ongoing issues.

YOU SAID Chester needs a cinema and theatre.

WE ARE DOING Most people seem to agree Chester needs a cinema and theatre. We would agree. Chester Liberal Democrats are pressing for one new venue that would be home to theatre, cinema and art gallery, together with smaller studio space for other performing arts. If we all have the ambition to make Chester a city we can be very proud of and that visitors will love to attend again and again, the city must offer a wider range of attractions than is currently available. This would help to keep the city socially and economically active into the evening.

YOU SAID The Millennium Greenway needs lighting.

WE ARE DOING We consulted other users of the pathway and found that there is a variety of views on this. Some people would prefer it to remain as it is. However, there is support for installing lighting in the dark bridge section where the pathway goes under A55 road (extension of the M53 motorway). We will investigate this further.