Arnside Parish Council

New Library

At our annual Parish Meeting, a member of the public made the point that, in his opinion, the present premises could be made accessible for disabled persons, by means of an external lift. He asserted therefore that there was no need to seek alternative accommodation.

After quite a long time, Cumbria County Council has formally responded to this point, admitting that a lift could indeed be provided. The persons involved have however stated that the premises would remain unsuitable for access by the disabled because of: (1) the gradient of Pier Lane, (2) the absence of any car-parking bays nearby, and (3) the likelihood of breakdowns and vandalism involving the external lift. Alternative accommodation is still sought.

Waste water transfer scheme

With work progressing well, in Black Dyke Road, and the bulk of the work completed at Ashmeadow, it seems as though the end is in site, at least within Arnside. Once the work has been completed, there will be quite a bit of restoration work, but maybe (hopefully) we will get some decent road surfaces, and markings (ok, we know about the re-surfacing work that has been done in Sandside Road).

For further information, see the report in the News Bulletin, on this web site.

Children’s Playground

We have now installed a “Wetpour” impact-absorbing surface, below our swings, and have received some very good reports about it too. Other repairs have been carried out, and the total spent, so far, is around £4,000. Our annual safety inspection is due to be carried out in August, and we are expecting the report to be a lot better than it was last year.

Cemetery Chapel

At last, we can report that the electricity supply and the water, have been ordered. Mind you, it turns out that the Carlisle office was working from a very old map and quoted £7,000 more than the Preston office. Needless to say we have now accepted the lower quote, and are expecting a refund.

The toilet, or waste disposal, has posed quite a difficult problem. The best price we got for a connection to the main sewer, was £27,000. This seemed outrageous, so we asked about a septic tank. We were told that it wouldn’t work because there would not be enough solid matter going down the drain. Actually the expression used was “too much pee and not enough poo”. Having taken expert advice, we are going to apply for Planning Permission for a Trench Arch System. The Environment Agency has been consulted and they will not object to our proposals, so it looks as though this may be the answer. The Carlisle Diocesan Office has stated that they have no objection, especially as there is only a shallow covering to the rock in this area. By the way, the Trench Arch system operates in much the same way as a wormery does for compost.

“Buy a Brick” is just one of the money-raising ventures promoted by the Cemetery Chapel Development Committee. Your £5 donation won’t actually result in you being handed a brick, but the allocations are building-up the gable wall (on paper). If you would like to chip in, in this way, please contact Terry Keefe, on 762846, or t.keefe@lancaster.ac.uk

New charitable trust

We are not much further forward with the registration of the new charitable trust. The sticking point is the insistence, by the Charity Commission, that the charity should be independent of the Council, and yet we are not allowed to relinquish control of the premises and land, which the trust is being created to serve. We hope that the latest suggestion will break this impasse, although we are not very optimistic. We have proposed that the Trust shall not be permitted to do anything which is not directly supported by a positive recommendation in the current Parish Plan. In this way, the Council can keep faith with the conveyances and trusts, relating to the properties, but the people of Arnside can also have a controlling role.

If this fails to appease the Commission, it will be back to the drawing board.

Slipways

With the new speed limit applying to Lake Windermere, the Council is fearful of our peace being disrupted by an influx of noisy boats. Officially, no boat should be launched from our foreshore, without a permit from the Council, but our knowledge of just who has these (enduring) permits, is incomplete. We have therefore determined that all permits will be cancelled at the end of December, and that new annual permits will be issued, free of charge, to suitable applicants. Of course, the Arnside Sailing Club will be issued with permits, continuing their existing rights. We are also considering the erection of boom-type barriers, with coded bolts, in the hope of dissuading those who do not have permits. This latter provision will be determined by cost implications. The design of the barriers should be such as to allow easy access by walkers, and disabled persons who do not need the assistance of a vehicle which can accommodate more than one person.

We hope that these measures will help to preserve the tranquillity which we currently treasure, without being unduly obstructive.

Appointment of a Deputy Clerk / Deputy RFO

The Council has decided to appoint a Deputy Clerk / Deputy RFO (Treasurer), for two reasons. Firstly the workload of the two existing officers has increased dramatically over the past year, or two, and shows no signs of easing. Secondly, we have become aware of the risk that the Council will be unable to function legally, in the event that either officer becomes unavailable and we do not have anyone who is properly trained to stand-in. The appointment will be made following the interviews on Wednesday 3rd August.

Quality Parish status

Now that the Clerk has passed his AQA Certificate in Local Council Administration, we have become aware of the fact that this Council meets virtually every criterion for the award of “Quality Parish” status. We have established a working group, to steer our application for accreditation, and we are quite optimistic. If we are successful, this Council should have a significantly increased role in determining how things are run, for the benefit of the community of Arnside.