Bolton: Alley gates across backstreets up for review

This comes after Bolton Council launched a survey on extending an order to continue maintaining alleyway gates and potentially expanding the measure  across the borough.

One such lockable gate was installed in 2021 on Back Bar Lane in Astley Bridge, which residents credit with helping to keep our criminals and drug users.

Cllr John Walsh, who represents the area on Bolton Council, said: “I think it was a great example of the community coming together when they recognised they had a problem with drug use, with fly tipping and with anti-social behaviour and where prepared to bear the cost of gating it off.

“Since then I’ve heard of no further problems with anti-social behaviour there and I’ve heard no complaints about it being gated.”

He added: “I think there are many, many cases where sadly it has become necessary because of anti-social behaviour.

The gated off areas created a safe play area for children (Image: Newsquest)

“But what we’ve got to do is entre the 21st century, engage the community and make sure that no one is inconvenienced and that resident, bin collection and so on will still have access.”

In Back Bar Lane’s the case, people living there had paid for fences to be installed themselves before getting permission from Bolton Council to install lockable gates.

The people there hoped to create a safe space for their children to play after recurring problems with drug users and an incident in April 2021 when a taxi driver was assaulted.

In August of that year a viral video showed a group of men fighting over a van in the street.

The gates can be put up around the borough using Public Spaces Protection Orders, which give councils the power to install gates over highways to prevent crime, fly tipping, drug use and other kinds of anti-social behaviour.

When areas are gated off key are given to people living in directly attached homes as well as council officials and emergency services.

In Bolton’s case, lockable gates have been installed on Chancery Lane in the town centre, Bolton Road in Kearsley, Cartmel Crescent in Tonge with the Haulgh and many other locations.

Cllr Walsh has said that he hopes once people’s views have been taken on board it will become easier for other areas to follow Back Bar Lane’s example in setting up gates.

He said: “I think we need to be supporting for the consultation process.

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“This is something which has been done in the past and I think absolutely it will make the process easier for others looking at gating alleyways and back streets in their areas.”

Also in the same year, in response to community concerns surrounding knife crime and robbery the police and the local authority successfully applied for a public safety protection order and making environmental changes such as improving lighting, providing new fencing and alley gates. This led to a 72 per cent reduction in robberies as a result.

There have also been calls for alleygates in the Deane area to deter criminals and make residents feel safer.

Public Space Protection Orders can last up to three years, after which they need to be reviewed and possibly renewed.

The council has now launched a public consultation on whether to extend the current orders and hopes to canvass the views of residents, businesspeople and property owners.

The consultation is open until Thursday October 5 with more information available on the active consultations section of Bolton Council’s website.