THING OF THE WEEK

GOT YOUR GOAT… While some councils are adopting strategic regeneration frameworks and local plans, Conwy County Council has implemented a different kind of strategy.

It might sound like it, but the Llandudno Feral Goats Management Plan is not a programme designed to defeat herds of wild-eyed, foaming-mouthed livestock. Rather it comes in response to the the area’s Kashmiri goats making international headlines during the pandemic, when a group of billy goats ventured from the Great Orme into Llandudno town centre.

“The purpose of the plan is to document how the feral goat population of Llandudno is monitored and managed to secure the future survival of the herd, and allow for co-existence of the herd alongside the local community”, a report to Conwy’s place overview and scrutiny committee said.

Residents who have had their hedges munched on by marauding gangs of goats are given little protection under the plan, which states that the council is “not under an obligation to protect private properties. Legally, it is a matter for each owner to protect their own land.”

No date has been set for the bridge’s replacement. Credit: via CWAC

BYE BRIDGE… A bridge in Neston has been condemned after being deemed “beyond practical repair”. It will be taken down and, eventually, replaced, although Cheshire West and Chester Council isn’t sure when. The news puts THING in mind of unsuccessful trips to the MOT garage, where hopes of a stay of execution for your old, rusty banger have been dashed. 

The plans were lodged last year. Credit: via planning documents

BEACH EATS… Next week, Blackpool Council is due to refuse plans for a food hall on the promenade because, among other reasons, the authority is concerned it might contribute to childhood obesity. On one hand, this stance could be viewed as admirable; Blackpool is looking out for the health of its residents. However, since that story was published, Place North West’s comments section has overflowed with criticism of the council. Can’t it see that this sort of scheme would regenerate a vacant site and drive footfall, commentators ask. In the end, it comes down to one question: Should whether or not people might choose to have a calorific meal by the seaside be a material planning consideration? Especially in a town whose most famous foodstuff is a cylinder of compacted sugar so dense it is called rock. 

The scheme aims to boost the club’s green credentials. Credit: planning documents

MISCREANTS... Crewe Alexandra Football Club’s bid to lower its carbon footprint has hit a stumbling block in the form of an objection from the Cheshire Constabulary. The police force has said that the Railway Men’s plan to erect solar panels in a car park adjoining its Gresty Road stadium could lead to antisocial behaviour. “There is a high potential for the structures to be scaled by miscreants,”, the official response said. 

DEER DESIGN… We can’t get enough of Kinrise’s plans to convert Liverpool’s Martins Bank Building into Grade A office space – you might remember the cellist in the former banking hall a few weeks ago. The project is underway and a new video with concept architect Red Deer provides some details on the design choices for the project and insight into how to make a building once used to store cash and gold, more welcoming. “The building itself, although very beautiful and ethereal, is built like a fort,” says Lucas Che Tizard, interior designer at Red Deer.