Half-a-job council? The story of adopted local landmark Brig Henge
PLUS: Contamination drama from Wyre Council
It might not have its own mock Tripadvisor page just yet - but residents in Bamber Bridge responded to the birth of Brig Henge with trademark tongue-in-cheek humour.
Unnoticed by most - but not everyone - an eyesore section of pavement on Station Road was barriered off by Lancashire County Council for work to take place - then left for over a year.
Bamber Bridge wasn’t especially surprised by this for the most part, but their nonchalance was matched by Lancashire County Council - who could offer precisely zero explanation as to why it took so long. Does that happen in a more affluent area of the county?
Elsewhere, a local authority to the north west of the county wants to stop granting permission for new houses on land found to have heightened levels of a cancer-causing chemical.
Thanks for reading as always.
Lancashire County Council had no answer when asked why work took so long
By Jamie Lopez
In August 2023, a manhole cover was dug up by the main road in a Lancashire village. The work was due to last 15 days so but somehow ended up being left open for more than a year?
Instead of being properly restored, the hole on Station Road in Bamber Bridge became a barriered-off litter trap and a tongue-in-cheek local landmark adorned with Christmas lights from residents conditioned to expect nothing less.
Nicknamed the Bamber Bridge Henge, the spot was attended by council workers on multiple occasions - but only to pick the barriers up after strong winds had knocked them down.
Last week, after 17 months the pavement was finally repaired and the ‘henge’ was no more.
Is this an example of failing administration when different authorities are responsible for different duties? An example of the loss of a sense of civic pride which would otherwise keep our public spaces in better condition? A combination of these and other factors? Would it be left for so long if it was in Garstang?
Cllr David Bollengberg represents Bamber Bridge West on South Ribble Borough Council and believes there’s a fairly simple explanation.
He told The Lancashire Lead: “It’s a weird, weird situation and I don’t really blame Lancashire County Council. It’s just slipped through the cracks.
“It’s also a bit of groupthink where everyone gets used to it and gets used to living with it. I’ve seen it most days but it took a constituent asking about it to make me stop and question it.”
According to Cllr Bollenberg, council records for the original works request date back to August 2023 and were originally due to last up to two weeks. Little detail is available on what work was needed in the first place, though the log points towards an issue with some access covers.
“There was something wrong with one of them that was either loose or broken and they were going to fix it,” Cllr Bollenberg explained.
The Labour representative was elected to the borough council in May 2024 and like many residents, had become used to seeing the barriers by that time. It was only when a resident reported the issue to him on December 15 that he stopped to think about how ridiculous it was.
From there he used the Love Clean Streets app to Lancashire County Council along with writing to the County Councillor Rupert Swarbrick, the cabinet member responsible for highways. He also repeatedly highlighted the issue in a series of semi-joking Facebook posts encouraging residents to the same.
He also attached Christmas lights to the barriers which were able to remain in place for a matter of weeks before he took them back down.
In the end, a month passed before he finally received notification that the mess would be cleared and those works took place.
He said: “It really shows that people get used to things in their streets that they don’t like but when you challenge it you can make a difference
“It does feel like a victory but not for me, for the residents and to show people that you can affect change.”
While urging people to “just be polite and respectful”, he explained he hopes the episode will encourage people to make their voices heard. Having been elected just a few months ago, he says he has faced abuse based on national politics but wants this to serve as an example of how things can be done locally.
Among his aims are to challenge other issues which have become a source of frustration within the village. These include addressing the aftermath of utility works where cheap, ugly tarmac has been set where red paving slabs once sat - the kind of sight which has become commonplace across the country.
Cllr Bollenberg also hopes to form a community group to deal with the issue of speeding as well as getting people involved for other projects focusing on community gardens and water safety at Dandy Brook.
“We've got to move on from this and look at the positives. If we can do this, what else can we do?”
The Lancashire Lead asked Lancashire County Council for an explanation for why the issue had taken so long to resolve.
Matt Townsend, director of Highways and Transport, said that a “large insert manhole cover on Station Road has become damaged, requiring some specialist repair work”.
He provided no explanation for why the work had taken so long to be carried out.
We’re delighted to say Cosy Homes in Lancashire is supporting independent, in-depth journalism in Lancashire by sponsoring The Blackpool Lead and The Lancashire Lead. Discover how they can help you improve energy efficiency in your home and keep it warmer.
Ban on new houses at contaminated site in Thornton-Cleveleys
By Paul Faulkner
Wyre Council wants to stop granting permission for new houses on land found to have heightened levels of a cancer-causing chemical – until more is known about the exact risk it poses.
The authority has asked the government to approve the temporary ban in the vicinity of the AGC Chemicals Europe Limited plant – at the Hillhouse Technology Enterprise Zone – in Thornton Cleveleys.
It comes in the wake of an initial set of results from an ongoing investigation into potential contamination linked to what was previously an ICI factory.
Concern had been raised about the release of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) from the West Road site between the 1950s and 2012. Although its use was in line with UK legislation at the time, the chemical was later classified as carcinogenic.
The Environment Agency carried out tests late last year on 22 parcels of land surrounding the plant and found PFOA present in the soil at all of them – in some cases at higher than recommended levels for certain types of land use, including growing vegetables. There are two council-run allotments close to the Hillhouse site.
The agency says “further work and risk assessment” is necessary, but has warned its investigations will be “complex” and could be lengthy.
Wyre Council leader Michael Vincent has now written to local government secretary – and deputy prime minister – Angela Rayner asking for the authority to defer decisions on all planning applications for new properties in the area until the Environment Agency’s work is complete.
If the council took that step unilaterally, it could face appeals from developers and end up having costs awarded against it by the Planning Inspectorate for taking too long to determine applications.
Cllr Vincent said that if the Environment Agency ultimately concludes the level of PFOA in the soil around the site “poses a serious threat to health and safety”, the local authority would issue a contaminated land notice – which would give it greater power over the future use of the area in question.
“We are already requiring anybody who applies [to build houses] in the vicinity to do more detailed investigations into the land, because that is within our [existing] powers. [But] if they tick all the boxes – and as there isn’t, currently, officially contaminated land there – then, from a planning perspective, there’s no reason why we would have to refuse [an application].
“If a contaminated land notice is served, then we can take [further] steps. But until then, we’re in this bizarre situation where the investigation is going on, but we don’t have any power [to deny permission to build],” Cllr Vincent explained.
The council is seeking a 1km radius around the chemicals factory for its proposed planning moratorium, within which is a site formally allocated for housing within Wyre’s local plan. There are several other plots nearby where permission was granted for new homes before anything was known of the presence of PFOA – and the council is powerless to do anything to block those developments retrospectively, regardless of whether the government authorises it to defer future applications.
The first phase of the Environment Agency’s investigation saw tests carried out across a 5km zone, although the majority were within 500 metres.
Give us better advice
In October, the Food Standards Agency issued guidance to residents in the vicinity of the chemicals plant, stating that people who “regularly eat large amounts of vegetables and fruits grown in allotments and gardens could be increasing their exposure” to PFOA.
However, the organisation simply advised locals to wash the produce with water before eating it in order to get rid of soil, dust and harmful bacteria – more of which could be removed by peeling, it said.
Back in July, before its investigation had begun, the Environment Agency made a similar recommendation and added that people should wash their hands thoroughly after working or playing in their gardens or tending to their allotments. But it said residents should “continue to enjoy using your garden space as you normally would”.
In his letter to Angela Rayner, Cllr Vincent said residents were “understandably very concerned” by the situation. He said the authority is now “pushing the relevant agencies for some better health advice”.
“Now that [PFOA] is not being pumped into the air [anymore], the risk comes…to people who are eating fruit and vegetables that they grow in the area – in their gardens [and] allotments,” Cllr Vincent explained.
While he said that that risk was understood to be a “very low one”, he nevertheless wants “better expert advice for people to try and make them feel a bit more comfortable about this”.
🐔 A fowl situation: Deepdale chicken factory spends two decades breaching planning rules and is now applying to have them scrapped (Blog Preston)
🚍 Oliver Ryan MP raises controversial ELHT shuttle bus in Parliament (Lancashire Telegraph)
🚂 'More to do' as rail firm captures staff diversity (BBC)
😋 Five Lancashire eateries named among best in the country (Lancashire Post)
Thank you for reading The Lancashire Lead this week. We’ll be back with you on Sunday - enjoy the rest of your week!
Luke, Ed, Jamie, Sophie and the team.