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Newsletter
341 - May 2006
Chairman's Review - Marion Coupe This has been a good year in terms of achieving our aims. Our membership continues to grow, our newsletters are circulated, our website is much visited, and our publications are selling well. Our finances are as always carefully monitored, and expenditure kept to a minimum so that every donation or legacy we get is well spent. All this does take a lot of dedication and hard work, but it is shared by over fifty busy people. So if you would like to help in any way, large or small, please come forward at the AGM or make contact beforehand. We are respected as a group which has the best interests of the town at heart, and which is always ready to discuss and be consulted on controversial issues. Landmark events over the last few years include our part in the saving of the Assembly Rooms for community use as the whole of the former Lytham Baths site was set to be re-developed; the prevention of commercial development on the foreshore at Lytham; our programme of Blue Plaques; exhibitions to promote a pride in the town's heritage; and many publications. This group meets about every four weeks to scrutinise plans. They conscientiously monitor planning applications - as do all other Civic Societies. We make comment on plans from an informed position and are also guided on policy by the Civic Trust. Our aims are to ensure good design for new buildings, to respect the historic character of the local environment, and to protect parks and open spaces. We aim to raise awareness of all these issues. Also in keeping with other Civic Societies, however, our comments are often ignored by those with the power to make decisions. If you have a background
in planning or architecture and are interested in coming along,
then please make contact to find out the date of the next meeting.
We have a pool of people who attend when they can. You will be very
welcome. The issue of the year has been the Lytham Quays proposals - about which much has been written. We have supported "Defend Lytham". All that can be said as of now is that we should always be nervous of a "comprehensive re-development". Large masterplans are very difficult to implement and complete, and sometimes by the time they are finished the ideals so evident at their inception have been lost. With Lytham Quays this already occurred with the change of emphasis from an area of high-class flats to one dominated by affordable, i.e. rented housing. The plans as they stood would have made the site a destination in itself, which would have produced rival retail outlets to Lytham town centre. Obviously, the site is empty and the developer has permission for 260 houses on part of it. Much of the small industry has moved out and there is a feeling locally that this is a great loss in terms of the sustainability of the town. There is also the issue of global warming and the flood risk in the area to be considered. We would like to see a continuation of Lytham Green, and this view may be further encouraged by the news that the Land Registry may be vacating its building at the end of the Green. Lytham town centre is under a lot of pressure. Bars and restaurants are proliferating, and the character of the town is changing. The imminent new Booth's supermarket - which will be larger than originally envisaged - is likely to affect the remaining fresh food shops in the town. If a new medical centre is built on the site of Lytham Hospital with a pharmacy then those in the town centre will of course be affected. We know that we must embrace change but we should not forget that a reliance on one type of business or shop is not advisable. We hope very much that the variety of shopping and services in Lytham will endure. The threat of a car park on Lytham Green has gone away. We remind members that it was intended to "modernise" Lowther Pavilion into a multi use facility with commercial income and a presence for the council following the demolition of the Town Hall. This would have needed extra parking. Its successful community usage was under threat. A charitable trust will now be set up to run it for the community. Ansdell centre has revived since the threat of a large supermarket on the Fylde RUFC site went away. The large apartment blocks there are nearing completion and we wait to see the effect the development will have on traffic, the trees, and the cobble wall. In St.Annes, the issue of the moment is the possible arrival of an affordable housing block over an Aldi supermarket on the site of the Conservative Club and the 60's office block behind it. Aldi are proposing total demolition. We consider the present Conservative Club building on Clifton Drive to be important in the street scene in St.Annes. It is one of the early (last quarter of the 19th century) Porritt buildings made of stone transported from east Lancashire, most of which are in conservation areas. They are highly thought of in the town, which is mostly red brick. They are a historical indication that the new garden town of St.Annes was built of quality materials, and this should not lightly be cast aside. The building forms a link between the Square and the United Reform church in St George's Road, also stone, and similar buildings on Clifton Drive towards Blackpool. To remove it would cause a gap.
We should therefore like to see the retention of at least the façade of the Conservative Club. We have no objection to the demolition of the 60's building on St George's Rd. It appears that the Town Hall is thankfully not now to be demolished and re-developed into flats. Our objections have been persistent and strong against such plans. We wait to see what will be proposed and hope to be consulted. We can only repeat an oft-used quotation: "Everywhere we look, history surrounds us. In each city, town, village and landscape, historic buildings and sites define the character of the places where we live and work. Losing these landmarks, through neglect and decay, changes the way a place looks for ever, and squanders its most valuable assets." Simon Thurley, Chief Executive, English Heritage
A quotation in the region of £12,000 has been obtained for this work, but if, after the restoration work is carried out, the cross is left outside to withstand the elements, it could prove to be only a short-term solution. Removing the cross and placing it inside the church, could lead to even further problems. It would have to be shortened in height and moving and altering it could both cause the whole monument to shatter. Also, placing it inside the church would restrict public viewing of the monument, because for security reasons, the church has to remain locked at certain times. This restricting of access would further reduce the chances of success in obtaining a grant. It might even be necessary to abandon the attempt at restoration and try to purchase a replica if funding can be found to do so. This highlights once again, the need to ensure that our monuments and buildings of interest, are listed whenever possible, which not only protects them from demolition and alteration, but also increase the chances of funding for any necessary repairs. There are nation wide initiatives going on to restore our parks and gardens and we of course welcome this. Together with the Friends of Ashton Gardens group (SOAG) however we have concerns as to the "path" the renovations proposed by our council might take. We agree with SOAG that it is important to restore the historically important listed gardens, and that there should not be too much emphasis on hard surfacing. SOAG say: "St.Annes was developed
as a Garden Town, and Ashton Gardens was both "We shall have a diminishing garden whose future is endangered by the laying of pavements, the erection of buildings and the extension of entertainment. We have pavements galore, and buildings galore, and we have a very small garden whose peace and tranquillity is threatened. " "History will no doubt judge this matter, but we are reminded of the words of Councillor J H Taylor, Chairman of the Council in 1914 when he said, "You can take it for granted that the ratepayers of the next generation would very seriously blame the present Council, and the ratepayers of the present generation, if they ever allowed the desecrating hand of the builder to fall upon St. George's Gardens." The large block of flats which has been allowed to take part of our gardens is now being built. Sand Dunes and The former Blackburn Children's Home.
This unfortunate apartment development is gradually rising above the dunes. A lot of walls have been demolished in what had been officially deemed to be a viable structure and worthy of restoration - whereas the Town Hall at the time was not! As we have argued, this is essentially a new build, and in the Green Belt. It should never have been allowed, and we will watch with interest the effect that 18 flats have on the dunes. Defend the Dunes, under the chairmanship of Don Moore, continues to oppose the sale of sand, largely on the basis that the dunes are a sea defence and environmentally important in terms of flora and fauna. The adjacent Nature Reserve, of which our council were once proud, now has no warden. Our collection of postcards was shown to great acclaim with other photos from our own archives at our exhibition in October 2005. We are frequently contacted via the website by former residents seeking information relating to their past. The publication of our book "The Listed Buildings of Lytham St.Annes" entailed a good deal of historical research are we are grateful to Janet and Brian Turner for their continuing help. A number of books have been sold to people in the USA who are constructing a new golf course and want to re- create the character of Royal Lytham and St.Annes course. So somewhere out there may be a mini Lytham Hall and Lytham Green. We have dealt with quite a few historical enquiries during the year. One such related to the structure commonly known as the gun turret on the beach at St.Annes. It turned out to be no such thing, but a former stone crushing plant. We hear that a list of the Clifton papers still held at Lytham Hall is now available at the County Record Office, but there is still no public access to the papers themselves. The exhibition in October 2005 - The Architecture and Heritage of Lytham St.Annes was a great success largely due to the work ands enthusiasm of Grant Smith. The archive photos on display caused a lot of comment, and were supported by archive footage and music from the mid century. The exhibition saw the launch of our DVD "The Town from the Sand", which is selling well. We are grateful to the many volunteers who helped in stewarding, and to the Lytham Heritage Group for their hospitality in the Heritage Centre. Membership continues to increase, finishing the year at the end of April with 451 members. Membership fees were due on May 1st for this following year 2006/7. There has been a good response to the introduction of the new category of Life membership and also to Patron membership. Members paying by bankers order ease our administration and also save you from having to remember to renew your subscriptions. Please know that we value the amount of money we are able to claim back in Gift Aid and so warmly encourage taxpayers to sign in the appropriate place on the membership renewal form. Please contact the Treasurer if further details are required. Bill Thompson's extensive knowledge of trees will be difficult to replace. He organised work in the wood and was well known to many of the people who enjoy walking through it. Bill will be greatly and sadly missed by all who knew him. (see Goodbyes below). Work in the wood:
The Task Force of Lancashire Wildlife Trust completed the new section of path by the school fence opposite the cricket field. The cost of the work was covered by a grant from the Lancashire Environmental Fund for which we are extremely grateful. The new section completed the introduction of a smooth hard surface to the whole of the path through the length of the wood from Lytham to Ansdell. It is much appreciated by walkers and allows full access for wheelchairs. There has been some felling of sycamore trees, in accordance with the Woodland Grant scheme of the Forestry Commission, to allow replanting with native species. Other trees have been removed because they were damaged, but only after careful consideration, consultation and agreement with FBC's tree officer. The cost of tree work near the boundary fence has been paid for by the residents; whilst the other work has been funded by various grants. We have this past winter developed a cottage industry, successfully selling surplus logs and mulch. If you would like a small bag of logs or mulch for £1 please come to the wood on a Friday morning in winter or contact us on 07780 838876. In addition, our 'Plant a Tree' initiative, for a £2 contribution to Witch Wood funds, has created a great deal of interest. All donations and money made from these schemes have been re-invested in new trees and equipment. This winter we planted over 200 trees and shrubs and have purchased major items of equipment, thanks to significant donations, which will particularly help the ageing volunteers maintaining and improving the wood! Dog-fouling continues to be a problem. Although the majority of dog owners are responsible people, sadly there are a few who just cannot be bothered to make use of the bins provided in order to make the wood a pleasant place for all to enjoy. It is not any more acceptable to say you did not know where your dog went when it was off the lead. We have held a number of 'doggie days' highlighting that not clearing up after your dog is anti-social behaviour. These have been attended by a Council dog warden, some of our members and dog walkers. We are grateful for the support of FBC for these events.
Our affiliation with the Civic Trust, as you know, is important for many reasons. Their occasional workshops on subjects of interest to Civic Societies are particularly helpful in sharing knowledge, views and common purpose. Recently the Trust organised a series of workshops through their Liverpool office in the first of a series of events based in the City, which will be the European city of Culture in 2008. The first of these workshops concerned Conservation, rescuing ruins and finding new uses for old buildings. The programme was supported and introduced by Stephen Langtree, chairman of the North West Association of Civic Trust Societies. Overall there are 822 Conservation Areas in the North-West (105 in Merseyside) of which only 23% have formal appraisals and plans. There is a need for local authorities to partner with interested groups in the community, like The Civic Society, and devote resources to completing these documents as the basis for progress. Here in the town we are seeing the beginnings of some progress. In Liverpool the Advisory leaflets for Conservation Areas, such as West Derby and Knotty Ash are impressive, giving useful explanatory notes on all aspects of the projects including useful lists of responsibilities for residents and developers alike. Steve Corbett, Conservation Team Leader, Liverpool City Council, presented some excellent, some good, and some not so good developments in Conservation Areas. There are many challenges but the Council is increasingly seeing a significant role for community groups. Recent requirements for Planning Authorities to produce 'Character Appraisals' and Management Plans for their Conservation Areas will be helpful. We will be able to view many aspects of Liverpool's architecture and environment when we visit on our trip in September for a programme the Civic Trust is helping us to organise. The workshop also brought to Liverpool , Kate Dickson, Director of Ancoats Building Preservation Trust (www.ancoatsbpt.co.uk) who explained how the Trust have helped to revitalise this important historic district in Manchester . It is described as The World's first industrial suburb and forms part of a potential World Heritage site. Its buildings include former cotton spinning mills, housing, community facilities and commercial buildings from every period since the 1790s. Progress seems impressive and English Heritage has provided very large amounts of Finance. If you are visiting Manchester the site is only 10 minutes from Piccadilly and Victoria stations. Guided tours are available if you contact them in advance. Conservation Areas are
vital to our cultural inheritance and community well-being. They
are determined by local planning authorities based on local criteria. Events of the year - Hilda Partington At the end of another year we look back at some of the events which have taken place. Our programme of winter lectures was well supported and on a variety of themes to do with conservation and regeneration. Our Christmas party and New Year lunch were good social occasions. We are in the process of devising a new programme details of which will be divulged at the AGM on 13th July. We would like to hear YOUR VIEWS on this occasion so please come along. North West Association of Civic Trust Societies All are welcome to the AGM of this group. It will be held on Saturday 24th June at 2.00.pm in County Hall Preston. There will be two guest speakers: Andrew Backhouse, Heritage Tourism Executive, Culture Northwest, and Kevin Trickett, Chairman of the National Committee of Civic Societies. There will also be an open discussion forum.
Bill arranged the planting of trees all over the town, with the biggest project, for the 1977 Queen's silver jubilee, being the planting of the avenue of trees along Preston road at the entry to Lytham.
Saturday 17th June Sunday 2nd July Thursday 10th August
Friday 4th August Saturday 2nd September Thursday 7th to Sunday
10th September Thursday 19th October Friday the 8th December Enclosed with this report is a volunteer sheet for Lytham Hall. Mr F A Allenby TREASURER’S REPORT - Dennis Leyland A scan through the Receipts and Payments Account gives a view of financial activity over the year. Members’ Subscriptions show a notable increase compared with last year, following the introduction this year of life membership and increased patron’s subscriptions. Witch Wood receipts came mainly from donations, for which we are extremely grateful, and a further £350 will be recovered through gift aid. We had £600 from the Green Partnership and around £1500 from the Forestry Commission as final payment under a woodland improvement grant. Expenditure was slightly higher than income, with major items being £2,500 for tree felling, £840 for equipment and course at Myerscough College and the purchase of new equipment (including chainsaw, chipper, strimmer, trailer), all much appreciated by the volunteers working in the wood. Donations received include two sums of £1,000, one being again from the John Slater Foundation, £3,000 via Fylde BC to cover activity under the, then called, Local Strategic Partnership, £657 in memory of Stephen Alcock and £795 towards the cost of obtaining council opinion on Lowther Gardens, such that, together with last year’s donations, there was no net cost to the Society. We are most grateful for the support. Events show a net deficit of just over £1,000. We made £295 at the annual coffee morning but staging the exhibition at the Heritage Centre cost £1,200. Listed Buildings book sales and DVD sales are quoted less the cost of the items sold - remaining copies are accounted as assets in the Balance Sheet. The DVDs were produced for sale at the exhibition and the cost is shown under Items for resale. We have, so far, sold 200 of the 500 purchased. Subscriptions and donations includes £150 registration fee for the Civic Trust, £45 subscription to the Victorian Society and we donated £200 to Park View 4U. Miscellaneous expenses has the contribution we made towards the Lowther Gardens legal fees. In the Balance Sheet:- Fixed Assets have increased
by £1,015 (£1,414 for purchases, £399 depreciation),
compared with last year, cash on deposit (COIF) has risen by around
£9,000 and Net Assets are increased by just over £10,000. Bill Comstive has again undertaken audit of the accounts, and we are most grateful to him for taking on the task and for making constructive comments.
RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS
ACCOUNT
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LYTHAM ST ANNES CIVIC SOCIETY
I have examined the Receipts and Payments Account of the Lytham St Annes Civic Society for the year ended 30th April 2006, the Balance Sheet at that date together with the Books, Accounts and Vouchers of the Society. From the information and explanations supplied the Receipts and Payments Account and Balance Sheet are in accordance with those records. W A Comstive - Hon. Auditor
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