The new towns in the United Kingdom were planned under the powers of the New Towns Act 1946 ( 9 & 10 Geo. 6 . c. 68) and later acts to relocate people from poor or bombed-out housing following the Second World War . Designated new towns were placed under the supervision of a development corporation , and were developed in three waves. Later developments included the 'expanded towns': existing towns which were substantially expanded to accommodate what was called the "overspill" population from densely populated areas of deprivation.
65-474: The River Tawd flows through Skelmersdale and Lathom in West Lancashire . Tawd Bridge carried Ormskirk Road, the main arterial road from Wigan to Ormskirk and Southport . This is well known to Upholland locals as the place where highwayman George Lyons held up his victims during the 18th century. Today, the river flows through the middle of Skelmersdale in large culverts. It emerges near
130-426: A Maharishi School which, as of 2019, performed 'well above average' according to Ofsted . In 2011, it was one of 24 schools that applied for and received government funding as a flagship free school . Skelmersdale is also home to a large public library with facilities including free internet access and an extensive local history section. The town is host to a number of cultural and social organisations, such as
195-474: A 2017 Lancashire County Council report, Skelmersdale has one of the highest percentages of children living in poverty in Lancashire at 27%, and the highest accident and emergency attendance rate in Lancashire for 0–4 and 5–19 year olds. Furthermore, Skelmersdale's poverty levels are above the national average. Skelmersdale's crime rates are above the Lancashire average at 93 crimes per 1,000 people, and
260-531: A Starbucks café in the car park of the town's Asda store. Skelmersdale has been designed to work on a roundabout system and there is only one set of traffic lights in the town. For ease of access, there is a subway network allowing pedestrians to move through the town without needing to cross potentially hazardous roads. However, the subway system was called into question in 2020 by former West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper and others with regard to its safety and sustainability, as they are not regularly maintained by
325-451: A cheaper way of improving connectivity for Skelmersdale. This would be introduced with the 319 Stagecoach bus service, which runs between Skelmersdale Bus Station and Kirkby Railway Station , and will run to Headbolt Lane Railway Station once a normal Merseyrail service to Headbolt Lane resumes. In 2022, Lancashire County Council announced that intends to 'dispose' of the former Glenburn Sports College and West Lancashire College land, under
390-510: A looming employment crisis, the regeneration of the town centre is a step towards recovery, and up to 100 extra jobs would be generated during the scheme's construction phase alone. Proposals included a new food store as well as a number of bars, shops and restaurants, and a five-screen cinema. A new promenade would be fronted by these establishments to overlook the Tawd Valley Park, and a new civic square would also be created between
455-722: A new settlement proposed by the Duchy of Cornwall adjacent to the M2 in Kent, was expected to undergo the planning process in 2023. As of 2024, the government has outlined a list of proposed areas across England in which funding has been allocated for "garden villages" that could be built as extensions to existing urban areas, or for towns to receive new-build homes after acquiring "garden town" status. Garden towns and garden villages have been described as putting an emphasis on "funding for garden communities" and "putting green, wildlife friendly spaces at
520-433: A new town under the act; land was bought from the owners at agricultural prices; the government borrowed to invest in housing, commercial premises, and supporting infrastructure such as sewers, schools, churches or open spaces; and in due course it sold off the commercial premises and part of the housing at developed prices, thus paying off the debt. This model ran into some difficulty in the 1970s as growing inflation increased
585-690: A planning brief to become the first "new city", the largest of these was Milton Keynes at the northern edge of the South East , about halfway between Birmingham and London. In the East Midlands , the existing town of Northampton was expanded. In East Anglia , the city of Peterborough was designated as a new town to accommodate overspill from London. Yate in Gloucestershire and South Woodham Ferrers in Essex were developed between
650-541: A river in England is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Skelmersdale Skelmersdale / ˈ s k ɛ l m ər z d eɪ l / is a town in the West Lancashire district of England. It sits on the River Tawd , 6 miles (10 km) west of Wigan , 13 miles (21 km) north-east of Liverpool and 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Preston . In 2006, it had a population of 38,813. The town
715-546: A supermarket, a library, a swimming pool and gym named after former Minister of Health Aneurin Bevan (however there are plans to redevelop these facilities), West Lancashire College 's main campus, a multistorey car park, and the Tawd Valley Retail Park. The Concourse is home to a number of national chain stores. The Concourse used to have an artwork by Alan Boyson , in the shape of a pyramid. The pyramid
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#1732797830789780-711: Is active in the town and advocates for the establishment of a Skelmersdale Town Council. While the party has contested multiple seats on West Lancashire Borough Council , it has been unsuccessful in gaining seats. The town's football team, Skelmersdale United F.C. , plays in the West Division of the Northern Premier League and was a FA Vase winner in 1971. One of its former players, Steve Heighway , went on to play for Liverpool . Former Everton midfielder Leon Osman , who takes his son to Dalton St Michael's Primary School in nearby Dalton, played for
845-435: Is inappropriate to the 21st Century. Their infrastructure is ageing at the same rate and many have social and economic problems. Many are small local authorities which do not have the capacity to resolve their problems. Their attempts to manage the towns are complicated by the role played by English Partnerships which still has major landholdings and other outstanding interests. and: The new towns are no longer new and many of
910-609: Is known locally as Skem / ˈ s k ɛ m / . While the first record of the town is in the Domesday Book of 1086, much of the town, including the current town centre, was developed as a second wave new town in the 1960s. The town's initial development as a coal town coincided with the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century; the town lies on the Lancashire Coalfield . Skelmersdale
975-495: Is rated good or fail. The water quality of the River Tawd was as follows in 2016. Reasons for the quality being less than good include physical modification of the channel and some sewage discharge. 53°36′23″N 2°47′34″W / 53.6065°N 2.7927°W / 53.6065; -2.7927 This Lancashire location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to
1040-462: Is situated in a small valley on the River Tawd . The town was designed to accommodate both nature and compact housing estates, and the town centre contains a large amount of forestation. The Beacon Country Park lies to the east of Skelmersdale, where the Beacon Point lies, along with a golf club. Furthermore, the Tawd Valley Park runs through the centre of the town, where improvement efforts from
1105-535: Is the 21st most dangerous overall out of Lancashire's 236 towns, villages, and cities. Skelmersdale was the worst medium-sized town in Lancashire in 2020 for drugs. Although consisting predominantly of housing estates, Skelmersdale's industry includes the Co-operative Bank which employs 650 people, distribution centres for Asda , P&G , Victorian Plumbing , a Walkers snack food factory, Chemist 4 U and many others. Skelmersdale formerly housed
1170-683: The 2023 West Lancashire by-election . Furthermore, as of June 2021, Skelmersdale is represented by three Labour Party councillors across three wards on Lancashire County Council , and all twelve borough councillors for wards in Skelmersdale on West Lancashire Borough Council are members of the Labour Party. Until the 2021 United Kingdom local elections , Skelmersdale had only elected Labour Party councillors for over fifty years. Skelmersdale Independent Party, established in February 2019,
1235-564: The New Towns Act 1946 ( 9 & 10 Geo. 6 . c. 68). The second wave (1961–1964) was likewise initiated to alleviate housing shortfalls. Two of the locations below (Redditch and Dawley New Town – later renamed Telford ) are near the West Midlands conurbation and were designed for Birmingham and Wolverhampton overspill; another two (Runcorn and Skelmersdale) are near Merseyside and were intended as overspill for
1300-478: The School Standards and Framework Act 1988 . Skelmersdale has a number of primary schools, and has two high schools: Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Engineering College and Lathom High School . Glenburn Sports College closed on 31 August 2016 following an unsuccessful campaign backed by former local MP Rosie Cooper to prevent the closure. West Lancashire College has a campus in the centre of
1365-467: The "joyous union" of town and country, providing a much better quality of life for those who lived there. Two garden cities were built – Letchworth , Hertfordshire in 1903, and Welwyn Garden City , Hertfordshire in 1920. The underlying principles of garden cities (including community engagement , well designed housing, easily accessible recreational and shopping facilities, and an integrated transport network ) were influential in
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#17327978307891430-567: The 'Old Town' is the much smaller and older part of the town in the south west; Skelmersdale was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The town is further divided into seven wards: Skelmersdale North, Skelmersdale South, Birch Green, Ashurst, Digmoor, Moorside and Tanhouse. Skelmersdale means "Skjaldmarr's valley", from the Old Norse personal name Skjaldmarr + probably Old Norse dalr (or Old English dæl ) "dale, valley". The name
1495-519: The 1950s and 1970s, coinciding with the creation of the above new towns, and Yate pointedly marketed itself as a "new town" during the 1960s. However, they differ in that they were not commissioned by any of the New Town Acts. Six new towns in Scotland were designated between 1947 and 1973, mostly for the overspill population of Glasgow . The New Towns Act (Northern Ireland) 1965 gave
1560-634: The 20th century, with new towns being an alternative approach outside London after World War II. The objective of this was to bring more economic activity to these smaller communities, whilst relieving pressure on overpopulated areas of major cities. The first wave of independent new towns was intended to help alleviate the housing shortages following the Second World War, beyond the green belt around London. Two sites in County Durham were also designated. These designations were made under
1625-543: The Artz Centre which provides opportunities in creative fields, and The Birchwood Centre which aims to reduce social isolation and homelessness. The town featured in TV series Utopia and features in the musical Blood Brothers . According to urban planning consultancy Space Syntax, Skelmersdale's fragmented streets have made its centre relatively inaccessible and this has resulted in segregated land use. According to
1690-673: The Concourse Shopping Centre and the town library. Regeneration specialists St Modwen have been working on the proposals with West Lancashire Council and the Homes and Communities Agency. In January 2020, work began on a new Lidl supermarket and a B&M store, along with an additional vacant retail unit, which would later be leased out to Poundstretcher , and work began on a new two-screen cinema operated by US company Star Cinemas in May 2020, which opened in May 2021 under
1755-547: The Minister of Development of the Government of Northern Ireland the power to designate an area as a new town, and to appoint a development commission. An order could be made to transfer municipal functions of all or part of any existing local authorities to the commission, which took the additional title of urban district council, although unelected. This was done in the case of Craigavon. The New Towns Amendment Act 1968
1820-749: The National Flight Championships on 19 August 2006 held at RAF Church Fenton . Furthermore, Skelmersdale Cricket Club was established in 1891. The Merseyside Nighthawks , an American football team who play at JMO Sports Park in the town, are members of the BAFA National Leagues and play in the Premier North Division. Skelmersdale has units of the Air Training Corps , Army Cadet Force and Sea Cadet Corps . These units take part in
1885-469: The New Towns Act in England since 1970 (and Scotland since 1973), but several new large scale developments have been founded: Poundbury is an experimental new town or urban extension on the outskirts of Dorchester. The development is built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall . It is built according to the principles of (then) Prince Charles , who was known for holding strong views challenging
1950-531: The Northwest Regional Development Agency and publicly headed by the designer Wayne Hemingway . Among the proposals was a new central focus for the entertainment and commerce for the town in the evening. In 2012, a £20m vision to create a regenerated town centre for Skelmersdale was revealed. It is expected to create as many as 500 permanent jobs, and current projections seem to satisfy that target. Although Skelmersdale faces
2015-407: The city of Liverpool . The third wave of new towns (1967–1970) allowed for additional growth, chiefly further north from the previous London new towns, among them " Central Lancashire New Town " and Warrington . Dawley New Town was redesignated as Telford New Town, with a much larger area, as overspill for Birmingham and nearby towns including Wolverhampton . With a target population of 250,000 and
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2080-481: The club in his youth. Former Cardiff City player Craig Noone also once played for the club. Skelmersdale Football Club is currently located at JMO Sports Park in the town. The town is host to an archery club, the Bowmen of Skelmersdale, whose collective members hold 19 county records and 14 world records held by three members of the same family ( Melissa-Jane , Harriet and Gary Daniel), six of which were claimed at
2145-477: The corporate base and a distribution centre for Matalan , the discount clothing and homewares store, who later relocated to Knowsley Industrial Park. Frederick's Dairies , now owned by R&R Ice Cream UK Ltd, who make ice cream for Cadbury , and many others, are also located in Skelmersdale. Skelmersdale's town centre is made up of the Concourse Shopping Centre, (colloquially known as "the Connie") as well as
2210-713: The cost of new borrowing, and this complicated the impact of the programme on public finances. The corporations were in due course dissolved and their assets split between local authorities and, in England, the Commission for New Towns (later English Partnerships ). In July 2002, the Select Committee on Transport, Local Government and the Regions assessed the effectiveness of the new towns and concluded that: While many New Towns have been economically successful, most now are experiencing major problems. Their design
2275-418: The council are currently ongoing. The town borders Up Holland to the east, Ormskirk to the north-west, and St Helens to the south. Furthermore, the town lies on the periphery of Wigan and Greater Manchester . The M58 runs to the south of Skelmersdale, from Wigan to Liverpool. The New Town is the larger eastern part of the town which was built primarily in the 1960s as a second wave new town , and
2340-456: The council in order for the station to be built. In 2017, Merseytravel and Lancashire County Council committed £5 million into a study to investigate the possibility of re-opening the station. Combined with the creation of a new station at Headbolt Lane in Kirkby, it is believed that the scheme could cost around £300 million to develop. In 2020, Lancashire County Council acquired the site of
2405-628: The county council. The M58 motorway runs along the south of Skelmersdale from Wigan and the nearby M6 motorway to the Switch Island interchange at Liverpool. The A570 and the A577 both provide connections. The New Town areas of Skelmersdale have a road-naming system where residential streets rarely feature words such as "Road" and "Street" and single-name roads are common, e.g. Abbeywood, Fairburn, Brierfield, Thornwood. "Road", "Street", "Lane" and "Drive" do appear in road names, but only in
2470-502: The decision to proceed with these developments is unrelated. On 13 May 2007, chancellor Gordon Brown , who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom the following month, announced he would designate 10 new " eco-towns " to ease demand for low-cost housing . The towns, around 20,000 population each—at least 5,000 homes—are planned to be " carbon neutral " and will use locally generated sustainable-energy sources. Only one site
2535-425: The development of the post-war new towns movement. An "overspill estate" is a housing estate planned and built for the housing of excess population in urban areas , both from the natural increase of population and often in order to rehouse people from decaying inner city areas, usually as part of the process of slum clearance . They were created on the outskirts of most large British towns and during most of
2600-531: The existing quarter-hourly Liverpool Central to Kirkby service, to terminate at a new station in the centre of Skelmersdale. Rainford would then become an interchange station for services to and from Wigan Wallgate. In 2009, the Association of Train Operating Companies published a report, Connecting Communities, which also recommended the opening of a new rail link to Skelmersdale. This time
2665-664: The former Glenburn Sports College, and approved £2 million to demolish the buildings on the site and prepare the area for the construction of a railway station. Plans for the reopening were dealt a blow when the Department for Transport announced in July 2022 that it was rejecting the Strategic Outline Business Case. The DfT instead suggested that better bus links with the Kirkby–Wigan rail line would be
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2730-401: The heart of development". Didcot , Oxfordshire was one of the first to be awarded garden town status in 2015. Amongst the towns expected to see the most dynamic population growth after developments are Didcot, Harlow and Gilston as part of a joint garden town project, Taunton and Cullompton . The financial model was for many years as follows: an area of countryside was designated as
2795-672: The local community life and are routinely seen attending the Remembrance Sunday parade in the old town. New towns in the United Kingdom The concept of the "garden city" was first envisaged by Ebenezer Howard in his 1898 book To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform , as an alternative to the pollution and overcrowding in Britain's growing urban areas. Taking inspiration from the model villages of Port Sunlight and Bournville , he saw garden cities as
2860-535: The name Ultra Star Cinema (However it was re-branded to “Capitol Cinema” in June 2021.) In June 2020, Lancashire County Council acquired the site of the former Glenburn Sports College, and approved £2 million of funding to demolish the site and prepare the location for development as a railway station. The new Lidl store opened on the 9th June 2022, and the B&;M store opened on the 6th July 2022. In addition to this,
2925-581: The new town centre developments. The park opened in June but was closed again in August due to vandalism and health and safety concerns due to missing safety equipment. There are plans to redevelop the land behind the new Lidl store to build a new health and wellbeing centre, featuring a gym , swimming pool , café , and children's play park . This will also result in the demolition of the existing Nye Bevan site. Plans have also been submitted by EG Group and approved by West Lancashire Borough Council to build
2990-518: The parts of the town that pre-date or post-date the New Town development. The road names in New Town areas are also arranged in a loosely alphabetical format with large areas being defined by a single letter, for example, Larkhill, Leeswood, Ledburn and Lindens all connect to Ashley Road in the Ashurst area. Roads in the industrial estates and the main roads in the town such as Gillibrands Road follow
3055-520: The post-war trends in town planning that were suburban in character. Euxton has grown significantly following the Buckshaw Village development, described as "one of the largest brownfield schemes of its kind throughout Europe", and conceptualised as an eco-village. Further expansion is planned with another development, Euxton Heights. Ironically, although Euxton falls under what were the designated boundaries of Central Lancashire New Town,
3120-452: The quickly built houses have reached the end of their design life. The masterplans dictated low density development with large amounts of open space, and housing segregated from jobs, shopping and business services. These created a car dependency and are now not considered sustainable. Low density developments are expensive to maintain. Roads and sewers are in need of expensive upgrades. The lack of social ties experienced by some residents of
3185-621: The recommendation was via the Skelmersdale Branch from Ormskirk. In February 2017, Lancashire County Council identified the site of the former Glenburn Sports College / West Lancashire College Westbank Campus site as the preferred location for a railway station for the town. Despite the Glenburn Sports College being owned by the council, the Westbank Campus site was owned by NCG and required purchase by
3250-426: The river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations,
3315-582: The second most populous town in the North West , after Leigh , without a railway station. The nearest railway station is Upholland railway station on the Wigan Wallgate to Kirkby branch line (historically part of the Liverpool and Bury Railway line). The Skelmersdale Branch previously connected Skelmersdale to Ormskirk and Rainford Junction. In 2009, Network Rail proposed to extend
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#17327978307893380-444: The second wave of designations. Skelmersdale endured mixed economic fortunes during the last three decades of the 20th century. With the economic downturn in the late 1970s, large industrial employers left the town en masse, resulting in an increase in crime, drug abuse and poverty. Today, West Lancashire has a crime rate below the national average. 2006 saw a regeneration drive for the town coordinated through English Partnerships and
3445-451: The southwest of the county. In the mid-14th century, the manor of Skelmersdale was held by William Dacre, 2nd Baron Dacre . In 1858, Blague Gate railway station in Skelmersdale was opened on the new Ormskirk to Rainford line. It was renamed to Skelmersdale railway station in 1874, before closing in 1956 and its demolition shortly after 1968. Skelmersdale's population in 1851 was only 760, but 50 years later it had increased to 5,699. It
3510-423: The start of the 20th century there were at least six dissenting chapels in the town: two Wesleyan (Berry Street, closed in the 1920s, and Liverpool Road, closed 1969), an independent Methodist, a Primitive Methodist , a Congregational and a Welsh Chapel (closed in 1963). Today, there is little to remind people that the town was part of the once great Lancashire Coalfield , although a Skelmersdale Heritage Society
3575-504: The third vacant retail unit was taken up by Poundstretcher , which opened on the 1st November 2022. In addition to this, the pathway between West Lancashire College and the Concourse Shopping Centre opened in June, however, the high street linking the two sites has not yet been constructed. In addition to this, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Park was constructed in the area, linking in with
3640-574: The town's shopping centre, the Concourse, and flows into a country park and Tawd Vale Adventure Centre, a Scout campsite owned and operated by Merseyside Scouts, on the site of the 19th and early 20th century colliery . Parts of the river are a county biological heritage site. It is a tributary of the River Douglas which it joins in Lathom. The Environment Agency measure the water quality of
3705-447: The town. The college merged with Newcastle College in 2007 and was graded as 'good' in a recent Ofsted inspection. In 2021, Brian Cox launched the college's 'School of Science', a £1.3 million facility with the intention of increasing the number of students who study science, technology, engineering and mathematics . There is a Transcendental Meditation movement community within Skelmersdale, called "European Sidhaland". It has
3770-488: The usual naming conventions, although the industrial estates do feature street names beginning with the same letter. For example, Pikelaw Place, Penketh Place, Pinfold Place and Priorswood Place are all part of the Pimbo Industrial Estate. In September 2011, the company providing most of Skelmersdale's bus services, Arriva North West , closed its depot in Skelmersdale, which employed 129 people. The depot
3835-532: Was a busy coal mining town. There were over 100 fatalities in Skelmersdale collieries from 1851 to 1900, according to the Reports of the Inspectors of Coal Mines, and an unknown number of serious injuries. In 1880 there were 14 Skelmersdale collieries—most of them closed in the 1920s and '30s. The miners, many of whom were Welsh immigrants, brought with them their own brand of Nonconformist Christianity. By
3900-474: Was first constructed for Ribble Motor Services in the 1970s, and the premises were sold. Skelmersdale is now served by buses from Arriva depots in St Helens, Bootle and Southport. In 2023, a Stagecoach service to Headbolt Lane in Kirkby was introduced, and in late 2023, a Preston Bus service to Rainford was also introduced. Since the closure of Skelmersdale railway station in 1956, the town has become
3965-541: Was identified in the announcement: the former Oakington Barracks in Cambridgeshire, which is the site of the already-planned Northstowe development. Local councils will be invited to provide sites for the remaining four towns. In September 2014, the CBI called for all political parties to commit to building 10 new towns and garden cities to get to grips with the country's housing shortage. South East Faversham ,
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#17327978307894030-420: Was located in front of the entrance opposite the ecumenical centre until the early to mid-1980s but was removed for safety reasons. There are also smaller shopping parades in Skelmersdale which include Sandy Lane Shopping Centre, Digmoor Parade and Ashurst Shopping Centre. Skelmersdale is in the West Lancashire parliamentary constituency, and has been represented by Ashley Dalton , a Labour Party MP, since
4095-818: Was passed to enable the establishment of the Londonderry Development Commission to replace the County Borough and rural district of Londonderry, and implement the Londonderry Area Plan. On 3 April 1969, the development commission took over the municipal functions of the two councils, the area becoming Londonderry Urban District. During the same period as the new town scheme, several other towns underwent local authority led expansion as 'overspills' to larger urban areas, but were not officially designated as new towns, among these were: No new towns have been designated under
4160-410: Was re-established in 2019. There were also numerous brickworks in the area, and in the early-20th century Victoria County History , Skelmersdale was described as "a particularly bare, unpleasing district" owing to its coal mines and brickworks . In 1961 Skelmersdale was designated a new town , designed to house overspill population from the north Liverpool conurbation. The town was the first in
4225-575: Was recorded as Skalmeresedel in 1136. It is locally known as "Skem", with a further distinction being made between "Old Skem" (the area which was a small mining town before 1961) and the broader swathe of development on the east side of the town. Until the creation of Skelmersdale Urban District Council at the end of the 19th century, the town was part of the Parish of Ormskirk in the West Derby hundred , an ancient subdivision of Lancashire, covering
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