West End Message Board - Please leave your comments
Please send us your comments by emailing us at westend@lancaster.gov.uk or by using the form at the bottom of this page.
Name: Steve Matthews, Project Director for Winning Back Morecambe's West End - Location: Albert Road
Date: 18/04/2007
I agree with the sentiments behind your comments entirely but think that we are actually doing what you are suggesting. We learnt from the previous renewal programme that simply repairing the properties was not enough; we need to radically change the nature of the housing supply and recreate the West End into an area where people will genuinely want to live.
We agree that there are simply too many flats and HMO’s in the West End; we are now targeting funds at several strategic sites. Properties are being acquired in these areas and either being radically remodelled by removing the rear annexes to create 3 or 4 bed family homes or being cleared to allow modern quality family homes to be provided. We have already acquired many properties at the top of Clarendon Road including the Greenhurst Hotel and the Castlemain which no doubt you would have been familiar with and the rest of this street will be remodelled over the next 18 months. The top of West End is also being remodelled en block to create some really high quality lateral apartments where the rear annexes are removed and the apartments span across two houses.
You may also have seen in the press that we are acquiring the blocks of property bounded by Regent, Westminster, Albert and Balmoral Roads, including Chatsworth. The plans are that all these will be demolished to create new family homes with community gardens. Once this is up and running we will be looking at Bold Street, Marlborough Road and Winterdyne Terrace.
This is just the start but these scheme will make a significant contribution to removing excess privately rented flats and providing the type of homes that are attractive in the current housing market. They are all designed to act as catalyst to attract further supportive private and public sector investment.
Just fixing the housing however will not in itself fix the West End. We are therefore undertaking significant public realm improvement works to make the area look and feel more attractive and have put in place comprehensive plans through Neighbourhood Management to address the wider socio-economic issues as well as dealing with crime, street cleanliness, health, education and community cohesion. We are now working with the police, schools, health and social services and a wide range of public, private sector and voluntary bodies to make sure that all the services are joined up to challenge unacceptable behaviour but then support the existing community from welfare dependency into employment….and we are getting results!
I don’t see the previous work carried out as a waste of money, but we couldn’t do enough to secure the necessary change and we didn’t have the support of all the other stakeholders and agencies that have a shared responsibility to bring about the step change. The previous works has laid a valuable foundation for us to work on now.
Name: Former LCC employee - Location: not given
Date: 18/04/2007
I'm really sorry to be negative about the west end, however. I worked for
the LCC at the time when the area was declared a renewal area. By the
various types of grant available at that time a colleague and I spent
hundreds of thousands of pounds on poor quality, unsuitable housing, now 10
-15 years later it all seems to have been a waste of tax payers money.
Without wide scale demolition and a reduction in the dense population the
west end has an uncertain future. The economic climate in this country is
reasonably bright at the moment if the West end cannot improve now it will
never happen.
Demolish, rebuild, create long term reasonably paid jobs and it stands a
chance, just pumping more money into the existing environment is not the
answer.
regards
Lcc Former Employee
Name: Dave Crompton - Location: Marine Road
Date: 16/02/2007
Great news about the West End. I bought a flat 1 year ago on Marine Rd, to live in when I leave the Army in 1 years time, My view keeps on getting better and better. Keep up the good work.
Name: Lee - Location: Yorks
Date: 14/02/2007
Good to see some regeneration of the west end. I used to vist morecambe around 10 times a year from around 85 to 2000 and saw it demise. I still vist now and then and ill vist more to see the work thats going to be done!
Be better if frontierland was rebuilt though 
Name: stephanie - Location: alexandra road
Date: 17/07/2006
I'm glad to hear that West End Road is being cleaned up
Name: Winning Back Morecambe's West End - Location: 61/63 Albert Road
Date: 26/06/2006
The offices are open from 9am - 5pm Monday - Friday. A notice has now been placed in the window. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.
Name: Jim Speed - Location: Brunswick Road
Date: 26/06/2006
I called at the Albert Road office on Saturday morning. It was closed. Also there was no information about opening times displayed. What are the opening times?
Name: Mark - Location: Claremont Crescent
Date: 26/06/2006
I'm really happy to see that work on one of Morecambe's biggest eyesores, the Castlemaine Hotel has started.
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