♦ 40 Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, May 31 st, 2007 propertytoday.co.uk Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk


Planning law to be relaxed?


PROPOSED reforms of some planning regula­ tions, unveiled in a Gov­ ernment White Paper, have been welcomed by the National Associ­ ation of Estate Agents (NAEA). The changes could


make it qu ick e r and simpler for home own­ ers to make relatively minor modifications, such as adding exten­ sions or con se rva to ­ ries, without having to go through the full plan­ ning


app l ica tion


process. Stewart Lilly, Presi­


dent-elect at the NAEA, commented: “We are certainly pleased that the Government is pro­ posing modifications, which we hope will make for a quicker and more efficient way of dealing with household­ er applications. “T h is will help to ensure that home


improvements are far le s s onerous than under the present sys­ tem. “In a practical sense,


however, it wi l l be down to each loca l authority to interpret the guidance. “It will be interesting


to monitor the various rea ction s of authori­ ties. “The reforms have


already drawn criticism from conservation lob­ byists, who claim that they will allow develop­ ment without proper consultation. “However, if these


groups were aware of the exceptional finan­ cial waste within the cu rrent sy stem they would be quite aston­ ished. “We support anything


that s im p l if ie s the process and makes the best use of taxpayers’ money.”


HIPs delay-its causing 'chaos'


DELAYS announced by Government Minister Ruth Kelly in implementing the new Home Information Packs (HIPs) have led to accusations of “total chaos” from the National Associa­ tion of Estate Agents (NAEA). The packs, designed to sim­


plify the house buying process, were due to be implemented from June 1st, but complications have led to setbacks. Now the legislation will be delayed until August 1st and subsequently imple­ mented in a phased fashion, due to a lack of certified domestic energy assessors (DEA) to satisfy the energy performance certificate (EPC) element of the new packs. Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive at the NAEA, said:


“We have continually voiced concerns over the lack of energy assessors and are pleased to see the Govern­ ment at last paying attention to the situation. “As an awarding body our­


selves, we are very supportive of the principles of energy per­ formance certificates. We believe it is vitally important to address green issues within the property industry. However, the industry


needs more time to train and certify enough assessors in order to satisfy market demands. “It is clear from Ruth Kelly’s


statement that the Govern­ ment is still confusing the home information pack and the energy performance cer­ tificate issues. “EPCs do not need to be dealt with as part of HIPs.


Extracting them from the pack legislation would satisfy the green agenda and make the whole process easier. “The proposed phased


implementation is confusing things even further. All proper­ ties with four bedrooms or more will require an EPC and HIP from August 1st. “Smaller properties will be


required to follow suit as soon as there are enough DEAs available. “We believe it is nonsensical


to bring in EPCs for four bed­ room houses and larger only. “We urge the Government


to take EPCs out of HIPs and implement them as a separate entity for all properties. Following this we would


advise the Government to sit down and consult the industry over other ways to improve the home buying and selling


process. The fact is that tech­ nological advances with online documentation will soon ren­ der HIPs unnecessary. “We regret that the Govern­


ment did not heed our warn­ ings over domestic energy assessors earlier on in the process as to delay at this late stage will inevitably cause problems. “Many assessors have


worked incredibly hard to become qualified and certified in time for June 1st. “Now they have been left


hanging. “This is a similar situation to


the one home inspectors faced last year when home condition reports were made voluntary. “One has to ask how the


Government can expect the industry to have faith in it after being let down once again.”


Letters to the Editor There’s always an


Write to: The Editor, Clitheroe Advertiser and Times, 3 King Street, Clitheroe BB72EW Editorial e-mail: vivien.meath@eastlancsnews.co.uk


empty the park more quickly than the Lancashire rain.


element of risk HAVING been deeply involved with the development of the town's skate park, as well as a user of it the since it opened, I have greatly enjoyed watch­ ing how popular it has become, and to see how the skill levels of the local skaters have rocketed upwards. However, it is barely a year old and


seems to be under a sudden, two­ pronged attack. Firstly, the application by Oasis to


charge users. I am not fully aware of the details of this currently, so I will avoid comment except to say that I think it would be a great shame if such charges were made, and to echo Steve Procter's view that the original aim of the project was to provide a free facili­ ty that was open to all. While I, as an occasional adult user, would not be to inconvenienced, the youngsters who spend virtually all of their spare time there would be the ones who lose out. I urge Oasis to rethink on this matter. Secondly, the well intentioned views


of Mr Jonathan Smith. Unfortunately, a child was injured.


I don't know the details, but presum­ ably if the child had fallen off their skateboard in the street, that would be the council's fault for not having a nanny on hand to enforce a “no-hel- met-no skate" rule? As for the RoSPA figures he quotes,


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perhaps I might fill in the parts he missed out. Firstly, RoSPA as an organisation has little knowledge of skateboarding or similar sports, and is held in low esteem by skaters general­ ly. The statistics quoted are simply copied from an American report from 1995. However, they agree with more recent statistics from the USA which show that, in the number of injuries per 1,000 participants, skateboarding comes below cycling, basketball, base­ ball, and soccer. So if Mr Smith really wants to do some good, he would be better off spending his Mondays handing out his yellow cards around the football/basketball court instead. As with all busybodies, he seems


'


intent on poking his nose into some­ thing that he plainly does not under­ stand, for our own good of course. Well, thanks, but no thanks. This country has enough of the nanny state about it already, skaters (especially) don't want or need any more. He also seems to know nothing of the park's users; a large percentage is made up of adults, many in their 20s, 30s and even 40s. I can only imagine the response he


is likely to get trying to bribe any of these users with "cool free wrist guards"! And attacking Mr Funnel, who has put a great deal of effort into the park and is managing it in the right way (i.e. in the interests of the users) as "weak" and "spineless", is simply ignorant. Skating is an activity which encour­


ages self reliance, self discipline, keeps people fit, is fun (remember that?), and above all has no rules! It has rebellion at its heart and is


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M a g n e t What happens


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the antithesis of more rigid, tradition­ al sports. Yes it has risks, as do all activities, but they are low in compar­ ison. I t is something we should encourage, not attempt to stifle; and make no mistake, having nannies at the door enforcing "safety rules" will


* o


ANDY ELLIOTT, Darkwood Crescent, Chathurn


Don’t let these big


companies win! SO the planners have given Homebase permission to come to Clitheroe; but it doesn't end here. I t is up to us, the residents of


Clitheroe, to decide how we wish our town to develop and which businesses we wish to thrive. I brought my family to live here 15


years ago and give thanks every day for that decision; friendly people, fam­ ily-owned friendly businesses giving superb service and competitive prices, and all the benefits of a country town with the bonus of beautiful scenery. Where else will a shopkeeper allow


you to take a collection of pictures home to see which one suits the room best or the milkman deliver a bulky purchase with the milk because it won't fit into your car? Why do coach companies organise day trips here? We left Altrincham just as permis­


sion was given for the Trafford centre; it is now a shadow of its former self. Do we really want this to happen to Clitheroe? We need to continue to value and patronise our local business­ es so that they continue to flourish and give this little town the atmos­ phere and variety of shopping that is the envy of many, many other com­ munities. We must not let the multinational firms take it over.


JOAN M. HAYSELDEN, DunCrnft Close, Clitheroe


Disgust, not apathy


brings silence WE would like to thank the Clitheroe Advertiser and Times for printing our letter about the proposed Hitman housing development on greenbelt land in Barrow (May 24th). Our obviously vehement objections


to building on greenbelt land, when there is a perfectly good brownfield site a few yards away, have not regis­ tered with Mr Hitman. It is our view that, now, the Hitmans have again insulted the residents of Barrow with even more unsolicited and puerile cor­ respondence. Mr Hitman starts his new letter


with an apology! He and his associates begin by say­


ing that; “We hope that we are not making a nuisance of ourselves”. Unfortunately, Mr Hitman, you, your associates and your flawed housing scheme really are becoming a pain in


the backside. The rationale for his latest harangue


is that Mr Hitman has only received “a minority” of replies to the “ques­ tionnaires” he sent out to residents. Yet he tries to use this “minority of replies” as being “representative of opinion amongst Barrow folk” which is an insulting and cynical attempt to try to sway opinion in favour of his environmentally damaging develop­


ment. Already, Mr Hitman seems to be


working very hard to divide and sepa­


rate the community in Barrow as: “The dozen or so families who live opposite the proposed development site,” and: “Though there are excep­ tions, the remainder of the village is generally supportive”. Well we admit i t ! As one of the fam­


ilies who live opposite the proposed site of Hitman’s proposed cash cow we really want to keep the real cows, birds, wildlife, the beautiful, natural, “green” view of farmland, trees, fields, and hilltops that all the residents of Barrow and the Ribble Valley benefit from. I am sure that there are more than just a dozen families who want to preserve this area rather than have a major housing development, a con­ gested roundabout and a mass of addi­ tional traffic. That traffic will be gen­ erated from the proposed live/work units which will not only be utilised by families, but possible workers. Similar­ ly, raw materials and products may need to be transported in and out of the village. Who will be available then to measure and control this traffic? One thing is for certain - Mr Hitman will be elsewhere engaged in counting his profit and leaving his “proud” legacy behind him for the residents of Barrow, Wiswell and Whalley. Mr Hitman proposes to build a


train station and he markets this as a way to reduce traffic and to encourage people to commute in and out of the village. 1 am sure a train link to Man­ chester, Preston and Blackburn might well entice even more town and city dwellers into “the Valley” but I am sure they will bring with them their one (or two) family cars. Has the train station in Whalley compensated for the mass of traffic that now passes through the village as a result of the Calderstones development? I think not


Mr Hitman, who are you trying to


kid? Or, more appropriately, insult with your devious marketing methods. You make it all too clear what you really think of the residents of our lovely village when you use such manipulative tactics. The fact that Mr Hitman is sending


questionnaires and letters to the resi­ dents of Barrow is a cynical attempt to get his development on to the agen­ da and we urge residents not to respond to his questionnaires and let­ ters because he will synthesise what­ ever results he gets as endorsement for his environmentally devastating scheme. Mr Hitman adds a further plea by asking residents to respond “even if you only have time to answer the first question”. The first question is “Name, address and e-mail” Why? So that he can become even more of a nuisance than he already is?. Moreover, Mr Hitman tells resi­


dents “it would be very helpful to have a larger number of the questionnaires returned - to help the borough council decide whether to consider further the proposed improvements to Barrow”. Would he provide the borough council with all the negative feedback he would receive if people were prepared to answer his questions? Let’s hope that the council recognises that resi­ dents are not replying due to disgust, not apathy.


TRACEY SIMPSON, MARTYN LANGAN, Grcenmount, Barrow


Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, May 31 st, 2007 41


Family’s charity boost


THREE members of the same family have raised a phenomenal amount for charity. The Hargreaves family have raised


a grand total of £2,536 for The Encephalitis Society. In February Catherine Hargreaves


raised £570 in lieu of presents for her 60th birthday, which was held at the Copy Nook in Bolton-by-Bowland. Her daughter, Claire, competed in


the London Marathon in April, rais­ ing £626 for the same charity.


And the latest contribution came ,.


from Roger Hargreaves, who raised £1,340 at his 60th birthday party, held at Clitheroe Golf Club. The family chose to raise money for


this particular good cause because 20 years ago Mrs Hargreaves contracted the illness. All three would now like to thank everyone for their generous donations. Pictured with their cheque are Catherine, Claire and Roger, (s)


Jail for caravan park father


A POLICE search warrant at a Ribble Valley caravan park led to the discovery of an illegal weapon and ammunition - and to a trav­ eller being jailed for five years. Preston Crown Court was told that


officers found an illegal air rifle, ammunition and a CS gas canister in Thomas Beard’s caravan. Beard (24), a father of two, of the


Acorn Lodge Stables on the A59 at Clayton-le-Dale, appeared for sen­ tence at the court after previously admitting possession of a prohibited weapon - an air rifle - possession of prohibited ammunition, 66 CS gas cartridges, and possession of a CS gas canister. Mr Francis McEntee (prosecuting)


told the court that on April 25th last year, police executed a search warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act and attended the caravan park and searched Beard’s caravan. They also found a collection of


knives, including four lock knives and a butterfly knife, and the CS gas can­ isters. Two air weapons were found, one was the subject of a charge. Sev­ enty eight cartridges were analised and 66 found to have CS gas as a com­ ponent. The firearm recovered had a muzzle which exceeded the specifica­ tions. Mr McEntee said Beard had one


previous conviction for theft. Defending, Mr Stuart Denney said


Beard was from the travelling com­ munity. He had a legal, but very old air weapon which had been used to shoot rabbits and vermin, but fell into disrepair. Two years ago he was offered the weapon to which the charge related. He was blissfully unaware that it


had too strong a discharge and was thus illegal. Air Denney said the < weapon was not at any stage taken off the site and not used for any other purpose than shooting rabbits and vermin. The air weapon came from extend­


ed family and Beard had not wanted to get anyone else into trouble. The cartridges were for a starting pistol, but they did not fit the weapon on the site. Beard was illiterate and could not read the warning on the box. He opened one box and when they did not fit, he did not open the other boxes. Mr Denney said the search at the


site had nothing to do with Beard and nothing to do with firearms and was »’ a complete surprise for all concerned. Beard had pleaded guilty a t the


first opportunity. His wife had given birth to their


second child two weeks ago. Judge Pamela Badley told Beard


the danger was th a t the weapons could have gone into wider circula­ tion. “They can fall into other hands from when there would be a real dan- <i ger to members of the public.”


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