A new road in Moreton is to be named after the town’s longest serving councillor, following a request by his successors.
The move follows the Council’s decision to use the site of the former Foxfield School on Douglas Drive for new homes, following the school’s relocation to Woodchurch in 2015. The school buildings were demolished in 2018 and the site has been derelict since.
Sandra Blakeley said:
“Our family is very grateful that Chris’s work, over more than 20 years, is to be honoured and remembered in this way. Chris worked hard, and consistently, for our town and he was a champion for the community. We’d like to thank all those who have helped to ensure he will be remembered in this way.”
The new development, by Lovell Partnerships, was approved by the Council on 8 March and includes 66 Residential development of 66 homes together with associated open space, roads and pavements, landscaping and additional drainage.
Lovell have been actively working in Wirral for over 20 years and undertook consultation with residents, including a public consultation event, held at Moreton Baptist Church just before the pandemic. The development will be a mix of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes in a mixture of primarily semi-detached and terraced properties. All will be available via shared ownership, Affordable Rent or Rent to Buy.
Councillor Vida Wilson said: “I first met Chris almost 25 years ago when he offered his help to me, as Chairman of the Friends of Fender Farm, and our fight then against plans to build on Moreton’s Green Belt. In all the years that followed, he never once wavered or reduced his commitment, enthusiasm and determination for Moreton and Saughall Massie.
“Thank you to the council and the developer for agreeing to this request to remember Chris in this way. Along with my colleagues Colin Baldwin and Gary Bennett, we once again pay tribute to this remarkable man, without doubt the best Councillor Moreton has ever had.”
Leader of Wirral’s Conservatives, Cllr. Jeff Green, added: “Chris Blakeley was a one-off, one of those rare councillors who was both a champion for his community and an assiduous and effective councillor in the Town Hall. He could be fearsome but was always fair. When he contributed to a debate or challenged a proposal you knew he will have done his homework.
“I hope this gesture will ensure Chris’s memory lives on and will serve as a reminder that a good councillor can make a difference. Moreton, Saughall Massie and the wider Borough are a better place because of Chris Blakeley.”
