FROM YOUR ON THE SPOT PARISH COUNCIL REPORTER
The Parish Council now has a full complement of councillors and at the September meeting Mr Peter Smith was elected as Chairman.
At last progress is being made on Highway and Traffic issues with some action to be reported. Work on dropping kerbs on the A65 to enable crossing of the road by those residents of Castlesteads with impeded mobility has started. Pressure will also be kept on the Highways authority to provide a safe crossing of the road with a lights controlled crossing and to address the difficult junction of Helmside Rd with Burton Rd and the poor visibility when exiting Helm Lane. All these safety issues are exacerbated by the speed of A65 traffic.
Which leads on to the next bit of news. Westmorland and Furness Council has passed a resolution that villages may now submit applications to introduce a 20mph speed limit. While this may be a contentious issue for some, the council was united in wanting to pursue this option further and will submit a case for Natland to the Unitary Authority. Proposed details for the new limits and the subsequent siting of the Speed Indicator Device will be decided at future council meetings; so keep an eye on meeting agendas posted on the Notice Board if you want to have your say.
Which is a good place for a reminder that the Parish Council Notice Board and a general board for villages events etc are located on the Village Hall wall. And that's the end of the good news on highways issues – the repairs to Crow Park bridge have still not been done but we are promised they will be completed by the end of September! Various other problems, mainly associated with excessive and overhanging greenery, are being pursued, but are complicated by ownership issues.
The council has for some time been concerned about the lack of affordable homes in the village and area in general. Westmorland and Furness Cllr J Brook explained that the Unitary Authority was required within two years of its establishment, to publish a new Local Plan. This will provide the opportunity to submit proposals covering affordable housing for locals and to hopefully control the spread of holiday rental properties or worse.
The next meeting is on 23 October at 7pm in the Village Hall.
Click here for the full minutes for the 25th September.