We must save the Black Horse (From St Helens Star)

We must save the Black Horse in Moss Bank

9:19am Thursday 6th December 2012 in News By Reader letter

We must save the Black Horse

SO yet another piece of local history is set to disappear. This time a pub in Moss Bank that can be dated back to the 18th Century!

Why is our local council so set on eradicating from our town any building with any history attached to it? This town is now unrecognisable from the town I grew up in. Every building of any note, with one or two exceptions, has been demolished in the name of progress leaving us with a town full of early 70's designs which are well past their sell by date, and a town with no heart.

One of the biggest acts of vandalism must be the demolishing of all the streets, houses and shops in what became St Thomas's Square. Houses and shops where people lived and worked in close communities, knew their neighbours, and could walk into town to do their shopping.

And for what? An estate that became a haven for crime and drug taking and is now demolished itself, the site being left derelict for years and years. What an eyesore! What a welcome to St Helens!

Now back to The Black Horse. After reading in the current Star about the number of people opposed to this development, and the locals who are trying to get together to block this plan, I turned over the page only to read an article about St Helens Councils Masterplan for the regeneration and development of the borough over the next 15 years.

It reads, and I quote, "Its policies will be used to assess planning applications, preventing poor quality development and protect St Helens "most important features"". According to Council Leader Marie Rimmer, "We have a plan that reflects the needs and aspirations of the people of the borough.”

Isn't it about time our council started listening to the people and what they want, and stopped allowing the destruction of our heritage by developers?

Terry Broughton, Prescot Road