Bill Esterson MP meets residents to discuss concerns about 323 home Bellway plan

RESIDENTS of Kenyons Lane and Liverpool Road in Lydiate have met up with their local MP, Bill Esterson, to discuss their concerns about a 323 home development next to and replacing Morton's Dairy. The application from the developer Bellway has raised concerns regarding the impact on traffic flows including onto the main A59 Northway, drainage and avoiding flooding, and access to residents' septic tanks. Residents also say they object to the development being described as on:- "brownfield" when most of the homes would be built on previously undeveloped green fields bordered by Kenyons Lane, Liverpool Road and the A59.

Mr Esterson said:- "I met with a number of people who live in Kenyons Lane and Liverpool Road to listen to their concerns. The future of the dairy appears uncertain and I completely understand that people living nearby want to know whether or not the dairy will be staying. Traffic along Kenyons Lane already backs up onto the A59 and people living on that stretch of Kenyons Lane fear being unable to get on and off their driveways once a new junction is put in. Kenyons Lane is a residential road with a Primary School on it. Residents want to know why a new junction can't allow traffic from the new housing development to go straight onto the A59 to the North rather than via an already congested residential road. The developers' plans to widen Kenyons Lane will still leave the existing challenges of queuing traffic and there will be more vehicles especially at peak times. The work will see the removal of trees and hedgerows and the residents also want to make sure that these are replaced. The residents feel that the developer's reports on how they will deal with traffic and surface water run off are not adequate and they have commissioned their own surveys. There are 30 properties that don't have mains sewage so access to septic tanks must be maintained. Access to GPs and other health services is a concern too. I have ensured that Sefton Council's planning department are aware of all these concerns and these must be considered fully as the application progresses. Thank you to the residents for meeting with me and discussing their concerns. I shall do what I can to make sure that the concerns raised are addressed before any permission is given for development of this important site."

Liverpool City Region model train carriage to help teach rail engineers of the future

A life size mock up carriage of 1 of the new trains for the Liverpool City Region has taken on a new role this week at a college teaching rail engineers of the future. The full scale mock up of 1 of the new Class 777 units was built as part of the design process and was also used to show residents of the Liverpool City Region how the trains and their state of the art features would work. Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has now transferred the mock up carriage to the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure (NCATI) in Doncaster, Yorkshire, where it will be displayed and used as a learning aid and design tool by students. The carriage will be used by the students for many tasks which will include rolling stock specification writing, design and driver's cab ergonomics. The detailed model is fully interactive, with working doors as well as an automatic sliding step; the revolutionary technology which will allow level boarding for all passengers across the Merseyrail network. A group of local rail users, who directly influenced the design features of the new trains through a passenger research exercise, made excellent use of the mock up carriage while more than 10,000 people also came to see it when it went on public display in summer 2018.

Cllr Liam Robinson, transport portfolio holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority said:- "The new trains for the Liverpool City Region represent are going to be the most advanced in the country with state of the art features that will make using our rail network more attractive and accessible. Importantly they were designed with the input of local people to meet their needs .In that spirit of collaboration, we're delighted to be able to transfer ownership of this full size, mock up to the National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure. Hopefully it will prove to be not only a valuable educational tool, but also an inspiration to the next generation of rail engineers."

Andy Gregory, Senior Curriculum Lead, Rolling Stock at National College for Advanced Transport and Infrastructure said:- "The recent arrival of the Class 777 mock up at our Doncaster campus will be a great addition to our workshop. Our level 4 Cert HE and level 5 Foundation Degree students were involved in the build which has recently been completed. It has given the students a chance to look at the design and layout of the carriages and explore how these affects capacities, including:- disabled areas, areas for cycles and larger standing areas that are needed for urban Metro rail lines. With the mock up having fully operating doors and situated against a platform they can see how access can be designed to make this easy for wheelchair using passengers. The mock-up will become a great asset for the students to use to enhance their studies."

David Frost, foundation degree student in High Speed Rail and Infrastructure:- "The addition of the 777 unit to the workshop here in Doncaster is fantastic. It's a really useful learning aid for our modules that have a focus on passenger facing operations. Being such a modern example, it gives us an opportunity to look 1st hand at how industry is adapting to modern day considerations such as accessibility and passenger comfort. It is also a very visible training aid for those of us who benefit from a more hands on approach to learning. And pushing buttons is fun!"