Altrincham Town Centre
Many years ago the concerns were that the Trafford Centre would destroy Manchester city centre. This did not happen and along with the effects of the IRA bomb the city centre thrived but satellite towns like Rochadale, Stretford, Oldham and Altrincham saw significant decline.
For Altrincham the town centre became a depressing parody of what a town should be. There were many empty shops and a large number of charity shops.
Trafford MBC did not seem to see it as their problem. The market dictated what happened and as long as they kept Council Tax low then they achieved their political objectives. So having a depressing town centre did not seem an issue.
A couple of years ago there seemed to be a stimulus driven by the modernisation of the Market Hall into a social hub with iconic eating, The Altrincham centre took off and a new regime at Trafford MBC seemed to accept that they had a role as a catalyst for regeneration. Everything seems to heading in the right direction. Public works like the new hospital and transport interchange were very positive influences.
All of a sudden there seems to be a hiccup. The plan to improve the public realm has been an important contribution by Trafford MBC to the improvement of the area around the market.
Work has just started on Stamford New Road, The road has been closed but the work seems to have stopped. Walking past the site on Tuesday there was a lot of disruption but no sign of any workmen.
Where we live in Manchester is close to St Peter’s Square which has been a building site for over a year. Work is coming to an end with only some paving and a garden and water feature to be completed. The area of work is significantly smaller that the Stamford New Road site. Yesterday there were 8 men working on the area.
I think people are willing to put up with inconvenience if they can see the positive outcome and that everything is being done to minimise the disruption. When nothing is happening they are bound to be alienated.
Ultimately, town centres are not a place for cars so to some extent people need to get used to the situation I suppose but minimisation of inconvenience and communication with the general public is essential.

Housing and the Green Belt
We are told, probably correctly, that the housing market is broken. The reason would seem to be too many people and not enough houses. The houses there are too expensive because demand exceeds supply.
I have just heard a major house builder say that the problem is planning restrictions and then without stopping to draw breath say there was a severe shortage of builders. The usual skills shortage which the government is going to solve by controlling immigration!
The planning issue would seem to particularly involve the Green Belt. The Green Belt concept was developed in the 1960s and 70s with a former TLC player, David Kaiserman, one of the people who lead the thinking. The idea was certainly to arrest the expansion of urban sprawl but also just as much to encourage the regeneration of urban and city areas.
There is currently a big debate about the future of the Greater Manchester Green Belt with a number of local authorities wanting to fight the overall strategy to keep themselves cosy with their NIMBY electorate. I suppose that NIMBYISM is a natural response to building in your area. A Chief Planning Officer for Trafford was reported to have said some 40 years ago that whilst he welcomed the interest of the residents of Altrincham in the activities of his department he wished that they would not object to every planning application that was made.
This is probably where we are now with the infamous “Timperley Wedge” whose possible development is the subject of very active protests. The Timperley Wedge is a piece of land which is around ACA School, BTH school, the golf course and TSC. Frankly most of the area is pretty grubby. The Lake District or Yorkshire Dales it certainly is not; Dunham Park and Wythenshawe it is not. In fact if I was asked for land which was ripe for housing development it would be the Timperley Wedge.
If we wish to maintain an area of open space, and there are strong arguments for doing so, it would in my view be the best way forward to create an area of recreational facilities for the benefit of the community. Expand the golf course, expand the facilities for Altrincham FC, create a new park, create better facilities for ACA and BTH, and of course expand TSC.
Now is the time to be talking to Trafford who own the land and to be doing some vigorous political lobbying with local councillors, local interest groups and local MP who is wrong on a few things but a good local man.

Steve Bannon
If you think that Donald Trump is a dangerous lunatic then beware Steve Bannon. Bannon is an ultra right wing extremist-fascist - who Trump has appointed as his chief strategist.
On his bed side table he is alleged to have a book called “The Fourth Turning” which basically propounds that the rise of the USA has been the product of a number of military conflicts - The War of Independence 1775 to 1783; The US Civil War 1861-1865 and the 2nd World War 1941 -45. This has been an 80 year cycle so the next major war which will establish US as the undisputed super power is scheduled for 2020-25. Bannon has made no secret of his view that there will be a war with China but it is thought he would like to re run the US Civil War with the Confederacy winning this time. Hence he is comfortable with the rednecks of the “Flyover “states being able to purchase automatic assault rifles harking back to the US Constitution’s 2nd Amendment. A truly scary man.

Adam Legg
Certainly not a scary man but one who seems determined to make the World a better place.
Anyone who agrees to run Timperley Men’s B is a hero. Adam has gone further than most and is currently in South Africa doing charitable through the Tearfund. To make his trip possible Adam has raised in excess of £1500. A truly special person.

A Last Word
From Ian Birrell, speech writer for David Cameron during the 2015 election campaign.
“My Tory Brexit friends should hang their heads. Hilton, Gove and Johnson were party modernisers but look at the horrors they have helped unleash.
“These people pose as optimists and rightly promulgate globalisation; but they must bear some responsibility for hitching themselves to the forces of fear. .......The Brexiters played with fire by pandering to populism .And now the world is burning.
“It pains me to say this, since some are my friends, but the truth is that if they truly believed that breaking from Brussels would lead to a more open nation and outward looking world, they should hang their heads in shame for stunning naivety.”