HBC: Property owner fined £1,600 for dilapidated house

An Accrington property owner, Halima Shadia Rashid, was ordered to pay £1600 in fines and costs by Hyndburn magistrates recently, after failing to comply with a notice requiring her to take steps to bring her property at 4 Arnold St Accrington, up to a reasonable standard.

Officers visited the property and found that lower ground floor window at the front was boarded and the front first floor window was smashed, also that the paint work at the front of the house was in need of repainting. Officers were in touch with Ms Rashid on several occasions requesting that she arrange to have work carried out to bring the property into a state of repair, but the work wasn’t done and so the Council was left with no option but to take Ms Rashid to court.

Ms Rashid did not attend court and was found guilty in her absence of failing to comply with a Town & Country Planning Act s 215 Notice served in respect of 4 Arnold St Accrington, requiring her to take certain specified steps to bring the property up to a reasonable standard.

Cllr Clare Cleary, Cabinet Member for Housing, said; “The Council always gives the owners of properties like this the chance to bring them up to standard, but our requests, plus a Section 215 notice were ignored, landing this owner in court with substantial fines and costs to pay.”

Baxenden: Growing Wild

A large unused area of land in Baxenden is being transformed, thanks to a partnership between a Baxenden based community group, Growing Wild, Bootstrap Enterprises and the Council.

The 1.5 hectare area of land at the Ley Farm allotment site is located down a steep slope next to the river and was so extensively overgrown and boggy that it had become totally unsuitable for allotments long ago. However, the land has now been given a new lease of life after being taken over by Growing Wild, a Baxenden based community group, who are using the site for environmental education, forest school activities and food growing.

A series of paths and access points are being installed to improve access to the site for anyone with mobility issues and parents with young children. This work is being carried out with the support of Bootstrap, through the Department of Work and Pensions funded work experience placements.

A lottery application is also being prepared for an outdoor classroom and composting toilet facilities, so that the site can be used throughout the year.

Cllr Ken Moss, Cabinet Member for Allotments, said: “It’s fantastic to see what improvements the Bootstrap team have made in such a short space of time, whilst gaining valuable work experience. The future aim is for the site to be used by families from across Hyndburn as an outdoor learning resource for the environment and food growing. Getting mucky and learning to grow outdoors is a great way for children to spend their time and Growing Wild is doing some great work there to make this possible. This project is close to my heart and I hope to spend more time up here to see how things are going.”

Mark Harling, Bootstrap Manager, said; "The partnership with Hyndburn Council is providing extremely valuable work experience, the participants are using the experience to make job applications, at interview, and to gain employment”.

Kate Mason, Chairperson, and Growing Wild, said: “The work being carried out by Bootstrap is fantastic and will allow access for those less able, including very young toddlers and anyone with mobility difficulties. We have a Growing Wild Facebook Page where I post photographs of the progress; there are many followers praising the Bootstrap work”.

Funding for the work has largely come through Bootstrap; however additional funding to cover the cost of wood and other materials work is from Baxenden Area Council and Hyndburn Council. Funding for Growing Wild itself has come from Lancashire County Council, Asda Rawtenstall, the Windfall Grant, managed by the Prospects Foundation, with further support by volunteers from the Princes Trust who have helped build a wildlife friendly bug hotel and fire pit for Forest School activities. The Free Masons East Lancashire will be funding a polytunnel for food growing.

For more information about allotments, please contact the Council on 01254 388111.

Great Harwood: Prom In The Park 2015

The annual Prom In The Park was another success for the Friends of Memorial Park in Great Harwood and well attended by the locals. The Great Harwood Councillors were out in force to watch the show and the crowd were enthusiastically setting up pitches and waving their Union flags to the more patriotic tunes.

Chair of the Friends of Memorial Park, Ian Wilkinson, said, "We're glad people have come along and enjoyed it. We were a little disappointed with the weather which affected the numbers a little compared with last year but a least it didn't rain!

Cabinet member for The Arts, Cllr Ken Moss, said, "What a great afternoon it was! Despite the unseasonably cold weather, everyone seemed to have a really nice time and both myself and my partner had a very pleasant afternoon sat with a bottle of wine listening to the excellent band. Well done to the Friends of Memorial Park for another really first-rate community event."

Back Of The Bus - 23rd June 2015

Later this month, the New Zealand-based Java Dance Company to come and perform on a Transdev Lancashire Way bus. The show, Back of the Bus, will tour to six Pennine Lancashire towns from 22-27 June.

Tickets are the same price as a regular bus day ticket on The Lancashire Way for the ‘Silver’ area (Lancashire). This is £6 for adults and £4.20 for under 19s (this will also be the concessionary price for over 65s). The tickets are available directly from the starting venues in each location. Full details of the tour are available on the Transdev website by visiting www.lancashirebus.co.uk.

‘Back of the Bus’ is a magical mystery tour of the unexpected as dancers propel themselves down the aisles and hang from the roof on the top deck of The Lancashire Way bus, provided by Transdev.

The show will be in Accrington on Thursday June 23 at 2pm and 7pm. The Lancashire Way bus will set off from Accrington Library on a journey of approximately one hour with two stops on the way.

Praised by critics for its choreography, “Back of the Bus” is an intimate performance both on and off the bus, as characters’ stories play out in several intriguing locations. With only a bus-load of seats available to each performance, the show’s dance and physical theatre unfold right next to the audience, promising to captivate them in the world the show creates.

The result is remarkably accessible dance theatre that has been enjoyed by non-dance fans every bit as much as regular dance-goers in its very successful seasons back in New Zealand, as well as a sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year.

Call For Sites - Consultation opens 5th June 2015

The Council has launched a ‘Call for Sites’ process, where landowners, developers and the public are asked to submit proposals for the future use of land in Hyndburn to the Council.

The 'Call for Sites' is an early chance for people and organisations to suggest sites within the Borough for development and all suggestions will play a key part in shaping the Council’s new Local Plan, the long-term (15-20 years) development plan for the Borough.

The Council has already adopted a Core Strategy, part of the new Local Plan, which sets out the long-term vision, objectives and planning policies tor future development in the Borough. However the key supporting document will be a Site Allocations plan. This will support the delivery of the Core Strategy by allocating sites for a wide variety of uses, including housing, employment, retail, recreation and community uses over the next 15-20 years.

The ‘Call for Sites’ process is the way to identify appropriate sites to help shape the Site Allocations plan. Sites that are submitted by the relevant date will also feed into evidence base reports being prepared in support of the Site Allocations plan.

The ‘Call for Sites’ process opens on Friday 5th June 2015 and the deadline for submission of sites is:

· Friday 31st July 2015 – for consideration in the Employment Land Study;

· Friday 30th October 2015 – for consideration in the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment;

Although the Council will accept submissions beyond these dates for consideration in the Site Allocations plan, it is very much the case of ‘the earlier the better’ for full consideration of sites in the plan making process. The Council will publish a final deadline for submissions when a formal timetable on the Site Allocations is agreed.

The ‘Call for Sites’ exercise will not in itself determine whether a site should be allocated for development or not. A decision will only be made formally through the Local Plan process and Site Allocations DPD. In the meantime planning applications will continue to be determined in accordance with the Hyndburn Core Strategy (2012), Accrington Area Action Plan (2012) and relevant saved policies from the Borough of Hyndburn Local Plan (1996).

To submit a site to be considered just complete and return the Council’s Call for Sites Submission Form (available at www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/callforsites from Friday 5th June), remembering to include a clear plan showing the full site boundary.

Email the completed form to: darren.tweed@hyndburnbc.gov.uk; or post to Plans and Environment, Hyndburn Borough Council, Scaitcliffe House, Ormerod Street, Accrington BB5 0PF.

Clayton-le-Moors: 20mph zones requested by residents

County Councillor for Rishton and Clayton-le-Moors, Cllr Miles Parkinson, has been asked about the lack of 20mph signs along various streets.

Miles said, "Residents who live on Clayton Hall Drive feeding onto Woodlands Drive, Sycamore Drive and Chestnut Drive, Clayton Le Moors would like to know why no 20mph signage has been placed at the junction with Whalley Road, or why there is a lack of repeater signs on the joining estate. Residents raise the issue that everywhere else has 20mph signage off Whalley Road and so I look forward to a response from LCC so I can inform the public.".

LCC: Changes to disposal of construction and demolition waste

 The County Council needs to make significant savings by April 2018 and a new policy to help reduce an
estimated £750,000 annual cost of dealing with construction and demolition waste (inert waste),
which includes soil, rubble and plasterboard, was implemented on 1st June 2015.

The council is bringing in a permit system to limit how much construction and demolition waste
people can dispose of for free at our Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs), with charges
being applied for any extra. Residents have been able to apply for a permit since 1 April to be
ready for the new system, which begins on 1 June.

Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) allow people to recycle and dispose of normal household waste free of charge, which is a statutory duty for all waste disposal authorities. The new policy does not change this. However the current service also allows unlimited free disposal of inert waste including rubble, soil and plasterboard, amongst others, which is not a statutory duty.

Inert waste makes up over 30% of the total waste arising at the HWRCs in Lancashire. This amount is significantly higher than that received by other equivalent authorities in the United Kingdom and without this new policy it is forecast to increase further. We have conducted research as to the policies and procedures that other local authorities employ in respect of inert waste. The majority of authorities already limit or charge for this waste type, many without the flexibility of service that we will still be offering in Lancashire.

• The new policy allows each household in Lancashire to deliver the equivalent of a quarter of a tonne of inert waste free of charge every year.
• To access the free service, householders will need to obtain a permit in advance of their visit through Lancashire Online or via our customer contact centre. There is no charge for the permit.
• The permit will require only one application and can be used in one visit or as required throughout the year.
• The free permit allows you to dispose of up to ten 25kg bags (or equivalent items such as a toilet or a sink) of inert waste a year without charge. A charge of £3.50 per 25kg bag or equivalent item will be applied for any further inert waste, or for any inert waste delivered without a permit. Permits are valid for a calendar year, or until the free allowance has been used.
• Importantly, the county council will continue to provide free disposal of a reasonable amount of inert waste with residents still able to dispose of waste arising from small scale DIY and gardening projects without charge after applying for a permit.
• The new policy does not affect any other form of waste received at our HWRCs, including hazardous waste, such as asbestos, tyres or gas bottles, which will continue to be free to dispose of.

Householders who wish to deposit more than the limited free provision, or who do not have a permit for any reason, will have the option to pay to use the service; at a cost of £3.50 per 25kg bag or item. Separate charging criteria is available for those delivering waste loose in trailers.

The Council has already begun communicating with residents about the changes. This has included press releases, banners at the HWRCs and distribution of leaflets at the HWRCs to all customers (20,000+ distributed to date).

There may be some concern, as there has been with other changes to our HWRC services in recent times, that the policy may result in fly tipping. However our experience is that there is little evidence to suggest that fly tipping occurs as a direct result of HWRC policies. Most householders are law abiding citizens who deal with their waste responsibly.

The County Council will continue working with our district council partners, irrespective of this policy, to monitor fly tipping and help to catch and prosecute those responsible.

APPLYING FOR A PERMIT
Online: www.lancashire.gov.uk/waste 
By phone: 0300 123 6781
By post: Waste Management Group, County Hall, Preston, PR1 0LD
Enquiries: wasteinfo@lancashire.gov.uk