DURING the December 2009 Annual General Meeting it was suggested that we write to the various authorities and government bodies to express our concern at the continued total lack of any effective action to protect or conserve this historic Grade II listed Nantwich Walled Garden.

   This letter, it was agreed, should also specifically draw the local authorities' attention to the serious health and safety risk of masonry from the crumbling three-metre-high walls falling onto pedestrians walking along the adjacent Byron Walk footpath or onto children playing around the base of the unprotected walls.

   The letter was sent to Cheshire East Council and English Heritage on the 17th of January 2010.

   Following a lack of response from Cheshire East Council several reminders were issued to the Chief Executive and one of these elicited a response on October 22, 2010. As usual, the general response of the council was to dismiss all of our points and concerns.

   It was noticed that the disappearance of sections of the lower five courses of the wall in at least three areas had left large sections of the 400-year-old north wall unsupported and in imminent danger of collapsing onto the adjacent footpath. The society sent a further letter to both Cheshire East Council and Nantwich Town Council.

   Once again, Cheshire East dismissed all of our concerns and the town council just reiterated the Cheshire East Council's response that this crumbling and partially unsupported wall presented absolutely no risk to the public using the adjacent footpath.

   A letter to the Local Government Ombudsman did, however, produced a much better response and they decided to take it up as a complaint against the council.

   The resulting letter from the Ombudsman to the Cheshire East Council produced a sort of response.  But, in the Ombudsman's most recent response to us (dated February 24, 2011), the Ombudsman confirmed that the council's initial response had necessitated the Ombudsman to raise further questions for council officers to answer. These additional questions were promptly emailed to the council and the Ombudsman, therefore, hoped to have an answer within a week or so.

 

IN the absence of any other developments on the walled garden and the imminent possibility of receiving a decision from the Ombudsman on this latest complaint, it was decided (towards the end of 2010) that we should delay that year's AGM until we were able to confirm the final decision from the Ombudsman.

   Unfortunately, this decision has been delayed awaiting the response from Cheshire East Council to the Ombudsman.

 

lWE didn't hold a 2010 AGM, but we hope to have a meeting of members in the near future.