A COUNCILLOR has spoken out over a lack of action to tidy up a former Winsford nightclub after its co-owner was fined last week.

Cheshire West and Chester Council imposed an order on Liquid Lounge’s owners to get the site cleared up last August, but the council has since took them to court after failing to comply with it.

The notice had been served following pressure from Cllr Mike Baynham, Conservative CWAC member for Winsford Over and Verdin, and Antoinette Sandbach MP.

But they believed the council would step in to clear the site if its owners failed to act, and Cllr Baynham is now calling for action once again.

“I’m just a bit disappointed that the council seems to be taking a step back from the plan of action it said it was going to do,” he said.

Northwich Guardian:

“My understanding is that the council was getting quotations [for the work] in case the owners would not work with the council and tidy the site, but instead CWAC decided to take the owners to court.

“I have requested a meeting with CWAC’s enforcement team to take me through the next steps because I think the public have been let down.

“It is an issue that really needs to be resolved, but there have been a lot of words and very little action. I’m not very happy with the situation at all.”

Paul McCarthy, of Cledford Lane, Middlewich, was ordered to pay more than £630 after failing to improve the state of the site by Chester Magistrates Court last Thursday.

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The court heard the notice served on the two co-owners partly asked for the grass and plants on the land to be ‘tidied’ and for the air conditioning unit on the side of building to be made safe.

The magistrates were also told the pair did not want to work together but have now made comments stating they ‘seek to resolve’ the matter.

McCarthy, 45, who pleaded guilty, was fined £440 and also ordered to pay £150 in costs and a £44 victim surcharge, which brings the total to £634.

Cllr Karen Shore, CWAC’s deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, highways and strategic transport, said: “We understand frustrations around this site and are looking at our options – both in terms of what we are able to do here and the costs associated with it.”

Northwich Guardian:

Liquid Lounge has stood empty for more than 10 years.

It was gutted by fire in 2013, while another fire took place on the site on May 29 this year.