A campaign has been launched to save an air raid shelter threatened with demolition to make way for improvements to The Brindley.

The World reported recently how Halton Council wants to flatten a row of shops in the Old Town along with a former Second World War air raid shelter situated just behind it.

The demolition would make way for £5.6m of improvements to The Brindley, including a new glazed entrance, café-restaurant and space for the town’s library to relocate. Brindley Green would also be tuned into a civic space for hosting pop-up events.

But a registered charity based in Runcorn is now campaigning to save the shelter.

War Tunnels of Runcorn was formed to preserve the wartime history of Runcorn and Widnes, and to unearth long-since buried tunnels underneath Runcorn Hill Nature Reserve and turn them into a tourist attraction.
It has now launched a petition calling for the shelter to be spared.

Joseph Turner, charity director at War Tunnels of Runcorn, said: “Runcorn, Widnes and the surrounding areas played a pivotal role during the wars, and have lots of hidden history that many people simply don't know about.

“Over the years, developers have been all too quick to bulldoze our heritage to make way for their new developments.

“It is important that we make a stand against further erasure of our local heritage in order that we might preserve such important reminders of our past and preserve our culture for generations to come."

The Brindley expansion is one of eight town centre schemes currently underway, funded by a £23.6m cash boost from the Government’s Town Deal.

A council spokeswoman said The Brindley extension and green were 'flagship schemes' for the Runcorn Town Centre regeneration, with the aim of 'hugely improving' the visitor experience in the town.

She said: "The proposal is to better connect The Brindley theatre with the town centre. To achieve this, we've set out plans to remodel the whole area, to create an accessible, compliant and visually attractive setting and approach.

“St Paul's Mews and the small air raid shelter interrupt this connection and, while we recognise the importance of air raid shelters across the UK, we understand that this structure was both overgrown and unfit for use when the land was acquired. As part of our plans to create a cultural venue of "national significance", this scheme will create a vastly improved experience for local residents and draw visitors into the borough.”

The petition can be found here. 

Memories of the shelter or any wartime history from the borough can be share dwith the charity by emailing: runcornwartunnels@outlook.com