PARTINGTON War Memorial could be on the move as the land's owner, the revamped Partington Social Club, is hoping to build new homes on the site.

Tim Ainsworth took over the Warburton Lane club in December last year after winning a bidding war with developers, who wanted to knock the club down and replace it with housing.

Wanting to save the club, Tim paid £30,000 over the asking price and forked out an additional £100,000 for renovations.

The growing success of the club led Tim to submit an application to build on the site of the war memorial, land which was sold to the club by the British Legion.

It was proposed that four one and two bedroom flats be built on the site to generate funds for the further regeneration of the club and allow for a manager to live on site.

In the plans, Tim suggested that the war memorial be moved to the opposite corner of the site, ‘so it can still be accessed by the public and would have a more prominent position’, and that the club would make a contribution to cost of relocation.

However, there was somewhat of a backlash on social media when news an application had been submitted for the site as the public hadn’t been consulted.

On Wednesday June 1, a public meeting was held at the club and was attended by around 40 residents.

“It was really positive as it gave people who haven’t been inside the club for years see how much we have invested and I hope it was a big stride forward – people could see what we are about it,” said Tim.

“We withdraw the application as we wanted to gauge the feeling in the community – that’s what we are all about, if you don’t have community spirit you don’t have a club.

“After all the changes being made to the club, the memorial garden stood out like a sore thumb, no-one would take responsibility for it, but we made a mistake not consulting before the application. So we wanted to put all our cards on the table.

“It became clear that people weren’t opposed to the relocation of the memorial and many agreed it needed going elsewhere. It needs to done in a respectful way and where it will be enhanced, somewhere where people will be proud to go on Remembrance Sunday.”

Tim said the next step is to work with Partington Parish Council and key figures in the community on possible sites for relocation and said he was in ‘no rush’ to resubmit plans.

Resident John Jones, who is also vice chairman of Positive Partington TRA, praised Tim’s ‘positive can-do attitude’ and said he believed Tim acted appropriately as soon as he heard the public response.

"I am pleased with the result of the public consultation and hope that our community can go forward and find an appropriate place for the Partington War memorial,” he added.

Sharon Booth, clerk of Partington Parish Council, said: “The Parish Council did facilitate a public meeting and all agreed, best to find a permanent, assured site. From several suggestions it’s narrowed to at the community centre or on Manchester New Road, shop centre side.

“We are checking with all agencies that those would be acceptable and final consultation with public must decide.”

Partington Social Club has been completely transformed, with a revamped function room, new ‘Northern Quarter-style’ sports bar, renovated main bar and decked out beer garden.

The club now boasts a 650-strong membership, with members benefitting from special offers, and the function room, which previously hosted around four to five events a year, can now see up to ten functions a month.

One of the unique selling points is that the function room is completely free to hire.

Tim is also keen on forming strong ties with the Partington community. As well as holding a variety of new events, including Ladies Nights, Irish Nights, Karaoke competitions and Soul Nights, the club has agreed to sponsor Partington Rovers, sponsoring kits and proudly displaying photos of the teams around the club.

For more information on the club, see facebook.com/PartingtonSports.