. Lancashire News Archives - Page 16 of 31 - Wilcop Media

Lancashire News

Lancashire News

Plans to transform Burnley into a university town are fast taking shape as work on new student accommodation changes the town centre skyline.
A lattice of steelwork is being created next to Sandygate Square which will provide the foundation for a 136-bed building with car parking to provide high-quality student accommodation. On the ground floor there will be units available for shops, cafes or offices.

It is part of the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) plans to expand student numbers in Burnley from 400 to 4,000 by 2025. It complements recent investment by UCLan at nearby Victoria Mill, including state-of-the-art medical teaching facilities. The building is due to be completed by late summer 2020 ready for its first student intake.

Council leader Charlie Briggs said: “It’s exciting to see the steelwork going up and the new accommodation taking shape. “It will help support UCLan’s ambitious expansion plans for Burnley and attract more students to our town which will have wider benefits for our local economy. You only have to look at other places with thriving universities to see the economic and social benefits that brings and we want Burnley to see those benefits too.”
UCLan Dr Ebrahim Adia, Provost at UCLan Burnley, said: “This purpose-built student accommodation on the banks of the canal, adjacent to the university’s Victoria Mill, is key to fulfilling our exciting plans to deliver an outstanding university experience in Burnley.

“Watching the new accommodation take shape sends out a clear message of UCLan’s commitment to attracting a new generation of students to the town as well as boosting economic and social growth in the area.”

The accommodation is being developed in partnership by the council, UCLan and Barnfield Investment Properties.The council will receive an income from rent and UCLan will run the facility on the council’s behalf.

Lancashire News

‘The Bee Centre’ is a multi-award-winning, centre of excellence for bee-related education and training.

Based near Preston, the organisation works with customers from across the world to raise awareness of bees and their importance to our environment.
They also run beekeeping courses for hobbyists and professionals alike; incorporating their unique approach to ethical and sustainable beekeeping. The organisation currently manages over 150 colonies of honeybees across the North West and North Wales.

Public interest in bees (and other pollinators) has grown considerably in recent years. At their visitor centre in Samlesbury, ‘The Bee Centre’ delivers education and awareness to the public throughout the year.

This ranges from live talks and demonstrations to their award-winning ‘Bee Experience’. This popular event provides a 90-minute immersion onto the world of the honeybee, for those who are brave enough to put on a beekeeping suit and accompany the beekeeper into the apiary. There is also a huge, indoor, glass hive where visitors can get up-close-and-personal with the bees in complete comfort and safety. Entry and parking are free. For those interested in learning to keep honeybees successfully, ‘The Bee Centre’ runs beekeeping courses ranging from beginner to advanced levels. Their practical, hands-on courses are well respected, professionally run and receive excellent feedback. They are usually delivered at their purpose-built training apiary which is believed to house the most diverse collection of working hives in the UK. ‘The Bee Centre’ is also the regional training hub for beekeepers and bee farmers wishing to gain professional qualifications through the Bee Farmers’ Association.

‘The Bee Centre’ works with schools to help educate children about bees (and other pollinators), habitats, biodiversity and the environment as part of their curriculum.

They have an extensive programme of support which includes both school trips to their facility in Samlesbury as well as visits to schools, to deliver talks and activities. The latter is a popular option as it reduces the transport costs associated with school trips. They even have a special, child-proof, portable beehive which keeps the bees safe and securely contained, whilst remaining visible through the shatterproof glass walls.

Beginner Course; Bee Experience; Honeybee; Honeybees; beekeeping; The Bee Centre; www.thebeecentre.org

For schools that have space available, ‘The Bee Centre’ can work with them to establish hives on site and to set up school beekeeping clubs. The organisation has partnered with Jackon UK, a leading manufacturer of insulation materials to the construction industry. With Jackon’s support, ‘The Bee Centre’ can offer warm, lightweight, polystyrene hives as part of a heavily subsidised package to get schools started.

They can also provide beekeeping suits, equipment and The Bee Centre’s very own, locally bred, Lancashire bees. These girls are of a good temperament and ‘well behaved’, making them ideal for keeping in schools. They are also suited to our northern climate and overwinter well. More information about bees, beekeeping, planting for bees and much more can be found at www.TheBeeCentre.org.

Lancashire News

A Northern Moor restaurant has been served with a penalty of more than £1,000, after being prosecuted for fly-tipping by Manchester City Council.
Scanditalia Limited admitted responsibility for a mound of dumped waste which was discovered by a council officer on land to the rear of its premises on Sale Road in July 2018. Officers investigating the fly-tip spoke to builders at the site of the offence, who explained that they were completing refurbishment work to convert the building into a restaurant and were waiting for a skip to be delivered for disposal of the waste.
The builders were given a deadline for the skip to be delivered and told that officers would return to check that the waste had been cleared from the council-owned land.

Officers followed up by visiting the site on two occasions in August 2018, but found that rather than being cleared away as promised, the pile of waste had increased. On further investigation, evidence was retrieved from within the waste, linking it to Scanditalia Limited, before the waste was cleared by the council. Investigators invited Scanditalia Ltd to attend an interview under caution, but received no response to their written request and the firm was subsequently prosecuted.

At a Manchester Magistrates Court hearing on 19 July 2019, Scanditalia’s representative blamed the contractors who had been employed to carry out the refurbishment work for the offence, saying they believed their contractors would dispose of all waste correctly. They also claimed not to have received the letters which were sent to their registered office inviting them to attend an interview under caution in time to respond.

However, the company accepted their responsibility for not having systems in place to prevent the offence from happening. After pleading guilty to fly-tipping, Scanditalia Ltd was fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £590, plus a victim surcharge of £50 – a total penalty of £1,140.

Manchester City Council is investing an additional £500,000 in anti-flytipping resources during 2019/20, which is being invested in officers on the ground and in resources to help deter and detect offenders. So far this year, the council has brought 80 successful prosecutions for fly-tipping and related offences, while also seizing three vehicles which were involved in fly-tipping.

Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, said: “There are simply no excuses for fly-tipping and the council’s dedicated officers are constantly working to take offenders to court for these selfish crimes.

Scanditalia failed in their legal duty to ensure that their waste was dealt with appropriately and deserved to be prosecuted, so I’d like to thank our officers on the ground for making sure this offence was detected and ultimately heavily penalised.

“Illegally dumping waste in our neighbourhoods is harmful to Manchester residents’ quality of life, which is why catching the culprits remains one of our top priorities.”

Lancashire News

A review of the HS2 rail project has been cautiously welcomed by Lancaster City Council, as it presses ahead with its calls for the city to be a primary stopping station. The Government has recently published a review to examine the costs and benefits of the HS2 rail project with a “go or no-go” decision by the end of the year. Concerns have already been raised about the future of HS2 and the effect that the scrapping of the project could have on infrastructure and the growth of the northern economy.

As the rail network is vital to the economic prosperity and competitiveness of the Lancaster district, the city council is already actively involved in discussions with local politicians, Lancashire County Council as transport authority for the district, the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership, and major business leaders regarding HS2, and the potential impacts for the district. As part of these discussions the city council passed a motion in December 2018 re-stating its position that Lancaster’s mainline station should be a primary stopping station served by HS2 trains. This would provide improved access for businesses, organisations, residents and visitors to the Lancaster District. Its inclusion as a primary stopping station will also bring with it the potential to improve future transport connections to Morecambe and to the proposed Eden Project North (and the multi-million pound tourism economy this will generate) as well as to the world-class Lancaster University. Lancaster is currently identified as one of the existing railway stations where some HS2 services would stop, but the final timetables for HS2 services are not yet fixed. The recent award of the West Coast Partnership (WCP) rail franchise to First Trenitalia West Coast Rail will start a lengthy process to determine the actual HS2 and WCP service timetable. Yesterday’s announcement by Government that there will be a comprehensive review of the HS2 project provides an opportunity to re-evaluate the primary stations and reinforce Lancaster City Council’s view that Lancaster should be among them.

The council is also of the view that the longer-distance rail network, the regional rail network and the local rail network need to be considered together. This means not only safeguarding existing services and improving capacity from Lancaster along the West Coast line, but also improving connectivity to other locations, including Morecambe, Manchester, Liverpool and West Yorkshire.

The council has been working with specially-appointed rail consultants since last year to help support the case for Lancaster retaining its status as an HS2 stopping station without impacting on the number of passenger services on the West Coast, thus helping develop the thriving regional economy. Coun John Reynolds, Cabinet Member for planning and transport, said: “We have huge opportunities for business, leisure and tourism growth in the Lancaster district. It is critical therefore that Lancaster has a HS2 stop so that the full potential of that growth is supported by sustainable transport networks.

“We also have space for crew changes and to switch rolling stock so I would urge the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps to visit us at his earliest convenience and review the opportunities we offer as well as the risks of not doing it.”

Lancashire News

A series of additional electric vehicles charging points are set to be installed in Burnley borough. Burnley Council and five other local authorities across Lancashire submitted a successful bid for Government funding that could see four rapid charging points installed in each area.

Potential sites on council-owned car parks have been identified and are currently being evaluated by Electricity North West. The funding bid was intended to promote the uptake of electric taxis. However, until such time as taxi demand for the chargers is high enough, the aim is to initially make the charging points available for wider public use.

Councillor Cosima Towneley, the council’s executive member for community and environmental services, said: “This is part of wider work by the council to make our borough cleaner and greener. It will help address climate change, protect the environment and improve air quality for our residents.

“One of the limiting factors in rolling out electric vehicles is the availability of charging points. We are delighted to put Burnley ahead of the game by pre-empting demand for charge points in our borough and we will continue to work with the local taxi trade to encourage operators to switch to electric vehicles.

“This project has shown the power of working with partners to access external funding which will cover the cost of the scheme and we look forward to further joint working in the future for the benefit of local people and the local environment.”

The executive has given the go ahead for officers to take part in a joint procurement exercise with the other Lancashire councils to enable the scheme to go ahead.

It’s proposed that the charging points will be installed next year. For those who have already made the change to electric or hybrid vehicles charging points are already installed in Kingsway on the edge of Burnley town centre.

Lancashire News, Lancs Health & Care

A Home Improvement Agency (HIA) caseworker employed by Lancaster City Council has been recognised for going that extra mile in transforming people’s lives by being shortlisted for a national award. Georgina Smith who has been working for the council for five years has been shortlisted in the Caseworker of the Year category of the 2019 Foundations National Healthy Housing Awards. Foundations is an organisation appointed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to oversee a national network of nearly 200 HIAs and handyperson providers across England.

The awards recognise the important work that is carried out every day by HIAs to support people across the country to live comfortably and independently in their own homes and celebrate the individuals who strive for excellence in their work.

Coun Caroline Jackson, cabinet member for housing, said:
“As a valued member of a committed and dedicated team of caseworkers, Georgina is well known for being a tirelessly compassionate, caring and committed employee with an absolute determination to ensure every client receives the best possible outcome.

“It’s wonderful to hear that Georgina’s work is being recognised nationally for the positive impact she continues to have on ensuring some of our most vulnerable residents get access to the help they need to make those essential adaptations to their homes so they can continue living there safely and independently. Georgina regularly receives praise from clients and key partner organisations.”

Patricia Gerrard of Heysham who recently benefitted from Georgina’s assistance in arranging for a wet room, rails and other minor adaptions to be installed in and around her home, said: “The adaptations that Georgina helped me arrange to have done in my home via the council’s Home Improvement Agency have transformed my life and as an ongoing customer of the council’s handyperson scheme, I can always rely on Georgina to come to my aid when I need her support in filling in forms or contacting other agencies so that I can continue to enjoy living happily and comfortably in my own home.” The winner of the award will be announced at a ceremony next month.

For more information on how Lancaster City Council’s Home Improvement Agency can be of assistance to you or someone you know, visit – www.lancaster.gov.uk/homeimprovement

Lancashire News, Lancs Sport

Burnley Leisure has announced the launch of its new “bistro” dining experience in the tranquil surroundings of Towneley estate and golf club.
Bistro 197 has relocated to the golf clubhouse from its former premises just across the road from the Todmorden Road entrance to the golf course, into a larger venue and offering a new menu.

Husband-and-wife team Daniel and Natalie Stevenson met working in a local resturant at the age of 15 and have built up a passion for creating delicious food. Daniel later travelled the world, spending time in Spain and two years working on the Queen Mary Cunard cruise liner.

Mark Dempsey, the leisure trust’s hospitality general manager, said: “We’re really proud to be partnering with another great local family business.
The opening of the new Bistro 197 has enabled both Burnley Leisure, and Daniel and Natalie, to invest in Towneley Golf Club’s future. We have extensively refurbished the bistro and bar, introduced a new wine list and added premium lager and cash ales with excellent food and service to match.” Burnley Leisure’s head of group operations Neil Hutchinson said: “This is another exciting expansion of our portfolio of facilities.

We are proud to be investing in and securing the future of another of our local iconic buildings, supporting the local economy and complementing our other facilities in the borough.” The partnership is a further extension of the hospitality arm of Burnley Leisure whcih already has bistro and food outlets at the Mechanics Theatre, Prairie Sports Village and Thompson Park.

Lancashire News

A company with properties in Padiham has become the latest to be recognised for its professional approach to looking after its houses and tenants. A representative from Premier Property Management was presented with an accreditation certificate to mark its successful application to Burnley Council’s good landlord and agent scheme (GLAS).
Through property inspections and an audit of its management procedures, Premier, which is based in Barnoldswick, showed it has a professional approach and the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully manage private rented properties.

The accreditation certificate was presented to Vicki Turner from Premier by Councillor Ivor Emo, the council’s executive member for housing and leisure. Vicki said: “As a small family owned and run business I was delighted to gain this accreditation from GLAS. It shows that working with good landlords and trades to maintain and look after properties is key.
“We have found that the properties we manage in the selective licensing areas have benefited from the scheme greatly, with the areas improving all the time.”

The latest presentation brings the total number of managing agents accredited to the new code of practice to 15. The others are:
Belvoir Lettings (Burnley)
RPC (Rehman Property Consultancy)
Sycamore Letting Company Ltd (Accrington)
The Bee Hive
Falcon & Foxglove
Eafield & Maple (Lettings) Ltd
IMC (North West)
Kes Properties Limited
Petty estate agents
Jon Simon estate agents
2Let Burnley
Keenans Letting Agents
Etherington Property Management
Discover Property Management

Coun. Emo said: “I am delighted to see yet another property company become part of our Good Landlord Accreditation Scheme. The council has always been more than happy to work with good landlords and to recognise the hard work they put in.”

Accreditation schemes first started in the 1990s, particularly in the student sector, to recognise good landlords who meet a set code of practice.
The council has been administrating an accreditation scheme in Burnley since 2001, attracting many landlords and managing agents. In 2016 the council launched a new code of practice to reflect changes in both legislation and best practice that are affecting the private rented sector.
The scheme recognises both good landlords and good managing agents and, helps to raise property conditions and property management standards throughout the borough.

The house condition standards within the new code go above and beyond the legal requirements of the current national standard and aim to ensure that tenants live in a safe and comfortable home that is well managed. For those landlords who reach the higher standard within the new code the gold accreditation award will be granted.

Many managing agents are unregulated and some are not members of a professional body. If landlords are selecting a managing agent in the borough we would always encourage them to ensure they are members of GLAS.

As a landlord you can also become accredited. For an application form and copy of the code of practice please email GLAS@burnley.gov.uk.
Amongst some of the benefits are free development days, access to empty homes loans, free property marketing on the council’s website and up to date information on new legislation, initiatives or policies affecting the private rented sector.

Lancashire News

Several green fingered Accrington Academy students have been visiting Dyke Nook community garden each week, where they’ve been busy collecting litter, weeding, pruning the fruit trees and planting new flowers, as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

The Council supplied the group with litter pickers, gloves and bags and picked up the litter from a designated spot afterwards. Cllr Paul Cox, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, congratulated the students on their hard work saying; “Dyke Nook Gardens is a lovely spot close to the Academy and we really appreciate the student’s involvement in this local project. They are yet another wonderful example of the fantastic voluntary work that goes on in the Borough by community spirited groups and individuals who give their time and energy to make their neighbourhood better for everyone. Congratulations and thanks to them all.”

Bernadette Knight, Learning support at Accrington Academy said; “The students have really enjoyed looking after a part of their community and are looking forward to continuing in the next academic year.”

Lancashire News, Lancs Sport

The EFL Board met on Tuesday 27th August and, after a long and detailed discussion, determined that Bury FC’s membership of the English Football League be withdrawn after the deadline passed at 5pm without a successful resolution. Despite repeated requests to its owner Mr Dale over a sustained period of time, the necessary evidence in respect of how the Club would meet its financial commitments, has simply not been provided and, as a result, attentions turned to securing new ownership at the Club.

At its meeting on 24 August 2019, the Board agreed a short extension to 5pm Tuesday 27 August to enable Mr Dale and the Club to explore the possibility of a proposed sale with C&N Sporting Risk Limited, with Mr Dale having accepted their offer. Following due diligence, C&N Sporting Risk Limited opted not to pursue its interest. Therefore, having fully considered all available options, including a number of late expressions of interest provided to the EFL, the EFL Board has unanimously determined with enormous regret that Bury’s membership be withdrawn.

The EFL Board had maintained that there could be no further suspensions to the fixture list and that these ongoing concerns and the integrity of the competition were a significant factor in the decision. Recent events have highlighted how decisions taken at Bury FC over the last few seasons have caused the Club and individuals close to it significant financial distress and there are a number of matters which, in our view, will require further investigation.

League One will now comprise of 23 Clubs for the remainder of the campaign and relegation places in the division reduced to three, which will result in a full complement of 24 Clubs in 2020/21. A discussion will take place with EFL Clubs on the consequential impact in League Two when Clubs next meet in September 2019.

Debbie Jevans CBE, EFL Executive Chair, said: “Today is undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the League’s recent history. The EFL has worked determinedly and tirelessly to avoid this outcome and it is with a heavy heart that this situation has been forced upon us.

“The EFL has to place the integrity of our competitions at the heart of every decision we make, and we simply cannot allow this unacceptable situation to continue or countenance the prospect of postponing further fixtures.
“I understand this will be a deeply upsetting and devastating time for Bury’s players, staff, supporters and the wider community.

There is no doubt today’s news will be felt across the entire football family.
“No one wanted to be in this position but following repeated missed deadlines, the suspension of five League fixtures, in addition to not receiving the evidence we required in regard to financial commitments and a possible takeover not materialising; the EFL Board has been forced to take the most difficult of decisions.”