32. Poulton Forum January 2023

Your PUBLIC FORUM. Hosted by Poulton & Carleton Residents’ Association is back with Poulton Forum January 2023.

Poulton Forum 26 January 2023

Held on THURSDAY 26 January 2023 at 7pm, at the Methodist Church, Queensway, Poulton
(Hosted by POULTON & CARLETON RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATION)

Notes of previous meetings and local events can all be found in this section on www.visitpoulton-le-fylde.co.uk

Summary of main points discussed, decisions and action agreed

1. Introductions and Finances

1.1. Lesley Middleton (Residents’ Association Chair) welcomed those present to the 32^nd Forum meeting. Approximately 61 members of the public attended plus Lancashire County Councillor Alf Clempson and Wyre Councillor Roger Berry. Cllr Berry explained that a full Council meeting was being held that evening and conveyed apologies for absence from his colleagues.  

1.2. Lesley reported that the Association’s annual running costs average approximately £100, e.g. to pay for admin, the IT platform and, in some cases, room hire – thanks to the Methodist Church for providing tonight’s venue free of charge. There is currently £157.63 in the bank account and accordingly cash donations would be collected at the end of the meeting. (Lesley can provide the Association’s bank account details for residents not present. lesleymiddleton84@gmail.com)

2. A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool Improvements

2.1. Members of the Keir Customer Engagement Team gave a presentation. A video film of the planned bypass and associated works was shown. The presentation highlighted the strategic objectives of the project and reported the progress made to date with current photographs of Skippool, Windy Harbour and Lodge Lane. As part of the project, National Highways have designated funding which is being used to finance development of Singleton Woodland and to ensure an archaeological legacy. The team have established a range of community links, working with the Blackpool charity Streetlife, visiting local residential homes and on beach cleans. They also work with local schools, offering help with project management skills, CV writing etc.  The project has seen local job creation with 9 graduate jobs, 11 apprenticeships, 3 summer and 1 veteran placement as well as contracts placed with 25 local SMEs.

2.2. In response to questions it was confirmed that the bypass is on target to open Summer 2023. There will still be de-commissioning works taking place afterwards. Temporary road arrangements leading to the River Wyre junction will be in place by the end of February/early March with suitable signage. There will be traffic lights at the Shell Garage/Lodge Lane junction and Shard Road will be accessible from both ends of Mains Lane. Concerns that Mains Lane might become a ‘rat run’ should be allayed when drivers realise the bypass will be quicker. The inclusion of cycle lanes was welcomed but concerns raised about the presence of Armadillo speed bumps. These have been the subject of safety audits. It was confirmed that the archaeological dig had now finished, that the findings were being studied and would be reported. Cllr Clempson noted that some local roads had been damaged by heavy lorries and that he expected these to be re-tarmacked. 

3. Wyre Council Care & Repair Services

Christine Bennison, a senior caseworker with the Home Improvement Agency working with Wyre, gave a presentation. The team provide help, advice and support with repairs, maintenance, adaptations and improvements to the home. The service is for homeowners over 65 or any adult aged over 18 living with a disability. The Handyperson Service carries out small repairs such as supplying and installing light bulbs, grab rails, door chains, smoke alarms/batteries, key safes etc – for which a small fee is charged as well as the cost of materials. For other jobs, the team can recommend reliable contractors and, for essential work, help access means-tested Charity funding. More generally, caseworkers can help complete Attendance Allowance and other disability-related benefit claim forms, refer people to other Agencies such as Age Concern, and provide advice on security and accident prevention. Currently they are focusing on helping residents keep warm – boiler repairs, loan of heaters, supply of electric blankets and carbon monoxide alarms – and supporting hospital discharge – e.g. by moving a bed downstairs, installing a key safe for carers, changing locks if keys are missing, doing an initial shop and making-up a fresh bed. There is more information and an online enquiry form on the Wyre website www.wyre.gov.uk/careandrepair . Otherwise they can be contacted on 01253 887569 or email to careandrepair@wyre.gov.uk

4. Wyre Council Update

4.1. Councillor Berry provided an update on the various local development sites. On the Garstang Rd Persimmon site there is a landscaping issue; Holts Lane residents are to meet the developer’s CEO and Wyre Head of Planning next month; construction should start soon on Brockholes Crescent; preliminary site work has been done at the various Tithebarn Street developments; Wyre opposed the planned development at Woodhouse Farm but lost on appeal and the owner is now looking for a buyer for what could be a 330 houses development. Asked if Wyre conducted Post Implementation Reviews of development projects, Cllr Berry explained that residents were able to feed back views through the various consultation exercises such as that for the Local Plan.

4.2. In other news, Cllr David Henderson has retired as Council Leader, though he remains in the Cabinet with the Resources portfolio, and his replacement as Leader is Cllr Michael Vincent – who sent apologies for absence. Gary Payne retires as CEO on 31^st March and his successor will be Rebecca Huddleston who has a background in Local Government, most recently in Chorley. Finally, national Government is imposing some rule changes for the May Local Elections. Residents who vote in person must produce photo ID – such as a Passport, Driving Licence, Bus Pass or Blue Badge. If none of these is held, there will be a process to apply for an ID form. There will be publicity about this is the next few weeks. Postal voters are not affected.

5. Lancashire County Council Update

LCC Councillor Alf Clempson provided the following updates:

5.1. Alder Grove has been resurfaced and Alf is pressing for Avenue Road, Poplar Avenue, Curzon Road and Tithebarn Place to be done but budgets are tight. There are various issues on the Poulton ‘circle’ – the lights outside Stocks Court, a patch outside The Elk, and in front of The Bull. The latter is a United Utilities job and Alf is disputing their 6 week completion estimate. Residents should continue to tell Alf about roadworks where there is no activity – he has had some success in getting work speeded up. Recent bad weather has seen drains overflowing and Alf is pressing to get routine drain cleaning done. Uneven pavements are another priority. This includes in Chapel Alley where Alf is trying to get Wyre and/or LCC to do repairs and then charge the property owners who are actually responsible. Alf has checked the public footpath on the Garstang Road development and found it closed or too muddy to use. He will be raising this at the Regulatory Committee meeting.

5.2. Alf reminded residents that he has access to a small amount of grant funding that local groups with a project to help the town can apply for. He also asked residents to support the Library where The Friends of Poulton Library are doing great work organising a variety of events.  In response to questions Alf confirmed that his attempts to make Rydal Avenue and Little Poulton Lane  access-only had been rebuffed but he is still trying. He confirmed that he presses for road repairs in Poulton where developers’ heavy lorries cause damage and would pass on to Carlton’s LCC Councillor the comment about the roads near the Castle Gardens. He will chase Network Rail about re-opening the Holts Lane footpath across the railway line. He has raised concerns about the impact of the Holts Lane development on the volume of traffic at the Holts Lane/Garstang Road junction and has asked that the entrance to Argyle Road be closed so that it is not a crossroads. (Alf encourages residents to contact him about their concerns at any time. His contact details are : email alf.clempson@lancashire.gov.uk , mobile 07983335630 and at his informal surgery in the New Penny Café between 10.00 and 12.00 on Saturday mornings.)

6.  Any Other Business

6.1. Blackpool Road development – Cllr Berry could not confirm the rumours.

6.2. Pavement Clutter – Cllr Berry confirmed that businesses can apply for a licence to put tables & chairs outside for food and drink sales but that otherwise pavements should not be blocked.

6.3. Tithebarn Street development – Alf confirmed the application includes provision of a carpark but  it is not certain it will be built, though he will press for it.

7. Date of Next Meeting

Details of the next meeting will be advised in due course.

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