News and events update

Council Cabinet decides on way forward for LMF

On 5 May Cumbria County Council's Cabinet met to discuss the next steps for the LMF project. Following discussion Cabinet agreed the recommendations made by council officers following the long period of consultation with local people.

Simply put Cabinet agreed that the council should go ahead and apply for outline planning permission for the proposed development of the Lochinvar school site and associated improvements to public facilities (childrens centre, nursery, playing fields, library/local links). Outling planning permission is a first step that will establish whether or not the Local Planning Authority (in this case the City Council) is happy in principle  with the general terms and scope of the project. If they grant outline permission a more detailed planning application will then have to be submitted at a later date. However, there is a significant amount of work still to be done in order for the council to be able to submit even the outline planning permission application.

Cabinet also decided that it would earmark £170,000 of council monies to fund improvements to the Parish playing fields including drainage and changing rooms. That money will be spent in partnership with the Parish Council who own the fields. Discussions have started with the Parish Council on how that money will be spent.

People wishing to comment on the outlining planning proposals will be able to do so through the City Council's standard consultation procedure for planning applications.

Read the Cabinet reports (item 13 in the list)

STRI report into suitability of Parish fields to be used for football

As reported here, late last year the county council commissioned the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) to conduct an appraisal of the Parish fields in Longtown, the STRI being the leading independent consultants for this type of work. The appraisal's purpose was to determine whether or not the Parish fields could be brought up to a standard equivalent to the pitches at the Lochinvar school site and meet the relevant FA regulations.

They have now submitted their report, and, as promised at the Longtown and Bewcastle Neighbourhood Forum, the council is publishing their findings in full (excluding one page (pg.9) which shows estimated costs for the necessary works which has been deemed commercially sensitive).

The report concludes that with appropriate improvement works, and maintenance, the Parish fields can be brought up to the relevant standards. The council believes that these works are achievable within the overall scheme for development in Longtown.

The report's findings will be discussed at the next Longtown and Bewcastle Neighbourhood Forum on 25/2/09 at the community centre in Longtown.

STRI appraisal report (PDF: 6MB)

Summary of brief set by Cumbria County Council for the Sports Turf Research Institute

The County Council has agreed to commission the Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) to undertake a feasibility study investigating whether a football field could be developed on the Parish Fields (Lochinvar Close) site to replace the current facility at Lochinvar School. As promised at the Neighbourhood Forum meeting on 1/10/08 here is a summary of the instructions that the council has given the STRI. 

If you have any comments get in touch.

The choice of the STRI has been based on proposals put to the Council by a number of contractors, upon recommendations, and following consultation with various bodies including the Football Foundation, Cumbria Football Association, Cumbria Sport, Leisure Trusts, and the City and County Councils.

The STRI has civil engineering, landscaping, water management and agronomy expertise, with many years experience working as part of a wider design team.   They are committed to providing the highest standards of playing surface at all levels.

The STRI assessed the Lochinvar School field in 2003 as ‘Satisfactory to Poor’, and the basis of that report will be used as the benchmark for the minimum standard we aim to achieve.  

The STRI will Appraise the proposed site covering:

1. Assessment of soil conditions and the need for designed root zone materials.
2. Laboratory/performance testing of the soil.
3. Advise on methods of construction and drainage – this will include discussions with the Environment Agency.
4. Advise on grass types and ongoing maintenance to establish the surface.
5. Irrigation, water source audits.
6. Ongoing turf management and equipment requirements.
7. Options for development.
8. Budget costs.
9. Programming of works.

Upon satisfactory completion of this work, the Councils will assess the outcome and decide, in consultation with the local community, upon the most appropriate course of action for future provision, and whether this site can indeed be utilised as a new community football pitch.

The STRI can also advise on the next stages if it is decided to go ahead with this work – the design, tendering, monitoring of construction works, turf aftercare and management.

Visit the STRI website...

Where we're up to at the moment...

It's been over a month since the last Neighbourhood Forum meeting but we've been busy in the background getting things moving. Here's a quick run down of how things stand at the moment.

• The demolition contract is currently out to tender.  Anticipated start on site is 15th December.
• The contents have now all been redistributed from Lochinvar School – mostly to other Cumbrian Schools.  Waste items were recycled.  The Food Technology Classroom fittings were dismantled and removed to Plumbland Village Hall where they will be re-used as part of an eco-friendly refurbishment.
• The floodlit Multi Use Games Area at Lochinvar School is now operated by the Primary School and is available for booking.  Please contact the Primary School for further information – tel 791203.
• Lighting and security at the Library and former Lochinvar Car Park has been improved in recent weeks. 
• The Development Trusts Association and the Cumbria Rural Housing Trust are holding an open meeting at the Memorial Hall on 19th November at 7.00pm.  This will give us all the opportunity to discuss and learn about the community ownership of assets.
• We are in the process of seeking quotations from specialist contractors to undertake the studies into the Parish Field.  We will report back shortly.
• Architects are being commissioned to start preparing more detailed designs to show how the proposed buildings and facilities could look.  Again, we’ll keep you updated on progress and report back shortly.

Community ownership of Land and Buildings in Longtown

This meeting is to discuss how the local community could step in and take control for itself.

The following people will be attending the meeting:

• Jackie McQueen (Development Trust Association)
• Jeff Scales (Development Trust Association)
• Andy Lloyd (Cumbria Rural Housing Trust)

The meeting will cover:

• How Development Trust can respond to local needs through initiatives including housing, management of public space, sports facilities, food markets, environmental project and more.
• What are Community Land Trusts
• What are the options for Longtown

  To get involved come along to the public meeting:

• Venue: Longtown Community Centre
• Date: 19 November
• Time: 7.00pm to 8.30pm

How have people rated the Longtown Moving Forward project?

We were keen to find out what people in Longtown have thought of the way the Longtown Moving Forward project has been run. To find out we carried out a telephone survey in the town. The survey took place during October. In total a random selection of 341 people gave their take on the project. The results are pretty interesting:

• 91% said that they had heard of the project which is great;
• 75% said that they felt they had been kept well informed about what was happening with the project;
• 75% also said that they had been satisfied with the opportunities they had had to have their say on the issues;
• 35% agreed that the plans will improve the town, 35% think they will make the town worse and 30% were undecided.

We feel these are encouraging results but obviously there are still people who are sceptical. Hopefully as things progress people will see the benefits.

We'll be updating you more about the project soon. Watch this space.

Final voting results

At the final tally after all votes were counted we had received 301 votes, a reasonable total we think. This is how the votes broke down:

Proposal 1 – the ‘basic’ option – 2% (7 votes)
Proposal 2 – children’s and community hubs – 20% (60 votes)
Proposal 3 – single central community and children’s hub on Lochinvar site – 29% (86 votes)
Proposal 4 – community hub and training/business centre on Lochinvar site – 17% (52 votes)
None of them – people who opposed all proposals – 32% (96 votes)

So while a significant minority oppose all the proposals (almost entirely because they are against the sale of Lochinvar playing fields) over two thirds of voters (205 people) were in favour of at least one of the proposals put forward. While we recognise the concerns of those who opposed the proposals we think the voting gives a clear message from Longtown in favour of change.

We also noted the many comments and ideas that local people submitted along with their votes. People clearly feel passionate about the future of the town and had some really good ideas about the future. We’ll be taking these into account.

There'll be a newsletter update coming soon with more details about what's happening next...

How are the votes stacking up?

Thank you to everyone who has voted so far, to date we have received 162 votes. You can see how they're split below (as of 1/8/08):

Proposal 1 - 5 votes (3%)
Proposal 2 - 19 votes (12%)
Proposal 3 - 44 votes (27%)
Proposal 4 - 20 votes (12%)
None of them - 74 votes (46%)

So at the moment while "none of them" has the most votes there is a small majority in favour of the options put forward by the councils. 

We'd like to get more votes so the deadline for voting has been extended to 15 August. Don't miss your chance to have your say.

Vote now!

Project timeline revised - 1/5/08

Back at the end of February we set out a timeline for this project, setting out when we hoped things would happen. Since then there have been a few developments that have meant the timeline has had to be changed. Mainly this is because the Project Board (the group ultimately overseeing the project) were concerned that the short timescales might mean things were rushed. Hence we've pushed things back a little to give us more time to make sure everyone can have their say and things get done properly. 

The main changes are that in July the city and county councils' cabinet/executive will be asked to decide on whether to demolish or retain the school building, and agree, based on draft proposals, to fully costed and worked through plans being drawn up on future changes. You can check the revised timeline below.

DONE 1st week March -  first newsletter sent out, discussion packs distributed, first phase of consultation begins.
DONE 12 March - neighbourhood forum meeting, project will be discussed.
DONE 1st week of April - 1st phase of consultation ends.
DONE 1 April - 1 May - councils consider feedback from consultation and come up with proposals for the future.
1st week May - second newsletter sent out. Will report back on your comments in phase 1 and explain the rough ideas that the council is starting to think about.
7 May - neighbourhood forum meeting, project will be discussed.
Between 8 May and 7 July - exact dates are not confirmed yet but during this period there will be a second phase of consultation on our draft proposals and a third newsletter.
8 July - councils meet to conisder future of Lochinvar school buildings and approve/reject moving on to developing fully costed plans.

Stage 1 consultation data available - 1/5/08

The first phase of consultation as part of Longtown moving forward is now complete. In total we received over 70 discussion booklets, and given many were completed by groups we estimate about 300 people had their say in this way. We've been adding the responses into a database so we can get all the information in one place. If you'd like to see people's comments just follow the link below.

Download the discussion booklet responses (.xl file)...

Key dates for your diary - when and how you can get involved - 25/2/08

Longtown moving forward is a long term project. This first stage will result in recommendations for the future being presented to the councils to consider. We hope that this will happen in July. We know that things don't always run smoothly though so this date might change. However, based on a July deadline we've set out a time-line showing you what you can expect and when to expect it.

1st week March -  first newsletter sent out, discussion packs distributed, first phase of consultation begins.
12 March - neighbourhood forum meeting, project will be discussed.
1st week of April - 1st phase of consultation ends.
1 April - 1 May - councils consider feedback from consultation and come up with proposals for the future.
1st week May - second newsletter sent out. Will report back on your comments in phase 1 and explain the ideas the councils have come up with.
7 May - neighbourhood forum meeting, project will be discussed.
19 May - 2nd phase of consultation begins, your chance to decide on the proposals you prefer.
1st week June - 3rd newsletter sent out. Will report back on outcome of 2nd phase of consultation and outline what is likely to be recommended to the councils.
13 June  - all consultation responses must be received.
2 July  - neighbourhood forum meeting, project will be discussed.
8 July - councils meet to consider the recommended course of action for Longtown.

Once we reach this point, a whole new plan will have to be developed, depending on the councils' decisions.

Notes from Neighbourhood Forum discussion groups - 28/1/08

Read what was said (pdf)...

Neighbourhood forum meeting kicks of Longtown moving forward - 16/1/08

More about Longtown and Bewcastle Neighbourhood Forum...