Lancaster & District Green Party

A fantastic new children’s play area has now been completed at Greaves Park, between the Greaves Park hotel and the A6. Funding for the play area, which replaces the worn-out swings and seesaw at Parkfield, was raised by Friends of Greaves Park Community group FoGP was set up by local residents including Abi Mills and Green councillor for Scotforth West, Emily Heath. Abi Mills said: “I am delighted the play area is now in place. The new facility has been warmly welcomed by local families who I am sure will make good use of it.”

A scheme of road safety measures for the stretch of the A588 from Thurnham Bridge through Conder Green to Arna Wood Road will be put forward for consideration for funding in next years round of the County Council’s Local Safety Scheme programme. This follows the publication of an Accident Study Report carried out following two fatal crashes on the road in the past five years and concerns raised by local residents about the dangers all along the road. The detailed report recommends a number of measures including; new signage, realigning road markings, rumble strips and interactive flashing SLOW DOWN signs at an estimated cost of £50,000.
The full study can be viewed here: a588-final-cllr-study.pdf

Lancaster City Council’s October cabinet meeting has voted to ignore public opinion and proceed with the sale of green fields at Lawson’s Bridge to the south of the City on the A6 for a possible supermarket. (Rumoured to be Tesco’s)The meeting was attended by angry local residents, and cabinet members had received an avalanche of emails protesting about the proposal. A 24hr protest camp occupation of the fields in question had taken place prior to the meeting. Despite the protests a proposal put forward by Green Councillor Maia Whitelegg to defer the decision to allow public consultation to occur was voted down by members of all other parties. (more…)

Lancaster City Council’s cabinet is being pushed to make a decision on Tuesday9th October about whether to sell off fields at the edge of Scotforth for a new out-of-town supermarket development. Green Councillors Emily Heath and Jane Fletcher, who represent Scotforth West ward, which includes the land in question (known as Lawson’s Bridge), arefurious at the secretive way that the decision is being rushed through.

The fields in question are valued and well used by Scotforth residents for dog-walking and other kinds of recreation. There is a community woodland area at the northern end which is threatened by the development. (more…)

A new climate change and energy advice project called ‘LESS’ launched itself in Lancaster at the end of September.LESS is a new project set up to help people in Lancaster, Morecambe and surrounding areas live more sustainably, and save energy and money. The project will give free energy-saving advice to the public at markets and community events around the district. Advice is also available online via the group’s website (www.lessuk.org) and phoneline.

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Members of the Council Tenants Forum recently took a tour of the services on offer from the succesful furniture recycling enterprise Furntiture Matters. The event was part of the regular training events organised by Council housing . Green group leader Cllr Chris Coates, who accompanied the group said ” I am really impressed by the way Furniture Matters has grown over the years and the range of services it now offers.”

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The City Council has voted overwhelmingly to support the Andrew Stunell Telecommunication Masts Planning Control Private Members Bill. The motion proposed by Green Cllr Jude Towers supports the introduction of the ‘precautionary principle’ into the phone mast application procedure, requiring a statement detailing intensity and direction of a proposed mast signal, particularly whether the strongest beam of radiation falls on school or other educational buildings or land, or medical facilities, or homes and bringing all telecommunication masts back within Local Authority Planning control.

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Lancaster City Council in conjunction with Tetra Pak Ltd and the carton industry Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE UK), has launched a new carton recycling scheme at bring points throughout the district this week. The new project means you can now take used tetrapak cartons to special collection bins at the following locations: Tesco, Morecambe / Asda, Lancaster / George Hotel, Torrisholme /Greaves Park, Lancaster / Booths, Carnforth.

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A proposed new play area for Greaves Park has been delayed yet again while the City Council’s cabinet arranges a site visit to look at possible alternative locations for the facility.

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A wildlife garden created on the site of the former Greaves Park Nursery School (off Bowerham Road) has been a big success, according to the Friends of Greaves Park community group.

Steve Bullen said: “The wildflower meadow area which was sown last autumn has really thrived, creating a mass of colourful blooms including poppies, corncockles and buttercups, which are attracting butterflies and bees.” (more…)