Ten years on – was liquid amber the right choice?

Liquid Amber
The liquid amber trees add autumn colour to The Square and war memorial.
Liquid Amber
More liquid amber trees can be seen on the Market Place – although they were partly hidden by the Monday Market today.
Liquid Amber
When it came to refurbishing the Market Place ten years ago the choice was between liquid amber and the London plane. The planes by St Helens’ Wharf are only just beginning to turn yellow and golden.

27 thoughts on “Ten years on – was liquid amber the right choice?

  1. Captainkaos2

    The trouble with trees is – they grow ! As beautiful as they are it won’t be too long before they’re too big, then what? Unlike Plane trees ( the urban favourite ) theses will be difficult to prune without ruining their shape, then we’ll have those who want them removed and those who don’t, the cherry trees once along county hall were a prime example.
    Walk around town and you’ll see lots in dire need of attention, the birch & conifer at the junction of east & west st Helens, the Birch’s in west St. Helens
    Personally I’d rather see art/ statues and the like ? Although coming down the vineyard and seeing a collection of bland brick buildings devoid of any greenery is depressing .

    Reply
  2. newcomer

    Something less fragrant. Received via email from our property management company:

    ‘Changes to your recycling services from November 2016
    From November, the council will only empty green bins if the recycling in them is loose or in clear sacks.
    Despite a recent campaign to raise awareness of the issue, food waste, dirty nappies, and other items they can’t recycle are still contaminating whole truckloads of recycling.
    From November if there is a sack in a recycling bin and the waste crews can’t see what’s in it, they won’t empty it.
    The best option is to put your recycling in loose (give it a quick rinse beforehand to keep your green bin smelling fresh). If you would prefer to use clear sacks, you can buy them from most major supermarkets and hardware stores.
    To ensure that your green bins are emptied please adhere to these new rules – failure to comply may result in us having to arrange private collection that the site will pay for from the service charge account.’

    I’ve every sympathy for the guys ’emptying the bins’ as if you’ve spent any time watching them you’ll know they work really hard and it’s no imposition to ensure you don’t make their jobs any less pleasant.

    However, have you heard of these ‘new rules’ before now? Do The Vale expect us to become acquainted with these regulations via ESP? How inept are they? What are we paying them for?

    I temporarily hold my recyclables in a black bag inside a largish kitchen bin. Food containers (tins, plastic trays, whatever) are washed, rinsed and left to dry before being put in the bin. Everything is folded up to compact it. Now black bags aren’t acceptable.

    Where can I buy ‘legal’ clear sacks? What qualifies as a ‘clear sack’? You’d think that The Vale would have the basic wit not only to tell us this was happening, but where to buy ‘clear sacks’ acceptable to them, or is their time taken up figuring out where to put new traffic lights to ease traffic flow?

    The Vale might regain some respect by telling us what they are doing and why rather than imposing it on an unaware electorate. They are not fit for use. They should learn to walk and chew gum at the same time.

    Note that I have no problems in making our bins men’s lives easier and more pleasant. What thoughtless nincompoops dump dirty nappies in the recyclable bin …?

    As a general thought I fail to understand why councils haven’t generated a comprehensive computer accessible master list of what’s acceptable for recycling and what’s not. A tad too logical, perhaps for people who seem to live on Planet Zog.

    This might be worth one of backstreeter’s daily ‘photo-essays.

    Reply
  3. Iain

    I ratner like the trees in the square. There are some mature ones in milton park and they look very nice.

    Personally I hate plane trees – they are a nightmare for asthmatics in the spring. I used to walk down embankment to one of my regular clients but have to take tube during April/May

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  4. Dave

    Look carful at the attached photos, better still have a wander round the town and look at the trees. Trees or statues? think carefully before you decide, I.m for trees.
    Once again great photos Backstreeter..

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  5. Badger

    Ck2 – I think it’s a Trojan horse to speed the sorting process when the truck gets to the far end probably driven by the fact that they want to improve their year on year recycling figures.
    Once or twice a year I put a large bag of paper shredding in a black bag in the recycling bin, in future I’ll leave it loose in the top of the bin… should be quite spectacular on a windy day as its loaded into the truck, I believe they are bound by their contract to clear any mess away they make, I don’t wish to bring the bin lorry guys into this as they do a sterling job but if Mr Veil wants a fight…
    If loads are refused several options exist, fly tipping (making sure no address related items are contained within to avoid an ‘Alice’s Restaurant’ situation), manually taking the lot in bags to Drayton, purchasing a brazier and burning the lot on the kerb outside the house.
    Talking of Recycling Centres, in Reading to control who tips where, residents have been allocated a car sticker and a location to tip at so another postcode lottery has arisen and if you live on the wrong side of the street you have a long drive and also, no sticker (or wrong sticker) and you will be turned away.

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  6. Hester

    I can well remember the cries of anguish when the previous trees were taken out and replaced by these. As I recall the Town Council explained that these had been specially chosen because – unlike planes – they wouldn’t grow too big; a quick google suggests that that is true. They are recommended for town centre settings and only need minimal pruning. So hopefully they will last many years and give us all a lot of pleasure.
    I had a quick look back through Backstreeter’s posts for November 2016 – the old trees were still there then – had lost all their leaves and looked very drab!

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  7. Janet

    I love trees. We drove to the Cotswolds last week end and the colours of the trees were spectacular. Especially with all the development Around Abingdon where fields and trees are being destroyed we need all the trees. The country is waking up to the fact that we cannot just cut down all the trees as they produce Oxygen and habitat for wildlife. On the subject of recycling, I always put things in the recycling bin loose. My neighbour gets clear plastic sacks so they must be available somewhere in Abingdon.

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  8. ColinB

    Thanks Newcomer, I also clean the contents, before recycling loose/ place ‘others’ into a white bag (bio-degradable type). Maybe they should supply the bags, or tell everyone what specific bags to use. I did know about batteries/electrical items left on top are taken, I left a burnt out paper shredder and shredded paper on top, in a black sack.

    Did read that read the wording very carefully, some cling films/tops of microwave meals are non recyclable. At least we still have 2 collections of each bin a month. I read that some councils only have 1x collection of each bin a month. and paper products must be in a paper sack!!!! clear bag for recycling.

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  9. davidofLuton

    For years now we have had an open border policy, allowing foreign trees to come in freely and take the CO2 that native trees depend on, as well as taking their places on the Town Square. These arboreal migrant Liquid Amber trees (or “foreign guests” as I like to call them) are not doing any job that an indigenous native tree could not do. I have strong anecdotal evidence that early each morning they go down to the Thames and fish illegally. Now that we have Taken Back Control ™ I demand that they are sent back to America where they came from, to make way for decent hardworking British trees like the good English Oak which supplied the wood for the ships of Trafalgar.

    Reply
  10. John

    Recycling is good, in fact essential. It’s also difficult and complicated. The thing is to try to be as helpful as possible rather than snarling and always making it someone else’s fault.
    We have been told long since that we should not put plastic bags (film) in the green bins. Waitrose and some other supermarkets have special recycling bins for film.
    We have also been told long since that shredded paper should be placed in paper bags in the recycling.
    Let’s just recognise the problems and do our best to keep up with developments in what the recyclers can and can’t deal with.

    Reply
  11. Badger

    newcomer – Thanks for sharing that website and info. Regarding the OG… speechless!… and the council actually expect us to go along with all this carp. Why exactly should we help and support these people?

    Reply
  12. Captainkaos2

    O M G, just looked at the link in Newcomers post, is the Vale really saying they, or rather, we, only £1 million for the entire old gaol complex?

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  13. Chuffy

    I don’t really see the issue with the new requirements around the bins.

    If you are already buying bin bags to bag your recycling waste, just switch to buying clear bags instead of black ones. Easy.

    All of my recycling waste is already loose so this isn’t an issue for me. I just take the recycling bin out and tip in into the green bin. Everything is washed or fully drained before going in there so I don’t need a bag.

    Reply
  14. Amanda

    Re. Abingdon First link – I can’t actually believe my eyes!!

    Is this some sort of joke?

    I’m furious, why have they sold the Old Gaol for just £1m? Just two of their standard apartments sold for about that!

    Totally disgusted but I imagine there is absolutely nothing that we can do about it!

    Reply
  15. Badger

    If £1m is the actual figure I think the leader of the council and whoever is directly responsible for the sale should resign, if I was in charge of a £5m project that was signed off for £3.2m but actually realised £1m I’d be out of a job, therefore I don’t see why they shouldn’t be.

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  16. Peter Del

    As far as I understand it, when the crash came the developers were given back £3,000,000 of OUR money. The developers made a mistake, but the council made US pay!!!!!!!

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  17. Hester

    In September 2015 Abingdon First published the following update from the Vale:
    “How much of the original amount has now been paid by Cranbourne Homes, and when, if ever is the remainder to be paid?
    The developer has paid the Vale Council some £2,033,500 + £40,354.81 VAT for the site + £1,200,000 as overage + £100,000 as the first of a series of staged payments towards affordable housing provision = £3,333,500 + 40,354.81 VAT.

    The remaining £900,000 contribution towards affordable housing provision is due to be paid as five annual payments of £180,000, starting in April 2016, making a total receipt of £4,233,500 + 40,354.81 VAT.”

    So it looks as if the latest statement just refers to the scheduled annual payments – £3.3m + VAT had already been paid.

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  18. Jenbms

    I have taken to carrying my recyclable waste to the green bin in a plastic bag, and then emptying the bag into the bin, and retaining the bag for carrying the next lot down… quite a simple solution, I think.

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  19. Captainkaos2

    Hester, this is all very confusing? An overage is usually an over pay or a holding payment/deposit, if so has the “overpay” been returned?or take as a payment? Forgetting the v a t and the fact the developer paid £1 million in place of their social housing obligation the bottom line payment for the old gaol was/ is £3.2 million ( assuming the “overage”‘ hasn’t been returned Or just £2.2 if it has, either way at best Abingdon only got 50% of the original tender sum the developer agreed to pay ! Who agreed all this ?

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  20. Hester

    No idea Capt K – as you know this is one of the battles I decided not to join in on – my energy, such as it is, is directed elsewhere. I just wanted to correct the misinterpretation of Abingdon First’s very useful report.

    Reply
  21. ColinB

    Interesting to read about the Upper Reaches Hotel site. In the Oxford Mail today, plans to ‘refurbish’ the Oxford Abingdon Hotel. (Was 4 pillars).

    The Oxford Abingdon Hotel in Marcham Road has unveiled multi-million pound plans to demolish part of the current building and entice visitors with a new four-storey block housing a new restaurant, bar, meeting rooms and additional 84 bedrooms.

    In a planning application architects ADS said the current 67 bedrooms were ‘tired and of their day, desperately in need of complete refurbishment’. Awaiting planning department in January.

    Reply

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