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Winter 2009-2010 News Articles:
Well, here we go again! After last winter's failure to deliver grit to bins and heaps, Cumbria Highways agreed to improve their policies and to work more closely with your Council. Consequently, our nine parish councillors spent time mapping the locations of preferred bin and heap sites throughout the 20 square miles of our parish (54 road miles). Despite sending this to Highways, very few of our bins were filled, or heaps provided, before the first snows in December.
On a more positive note, after strong lobbying by Colton and Satterthwaite Parish Councils, Highways upgraded the Greenodd to Hawkshead road to Priority 2 for gritting. So we have two lengths of road in the parish that are gritted reasonably regularly. However, none of the other roads have been gritted at all this season. Residents have been literally ice-bound, without rubbish collection or mail deliveries for several weeks either side of Christmas, and dependent on those with 4x4 vehicles for provisions. After a serious fall, one elderly resident had to be transported by Mountain Rescue (who did a fantastic job with a sledge) because the roads were too icy for an ambulance to attend. The Council is pleased that our MP, Tim Farron, is intervening on all our behalves. We will be writing to Highways but feel that some kind of enquiry is due into the way Highways has operated over the last two winters. Cllr Colin Barr
Come in from the cold!
Ice and snow have overtaken events, but the legacy of
the flooding in November remains. A lot of damage was caused in the
parish and
The bridge closure means a 3 mile detour via Lowick Bridge. Nibthwaite residents, some of whom do not drive, use this bridge for access on foot to bus-stops and their village hall at Water Yeat. Arklid Farm, Nibthwaite has fields both sides of the bridge and its closure is causing serious problems for feeding and moving stock, which will be even more critical during lambing or when milk cows go out in early spring. Another concern is that pedestrians and cyclists are using the bridge now, despite the signs and barriers. Clerk
Your Council responded to the final consultation phase of the Lake District’s Local Development Framework Core Strategy document in October. In summary, we supported the protection of quiet areas around Bouth and Rusland, but expressed concern at the proposed channelling of traffic on the Newby-Bridge-Lakeside-Hawkshead road - already very dangerous for pedestrians - together with the proposed tourism development at Lakeside. This excludes Lakeside from policy CS28 designed to protect the lakeshore, designating it as part of the Windermere Waterfront Programme (WWF) development. We argued that the laudable sustainable lake-based transport aims could be carried out within this lakeshore protection policy. The justification for Lakeside’s exclusion was based on 'the existing built-up nature of the WWP sites and the existing uses that are not related to lake use'. Whilst this may apply to Bowness and Waterhead, it does not apply at Lakeside (not even a ‘village’ in the current local plan). The Council’s full response is on the website. Clerk The fog is gradually clearing over the procedures for adopting BT phone kiosks! We had originally been told that, although the adoption would cost just £1, the Parish Council would have to find an annual fee of about £40 per box to retain the electricity supply or pay several hundred pounds to have the supply cut off. However, there is good news! We have recently heard that BT have decided not to pass on the charges for retaining the electricity supply to local councils, so now the only costs should be maintenance and 3rd party insurance. We know that Nibthwaite residents are keen to keep their kiosk and raise modest funds for its maintenance. In the light of the new terms, we will ask Oxen Park residents again whether they want to do the same. Clerk HIGH FURNESS LOCAL AREA PARTNERSHIP Colton Parish is now one of eleven parishes that form the High Furness Local Area Partnership. Following extensive consultations with parish councils and other local organisations, the system of LAPs was developed by our County and District Councils to support the government’s aim of 'empowering' communities. The LAPs enable parishes to work together on common interests to improve decision-making and local service delivery, enabling local people to have more say. The High Furness LAP held its first meeting late last year to decide how it would organise itself and also to discuss priority issues. The next meeting will be in February. More information and is available at: www.southlakelandlsp.org.uk/local_area_partnerships/high_furness_lap.aspx. Cllr Ken Dean SHOOTING AND PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY In response to a request for clarification of the law, PC Baldwin spoke at a recent Parish Council meeting. His information may be of interest to shooters and non shooters alike: Section 161(2) of the Highways Act 1980 states that it is an offence to discharge a firearm within 50 feet of the centre line of a carriageway (highways and by-ways open to all traffic (BOATs)). Although it is not an offence to shoot across other rights of way like footpaths and bridleways, it is an offence to disrupt users of that way and cause a nuisance. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) provides guidelines for shooters— see www.basc.org.uk/en/codes-of-practice/code-of-good-shooting-practice.cfm . The Ramblers website also has helpful information (www.ramblers.org.uk). As always, a bit of give and take and mutual respect should avoid any problems and ensure that we can all enjoy our open spaces. Cllr Chris Potts Bouth Playground Repairs: The Bouth Village Green & Playground Committee is submitting a bid to the Neighbourhood Forum for a grant towards the cost of repairing the playground safety surface. The poor drainage has caused the edge of the surface to come away; estimates for repair are between £1000 and £1500. Local Policing and Crime Survey: Our Community Police team now have a 4x4 vehicle to help tackle rural crime, kindly donated by a local businessman. A recent survey of the Rusland area revealed that the key issues of concern were i) poaching, and ii) illegal off-road vehicle use. Arrests for poaching have been made recently. Poaching of the Rusland deer herd is a serious concern, with a great deal of suffering caused when the deer are brought down by dogs. PC Baldwin urges anyone seeing anything suspicious to contact him on his mobile: 07971 140533, or if you can’t reach him by mobile, then ring 01229 848535. Forthcoming Parish Council Meetings All meetings begin at 7.30pm.. The Chairman, Colin Barr, is available from 7.00 before each meeting for a 'surgery session'. Agendas and authorised minutes of meetings are available from the Clerk, on this website and on your notice boards
Your Councillors
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Finally,
on 5th January, Highways offered large single quantities of grit to
individual parishes. About 10 tonnes was delivered to Oxen Park the
following day. This was welcomed but, of course, depended on
volunteer effort to distribute it; many thanks to those who helped.
surrounding
areas, not least to Bouthrey Bridge (pictured left) and Backbarrow
Bridge (what bridge?! - below), with striking pictures featuring on
the BBC website and on You-tube. Bouthrey Bridge crosses the Crake
between Nibthwaite and Water Yeat at the boundary of Colton and
Blawith parishes, and is currently closed to all traffic and
pedestrians. In the last few days we have heard that the damage is
worse than feared. Both
Parishes and their County Councillors are
campaigning for its early repair or at least the
construction of a temporary structure for pedestrians and farm
stock. 