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Newsletter 339 - November 2005
Our AGM this year was
enjoyable and very well attended. We thank Barbara Salter for her
work as membership secretary. We welcome Kate Cartmell as her successor,
and Kath Wayland as a new vice president. Kath has been chairman
and secretary and has served on the committee for many years. We
also welcome Malcolm Burnett as our new vice chairman. Janet Turner
has left the committee and we thank her for her hard work, particularly
in the production of the Listed Buildings book. The large number of posters and cars stickers around the town indicate strong feelings. "Say NO to Lytham quays" is to be found in countless windows. "Say YES to Lytham quays" posters are to be found on property owned by the developer and have been a useful indication as to how much land he does actually own. These latter are bigger, probably need planning permission, and have largely been vandalised. A local church has taken on the format to "Say YES to Jesus". Should we be concerned?
Indeed we should - the residents feel frustrated and disenfranchised faced with the prospect of thousands of new houses and flats the scale of which will in reality destroy their town. And at this at a time of an embargo on house building! It appears that there is a need for 70 -80 new affordable homes to be build each year - largely for families, not 2 bedroom flats. It also appeared - until the 19th October meeting - that any number of units would be approved as long as there was a good proportion of affordable (essentially rented) housing. At the same time rumours are rife in the town of the Primary Care Trust doing land deals, which will lead to the closure of Lytham Hospital and the St.Annes clinic off Headroomgate Road. There are also rumours about the development potential of the Blackpool Road North playing fields. Our own council is planning its own development deals. A little visible integrity
would not go amiss.
The Civic Society has released a DVD in celebration of the formation of St.Annes on the Sea Town Council. 'The Town From The Sand' was made in 1974, specially commissioned by Gabriel Harrison, then Chairman of the St.Annes on the Sea Land and Building Company, to mark the towns centenary. The film is a documentary, based on the book 'Rage of Sand' by Gabriel Harrison, and traces the history of St.Annes on the Sea, Lancashire, from its founding in 1874. Local filmmaker Peter Wilson made the film with the assistance of many other people who lent old photographs, paintings and drawings. Local drama groups also helped reconstruct many events in the town's history. In 1974 the film had its premiere at the Dorchester Hotel in London, followed by a Northern premiere at Studio One Cinema, St.Annes. BBC TV filmed a 'Nationwide' report during the making of the film, and excerpts from the film were screened. Looking back today some 30 years on we see now that this is not just a documentary film, but also a historical document. The film contains images of many buildings and scenes that are now sadly missed. In its closing stages the film offers a message of hope about what the future will bring for the town. Also included is an award winning short film, 'The Man with the Parcel'. This quirky piece was filmed in the St.Annes area by Peter Wilson in 1964.
Plackitt & Booth,
Clifton St., Lytham Or by sending a cheque made out to 'LSA Civic Society' for £10.99 including postage to Rob Wilkinson, 29 Grange Rd., St.Annes, FY7 2BW. (Tel. 727611) The Listed Buildings of Lytham St.Annes Also a reminder that
the 'Listed Buildings' book is still available to members for the
reduced price of £10 from Coup Bradbury Solicitors in Bath
St., Lytham, or by sending a cheque for £11.50 including postage
to Rob Wilkinson, 29 Grange Rd., St.Annes, FY7 2BW. (Tel. 727611) St.Annes Town Hall Marion Coupe The council demolition squad still seem intent on removing one of the remaining important pieces of our heritage. A subtle message has been getting through to those who have visited our exhibition in the last few weeks - we have lost a lot in the town, and what has replaced it is not usually of the same high quality. But this is not a time for subtle messages. Those who are proposing this vandalism are insensitive to the importance of traditional buildings in our townscape and insensitive to those of us who care about them. FBC have awarded themselves outline permission for housing on all 5 sites they own, including the Town Hall. We are strongly opposed to the demolition of this building. The quality of its construction, materials and artistic detailing is unmatched in the town. It is to the council's shame that it was deliberately excluded from the two conservation areas alongside it. It is the best example of a "Porritt" stone built building - these being the mainstay of the North Promenade conservation area. It was built as the "flagship" of the Porritt's estate. The hand carved stone on the façade, marble columns around the windows, Edwardian Minton tiles on floors and walls, original decorative cornices, delicate stained glass, marble fireplaces - the list of the attributes of this quality building is endless. We do not accept that it is structurally unsound, only that the council may have been less than assiduous in its maintenance regime. In seeking to demolish the Town Hall for short term financial gain; the council is proposing an act of vandalism equal to the greediest developer in the land. Philistinism is a word used before in this town and is appropriate here. John Coombes, Conservative leader of the Council, appears to be the leader of the demolition gang, and has said that English Heritage stated that the building "had little architectural and historical significance". This is not true. Representatives of both EH and SAVE Britain's Heritage were surprised that it was not listed by the DCMS (Department of Culture Media and Sport). We accept that the building may not be suitable for office use, but we believe that the council has a responsibility to do all it can to ensure a re-use for it. Anything less is corporate vandalism. The administration of our town is in the hands of our council and we do not expect them to act like the worst kind of property speculator.
Below is the comment sent to planning by the Civic Society. Please write too if you have not already - there is still time. There are a series of
key issues which have to be considered on the two applications currently
with Fylde Borough Council, one for full approval of part of the
site and another for overall outline approval of the whole site. The process should have been an outline for the whole followed by approval of reserved matters as the development progressed. That said the following issues are of critical importance to the town. 1. Density, scale and character: * Lytham is a modest
seaside town of a charming character typified by two and three storey
development. The unique charm of the Green helps to create a character,
which is open and spacious and gives an appreciation of the sea
from many aspects of the town. Any new development proposed should
have regard to this openness and, more importantly, to the scale
of the town. 2. Transport Infrastructure: * The proposal for over
2700 apartments, with say an estimated average of 2.5 inhabitants
per dwelling, creates an additional population of 6750 people. Lytham
is already congested in terms of parking and traffic routes; there
is no adequate link to the motorway. This number of residents will
increase the traffic substantially, not to mention the disruption
caused by construction traffic over a period of 15 to 20 years.
Lytham as we now know it will no longer be a pleasant place to visit
and could well lose its attraction as a tourist destination. 3. Health and education: * There is already a
secondary school problem locally and children are being sent to
Preston. 4. Regional guidance and affordable housing: * There is currently
a moratorium on housing in the Fylde area (as there is in several
other 'honeypot' areas of the northwest). Without knowledge of future
forecasts it is reasonable to assume that the number of units proposed
would mop up the Fylde and Wyre allocations for the foreseeable
future.
* This site sits alongside
a highly valuable coastline in terms of bird and wildlife. The impact
of this development will be immense both during and after construction.
The flood issues are being dealt with by raising the entire development.
We understand that treated surface water run off will be used to
top up the canal system. 6. Public open space: * The masterplan as currently
shown does not appear to contain any significant areas of public
open space within the area outlined in red. There are established
standards, which set out the scale, type and location requirements
for a development of this size. A population density of this nature
would require substantial areas of public open space using the 6
acres to 1000 population as a rough guide. 7. Retail/Leisure/employment issues: * There are extensive
areas in the plan devoted to non-residential uses. The level of
retail development shown could have a serious impact on the viability
of Lytham Town Centre. The inclusion of restaurants and cafes (numbering
some 30 units) would also have a major impact on this type of facility
in Lytham centre. The current facilities in Lytham have recently
developed a reputation for a high quality offer for daytime café
meals and evening dining. This proposed development has the potential
for metaphorically tipping Lytham into the sea if the level of facilities
shown does come about and takes the place of the current facilities
in the town centre. The level of commercial facilities shown in
the proposed Quays masterplan appears to be creating a destination
venue in themselves and not a complementary facility to Lytham as
we know it. Summary: The scale of development
shown is quite out of character with the area. The level and intensity
of development shown will impact on Lytham town centre and also
the region as a whole. Physically and visually the development would
dominate the east end of Lytham and if built make the existing town
feel like an adjunct. This superb display will be available to view in the grounds again in 2006, on Sundays from the end of January into February, depending on the season. They seem to be coming out earlier these days. John Heap papers Last year we were alerted to the existence of papers relating to St.Annes builders John Heap & Sons, Pioneer Sawmills, St Andrews Rd South, St.Annes. There are employee and property records, ledgers and other papers, which are important in the development of St.Annes from the 1920's. The papers have been catalogued by David and Elaine Cooper and deposited in the Lancashire Record Office. They can be inspected there at any time on production of proof of identity if you do not have a pass card. The reference is DDX 2520. From our archives: The LSA Express has an article "What's behind the brick wall?" dated 11th September 1997. It relates to the £500,000 refurbishment carried out by Woolworths and their puzzling brick wall effect, which still fills their window onto Clifton Drive. This was the first of many comments in the paper where residents and councillors have pleaded with Woolworths to put some sort of a display in their window. A spokesman said in 1997 "It would be nice to have a display but unfortunately the wall is a permanent fixture".
It is perhaps time they had a change of heart and some respect for the street scene. Exhibition - The Architecture
and Heritage of Lytham St.Annes
This exhibition has been a great success and many hundreds of people have visited it. We have had three evenings where we have invited people who helped put it together, those who help the Society by stewarding, working in the wood, being a postie etc, and our patrons. The Mayor and Mayoress of Fylde, Couns Ron and Hilda Wilson attended the opening night. We are grateful to Grant Smith and John Brown for assembling it, and to the Lytham Heritage Group who allowed us to hold it at the Heritage Centre. We also thank the stewards, both from the Heritage Group and our own membership. If you would like a free copy of the leaflet accompanying the exhibition please send an SAE sized A5 to any member of the committee.
We were also pleased with the response to our audio/visual display at the exhibition. Put together by John Bentham, the screening DVD featured many long gone scenes from the area, and included wartime activities around the town and the Fairhaven Lake boating regattas of 1930 and 1931. Plans for over 800 houses and flats thrown out. The meeting of the Development Control committee on the 19th October 2005 had been postponed and re-located to Lowther Pavilion as it was known that large numbers of the public wished to attend. On the Agenda were 3 major applications seeking permission for over 800 new dwellings, all from the same developer, Kensington, and all recommended for approval by the officers. The first of these was for 586 dwellings on the Saddlers/ Cooksons site (part of the Lytham Quays site), and a doubling of the existing permissions. We felt that this should not be determined until the wider reaching decision over Lytham Quays has been made. The application had been submitted 78 weeks ago, a long time before the actual Lytham Quays application. The second was for the Aegon/Guardian offices site at the back of Lytham station. This contained housing and office elements meaning that it is a departure from the adopted local Plan. The audience groaned when the plans were put on the screen, and indeed the huge building proposed was totally out of keeping with the character of Lytham. We think that this is the best place for a new Primary Care centre. The plans for these first two sites had radically changed since the Civic Society commented on them, but we were not re- consulted. This made our statements in the printed agenda fairly meaningless. The third site involved in all this was at Stanways garage on the edge of Lytham. An application for a new Primary Care Centre was rejected by the DCC only a few weeks ago, so that it is odd indeed that it should be re-submitted, and obviously unfair on others who do not have this privilege. Its appropriateness as a location is so linked to the success of the Lytham Quays proposals that we argued strongly that it should not be heard. It is a very inconvenient site for the town of Lytham and is not considered a sustainable location, as it would create more car journeys. Not many new jobs would be created by the PCC, as it would be a re-location of existing doctors and dental practices. It would also have its own pharmacy, which will badly affect the existing town centre pharmacies. On the 19th, over 500 concerned residents turned up at 9am, many had taken the day off work, and there was a large presence from Defend Lytham. Many could not get into the room. Individuals now have the right to address the meeting for 3 minutes at the start of every item, and several spoke, including Marion Coupe, chairman of the Civic Society. The whole event was a new experience for most of the planning councillors and the audience. The meeting was quite noisy at times, illustrating the concerns of residents over the future of the town. Our councillors did not let us down however and ALL THREE PROPOSALS WERE VOTED OUT. The audience cheered loudly. A few days before the meeting the Government Office North West (GONW) had in fact indicated that the applications were to be "called in". This means that the committee could only be "minded to approve" them if they wished to approve, and the final decision would be taken at a higher level. This was not needed as they have been refused. We wait to see what the developer will do next. A very large hall will be needed when the Lytham Quays applications are heard. 1950's St .Annes We have had a request for information about the novels of Anne Sholto. Anne wrote novels about St.Annes in the 1950's. The person contacting us has said: " I am trying to
get hold of a copy of "The House with the Blue Door" a
novel written by St.Annes authoress Anne Sholto in 1952. This book
is about a mythical Boarding House set in the seaside town of "Stannersea".
My Grandmother used to live next door to the authoress in Beach
Road. I have many happy memories of a wonderful childhood spent
in St.Annes" Anne Sholto also wrote "Evening Primrose". Can anyone help? Death of Tom Blasson We are sorry to hear of the death, at the age of 96, of Tom Blasson. Tom set up the Thomas Blasson Charitable Foundation, which is there to protect the built and natural environment of Lytham. The Civic Society has benefited from his generosity. Flower beds A report last year from the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) described skilled park workers as a "dying breed" , and warned of a skills crisis in the next decade. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) is equally concerned and has instituted a national flowerbed competition. Seaside communities traditionally see flowerbeds as vital in their attractiveness to tourists, and towns such as Scarborough, Bournemouth, and Eastbourne continue this tradition. It is thought that the root of the problem was the contracting out of park services brought in with the compulsory competitive tendering scheme (CCT). This was scrapped but most council's still contract out some or all of their park services. This means that there is a lack of apprentices coming through who understand the needs of the area. Alan Titchmarsh started his career in this way. There are three types of bedding: the traditional Victorian approach, contemporary displays, and carpet bedding - which spells a word or creates a picture. The traditional Victorian style is a dying art form, but of course appropriate for gardens such as the Promenade Gardens in St.Annes. Not only do stunning floral displays encourage tourists however, they also engender civic pride. We know that many representations have been made to our council relating to the type of planting now in St.Annes Square - low maintenance grasses and bushes, instead of the traditional beds it used to have. This is the type of planting to be found at Tesco or B&Q surrounding their car parks; it is not suitable for the centre of our town. Britain in Bloom is a nationwide attempt to re-invigorate our floral displays and can be very successful although it relies on volunteers. Locally, the Friends of Ashton Gardens (SOAG) and the Friends of Lowther Gardens do sterling work. A team of 14 friends have been deadheading roses in Lowther Gardens all summer. The RHS wants councils to take bedding seriously once more - and so do we! If liberty and equality, as is thought by some, are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost. (Aristotle) Work has commenced on our latest phase of enhancements to the wood. The Task Force of Lancashire Wildlife Trust is carrying out the work of laying a hard path with a Top Trec surface by the school fence opposite the cricket field. This work is expected to be finished shortly. When completed it will provide a continuous hard path throughout the length of the wood. Another 'doggie day' has been held in the wood attended by some of our members, dog walkers and one of the dog wardens from Fylde Borough Council (FBC). We are grateful for the support of FBC for these events. Due to the success of the event we will probably hold another one in the spring. There will be working parties in the wood each Friday morning, except when meeting on the following Saturdays: November 12th, December 10th, January 14th, February 11th. We meet at 9.30 am at the tree nursery (near Skew Bridge entrance). Over the next few months we will be tree planting so why not join us and plant some trees to maintain the wood for future generations to enjoy. Just turn up or contact either Bill Thompson on 737795 or Rob Wilkinson on 727611. We have some logs and chippings for sale and these may be purchased during our weekly sessions in the wood. Just see one of our group or come to the tree nursery. Forthcoming events Hilda Partington Would any members who have not received a green programme card, please think on to pay their membership in the usual way If you would like to comment on a planning application write to: The Manager
for the Built Environment
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