We’re Going Down The Pub (Sham 69, Hurry Up Harry)

We’re Going Down The Pub (Sham 69, Hurry Up Harry)

There were many doubters but the Dog and Partridge, on Chorley Lane in Charnock Richard has, once again, opened its doors. The opening night attracted a large number of people however, since then, it has been, in the words of Tony the landlord, “steady” but the look on his face suggested a steady trickle rather than a steady flow and the times I have been in, it has been quiet. Food will be on offer from around the end of November, so hopefully things will pick up soon after. For those who read this and want the pub to continue to trade, remember that it can only do so with customers and support, without which it will close, probably never to be re-opened.

The Hinds Head, on Preston Road, Charnock Richard has a new manager and things are looking promising. A lick of paint and a thorough clean inside, the same outside has been happening this week, plus removal of those terrible plastic hanging baskets is encouraging. The beer tastes better than in recent times and there is a plan to provide food in the near future. This pub has struggled recently having had several managers in a short period of time and as with the Dog and Partridge, will only survive if it has support.

 

The Farmers Arms in Heskin held their annual bonfire on 5 November. A good night was put on, according to Roxanne, who went there with Sharon and Caitlyn. I enjoy visiting the Farmers Arms, Frank is frequently cuddled by Ann the landlady. The pub is well managed and has local support, the food is good (half price on a Monday after 6pm) and we are always made to feel welcome.

The Brook House pub, on Barmskin Lane in Heskin, closed at the beginning of 2012 and was sold by auction, at the same time surrendering its premises licence. The pub is currently subject to a planning application for conversion to a private dwelling. The application for conversion to a private dwelling, which was recommended for refusal, was withdrawn prior to the Chorley Borough Council Development Control Committee meeting on 30 October. I have no doubt that the application will be resubmitted and whilst it would be a loss to have the pub converted; conversion must be preferable to it being left to become derelict.

Other pubs and restaurants within Chisnall Ward include: Alison Arms, Preston Road, Coppull, where there is an annual folk festival; Amelies, Preston Road Coppull, which has a good reputation for good food; The Bowling Green, Preston Road, Charnock Richard, for a carvery; C&B Chip Shop on Preston Road Coppull; Eccleston Delph, Halfpenny Lane, Heskin, has a friendly no nonsense café; Heskin Hall off Wood Lane, Heskin, is good for a brew; Hunters Lodge or rather the destination venue Baku Lounge, Preston Road, Charnock Richard, is a new venture; The Oak Tree, Preston Road, Coppull which unfortunately is closed and deteriorating; Park Hall Hotel (Brookes Restaurant, Sams American Diner, Mallards Lounge Bar); and the Days Inn on the north bound Motorway services serve food and drink. I will have missed some out, it is not intentional and if you let me know then you will be mentioned in a future post.

Brief Update

As I am writing this the sun is shining for the third consecutive day, it’s a bit chilly though. When the schools returned after the summer break the sun also shone for two days. However brief this was the weather was bang on, a glorious weekend for Charnock Richard Scarecrow festival. Our scarecrow, with Joining Jack T Shirt, was sat proudly on our front hedge, in common with many in the village it was the subject of many a photograph and even a twitter post. The official facebook page is worth a look www.facebook.com/,,,

Nature

This is the time of year that hedges have been growing all year and need cutting. I have been asking for over 12 months now for the hedge at the old Chisnall Colliery site to be cut and it has eventually been done, the height was reduced by Chorley Borough Council, for which I thank them. Additionally the pathway along Park Hall Lane is suffering from overgrown weeds, especially towards the Wood Lane end. I am told these are to be cleared over the next few weeks, effectively returning the pavement to its original width. The pavement on Charter Lane was repaired within two weeks of my reporting it, so occasionally things do happen in good time.

Charnock Richard School’s woodland garden has had some work carried out during the holiday period and there are now, once again clearly defined pathways, many thanks to Chorley Borough Council for organising this and accepting the funding application. Some benches have been promised from Astley Park, so they have a good pedigree. Thanks to Mark Maloney for his generous offer, which we just might take up. Further grant funds will be required to complete some of the work and then we need to arrange future upkeep.

Highways

Ashdale Close in Coppull now has the double yellow lines at its junction with Spendmore Lane, hopefully this will reduce the frustration of residents of Ashdale Close and also increase road safety. It is interesting to note that the lines are no further round the corner than is stated in the Highway Code, for parking distances from road junctions. Highway Code Rule 243 “DO NOT stop or park opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space”.

20mph zones are gradually being introduced throughout Chorley. I do question the priorities applied as it seems as though many of the estates are being included before roads outside schools, I would have thought keeping children safe would have been a priority. The side roads in Heskin are not planned to become 20mph zones. However there is to be a 20mph zone, operating at school arrival and departure times, outside Pemberton’s Primary School on Withington Lane.

United Utilities

Whilst on the subject of parking and Coppull, there is much concern amongst the residents of Tansley Avenue and Burwell Avenue, regarding parking restrictions being imposed during the works being undertaken by United Utilities in improving the quality of water in Tanyard Brook. A public meeting took place on 18 September, in St Oswald’s Club which could have been run better. People complained they were not getting answers but were not allowing the representatives of United Utilities to speak. From my dealings with United Utilities, over the equivalent works in Charnock Richard, they have been extremely responsive and do listen to public opinion, if that opinion is well considered and put forward. My surprise is that, during the planning process, a condition has not been included restricting HGV movements during school peak dropping off and picking up times. I will follow this up with Lancashire County Council but suspect it is too late to change an approved plan.

Planning

The bungalow next to the Bowling Green has been demolished making way for a new bungalow to be built there. This can only be a good thing as the building was in a poor state of repair. An application for demolition of 94 Chorley Lane Charnock Richard and replacement with a detached house has been submitted, this is the old farmhouse (currently painted orange). It seems a shame to lose another of the character properties from the village, but there appear to be no planning reasons to refuse this application although that decision will lie with the Development Control Committee.

Heskin building applications are few but the application for change of use of the Brook House pub (12/00802/FUL) has generated much concern from what is generally one of the quieter areas of Chisnall Ward. It would be a great shame to use this community facility in what is a remote location, making it even more important as a meeting place and real hub of that part of our community. I have submitted my letter stating why the community facility should be retained and why the proposed extension and new outbuilding are unacceptable, all inked to National and Local Planning Policy.

Summaries of planning applications and delegated decisions related to Chisnall Ward are covered in my blog Chisnall Planning www.chisnallplanning.blogspot.com

Who Let the Dogs Out

This was going to appear in the Charnock Richard Chronicle but I missed the deadline, so I will post it here and add it to the Christmas Chronicle. Whilst it is aimed at Charnock Richard the message (no pun intended) is the same everywhere.

Of all the things that people contact me about, the one that constantly concerns people more than anything else and yet could be so easily solved, is that of Dog Fouling.

The Problem

Dog fouling is a major issue throughout the country and Charnock Richard is no exception, indeed some that I have talked with has said they cannot believe how bad it is and that it is considerably worse than anywhere else they have ever lived.

Dog fouling is the most offensive type of litter on our streets and as people tend to walk their dogs around their locality, those not cleaning up are essentially pooing in their own back yard. The major problem areas, in Charnock Richard, seem to be the area within the Charter Lane, Church Lane (especially close to the school), Chorley Lane triangle, which is where people live.

Most dog owners are responsible and clean up after their pet. However there are a minority who do not. Our own dog will do her business in our garden then somehow minutes later, whilst taking her for a walk, will do the same at the roadside (which I clean up and place in a bin, any bin will do).

Why is Dog Fouling a Problem?

Dog fouling is not only unpleasant but it can also be dangerous with the biggest threat to public health being from toxocariasis.

Whilst the effects of contracting toxocariasis can be devastating, most people’s knowledge of toxocariasis is limited to hearsay and hysterical media reports. However some of the facts are:

·         The eggs of the Toxocara worm take over two weeks to hatch and become active, meaning there are no health risks to you from immediately clearing up after your dog.

·         The majority of pet dogs with the Toxocara worm are pups between two weeks and six months of age or pregnant bitches. 

·         Foxes and cats also act as hosts to the Toxocara worm.

·         The incidence of all Toxocara-induced diseases in the UK is only two cases per million of the population. However, this still means that about 40 people are needlessly ill each year. Generally these people are children between 18 months and 5 years old.

·         The eggs of the Toxocara worm, if deposited in soil, can lie dormant for up to three years, if the conditions are right. They are highly resilient to temperature changes and chemical disinfectants have little effect on them.

  

Whose responsibility is it to clear away dog fouling?

It is the responsibility of the dog owner, or the person in charge of the dog, to clear up any dog foul left by their dog. If you fail to clean up after your dog you will be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for £75, or if the case goes to court a fine of up to £1,000 a criminal record and court costs.

Being unaware that the dog has fouled, or not having a suitable means of removing the poo is not a reasonable excuse for failing to clean up after your dog.

Responsible Dog Owners

The majority of owners are responsible. It is easy for all dog walkers to be responsible and clear up any dog fouling:

·         Be prepared and take enough bags with you

·         Clean up after the dog

·         Put the waste in a bin, it doesn’t have to be dog bin an ordinary litter bin will do, or take it home with you

·         Don’t go to the effort to bag it then throw it in the hedgerow!

What we can do about dog fouling?

The Neighbourhood Officers and Local Beat Officers will issue fixed penalty notices to anyone not clearing up after their dog.

If you see someone who lets their dog foul and doesn't clear it up report it to Chorley Council on 01257 515151 or www.chorley.gov.uk/dogfouling.

A Simple Message

There is a “Don’t be a Dirty Dog” campaign throughout Chorley and a national Keep Britain Tidy “Dog Poo Fairy Campaign” both aimed at educating dog walkers and reducing the amount of muck left on our streets, the overall message is simple:

Bag It and Bin It.

If all dog owners did this then Charnock Richard would be an even better place to live.

Metal Thefts, PPI Con, Pubs Opening

Lead thefts continue, with Charnock Richard Primary School having been targeted several times now. A new development from thieves targeting metal is the theft of overhead electricity power cables, with Heskin being a popular target. The thieves appear to be a well organised team and are targeting rural lines, supplying only a few properties, in the early hours of the morning (thought to be about 3am). It is thought that the copper lines are being shipped abroad rather than being weighed in, in this country. Theft of these power lines is extremely dangerous, to both the thief and end users as, I am led to believe, that if the earth and neutral lines are stolen without the live there is a genuine risk of electrical appliances catching fire with potential disastrous consequences. These thieves must be caught before they kill either themselves or someone else. The Police have identified this as a priority and if your electricity goes off in the early hours then phone 101, in addition to your electricity provider.

A few months ago I mentioned a bogus fish salesman, he appears to have gone away, for now, only to be replaced by a telesales person offering Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) refund in exchange for a fee paid using Ukash vouchers. The scam works something like this:

• You receive a telephone call from someone who knows your name, and they tell you that you have won your PPI claim.
• The person on the phone also knows your lender's name and an estimate of the loan amount.
• The person will ask you to make a payment by buying a Ukash voucher

If this happens then ask for the callers details so you can call them back, which they probably will not give you, then politely put the ‘phone down and ‘phone 101 to let the Police know.

The Dog and Partridge in Charnock Richard is up for sale through a company called Jenics, the sales particulars, if they are not clear here, can be viewed at www.jenics.com/pdf/jenics-Dog-Partridge-Charnock-Richard.pdf and it looks reasonably well. My opinion is that facilities, such as a pub, perform a social as well as an economical role in the community and are an important asset in maintaining a sustainable community. Charnock Richard has few local facilities and without such facilities is in danger of becoming a place from which people commute, leaving it deserted during the day and with little sense of community. It would be good to see the pub open again and serving the community as Arley Homes have spent time and money renovating it, all it needs now is someone to buy it and run it for the community, with the support of that community to ensure it is economically viable.

Baku Lounge (at the Hunters Lodge) gets ever closer to opening. Whilst, as with the Dog and Partridge, provision of local facilities is to be encouraged, these do need to be in harmony with the community in which they are operating. Depending where you read Baku Lounge is either a select venue for the over 30’s serving quality food and drink with complimentary Sunday morning papers, or it is “Bringing Ibiza to the North West”. If it is the former, which sounds serene, then it will be what the license was approved for and should be an asset to Charnock Richard, if it is the bustling latter then, well that’s another thing altogether.

Parking of cars remains an issue amongst residents, in particular Church Lane and Charter Lane in Charnock Richard; Withington Lane and Wood Lane (outside Harrisons), in Heskin and Spendmore Lane and Ashdale Close in Coppull. People do have a right to park their cars however a little consideration for the wider community from those parking their cars would go a long way to making life for everyone just that little bit more enjoyable.

Dog fouling is something I could write about for ever. The recent changes to dog laws in Chorley, may work in the Town Centre and town wards, but I’m not so sure about how this will be managed in the more rural areas, where more people tend to have dogs. All I can ask of dog owners is that you act responsibly, please clean up and keep the loveable character under control.

The Joining Jack campaign gathers momentum, with the JJ Salute being seen in a wide variety of places, from the Hartwood roundabout in Chorley to the Olympic stadium and at the Tour de France. In addition to national coverage there has been a front page article in the Chorley Guardian and there will be some presence at the Scarecrow Festival with an article in the programme, along with a short piece in the next Charnock Richard Chronicle. The campaign is to raise funds towards research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, which is a disease affecting, amongst many others, a young boy in Charnock Richard. The web site www.joiningjack.org has all the information needed to learn about the disease, the cause and the family. Please do anything you can, no matter how small, to help. To which ends there is a quiz night at the Bowling Green in Charnock Richard, on Friday August 24th at 19:30, with all proceeds going to the cause http://www.facebook.com/#!/events/268378856596911/

Planning matters related to Chisnall Ward are covered in my blog Chisnall Planning www.chisnallplanning.blogspot.com

Joining Jack

It came to my attention recently that there is a young boy living in Charnock Richard, called Jack, who has an incurable disease. The disease is Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and is one of the most common fatal genetic disorders to affect children around the world. Approximately one in every 3,500 boys worldwide is afflicted with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

It is a devastating and currently incurable muscle-wasting disease. Symptoms usually appear in male children before the age of five (Jack is 4 and looking forward to life, as would any 4 year old). Progressive muscle weakness of the legs and pelvis eventually spreads to the arms, neck, and other areas. By age 10, braces may be required for walking, and most patients are confined to a wheelchair by age 12.

Eventually, this progresses to complete paralysis and increasing difficulty in breathing, requiring ventilation. The condition is terminal and death usually occurs before the age of 30.

Please (no, forget the politeness) You must visit www.joiningjack.org to read about the charity, you will be amazed and I make no excuse for keeping on about this in future posts.

The coming years are not going to get any easier for Jack’s family and they will need the support of our community.

Follow jack on twitter @alljoinjack, and if you are doing any sponsored events this year I think this is a worthy cause.

Shake Rattle and Roll

A busy few weeks at work and at home, decorating Frank’s bedroom, tidying the sitting room, gardening and keeping Roxanne happy along with the many and varied tasks that present themselves as part of my civic duties has left little time to write a blog post.

So, a short summary of what has been going on…

I spent a good few hours at the Mini Health Mela at Tatton Community Centre, well organised and a great sense of the community pulling together. Follow up activity will be taking place so watch this space. Reports of the event are online at:

Cunliffe Centre

Central Lancashire NHS

Chorley and South Ribble Breathe Easy Group

One of the twice yearly Southern Region Neighbourhood Meetings took place at the beginning of June; these are a useful meeting to discuss issues specifically related to Chisnall ward. Despite the verbal complaints, dog fouling is low on the list of reasons for people contacting Chorley Council’s contact centre.

My application for a community project for renovation of the Charnock Richard Primary School Woodland Garden was successful. The school are delighted and hopefully work will be starting before the school holidays. However the budget is tight and there are a number of trees that require attention, to pay for this would use the entire budget and more, so I am seeking out help in this area. Fortunately none of the trees are covered by Tree Preservation Orders.

A public presentation and awareness event for the Chisnall Hall Colliery Community Woodland took place in mid-June. I attended and was slightly disappointed that more people did not attend, however those living close by and some of the affected farmers had attended and asked relevant questions.

Due to the many concerns I held a public meeting to discuss the planning application for demolition of 2 Nursery Close and development of 10 houses behind, on the former Buttermere Nurseries site. The meeting proved more popular than I anticipated and many thanks to The Bowling Green staff for allowing us to use their meeting room. The application goes before Development Control Committee on 10 July.

A planning application has been submitted for floodlights at Charnock Richard football club and it has divided opinion, making it difficult for me to represent a majority. I have remained impartial and have listened to and discussed with people in support and in opposition to the application. I can appreciate that for a sports team to have the ability to progress, but be prevented from doing so through lack of facilities must be frustrating. I am also keen to preserve any part of the Green Belt anywhere. Following my request, the application will be taken to Development Control Committee for their deliberation on 10 July.

At a Licensing Sub-Committee on 20 June the 24/7 licence application for Baku Lounge at the Hunters Lodge was approved, by a majority vote 2 in favour and 1 against. I accept that economics will dictate a place cannot open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, however I maintain my opinion that a 24/7 licence is unreasonable on the part of people living close by, not only here but anywhere.

The Farmers Arms music festival saw what has been the hottest day of the year so far and with the way the weather is going, it could well be the one and only hot and sunny day of the year. A good event raising money in aid of a good cause; however the rain over preceding days prevented the field from being used as a car park, thereby generating some congestion on the road.

My mother has been in and out of hospital over recent months and whilst visiting her, one evening, a lady approached me regarding vibrations in her house, caused by traffic which is not helped by a roundabout immediately outside her house. Whilst satisfied to listen to twelve bar blues and Big Joe Turner, the lady does not want to actually shake, rattle and roll. I have followed this up, the roundabout has now been resurfaced and vibration surveys are to be conducted. My thought is that, for a house to be vibrating, such that it is disturbing the lady’s sleep, there is probably something more wrong than the road surface.

The Heskin skatepark, as requested by Dom, from The Meadows, took a step forward as Heskin Parish Council gave it their blessing, or rather did not oppose it. Some neighbourhood consultation is required, which is probably best done by the Parish Council, as is some fundraising, about £15,000 is needed, for which I am making applications for grant funding. This will not be a quick project, but I will do all that I can to make it happen within a timeframe that allows Dom to make use of it.

The first meeting of the Chorley Borough Council Governance Committee took place on 28 June, which I chaired. A good meeting, I thought, with a good mix of questions and debate. Trying to decipher local government accounts is not the easiest thing to do, a couple of training sessions have helped. As long as the committee realises it exists to question the reasons why things are done and not necessarily to validate the £ values in the accounts then we will move forward. The Governance committee covers Audit and Standards making for an interesting combination of responsibilities.

The Members Support Working Group discusses member development related issues there appears to be a change, for the worse in my opinion, in the way member development is being arranged as training specific to certain members is being introduced, whereas previously training was open for all.

Forthcoming events include walking, with Roxanne and the school, at Charnock Richard Walking Day on Saturday 7 July; making representations, as Ward Councillor, on the applications at 2 Nursery Close and the Football Club Floodlights, at the Development Control Committee on 10 July. I need to visit someone with a flooding problem and then there is my annual medical to prove that I am medically fit enough to be a Scuba Diving Instructor.

Planning matters related to Chisnall Ward are covered in my blog Chisnall Planning http://www.chisnallplanning.blogspot.com/

Riparian Rights

A day of considerable rain on Friday 22 June caused flooding throughout Chorley Borough, Charnock Richard and Heskin suffered, though not to the extent of such as Croston. However, my ‘phone that evening was busy; hopefully I managed to help all those who contacted me, however, one such ‘phone call will take a while to resolve and has introduced me to the issues affecting landowners where their property borders a watercourse.

Riparian rights are the rights of a landowner in respect of a natural watercourse on, or adjacent to, their property. Now, this sounds idyllic and conjures up images of a tranquil stream or babbling brook at the end of a garden, attracting a large amount of wildlife for the fortunate residents to enjoy. Unfortunately, not in this case as the watercourse is more of a neglected ditch, or broken pipe through which the natural watercourse is supposed to run freely. Such rights originated in common law, having evolved from disputes in the past to become law.

A “watercourse” can be both open and above ground, such as a stream or river, or enclosed below ground, such as a spring. Notably, a watercourse need not at all times contain water but can be dry at certain times of year and, for the purposes of riparian rights, is deemed to be a natural-flowing channel rather than a man-made channel or still body of water.

The part of these rights that affect the people who have contacted me is that riparian rights affect not just those that have a watercourse flowing across their land, but also those with land where the watercourse forms a boundary with another landowner. In fact, even further than that, the rights apply where a watercourse passes immediately adjacent to a boundary, even if it is outside the landowner’s ownership, as the flow of the watercourse has the potential to affect this land.

So what are these riparian rights? The key points are as follows:

Two points that have relevance to us…

• The landowner has the right to protect his property from flooding and erosion.

• Where a watercourse provides an ownership boundary, it is presumed under riparian rights that the mid-point of the watercourse is the boundary point unless expressly stated to the contrary on a title deed. - It is a right to receive the flow of water in its natural state without undue interference to quantity or quality.

…and two that are not relevant to us…

• A landowner may fish his own river provided it is by legal methods with the appropriate licenses.

• It is a right to abstract water for domestic purposes up to a stated amount. It should be noted that riparian rights provide only a common law basis for landowners, but in recent time further legislation has been drafted in support of these rights to cover more complex cases. Most notably the Environment Agency provides licensing for commercial water extraction, fishing and the carrying out of works to alter a watercourse.

Where riparian rights exist it follows that there will also be responsibilities; in the same way that a right exists to receive a flow of water without interference, there is also a responsibility on land owners to ensure that they preserve this right for other landowners. The watercourse must be maintained and kept free from obstruction including trees and shrubs on the banks and even dead animal carcasses that may contaminate the water. Fish must also be allowed to pass freely.

Earlier, mention was made to riparian rights having originated in common law, evolving from disputes in the past to become law. It would appear these disputes are not only in the past and my role is becoming one of trying to sort out a long standing dispute to the benefit of several residents.

Planning matters related to Chisnall Ward are covered in my blog Chisnall Planning www.chisnallplanning.blogspot.com