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Liverpool Mercury
Friday, 15th April, 1859

The State Of Victoria Road

Yesterday afternoon, a meeting of the inhabitants of New Brighton was held at the Clubroom, to adopt such measures with the Wallasey Local Board of Health as might be deemed requisite in consequence of the neglected state of Victoria Road. Mr. T. Bouch was called to the chair, and there were also present several of the most influential ratepayers of the district. Mr. W.R. Coulborn, at the request of the chairman, explained the position of the inhabitants of the district with the local board as regarded the road in question. He said that when the first Act of Parliament was obtained in the parish, certain commissioners were appointed, whose powers referred more particularly to the highways. Since the adoption of the Public Health Act of 1848, the practice had been to make roads that were in a bad condition, although not adopted, passable for passengers; and in confirmation of this statement he referred to the road between Egremont and Seacombe. He also instanced Rice Lane and Seabank Road, upon which, although the local board had refused to adopt them, certain moneys had been expended under the order of the surveyor.

Indeed, the general rule had been to exercise common sense with regard to the roads throughout the parish, without straining too much the Public Health act. He (Mr. Coulborn), however, found that at the last meeting of the local board a new rule was to be applied to New Brighton. The large hotel keepers, lodging-houses keepers and the inhabitants generally had been taxed for various improvements in the parish, and now they were left without the means of access to their houses. The result would be injurious to these parties, as visitors would not take up their abode in a place where there was not a passable thoroughfare for foot passengers. The state of Victoria Road, he urged, demanded the liberal exercise of the powers of the board. Mr. W.H Daunt stated that he and Mr. Kerford were in a minority at the board, for whenever they had proposed any improvement of Victoria Road they were out-voted. Mr. Booker and Mr. Cazenove coincided in the views expressed by Mr. Coulborn, and in the course of some conversation it was stated that the local board had appointed a special committee to consider the subject, which was considered by the meeting to be a shabby mode of evading the responsibility. Ultimately Mr. Bouch, Mr. Booker, Mr. Pickering, and Mr. Coulborn were appointed a satisfactory arrangement might be come to.

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