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THIS might look like a link road between two
streets, but - although there are no houses and no street name sign -
you are looking at Blankney Avenue, Nantwich. For ex-pats and others who
know Nantwich, it runs between Whitlow Avenue and Cronkinson Avenue. For
those who don't know it, the street still runs between . . . !
It was originally named Blankney Drive 50 years ago, according to a
group who are running a campaign to have the name made official in the
60th anniversary year of the Victory in Europe and Victory over Japan in
the Second World War.
Their campaign is in memory of the sailors of HMS Blankney, the ship
that was adopted by the
townspeople during the war.
Although there are no houses in the short street - which is no more than
100 yards or so long - a house-building firm wanted to squeeze
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Residents complain
THE residents of The Blankney have
complained about approval being given to the name Blankney Avenue by
Crewe and Nantwich Borough Council.
According to a report in the
Nantwich Chronicle of April 5, 2006, they say they should have been
consulted before the name was allowed and feel they have now lost their
identity.
A borough council
spokesman is quoted as saying there were no houses in the short road and
so there shouldn't be any confusion - and they consulted Nantwich Town
Council and Royal Mail "who both had no concerns."
This move comes on top of
another battle having been fought by the same residents - preventing a
developer from squeezing more homes into their small cul-de-sac (below).
A pity that HMS Blankney
cannot sail to their aid!
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yet more houses into the town on this spot last year. But local residents opposed the
move on the grounds that it had always been the intention in the
original plan that the two green areas should remain house-free. In any
case - as you can see - the grassed area is little more eight to 10
yards wide - where would the houses go?!
The Minutes of Nantwich Urban District Council (from the days before Nantwich was
swallowed up in a Crewe and Nantwich Borough, leaving us with a Town
Council) show the intention to call the street Blankney Drive. The name
was later changed to Blankney Avenue but a sign was never erected in the
1950s because - it is believed - money was in short supply in post-war
Nantwich and no one lived in the street any way.
The Minutes are now housed in the record office at Chester, so
townspeople are not just relying on memory. A small party checked them
out recently.
Two ladies, local resident Sue Garnett and Cllr Edith Williams of the
Borough Council, are leading the campaign and the council's planning
department have said there is an application for name plates to be
erected. |
street in Nantwich
called The Blankney (pictured). This was no doubt named after the same ship
- although much later than the original street.
