Weekend closure of Aigburth Road, Park Road and Ullet Road junction

THE junction of Aigburth Road, Park Road and Ullet Road in Toxteth will be closed to all traffic from 7pm on Friday, 28 January 2011 to 6am on Monday, 31 January, 2011.

The closure is necessary to resurface the entire junction and is part of the improvement works being carried out by Tesco in preparation for the opening of their new store on Park Road.

If the work is completed before 6am on the Monday, the junction will be immediately reopened.

The closures are:-

► Aigburth Road from its junction with Colebrooke Road to its junction with Ullet Road

► Ullet Road from its junction with Park Road to its junction with Belvidere Road

► Park Road from its junction with Dingle Lane to its junction with South Hill Road

► Dingle Lane from its junction with Park Road to its junction with Eridge Street

Full consultation has been carried out with local residents and businesses, and with the emergency services and Merseytravel. For details of changes to bus routes, please visit the Merseytravel website or call the Traveline on:- 0870 608 2608.

Diversion routes will be clearly signed posted and key junctions will be manned with operatives on hand to offer advice to motorists.

There will be access for the emergency services and access to all properties at all times.

Two options for the works were considered by Liverpool City Council. The second option of carrying the work out over 10 working days or four consecutive weekends was dismissed in favour of the shorter full weekend closure as it is felt that any closure of this junction will be disruptive to the travelling public and local residents so a shorter closure is preferable. Local businesses who were consulted also preferred this option.

Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Liverpool’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, said:- “We do appreciate that this closure will cause significant disruption for all road users, however it was felt a quicker, albeit complete closure, would be preferable to all. We consulted with all businesses in the area who said they would appreciate this approach which will lead to only short term disruption. We expect the new Tesco Superstore on Park Road to attract much more traffic into the area so the junction improvements, which are a planning condition of the development, are crucial to keep traffic moving in the long term.”

Nick Kavanagh, Liverpool’s Interim Director of Regeneration, explained:- “We have formally consulted on the closure and we apologise in advance for any disruption these essential works may cause.”

The diversion routes for the closure is along Jericho Lane, Riverside Drive and Sefton Street and this diversion route will be signed from the Aigburth Road / Jericho Lane / Ashfield Road junction and the Chaloner Street / Sefton Street / Parliament Street junction. Other diversion routes are problematical as there are many different routes which motorists may require however advance warning notices of the closure are now in place at all major junctions in the area, including:

• Queens Drive Mossley Hill / Allerton Road

• Smithdown Road / Ullet Road

• Smithdown Road / Lodge Lane

• Upper Parliament Street / Princes Road

• Upper Parliament Street / St James Place

Jobs hope for Merseyside’s public sector workers

STAFF facing redundancy from councils on Merseyside are being invited to a jobs fair where more than 1,200 private sector vacancies will be up for grabs.

The first Public to Private Sector Jobs Fair took place on Tuesday, 25 January 2011, at The Huyton Suite and was organised by Knowsley Council’s Knowsley Works Plus in partnership with Job Centre Plus and The Skills Funding Agency.

Staff from all Merseyside local authorities who have been told their jobs are at risk had been invited to attend in the hope of reducing the number left unemployed as a result of public sector cuts in the region.

More than 20 companies including IAC, DHL, QVC, Vertex and Decoma signed up for the event, offering a range of positions in a wide variety of industries and to suit all levels of experience. Also 60 positions had been made available at elderly care provider Casa Care Cooperative, which is setting up in Huyton.

In addition to the 1,200 jobs got advertised on the day, an additional 850 are expected to become available over the coming weeks.

Cllr. Ron Round, leader of Knowsley Council, said:- “Our Knowsley Works Plus team have a proven track record of managing recruitment for big companies and helping find work for people who are unemployed. They’ve worked really hard to find some big name local businesses who are looking to recruit people who have the kinds of skills that many former public sector workers will have.”

There will also be advisors on hand to talk through a range of education, training and self employment options, as well as experts with additional information on redundancy matters.

Cllr Dave Lonergan, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Economy and Skills in Knowsley, said:- “With around 4,000 public sector jobs losses already being announced in Merseyside, there is a real challenge ahead to find alternative work for those affected. We hope this event is a step in the right direction, and with so many private sector jobs being on offer, we are hopeful that a good many of those people who attend will find work.”

A separate event will take place in Liverpool on Thursday, 27 January 2011, for young people who have been out of work for six months or more as part of the last phase of Future Jobs Fund for the City Region.

Any staff from Merseyside authorities who are interested in attending can book a place by calling:- 0151 443 5807 or email:- knowsleyworks@knowsley.gov.uk, quoting PS2.

Knowsley Works Plus is a unique approach to tackling unemployment in Knowsley whilst supporting local businesses through the recruitment process. It has helped thousands of Knowsley residents into work in recent years, whilst managing high profile recruitment campaigns for companies including Jaguar Land Rover and Vertex.

The Land Trust Appoints Groundwork Merseyside in Liverpool

FOLLOWING an extensive search the Land Trust is thrilled to announce that it has appointed Groundwork Merseyside as its managing agent for the iconic Festival Gardens site in Liverpool. Despite having applications from across the world for the coveted position, the localised base and community knowledge of Groundwork made them a natural partner for this project. The appointment, ratified this week by the Trust’s Board of Trustees, followed a rigorous application process that culminated in an interview in front of a panel of strategic partners to the scheme.

The Trust’s Head of Portfolio, Alan Carter, commented:- “Groundwork came into this process as one of the most enthusiastic contenders. They have already come up with some wonderful ideas for future uses of the site and their local network makes them perfectly positioned to involve the community at every stage…we are really looking forward to now getting stuck in and making this a site that everyone can be proud of.”

Pat Broster, Executive Director at Groundwork Merseyside says:- “We are delighted to be appointed as managing agent for the Festival Gardens site. The application process gave us the opportunity to explore some progressive ideas and we are now looking forward to working with partners and engaging with the community in order to bring them to fruition.”

Stephen Barnes, Langtree’s Development Director concluded:- “The partners were all very impressed with Groundwork’s application. Their desire to make this site an international success once more echoed our main aim and we all look forward to working with them now and in the future.”

Restoration of the Festival Gardens will be completed in spring of this year with the Gardens being opened to the public shortly after.