Hale Independent Issue 191

MAY 2026 2 No part of this publicationmay be used or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure that the articles and advertisements that are carried are authentic, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for claims made. © Investors in Publishing Ltd 2026. This newspaper is publishedmonthly by Investors in Publishing, Publishing House, 3 Bridgebank Industrial Estate,Taylor Street, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7PD. Tel. 01204 478812 EDITOR : Ged Henderson ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com CONTACT: JayneMeadowcroft 01204 478812 / 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk ADVERTISING: Robin Atkins 07767 840274 robin@cheshireindependent.co.uk CONTACT US SHOWROOM: 410 Flixton Road, Flixton M41 6QY DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL ROLLERS - ROMANS - WOOD VENETIANS - VERTICALS bd BLINDS DIRECT Flixton For a FREE no obligation quote call: 0161 749 8525 Colleges receive £2.5m for repairs PLANS for a land sale that would unlock more school places in Altrincham are moving forward. Trafford Council says it is progress- ing the purchase of the former Loreto Prep School site in Dunham Road, to enable North Cestrian School to expand. The move would create up to 300 more secondary school places – two more classes in each year group at the academy. The independent Loreto Prep closed in July 2023, with its trustees, the Loreto Sisters, stating it was no longer financially viable. The council is now set to buy the three-acre site with acquisition going ahead subject to due diligence. Its executive committee agreed to the expansion plan, set to be funded by a capital grant from the Department for Education, back in Spring 2024. It is subject to future planning permissions. The aim is to create more school places to meet rising demand in the area and a timetable for the delivery of the project will be set out in due course. Karina Carter, Trafford’s executive member for babies, children and young people, said: “I am pleased that we are progressing with our intention to ulti- mately provide more school places for families in Altrincham. “An early step in this process is to acquire the necessary land for expansion and negotiations are mov- ing forward.” URMSTON town cen- tre is to get a make- over with new floral displays and benches on the way. Aims are to create a safer environment for pedestrians, with more seating and planting on Flixton Road, Hilton Avenue and Crofts Bank Road, offering places to enjoy the surroundings and new, vibrant colour and greenery. Trafford Council is spending £150,000 on the refresh. Plans include cre- ating a narrower entrance to Hilton Avenue to allow Makeover plan for town centre people to walk more eas- ily and safely between the library and other areas, as well as two new disa- bled parking bays. On Crofts Bank Road, new planters stocked with seasonal displays will be added next to Sainsbury’s and extra benches with arms will be installed between the bus stops. Old posts for hanging baskets will be removed and more benches and planters added near the junction of Flixton Road and Railway Road. On Flixton Road between the station entrance and bus stop, unnecessary posts, bol- lards, an unused cycle rack, old seating and dilapidated wooden fence will be removed and new benches with arms introduced. A new, single LED lan- tern on a pole and three planters will be posi- tioned, offering colour- ful floral displays. The clock, notice board and remaining cycle storage will be repainted. Liz Patel, Trafford’s executive member for economy and regenera- tion, said: “The town has a lively, thriving shopping and business scene with local, independent trad- ers alongside high street names and we want to do all we can to support its appeal as a place to visit and spend time in.” A HOUSE in Sale where weapons and drugs were found has been shut down by Trafford Council. Manchester Magis- trates Court granted the Full Closure Order on the house on Ain- tree Avenue, preventing access to the property for a total of three months. The court was satis- fied that the premises was directly linked to serious criminal activity, including the discovery of a supply quantity of Class A drugs, a significant sum of cash, and a large number of prohibited and offen- sive weapons includ- ing machetes, knuckle dusters and a very large sword. All individuals located at the address were subsequently charged with serious criminal offences, with two being remanded in custody and one bailed. The order was granted on the basis that the premises pre- sented an ongoing and significant risk to the local community if it were allowed to remain accessible. Trafford Council has been working in part- nership with Greater Manchester Police in respect of issues related to organised criminal activity in the immedi- ate area. In a statement it said: “The closure will be implemented and subse- quently monitored and enforced in partnership with the police. “The Council’s Com- munity Safety staff will Closure order on home linked to serious criminal activity Closed: The order on the property in Sale (Photo credit: Trafford Council) Loreto site sale progresses TRAFFORD and Stockport College Group is to receive £2.5million from gov- ernment funding to repair and upgrade its buildings. The group, which includes campuses in Altrincham and Stret- ford will receive funding in the next academic year and will have flexibility to decide how funding is spent across its estate. The cash boost will come from a £307m gover nment f und designed to support the repair and maintenance of college buildings across England. The government fund, increased by £5m on last year’s support, is being shared between all 175 further colleges in Eng- land with institutions awarded between £6,000 and £7 million depending on their size. It is part of a £1.7bil- lion investment from the government’s Industrial Strategy for colleges to modernise buildings by 2030. The fund looks to support colleges to main- tain their estates by backing repairs for leaky roofs, fixing broken win- dows and updates to heat- ing systems. Upgrades also aim to support opportu- nity for students by reducing disruption to learning and making education environments more comfortable. Julian Gravatt, deputy chief executive of the Association of Colleges, said: “This funding for college estates is sorely needed, and we are pleased to see that every single FE college will ben- efit, and crucially, that individual colleges will be able to decide how the money is spent.” This latest funding announcement for colleges follows the announcement of £570m to increase their capacity and take on more learners. continue to work with the landlord and rele- vant partners to man- age risk and support a longer-term resolution.” A spokesperson for Trafford Council added: “The council will not tolerate properties in our communities being used for serious crim- inal activity and this order shows that we mean business. “Closure orders are an important tool for us as they allow us to close homes linked to crimi- nal activity and restore confidence in the com- munity. A big thanks to all our partners includ- ing Greater Manches- ter Police.” A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers from across Trafford have been working tire- lessly with key local partners to address com- munity concerns around this property. “A coordinated team effort which culminated in a warrant being exe- cuted led to three arrests and a quantity of class A drugs and weapons being found. “The closure order which has been granted shows that alongside our partners, we will con- tinue to tackle concerns within the community to keep people safe. “The partnership approach along with our communities’ input through reporting and understanding high- lights we are all commit- ted to continue tackling this kind of disrup- tive behaviour.”