Annual General Meeting
*27 March 2019*​

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​This year's AGM will, once again, be held at Heswall Hall starting at 7:30pm on Wednesday 27 March. Members of the Society will shortly be receiving a Notice of AGM and relevant papers. They can also be found in the Members Area.

After the formal proceedings, there will be a talk by Christopher Storey QC entitled 'Horace Rumpole - Hero or anti-hero'.

​Members, friends and guests are all welcome to attend.

Friends of Dawstone Park
*AGM 3 April 2019*

All are invited to attend the Group's Annual General Meeting at Heswall Hall at which Nick Lightfoot of Ness Gardens will be giving a talk on the Parks & Gardens of Wirral.  Click here for further details. 
The Heswall Society continues to support the active Friends of Dawstone Park Group, and are delighted that it has, once again, achieved Green Flag Status!​  Click here for further details.

Conservation Areas Wirral
​*AGM 4 April 2019*

CAW’s AGM is open for all to attend.  Those intending to do so can access the Agenda and Chairman's Report here.
 
It is expected that the formal business will be short, followed by Open Forum and a presentation by David Ball on the implications of Wirral’s new Local Plan for Conservation Areas and Heritage Assets. It promises to be an informative meeting.​

Friends of Feather Lane Woods
(the woods below Tesco)

An Open Meeting organised by The Heswall Society on 18 February was well attended and resulted in the setting up of a Friends Group.

The Council not having the resources to fully maintain the woods, the purpose of the Friends Group is to help protect and manage them to stop them from becoming an unsightly jungle and so that they can continue to be a much needed haven for wildlife.

If you would like to be involved, please contact Heswall Society at parks@heswallsociety.org.uk

Tree Felling, Telegraph Road ​ 

Thank you for bringing our immediate attention to the felling of the tree outside 'Inspired Kitchens and Bathrooms' on Telegraph Road.

This tree had a preservation order on it and the Society should have been alerted to this work which in this case it wasn’t.

Click here for further details and to see what action the Heswall Society has taken on your behalf. 

Heswall Police Station ​

We have received no further news yet on the future of the Heswall Police Station which was put up for sale last year, possibly with a view to redevelopment.
 
Following the Society’s unsuccessful application to have the building listed, the only option left was to contact the the Police and Crime Commissioner and stress the local importance of maintaining the exterior of this building, one of the few distinctive buildings in Heswall, designed by the respected architect, Harry Beswick. 

Your Green Belt - Latest

We have already drawn attention to the Heswall Society's detailed response to the Council’s recent consultation on the Wirral Local Plan - Development Options Review.   

During that consultation period, the Office of National Statistics published its updated (2016) figures which, compared with the previous (2014) figures used by the Council in their consultation document, significantly reduced the predicted housing need for Wirral using the standard method.  The later figures, if adopted, would help to reduce the pressure on our precious Green Belt.
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However,the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), has since launched its own consultation on changing the standard method for calculating housing need, effectively reverting to the ONS 2014 figures.  The Heswall Society has now submitted its response. 

Click here for further comment and to view the Heswall Society's response to both the Council's and the MHCLG's consultations. ​

'Best Places to Live'

'The great countryside and lively, friendly community make this fertile territory for the active downsizer and families'

​This is just part of how The Sunday Times describes Heswall, listing it fourth in the North West in its 'Best Places to Live 2018' survey.

​To access the survey, Click here. 

'Best Places to Live by the Sea'

Ranked 5th in its top 10 year round winners, this is how the Sunday Times describes Heswall in its 'Top Ten Places to Live by the Sea' published in its 6 January 2019 edition.

​'On a crisp, clear January day, there are few views more cheering than the sight of the snow-capped Welsh mountains reflected in the sparkling estuary of the River Dee.'

​To access the survey, Click here.

​​The Church of the Good Shepherd

​The Parish of Heswall continues to keep the Heswall Society informed on its developing plans to replace the existing Good Shepherd building and Parish Hall with a new church and community hall (The Lighthouse Church).  Information on this including a short video can be found on the Parish of Heswall website.

​'Heswall in Bloom'

Click here for the latest Winter 2019 Newsletter from the Heswall in Bloom Team.

GDPR

Please click on the Society's Privacy Notice to see how your data is collected and used by the Society.

Join Us!

​The Heswall Society is the local amenity society for Heswall and Gayton, formed just over 60 years ago by some far-sighted residents.  For more information, Click here.
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New members who share our aim to retain the quality of Heswall and Gayton, without opposing sensitive change, are very welcome. If you would like to join The Heswall Society please click on the red button below.

Wirral Waters
*From Vision to Reality*

​At the Society's Open Meeting on 27 February, Richard Mawdsley, Director of Development at Wirral Waters gave a great presentation on the exciting developments we will see at the site over the coming few years. With outline consent for 13,000 homes overall, three initial residential schemes will deliver over 1,000 homes on the brownfield site during the early stages with many more to follow. Other projects including the Maritime Knowledge Hub, a new 'Grade A' office block, a state of the art industrial park and local amenities, will bring much needed jobs into the area. We look forward to seeing all this start happening! Thanks again to Richard Mawdsley for the update! We look forward to inviting him back!

Newsletters

Hopefully all members will now have received their Spring 2019 Newsletter either post or email according to their preference. It is also now available, along with earlier editions, within the Members Area.

Non-members are very welcome to Click here to see our most recent Newsletter.  If you like what you see and appreciate just how much time and effort the Society invests in protecting Heswall's built environment and public spaces for the benefit of its community, we hope you will consider joining us!  

Lower Village Action Group

The Society was recently approached by shopkeepers, businesses and local residents of the Lower Village, for help in forming a group similar to the Heswall & District Business Association, but exclusively focused on reinvigorating the Lower Village by whatever means.
 
The newly formed Lower Village Action Group committee held its inaugural meeting in early January when ideas/thoughts flowed and from these, a number of possible initiatives are being pursued. It’s a case of ‘watch this space’ for developments. 

Lower Village Telephone Kiosk
​*What Now?*

​Having successfully adopted and renovated the telephone kiosk in the Lower Village, the Society is now considering how best to use it. The simplest option is to just leave the kiosk as it is, providing an important contribution to the street scene. But the Society is keen to look at whether it could provide an additional function. Ideas actively being explored are installing a defibrillator, using it as a mini library, or possibly both. We would be very happy to receive any other  novel ideas that readers might have.​​
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Trees
​The Society now receives notification of all applications for surgery or felling of trees that are subject to Tree Preservation Orders or are within our Conservation Areas.

Friends of Hill House Gardens

​For the latest update on the excellent work undertaken by the Friends, Click here to see their Autumn 2018 Newsletter.  A noticeboard now erected at the Telegraph Road entrance to Hill House Gardens provides further information about the Friends group.  If you would like to know more or you are interested in joining and/or volunteering, please email Margaret at heswallwildlife@aol.com.  

Friends of Heswall Dales

For the latest news on what has been happening in the Dales, click here for the Autumn 2018 Newsletter or visit their website at http://www.heswalldalesfriends.co.uk.
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Friends of Heswall Dales are looking for someone to help them publicise the Dales and the work of the Friends group.  They are very keen to keep the momentum going following on from the success of their open day in September, and spread the word to as wide an audience as possible.  If you do know of anyone who has the necessary skills and would be willing to get involved, please contact the Friends group by email at this address - friendsheswalldales@gmail.com.  Ideally the person involved would become a member of the committee but this isn't absolutely essential. ​​

Potholes!

The  Government has given Wirral an extra £1.4 million to fix pot holes in our roads.  Residents are invited to nominate a road for repair.  To do so, Click here.  Now's your chance!ick here to edit.

If you would like to help protect and enhance the unique character of Heswall please consider joining The Society.
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Did you know that this logo was developed from a design by a pupil of Heswall Primary School in 1996?​
The Heswall Society is involved in local environmental issues and consulted by the Council on Conservation Areas. The Heswall Society review every planning application. We are the only residents' body which encourages the best designs of houses, retail and commercial properties in order to maintain the character and distinguishing features of Heswall. We are a local amenity society and our site contains local history, Heswall photographs, planning information, conservation area details, Heswall Society history, listed buildings and Friends of Heswall Open Spaces