Agenda item

A list of questions/issues submitted by the Parish Councils of Bretherton, Croston and Ulnes Walton is attached.

Parish Councillor Derek Ormerod of Ulnes Walton Parish Council, will give a brief presentation on the the Multi Use Track, which is now officially named the Ulnes Walton Trail.  This is a partnership project involving Lancashire County Council; the Home Office and the Parish Council.

         The three constituent Parish Councils (Bretherton, Croston and Ulnes Walton) had each been invited in advance of the Forum meeting to submit questions on any matter affecting their Parishes.  The following issues had consequently been raised by the Parish Councils.

(i)           Question from Bretherton, Croston and Ulnes Walton Parish Councils

“The number of advertising placards appearing by the side of the local highways has increased considerably, a particular hot spot is Southport Road.  Not only are they an eyesore in the rural environment but also present a distraction for drivers.  Many of the boards appear to require planning consent, which clearly has not been requested.  It is questioned how the Borough intends to deal with such advertising material.”

         The following response had been provided by Ms W Gudger (Development Control Manager in the Development and Regeneration Directorate):

“The Development Control Section have been pursuing and are continuing to pursue a number of advertisements following an audit of signs being displayed in the Ulnes Walton area.  The Section will be continuing to work on dealing with any unauthorised adverts found, alongside other enforcement complaints in accordance with the priorities within the soon to be published Enforcement Charter.  If there are particular adverts with which the Parish Council have concerns then those should be brought to the attention of the enforcement team within the Development Control Section.”

               Enquiries on enforcement related issues should be made to the Council’s Planning Enforcement Officer at the Gillibrand Street offices on 01257 515226.

(ii)         Question from Bretherton, Croston and Ulnes Walton Parish Councils

“A letter has been addressed to all Parishes by the Chief Executive advising that the Customer Overview and Scrutiny Panel have undertaken an inquiry in to the decriminalisation of parking enforcement in Chorley, and asks what specific locations for enforcement request be notified to the Borough.  Confirmation is sought as to exactly what this means for the villages and does this only apply to double yellow lines?”

The following response had been provided by Mr I Price (Parking Manager in the Streetscene, Neighbourhoods and Environment Directorate):

“Under the remit of decriminalised parking enforcement, the Parking Wardens can only assist where there are Traffic Regulation Orders in place.  These are usually indicated by a single or double yellow line at the edge of the carriageway.  However, we will visit any location where problems are reported to verify if there is anything we can do.”

(iii)       Question from Bretherton, Croston and Ulnes Walton Parish Councils

“Concern is expressed at the amount of trade effluent waste being deposited in the fields around the Lostock Ward and the associated unpleasant smells.  It is understood that the Environmental Services Team are aware of the situation and have taken steps to investigate the root cause of the problem.  It is questioned what action can be taken to alleviate the problems?”

The question generated a number of associated queries and comments on the activity, particularly in respect of the unpleasant odours; the legitimacy of the operations; the suitability of the land; the amount of sludge allowed to be deposited; and the expected time period of the operations.

In response, Mr J Lechmere (Director of Streetscene, Neighbourhoods and the Environment) confirmed that United Utilities were the producers of the enhanced treated sewage sludge being deposited on agricultural fields in the Bretherton and Croston areas.  The carriage and disposal of the waste was overseen and regulated by the Environment Agency, who had been made aware of the complaints from local residents.  The reason for the odours emanating from the deposits was attributed to the addition of limestone to the sludge and the spreading method.  Mr Lechmere explained that there were currently very few available options for the disposal of sewage sludge and that the Council had been advised that there was no alternative spreading method, which did, in fact, comply with adopted Codes of Practice.

United Utilities could be requested to provide details of its land records, as it was understood that the amount of waste allowed on land was dependent on the quality of the land used for deposits.  Mr Lechmere also advised the Forum that, whilst the Borough Council had no regulatory power in relation to United Utilities’ operations, the Council could instigate action under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 if the odours were deemed to constitute a statutory nuisance.  The justification for such action would be linked with the frequency and duration of the odours affecting local residents in their homes.  Monitoring forms had, in fact, been provided to the residents who had lodged complaints with a request that they record the frequency and degree of the smell nuisances so that the Council could gauge whether or not enforcement action was warranted.

(iv)        Question from Ulnes Walton Parish Council

               “The reply to the questions tabled at the last meeting quotes ambulance response times for May 2006.  An update on these figures is requested.  Would it be possible to table this as a regular item and a report be given on the response times at each Forum?”

               The following response has been provided by Ms L Reynolds (Central Lancashire Unscheduled Care Network Manager with Chorley and South Ribble Primary Care Trust):

               “The latest performance figures for Chorley and South Ribble PCT – In July 66.4% of Category A ambulances arrived within 8 minutes of the call (target of 75%) and 98% of Category A ambulances arrived within 19 minutes.  (Target 95%).  Lancashire Ambulance once again met the targets in overall terms but again the response times for the more rural areas are lower.  This is indeed reflected in national figures.

               The New North West Ambulance Service has been reconfigured to merge three organisations into one thus reducing unnecessary bureaucracy and reducing management costs to reinvest into front line services.  The PCT continues to work with the new organisation to ensure services are developed and enhanced appropriately, including an improvement of ambulance response times.

               The ambulance service is committed to the implementation of initiatives to take healthcare to the patient in the form of specially trained emergency care practitioners and extending the role of paramedics to prevent avoidable admissions into hospital.”

                  Ms L Easterbank (Partnership Co-ordinator with the Primary Care Trust) indicated that Ms Reynold would be willing to attend meetings of the three constituent Parish Councils to provide performance updates and report on significant service developments.

(v)          Question from Ulnes Walton Parish Council

               “The North West Air Ambulance provides a vital service in supporting the normal ambulance service and many lives have been saved through the helicopter being able to respond and get people to hospital with speed.  The service is operated through donations and fund raising activities, are there any plans to fund the NWAA either direct from Central Government or through the normal funding schemes for the ambulance service?”

               The following response had been provided by Ms L Reynolds (Central Lancashire Unscheduled Care Network Manager with Chorley and South Ribble Primary Care Trust):

               “The NHS contributes to the staffing costs of the air ambulance but there are no plans locally for the running costs to be funded by the NHS.  I am also not aware of any national plans to bring the funding of the service into the NHS.

(vi)        Ulnes Walton Trail Initiative

               Ulnes Walton Parish Councillor D Ormerod gave a brief presentation on an initiative being supported by the Lancashire County Council, Chorley Borough Council, Ulnes Walton Parish Council, the Home Office and the Bridleways Association to create the Ulnes Walton Multi Use Path.

               There was an opportunity to create a pathway for use by pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders to link Bretherton, Ulnes Walton and Croston, leading from Cocker Bar Road in the north to Moor Road in the south, with separate eastward routes to the north and south of the Wymott and Garth Prisons.

               Building work at Garth Prison was expected to provide rubble to fill the pot holes and improve the surface of currently derelict tracks along the route of the trail, the appearance of which would be enhanced by a number of sculpture features.

               Plans illustrating the intended route of the proposed trail were available at the meeting and Mr D King (Lancashire County Council’s Countryside Officer for Chorley and West Lancashire) attended the meeting to answer residents’ queries on the proposals at the conclusion of the meeting.