KIRKBY-IN-FURNESS 

The "Roundhead" Village

SITUATED ON THE DUDDON ESTUARY, TO THE SOUTH OF THE LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK, KIRKBY IS A COLLECTION OF ATTRACTIVE HAMLETS LYING ALONG SIDE THE A595, THE LONGEST ROAD IN THE COUNTY OF CUMBRIA

Kirkby residents who were actually born in the Parish of Kirkby Ireleth are given the name "ROUNDHEAD". 

This is taken from the practice in the slate quarries of rounding off the top of roofing slates. 

Some "ROUNDHEADS" refer to off comers as "SQUAREHEADS"

CORONAVIRUS EMERGENCY 

 INFORMATION AND WHERE TO OBTAIN HELP (Click on the links for further information)

An urgent road closure has been put in place to enable United Utilities to carry out urgent repair works, as a result of a leaking service. .

This notice came into operation today 2nd June 2020 and is expected to remain in place for an approx duration of 3 days.

Please see below details of the extents of the closure and alternative route, the relevant legal notice can be viewed at https://one.network/downloads/tm/5-day-urgent-notice-117453492-3233054.pdf and a location plan clearly showing the extents of the road closure and diversion route can be found on one.network via link https://one.network/?tm=117453492 

Location:  Buckhorn Lane, Near Sandside, from its junction with Buckhorn Lane, extending in a north easterly direction for a total distance of approximately 15 metres, as and when the appropriate traffic signs are displayed.

Alternative Route: A suitable alternative route for vehicles will be signed and available via the unrestricted section of Buckhorn Lane and the A595.

A way for pedrestrians and dismounted cyclists will be maintained.

A green bin waste collection is being partially re-introduced by South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) after it was suspended at the end of March. From next week (week commencing 4 May) the council is introducing a monthly collection of green bin waste across the district, aiming to make one collection per household each month until further notice. SLDC suspended green waste collections in response to reduced staffing levels due to the Coronavirus outbreak and restrictions to ensure crews could work safely and comply with social distancing guidelines. The council now believes it has sufficient staff numbers and available vehicles to look at re-introducing a green bin collection on a monthly basis, while still allowing crews to work safely.

From next week residents are being asked to follow these steps:

·        Starting week commencing 4 May, check your collection calendar and leave your green bin out on your next scheduled collection day

·        Collection crews will begin emptying green bins on the round on the scheduled collection day

·        If your bin has not been emptied by the end of the scheduled collection day please take your bin back in and present it again on the next scheduled green bin collection day according to your calendar, when the crews will return to continue the rest of the round

Temporary road closure which has been put in place to allow Morrison Utility Services to carry out repair works to a stop tap.
This notice will come into operation 24^th April 2020 and is expected to remain in place for an approx. duration of 4 days.

Location: The C5105 Sandside near Kirkby-in-Furness, from a point approx. 265m north west of its junction with the A595, extending in a north westerly direction for approx. 135m.
Alternative Route: A suitable alternative route for vehicles will be signed and available via unrestricted sections of the C5015 and the A595.

1. What exactly is the work planned?
2. The Parish Council and residents are concerned about several issues on this stretch of the A595, that they and I feel should be addressed as a conjoined piece of work under any planned closure; these are:
   a) water on the road, both running and standing, that would indicate blocked or broken drains and culverts. This makes the road impassable at times and almost certainly causes degradation of the top service and gulleys, so unless these issues are fixed at the same time as any resurfacing the work will need to be redone or dug up at some point in the near future.
   b) there are a number of exposed stones/rocks in the verges and along the gulleys under the hedges on this stretch; these risk undermining the verges or hedges and are constantly catching on car or HGV wheels, both damaging the vehicles and exacerbating the issue of stones/rocks sticking out into the carriageway. These need remedial treatment as part of any road closure; either removing the worst offenders or at least levelling off/pushing stones back into the banking where they are being shaken or dragged loose. Some kerbs may need to be put in.
   c) the A595 on the other side of Soutergare, heading up to Askew Brow/Gate, has water ingress and there is a faulty drain that does not take water off the road and is constantly being undermined, creating a major pothole hazard; this needs addressing in any planned closure, and any potholes in the whole stretch need treating, not just patching.
3. The headmistress of Burlington School in Kirkby has pointed out any daytime closure would restrict her in getting hot food to her children at lunchtime as it comes by the A595 from Askam. We would suggest to minimise disruption to school meals/transport that any closure is postponed by two weeks to take place over the Easter school holidays.
4. I understand the closure is now planned as an overnight closure; this would be preferable provided it will be possible to carry out ALL planned repairs during hours of darkness.
5. Local people are concerned that the last time there was a closure of this part of the A595, it far exceeded the planned duration and caused huge inconvenience to local residents, commuters and businesses.

While the above are all key considerations that I would like an urgent response to, I am also deeply concerned about how this closure has been planned, consulted on and communicated. It came to my attention, and most local residents, via a third party facebook group covering Askam. Neither myself as the local member, the parish council nor consultees such as local school leadership seem to have been made aware; I appreciate this closure may have been issued at short notice but the protocols don't seem to have been followed and as a result the communication/work order planning has been a disjointed mess.

I look forward to your urgent and co-ordinated response as to how we will move this work forward and what I can communicate to local stakeholders and the community at large. 

Best regards, 

Matt 

Council  Member  for  High  Furness
Cumbria County Council

Scoping report 21st January 2020 - (very long document, 142 pages, but up to date information. Page 135 gives a summary). This is the next stage in the road improvement process. It includes reports on:

Air Quality, Biodiversity, Landscape, Population and Human Health, Agriculture, Walkers, Cyclists and Horse Riders, Noise and Vibration, Drainage, Geology and Climate.

a) Kirkby Netball Club £250.00 for netball equipment

b) Community Centre £550.00 for display boards and £173.98 for safety step ladders

c) St. Cuthbert's PCC £245.00 for producing the Calendar and £600.00 for producing the Caller.

d) Grizebeck Village Hall Committee £290.00 for the Children's Christmas Party.

Location: From The C5016 Lady Moyra Incline, Beckside from a point approx. 240m south east of its junction with the A595 extending in an easterly direction for approx. 95m.

Will come into operation 29^th November 2019 and is expected to remain in place for an approx. duration of 7 days.

Alternative Route: A suitable alternative route for vehicles will be signed and available via the unrestricted sections of the C5016, A595, A590, B5281 and C5016.

A way for pedestrians and dismounted cyclists will be maintained at all times.

For a detailed map of the closure click here.

CGP Trust Fund - recent awards

a) Burlington School £1,000.00 towards the costs of new playground equipment.

b) Community Centre £1877.14 for seats in the new changing rooms. 

c) History of Kirkby Group £350.00 for the cost of a new projector. 

d) Grizebeck Village Hall £528.00 for the cost of replacing soffits and facia boards.

e) Kirkby United Football Club £2,000.00 towards the cost of a new grass cutter.

f) Kirkby Ladies' Guild £100.00 for the cost of transport for their Christmas outing. 

Do you have slow or unreliable broadband? Would you be interested in gigabit 1000 mps broadband? Mike Hooper is in the early stages of talking to Broadband for the Rural North Ltd. (B4RN) who help local communities install fibre broadband right into your home or business. He is currently considering the parishes of Lowick, Kirkby Ireleth, Egton with Newland and Blawith with Subberthwaite. 

The Government's Gigabit Broadband Voucher scheme can help with funds towards the scheme ranging from £500 to £1,500 for residents and £2,500 to £3,500 for businesses depending upon current speed availability. The Community Broadband Scheme relies on help of local volunteers, landowners and farmers to install the fibre network delivering the fastest broadband available in the UK. Once the fibre broadband is in place the initial charge is £150 and the service charge is £30 per month for residents.

A group would be needed of perhaps six or so 'champions' to help plan and organise the project. If you are interested in being a 'champion' or interested in a gigabit connection please email Mike Hooper at mike@onlineorienteer.co.uk

Parish and District Council elections will take place on Thursday 2nd May. Parish Council Notification   District Council Notification

 If you would like to be nominated for the Parish Council please contact the Clerk, Mrs. A. Field tel: 07471198953 as soon as possible and no later than Tuesday 2nd April. 

It was also reported that Mr. Wayles has resigned as Chairman and Trustee of the Kirkby Charities a post he had occupied since its inception.

                                                         Waterfalls of poppies - Soutergate

Grizebeck Bypass Drop-in Event, Grizebeck Village Hall Wednesday 7th November

3.00 p.m. - 7.00 p.m.

Dear friend,

It is with enormous pleasure that I am able to share the news that after years of relentless campaigning for improvements to the A595 Dove Ford bottleneck near Grizebeck, we have victory.  This morning transport secretary Chris Grayling announced a bypass will go ahead at the notorious pinch-point.

Mr Grayling made the announcement at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham. The Grizebeck bypass will be one of five network schemes to benefit from the new Major Road Network fund.

I am so proud to have worked alongside local campaigners – including members of the A595 Action Group – and this announcement is fantastic news.

I am also glad to have been able to have campaigned with Copeland MP Trudy Harrison in pressing for work to be carried out and in parliament on July 11 nuclear minister Richard Harrington MP gave an undertaking that he would become personally involved in trying to persuade the department for transport to upgrade the notorious bottleneck that was holding back our vision of a corridor of global nuclear excellence between south and west Cumbria.

  It was gutting when we found out after the election that Dove Ford was being left off the list for improvements but all the hard work since then has paid off. Mr Grayling himself acknowledged the problem of his department excluding Dove Ford when we met him about the rail crisis in the summer and today we can celebrate one of the biggest transport campaigning victories in Furness for quite some time.

The Dove Ford choke point is acknowledged to be one of the most hazardous stretches of road in Cumbria and is one of the key improvements targeted in the area’s economic plan championed by the local enterprise partnership and the Furness Economic Development Forum.

Traffic tailbacks are commonplace because the road struggles with the volume of traffic and the size of modern vehicles – many of them HGVs serving the civil nuclear industry in west Cumbria.

The announcement from the Department for Transport makes clear that development work is expected to start immediately. It is quite something to go from off the list completely to being one of the first five of the schemes across the country to be approved.

Thank you to all residents and community activists who have championed the need for the improvement of the road over years of campaigning.  I am so proud to have worked with you to bring this improvement to fruition.

Yours ever,

John

John Woodcock MP
Member of Parliament for Barrow and Furness

To rent:

The eligibility requirements for affordable housing can differ slightly from property to property. The main criteria is:

You must have a local connection to the parishes surrounding the property

You must be in housing need and unable to afford housing on the open market

The property must be used as your home. It cannot be used as a buy-to-let, second or holiday home.

If you are interested in affordable housing to rent you should join the housing register which is called Cumbria Choice. Further information can be found in the Cumbria Choice website.

To purchase:

Keep an eye out for new developments as most will have an element of low cost ownership. When ready for sale, these will be advertised in the usual places such as local newspapers, estate agents and property search websites.

As well as any new developments that may arise, there are usually affordable homes for resale. Other than shared ownership, where an owner builds up or "staircases" to 100% ownership, properties remain affordable through their lifetime and there are existing home owners wanting to sell their affordable homes all the year round.

These will also be advertised in the usual places and will state in the advert "Affordable housing" or "subject to Section 106 agreement" or "buyers must be approved by the council".

Visit SLDC's website for more information or, if you have a specific property in mind, contact the council's Affordable Housing Officers for more details.

You can make comments online at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/planning-inspectorate or in writing to: Leanne Palmer, Case Officer, The Planning Inspectorate, Room3/0 Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Bristol BS1 6PN

SLDC Application Ref: SL/2017/0687

Planning Inspectorate Ref:  APP/M0933/W/18/3204360

The company is seeking planning permission to continue to operate the existing wind farm, which features 12 Vestas 400kW turbines with 41.8-metre tip heights, until 2027. The UK Planning Inspectorate will now consider the application to extend the project's life.

The Housing development adjacent to Burlington School may have up to seventeen affordable homes, either to rent or buy, built within the complex. BUT in order for this to go ahead there has to be shown a need within the community for this to proceed. If you would like to be considered for an affordable home on this site you are advised to register with the Affordable Homes Officer SLDC Tel: 01539 793 558 or Angela Cassidy of Lancet Homes Angela.Cassidy@lancet-homes.co.uk