Birchwood


Birchwood is a civil parish in north east Warrington, Cheshire, England with a population of 11,395. Historically part of Lancashire, it was built during the time of much expansion in Warrington as it became a "new town". Birchwood is separated into three residential estates: Gorse Covert, Oakwood and Locking Stumps, with all the main facilities grouped around the centre.

Geography

The area east of Birchwood is mainly birch forests and Risley Moss, part of the Mersey Forest. Risley Moss is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The bulk of Birchwood is built on the site of the former ROF Risley Royal Ordnance Factory, with Birchwood Forest Park lying in the centre, in which the old bunkers from the factory form part of the landscape.

History

"The surface, at a distance, looks black and dirty, and will bear neither horse nor man….. What nature meant by such a useless production 'tis hard to imagine, but the land is entirely to waste" are the words of Daniel Defoe as he rode through Risley in 1724..
In the past travellers avoided the Risley area because it of its dangerous mossland, however gradually over time much of the fertile mossland was reclaimed and turned into farm land. With the advent of the Second World War, 927 acres of agricultural land was changed into a massive Royal Ordnance Factory, ROF Risley. The location was chosen because the low lying mist and cloud helped camouflage the factory from the air; according to a local builder: "It was very lonely and misty at night, and that's why the factory was constructed there... it was usually covered with a mist or cloud. It was hard to see it in the day time, you know". Although the location of the factory was known by the German Luftwaffe, the factory was bombed only once during the war.
A number of bunkers were also built to house the munitions, to protect them from potential bombing, and also to segregate the site and reduce the consequences of any accidental explosions during manufacture or storage. Although these bunkers are on the surface, they are covered with soil and turf and so give the impression of being underground.
However, after the war the factory no longer had a purpose other than as a storage depot and so in 1956 the north west of the factory was sold to UKAEA with the entire disused area being put on the market in 1963. No buyer was found for it until 1968, when the Warrington and Runcorn Development Corporation bought the site and turned it into the new town of Birchwood.

Shopping

The area's principal shopping needs are serviced by Birchwood Shopping Centre, with many shops such as a large Asda store, two cafes and a Greggs. There are also a number of smaller shops in each village of the town. Each one has a local convenience store that sell needs such as bread and milk. Local milk and vegetable delivery services supply houses in the area, as well as the delivery services from the large supermarkets. There are a few farms in the area that sell small quantities of eggs and other local produce directly to local shoppers.

Transport

Birchwood is located close to the intersections between the M6 and M62 and the M6 and M56 and the railway station on the Liverpool--Manchester train line. There are frequent bus services to Warrington town centre, and to Culcheth and Leigh. Details of all these services can be found on the Warrington's Own Buses website.

Rail

is a mainline railway station run by Northern with trains stopping bound for Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington Central, and surrounding areas, as well as long distance services to Norwich which are operated by East Midlands Railway during the peak hours only. Trains pass through three times an hour per direction:
All trains will operate the Manchester-Liverpool via Warrington line, while the East Midlands Railway proceed further.

Road

Birchwood is very close to Junction 11 of the M62, providing access to Liverpool and Manchester. Junction 11 is notable for the Encounter statue. Birchwood is close to Junction 21 of the M6, giving access to Birmingham.
Birchwood is approximately from Warrington town centre and Leigh .

Buses

There are six bus routes operating through the Birchwood area, all of which are operated by Warrington's Own Buses.
The 17 and 25 operate through all parts of Birchwood to Warrington, with the Gorse Covert SPAR shop or Oakwood Keyes Close acting as termini. The routes differ in the precise routes they take to Warrington bus station, and in their regularity. Service 25 is the main service, The 28E operates the evening services Monday to Saturday going from Warrington bus station to Leigh bus station. The first service starts at 19:00 and the last service is at 23:00 departing at each ends of the line
The 28 also starts at Warrington bus station, then through Birchwood and on to Leigh via Culcheth. The 28A operates the same route but does not go through Birchwood or Oakwood.
A shuttle bus service for workers runs between the railway station and Birchwood Park business park.

Education

Birchwood is served by three primary schools, one per area, and Birchwood Community High School. Birchwood College is next to the high school.

Industry

To the north of the Royal Ordnance Factory, Risley, was the site chosen for the design offices and headquarters of the Department of ATomic ENergy after the Second World War. Later to become the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, the offices were charged with the manufacture of the nuclear reactors and process plants at Windscale to help build the UK's atomic defence. Following on from the weapons program, the Risley offices were responsible for the building of the Magnox and AGR designs of reactor in the UK. In 1971 BNFL was set up from the production division of the, and until 2003 its headquarters were at Risley, near Warrington. BNFLs headquarters are now at Daresbury Park industrial estate, also near to Warrington.
BNFL maintains a large office of the site, which is something of a nuclear nexus, with AMEC, Nuvia, WS Atkins Design, Environment & Engineering, Nuclear Technologies plc, Serco and Assurance Quintessa based on Birchwood Park.
WS Atkins has one office in Birchwood, Warrington – Chadwick House.

Politics

It is in the Birchwood ward of Warrington borough. There are three councillors. Currently all councillors for this ward are representatives of the Labour Party.

Demography

Data is based on that of Birchwood Ward.

Population and ethnicity

Birchwood has a total population of 11,220 residents, of which 50.3% are male and 49.7% are female. The average age of the population at the census was 37.2 years. The majority of the population describe their race as White, while minorities are mixed, Black and Asian. Other racial origins account for 0.8% of the population.

Housing and social situation

At the census, the Birchwood ward of Warrington had 4,919 houses. 65.6% are classed as owner occupied, 28.3% are council accommodation, 4.8% are rented from other sources and 1.3% of houses have residents living rent free. The average house price for all houses in Birchwood was £118,635. 7% of all households in the ward are overcrowded. The population density in the ward is 13.9 residents per hectare. In terms of the ACORN index, 35.7% describe Warrington as a comfortably well-off area, on the other hand in terms of economic indices, Birchwood is a slightly below-average area. 5.4% of residents at the last survey were on some form of benefits.

Employment and education

At 2005, Birchwood had 65.6% employment, with only 3.4% of all economically active people unemployed. 2.8% of the population are students in full-time higher education. 28.2% of the total population are economically inactive. According to ward statistics, of the population. 24.2% are unqualified. 48.4% have level 1 or 2 qualifications or "O" Level or equivalent, level 2 being 5+ GCSEs, 1+'A' levels/ AS levels. 20.8% have received level 3+ qualifications, 4+ AS-levels.

Districts

Gorse Covert

Gorse Covert is the easternmost of the districts which form the town of Birchwood in Warrington. It is also the most easterly part of the Warrington urban area. It was formerly site 6 of the Royal Ordnance Factory at Risley. It is now a large, lively, suburban residential area with a mixture of good quality housing. It has a pub, a primary school, a pre-school and a local shop. Gorse covert also has woodland areas and walks with views from Pestfurlong Hill.
At the 2001 census, there were 2791 residents living in 1191 properties. Of these properties 81% are owner occupied, with the remainder being rented, either from the council, local housing authority or private landlords. Gorse Covert residents are approximately 23% more likely to be in paid employment than the average for England and Wales, with an unemployment rate of around 1.9% of all economically active people aged 16–74. 16% of economically active residents don't have any form of qualification.

Locking Stumps

Locking Stumps is the furthest west of the three districts in Birchwood. It has a population of residents in households. It is a relatively large district with a shop, public house, takeaway shop, primary school, and a modern church. This was enlarged in 2001 due to the growth of its congregation.
At the 2001 census, Office for National Statistics areas 004C and 004D the housing breaks down into:
873 owner occupied houses; 35 council owned houses; 189 rented houses; and 5 which have undisclosed status.

Oakwood

Oakwood is a district of Birchwood, which is very close to the Birchwood centre. According to the 2001 census, there are 2003 properties, with a total of 4381 residents, 005C and 005D ).
Oakwood has various basic amenities including a convenience store complete with post office, a pub, a takeaway shop, the Church of Transfiguration, a primary school and a high school which is now a Business and Enterprise College, and is a beacon high school.
At the 2001 census, of 2003 possible houses in Oakwood: 46% are owner occupied; 8% are council owned;
43% are rented properties; and 3% did not disclose their status.

Birchwood Park (Business Park)

Birchwood Park is a mixed use business park and is located in the North West of England close to Warrington between Manchester and Liverpool. The M6 and M62 interchange is only minutes away and provides links to the surrounding region and beyond.
The site is owned by MEPC. 4,200 people are employed on the park, and a free bus service runs twice each morning from Warrington Bank Quay Station.

Notable residents

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