Towers ruin our lives – and are in the wrong place
APENSIONER is furious after being told that two 28ft towers built at the bottom of his garden were put up in the wrong place.
The towers, which contain lift shafts, form part of a footbridge at the new Maghull North Station.
Andy Wells, 67, who says that the towers looming over his property have ruined his life, was dealt a further blow when Sefton Council confirmed that there was a half a metre “discrepancy” over where they should have been built.
Sefton Council said it had expressed disappointment over the “non-compliance” but chose not to demand a second planning application.
Mr Wells said: “If this was an extension it would have to come down. You hear about people having to pull down new homes and extensions all the time because they have breached plans.
“But Sefton have said they will do nothing about this, probably because the towers are part of a £13.5m station. The letter says that the discrepancy is around 0.5m but I think its a metre.”
The letter to Mr Wells reads: “The discrepancy amounts to around 0.5 metres. Therefore, I am of the opinion that the tower’s position does not align with that envisaged by the approved plans having regard to the plotting of properties on Mersey Avenue.
“I consider that the tower is positioned sufficiently away from main rear elevations for there to be no adverse impact, as was explained previously to planning committee when the original application was granted.”
Mr Wells, who has lived in Mersey Avenue with his wife for 42 years, said that the construction of the station turned their lives upside down, depriving them of sleep as diggers worked at night.
He said they were thinking about moving because of the towers and the on-going building work at the station, which is to open next month. He said that the “military style towers” suddenly appeared at the bottom of his garden in January and that the value of his home may have fallen by as much as 30%.
He added: “The towers are now covered in a dark brick, and they cast a long shadow over our garden and block the light. The building work has been a nightmare.”
A Merseytravel and Network Rail spokesperson, said: “Maghull North station has been subject to a thorough design process. The position of the lift shaft has been planned using the nearby road bridge as a fixed datum point. The location of the constructed lift shaft is as planned to the stated distance from the bridge.
“The latest ordnance survey mapping has been overlaid onto the station design and used during public consultation. We understand that there is a slight discrepancy with the ordnance survey maps in relation to garden boundaries of Mersey Avenue properties, but they are largely accurate and have no material difference on the lift shaft position.”
A spokesman for Sefton Council said that it had received a formal complaint about the towers’ location which was being investigated.