Newsletter 12
March 30th, 2017
Education Funding
Residents will no doubt be aware that local landowners Metacre Ltd. have recently been granted outline planning permission to develop a further 55 houses on land to the north and south of Preston Road in Inskip. As a condition for planning approval the applicant had to sign an agreement with Lancashire County Council to provide funding to support education provision. The Parish Council are disappointed to learn that these funds are scheduled to be allocated to Bilsborrow John Cross Primary School rather than to support the expansion of our own Inskip St. Peters Church of England Primary School, though we understand that this decision might be reversed if we make a fuss about it.
If like us you are unhappy that funds paid to provide school places for children from Inskip will be spent paying to improve a school in Bilsborrow then we strongly recommend that you lobby our Lancashire County Councillor, Vivien Taylor, who can be contacted by email: vivien.taylor@lancashire.gov.uk or by writing to her at County Hall, Preston, PR1 8XJ, and our MP, Ben Wallace, who you can contact via his website at www.benwallace.org.uk/, by email: WALLACEB@parliament.uk, or by writing to him at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.
2017/18 Council Tax Bill
The Parish Council can report that the Parish Precept, which forms part of the overall Council Tax Bill that households receive from Wyre Borough Council, has not increased this year and has been maintained at the same level as last year.
Parish Council Meetings
Members of the public are welcome to come along and raise issues, ask questions or simply to observe at Parish Council meetings. These are held on the third Thursday of the month at 8pm in the YIPS Centre, Nelson Gardens (meeting held on the Common in August, no meeting in December).
State of the main road at Carrs Green
The Parish Council has been complaining to Lancashire County Council about the state of the road between the Derby Arms and Carrs Green for several years now. We are pleased that the County Council have finally replaced the road surface and hope that the new road surface will make the road safer.
Kill your speed – it’s 30 for a reason
Residents and pedestrians all along the main road, but particularly at Carrs Green, now there is a nice new road surface, expect road-users to keep to the 30mph speed limit – and if you do see anyone who appears to be speeding then please report directly to the Police on-line at: https://doitonline.lancashire.police.uk/IncidentReports/Create
or contact Councillor Berry who will report it on your behalf.
Carrs Green Common
Residents may be aware that Carrs Green Common on the edge of the village of Inskip is owned by the Parish Council on behalf of the public. The land has never been farmed and remains a natural habitat and reserve for rare and endangered species. Some local residents have the right to graze cattle and run geese on the Common though these rights have been little exercised in recent years. As a result the flora and fauna on the common have started to change and the land is starting to be overgrown with many more trees.
The Parish Council would like to see the Common become a greater amenity for the local community, whilst preserving its original nature and at the same time attempt to protect the Common from anti-social fly tipping and vandalism. If you are interested in helping to preserve the Common or have ideas as to how it might be developed then the Parish Council would be interested to hear from you.
Dog Fouling
Residents who walk dogs are kindly reminded that they are responsible for cleaning up after their animal. Fouling is an issue on public footpaths and fields as well as on the road or pavement. Failing to clean up after your dog is an offence that is liable for a hefty fine.
Fracking
Public protests against the development of a fracking site at Preston New Road have been in the news a lot recently and protests will no doubt continue given the degree of public opposition in Lancashire to fracking. Residents are reminded however that the application by Cuadrilla to establish another fracking site right on our doorstep at Roseacre Wood is still in-play. Though the Planning Inspector recommended rejection of the application the Secretary of State, the Right Hon. Sajid Javid MP, has offered Cuadrilla another chance to put their case and is minded to grant planning permission if Cuadrilla can convince him that they can resolve the highways safety issues raised by objectors including the Parish Council. So if you are concerned about fracking you should lobby our MP.
Inskip in Bloom
Inskip was awarded a Silver Certificate as part of the Britain in Bloom North West Competition in 2016. We’ve received our scoring sheets from the judges, which indicates where we have done well and where we have an opportunity to improve. As always a big thank you goes to our lengthsman Andrew for his tireless work keeping the village tidy and well groomed. We always receive great feedback on the general appearance of the village and it’s only when you walk round the village in full you realise it’s something to be very proud of. Areas commented on this year were the litter free condition of the park and the Bowling Green as well as the places of worship. So a big thank you to all those who contributed, especially to our young villagers and our Duke of Edinburgh volunteer.
Could we do better? Do we want to do better? Inskip receives a sum of money from Wyre Council to spend in connection with the Wyre in Bloom. On the whole the ordering, planting and decisions on the planting scheme are done by Councillor Alan Lingard with guidance from his wife Jennifer as well as couple of willing volunteers when it comes to getting everything planted. If we do want to do better then we need new ideas and new people to get involved. Other villages that have received higher awards have had a small group of dedicated villagers focusing on the one task. If you think you could help and be part of a small group of people deciding on Inskip next planting scheme please get in touch with Cllr Lingard. It is rewarding and fun! It doesn’t need to take up too much of your time, ‘many hands make light work’ so get a friend or two to put themselves forward too. There must be someone out there with green fingers? Please feel free to contact Cllr. Lingard for a chat and we can see where it goes from there.
Superfast Lancashire
Many people in Inskip have received the benefit of superfast broadband, though many others are still waiting. The Parish Council continues to lobby for all households in the Parish to be offered this service. If you are outside the area where Openreach is planning to offer fibre, you can apply for a grant for alternative broadband provision – go to this website: http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/strategies-policies-plans/corporate/superfast-broadband.
Wyre Local Plan
Last year Wyre Council published “Wyre Local Plan Issues and Options June 2015” for public consultation. This showed all the land put forward by local landowners, like Metacre Ltd., who own all the land adjacent to the village of Inskip and also land adjacent to other local villages, for consideration for development with housing. Whilst Wyre Council have continued to develop their Local Plan the landowners have continued to put forward land for development – here in Inskip 2 developments have already been approved, the 27 houses currently being built at Preston Road and a further 55 next door to that to the north and south of Preston Road.
At some point this year Wyre will publish their draft Local Plan for public consultation prior to it being submitted for government approval. The Parish Council understands that the draft Local Plan will allow Metacre to apply for planning permission to build hundreds more houses at Inskip over coming years – the only constraint on development appears to be how many more residents our country roads can support.
If like Parish Councillors you are appalled that our small farming community might become just another commuter suburb (albeit without any local facilities) then now is the time for members of the public who wish to object to any aspect of the plan to get organised, ahead of the public consultation period. Watch this space….
Parish Council Website
Yes, the Parish Council has finally joined the twenty first century by setting up a website – which can be found at: https://inskip-with-sowerby.org.uk/
This site allows members of the public access on-line to Parish Council agendas, minutes, accounts, and news as well as providing useful contact information, including contact details of Parish, District, and County Councillors and our MP. Recent news items include an update on Inskip in Bloom and details of the subsidies available for satellite broadband provision.