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Next stories: 1 - 15 July 2006

STILL NOT CONVINCED, SAY IT'S OUR CITY
30/6/06: It's Our City will hold a public meeting on Monday 10 July at 7.30pm in Lancaster Town Hall to explain their opposition to Centros Miller's current proposals for developing Lancaster's Canal Corridor - land around the old Mitchells Brewery off Moor Lane and Edward Street -- and will open discussions on alternatives for the Canal Corridor North site.
It's Our City have also responded to comments by Centros Miller and John Donnellon of Lancaster City Council made earlier this week regarding the proposed development of the Canal Corridor North site. In a press statement from the Council (see story below), John Donnellon claimed that It's Our City had jumped the gun by criticising the developers without seeing the latest version of their masterplan.
"As far as we are aware, we have seen the most recent version of the masterplan," says It's Our City member Cal Giles. "Of course, we would not presume to criticise plans that we have not yet seen. However, if there is a more recent version of the masterplan than the one presented on 31 May, why has it not been released? We would love to see it!"
"In addition, John Donnellon states that data on traffic and the impact on the city centre will not be considered in detail until the planning application stage. It's Our City totally disagrees with this. The impact of the development on traffic is absolutely fundamental and thus far appears to have been sidelined by Centros Miller. Genuine traffic data must be provided by Centros Miller well before the planning application and certainly before the council enters into any formal development agreements with Centros Miller."
Emilie Secker of It's Our City comments "Centros Miller say that this is not a Big Box development. It looks like a big box full of shops and a big box full of cars to me. If that's not a Big Box development, then what is?"
Despite claims that Centros Miller are 'open' and conducting full consultation, IOC say they have failed to take heed of residents' concerns that their development will cause further traffic chaos and will turn the existing city centres in Lancaster and Morecambe into ghost towns.
IOC has also challenged the Council to reveal the exact details of the nature and content of the development contract to be agreed with Lancaster City Council on 24 July.
IOC is also wondering about a statement by Centros Miler's James Laker who recently offered his opinions on achieving success when it comes to local development in an interview for Shopping Centre Magazine, in which he reiterated Centros Miller's concerns about the size of exisiting retail units (i.e. many of those in Lancaster and Morecambe's city centre), saying retailers "need modern space, and the big problem with market towns is their unit size and configuration.
"It's only through new development that we can provide the space retailers need and the rents they can afford," he feels.
In the interview given in April 2006 he also revealed: "If a scheme is going to happen you need a champion in the council - and that can be either a councillor or an officer - but the problem is, until you get involved with a scheme you don't know whether there's anyone there able to take on that role."
It's Our City asks: who is Centros Miller's champion on Lancaster City Council? The City needs to know.
Update 5/6/06: It's Our City now has a website: www.itsourcity.org.uk where you can follow developments and subscribe to their newsletter.
On Saturday 8 July they will have an Information Stall in Lancaster City Centre to widen public consultation on the proposed development.
On Monday 10 July they will hold a Public Meeting at Lancaster Town Hall from 7.30 to 9pm. This event will allow you to find out more about the development plans.
There will be speakers followed by a discussion.
On Sunday 16 July there will be a benefit gig at the Yorkshire House.

WINTER GARDENS DEBACLE
30/6/06: Lancaster City Council's Leader has rejected as "completely untrue" Councillor Evelyn Archer's claims made recently alleging political interference in insisting on licence for the performance at the Winter Gardens.
The claims came after confusion over whether the first public performance at Morecambe's Winter Gardens theatre for nearly 30 years -- performance of David Mahmet's play Oleannaw -- ould go ahead as planned tonight. The Lancashire Evening Post reports that it has been claimed the performance may have to be cancelled over an entertainment licence mix up.
Hugo Chandor, director of Lancaster's Free Range Theatre Company, which is putting on the play, told the Evening Post he was not in a position to comment on the situation until he had spoken with people today.
"It's completely untrue that there has been political interference in insisting on a licence for a theatrical performance at the Winter Gardens," says Concillor Barker. "Councillor Archer should know better than to make such wild allegations when she has no evidence to back them."
"The first time I heard about this was yesterday," he said. "I was informed that the play required a Temporary Event Notice under the 2003 Licensing Act and that Councillor Archer had been informed of this but had not applied. No political instructions were sought or given. Council officers have informed Councillor Archer of these legal obligations and that is all."
"I do resent Councillor Archer's allegation that the Council is not behind the Winter Gardens. The Council previously loaned £112,000 to keep the building safe and watertight and that has not yet been repaid. Through the Vision Board, the Council and its partners have recognised the restoration of the Winter Gardens as an important project in Morecambe regeneration. Cabinet members will shortly be considering shortly a further request for assistance from the Friends."
"Councillor Archer should stop making wild allegations about what is essentially a problem of her own making."

UFOS OVER MORECAMBE?
29/6/06: Are aliens visiting Morecambe? (Please, no cracks from the cheap seats along the lines of "How could you tell?")
Reader Darren Jones sent us this photo of a sunset over Morecambe after The Morecambe Visitor reported on some unusal photos taken over Heysham.
"The photo was taken last week looking over Lancaster, and I did not notice anything until I downloaded the camera onto the computer," says Darren.
Of course with Doctor Who's Billie Piper filming in the area recently, should we surprised if we're being watched?

COUNCIL, CENTROS MILLER CLAIM OBJECTORS PROTESTS "PREMATURE"
29/6/06: The City Council and preferred development partner Centros Miller have hit back at local residents group "It's Our City" (IOC) , wrongly claiming it is opposed to the redevelopment of the city centre -- but have also sought to smear the group by accusing it of being against development in Lancaster's Town Centre.
Earlier this month, IOC announced they had rejected Centros Miller's outline proposals for Lancaster City Centre (see story below), saying they were unhappy that despite raising questions about the issues surrounding the development -- on traffic levels, in particular - the company had still not published the results of obligatory surveys.
Now, both Centros Miller and the Council -- which will discuss signing a binding contract with CM in under 4 weeks on 24 July over the Canal Corridor development -- have hit back, saying the criticisms are unfair and plans are still far from finalised.
The Council says that extensive public consultation as well as discussions with leading retailers who are interested in coming to the city has underpinned all CM's work so far on the development. Their developing masterplan will be subject to further consultation and detailed technical studies regarding traffic management and car parking will continue.
The Council now says it will be the spring of next year before a planning application can be submitted.
"It's disappointing the group has chosen to make public criticisms of plans that are yet to be finalised," feels John Donnellon, Corporate Director (Regeneration) for the Council, "before being presented for further consultation.
"Centros Miller have been extremely open in their approach and will, I am sure, continue to share information. The final form of any proposal will be subject to consideration by the council's Planning Committee and will be judged on its merits. Key factors like the impact on traffic in the city centre and capacity to take on more retailing will have to be considered in detail when any planning application is made."
"Since opening dialogue with the local residents group "It's Our City' late in 2005 we have maintained and clearly iterated the process that we are going through," says Centros Miller's Associate Director, David Lewis. "In essence, over the last six months we have undertaken a master planning and fact finding exercise in order to set the broad parameters for an appropriate form of development for the Canal Corridor North. The fact that "It's Our City' believes that we are in the late stages of the process causes concern because clearly our message has not got across in our various meetings and correspondence. We are merely at the beginning of the process.
"Having established some broad parameters we can only now technically assess the potential impacts and design solutions, he continues. "These assessments will be far reaching but will include detail traffic assessments and a full retail impact study which will analyse the impact a mixed-use development incorporating a new Debenhams department store will have on the city and its catchment.
"All of this work will be undertaken over the next six to nine months culminating in a planning application in the spring of 2007. During this time, I, with other members of the development team will continue to communicate with various stakeholders and the public via meetings and workshops, plus we will hold a public exhibition in the city centre towards the end of this year combined with a residential information pack and questionnaire.
"It is also very disappointing to note that "It's Our City' has described our master plan as a "Big Box' development," says Mr Lewis, clearly aware that the "Big Box" label is a negative point lambasted by groups such as the New Economics Foundation in their publication "Clone Town Britain" (click here for the PDF).
"Previous developers' ideas for this site included a large food or DIY store, which we would describe as big box," he says (Strangely, a large food store is exactly what the Council's own research (download the PDF) has recommended for Lancaster, but this seems to have been dismissed and little discussed so far) "The current master plan and our vision are far from that. The master plan shows a genuine extension to the city centre with pedestrianised shopping streets, new public squares, a new musician's co-operative, a coordinated cultural quarter with associated cafés and restaurants, new houses and apartments, a new public park and enhanced canal side environment. We are at a loss as to how this can be described as "Big Box'.
"The claim that Lancaster City Council is about to make a decision as to whether to press ahead with this development is also grossly inaccurate," says Mr. Lewis. "We have explained that the planning application will not be submitted until next spring, after which the City Council will assess and make a decision on our proposals. The agreement with the City Council to which "It's Our City' refers is setting out a framework of obligations that we as developer must comply with in order to be able to proceed with the development, one of which is to obtain planning consent."
Opponents of the scheme have seized on the wording of Council's press release, which claims It's Our City is "opposed to the redevelopment of the city centre". This is in fact patently untrue, according to the campaigners - the group has adopted and suggested many of the alternative development ideas for the Canal Corridor, some proposed in the past by Real Planning for Lancaster and others. Some members of the residents' group are concerned debate is being stifled by both the Council and Centros Miller.
One retailer who raised several concerns about the whole project some months ago has still not been contacted directly by CM to discuss their issues.
IOC argue that there are good developments and bad ones, and long-established planning criteria for determining the difference - impact on neigbouring business (in this case the city centre), traffic and a community that has already made its wishes clear are obviously high on the list -- though are perhaps not so obvious to a council that has an expensive history of calamitious business partnerships.
The Council will consider formalising their partnership with Centros Miller as a joint landowner on 24 July, by way of a Development Agreement. This Agreement will set out how Centros Miller must work if they wish to acquire the Council's land to proceed with the development. It will also require a separate planning application which will need to be submitted to the council in early 2007.
If the application is not approved the Council would retain its land holdings.
• Read a longer article on the Canal Corridor Development here • Visit our new 'Local Development' section

GREEN VISION FOR MORECAMBE
26/06/06: Local Green Councillors will be presenting their vision for Morecambe at a meeting at the Hothouse in the West End of Morecambe on Monday 26 June at 7.30pm.
City Council cabinet member Gina Dowding and County Councillor Chris Coates will talk about the Green Party's Vision for the District in the 21st Century. The talk will cover; making Morecambe a renewable town, Green Travel, Streets for people and Local and Organic food.
 Cllr Coates said " The Green party has a clear distinctive vision for what needs to be done as we face the challenges of the 21st Century - How we face up to things like climate change, rising fuel costs and traffic congestion are key questions for everyone who lives in the the area and we are looking for people who want to make a start at addressing them."
 Anyone who is interested in getting involved in turning Morecambe Green is invited to come along and join in the disscussion after the presentations which start at 7.30pm.  
Contact: Cllr Chris Coates 01524 840 530

LOCAL PLANNING GROUP REJECTS
CENTROS MILLER CANAL CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT PLAN
26/06/06: Local group It's Our City have rejected plans for developing the Lancaster Canal Corridor. The move has been prompted by major concerns that Centros Miller have failed to address.
On 24 July, the Council's City Cabinet will make a decision on whether to sign a binding contract with Centros Miller to build a new city centre.
It's Our City say they are unhappy that despite raising questions about the serious issues surrounding the development Centros Miller have still not provided any answers. "The most serious issue is the fact that at this late stage in the process Centros Miller still have not provided any evidence that the development won't cause further traffic chaos in the city," a group stated in a press statement. "Unfortunately It's Our City is left with no choice other than to reject Centros Miller's plans, as they have consistently failed to provide any supporting information whatsoever.
"These concerns were detailed in May (see separate news story) to councillors and Centros Miller and revolved around the key areas of Traffic, Economic Impact, Physical Design and Public Participation.
"At this stage of any major development extensive traffic forecasts will have been made publicly available. These are usually produced using the industry-standard TRICS database. Centros Miller conducted traffic surveys in December but have still not provided any results or forecasts.
"In less than a month Lancaster City Council will make a decision on whether to press ahead with this Big Box development," the statement continues, "yet, exceptionally Centros Miller have still not provided any data whatsoever on the extra traffic on the city's roads."
It's Our City also says the developers have not given an adequate response to evidence that the "Big Box" development will damage existing businesses in the current Lancaster and Morecambe city centres - fears backed up by research conducted by Lancaster City Council that has still yet to be widely circualted or discussed (download the 113 page PDF). There are well-grounded fears that the development will kill off the city centre, resulting in even more empty shops in the heart of the city.
Research recently carried out by the New Economics Foundation found that 1 in 5 local shops have closed nationally over the last 10 years, and local research has shown that one in five commercial and retail buildings are already empty.
A further reason why It's Our City is rejecting Centros Miller's plans is that they do not reflect what local people have said they wish to see on this site. The most recent plans, presented at the end of May 2006 by Centros Miller, show little more than Big Box retail and a giant car park.
Research was carried out two years ago by Real Planning For Lancaster to find out what local residents wanted to see on the site. Affordable housing and a cultural quarter scored highly.
Contrary to promises made to residents Centros Miller plans show that approximately 80% of the site will be given over to retail and vehicle use. For these very same reasons plans for development of this site by Chelverton-Carillion three years ago were comprehensively rejected by both the City Council and local residents.
Cal Giles of It's Our City explained: "They said "trust us, it'll be fine" but for months they've fobbed off local residents, ignoring their concerns and have now come up with a plan that's completely insensitive to the district's needs."
Local resident Emilie Secker: "We already have gridlock in Lancaster. We can only hope that councillors will ensure that they have the necessary information before deciding whether to sign the contract with Centros Miller in July."
It's Our City is supporting genuine community-led development of this site -- something that sadly is not currently on the table. Look out for It's Our City's alternative plans in the coming weeks.
Notes: It's Our City is a local group formed in November 2005 specifically in response to concerns about the selection of Centros Miller as preferred developer for the Canal Corridor North site.

PUBLISHING PROGRAMME FOR LOCAL WRITERS
26/06/06: Lancaster Litfest is expanding and offering writers from Lancashire and Cumbria new opportunities.
Litfest is launching a digital and print publishing programme to showcase talented yet underexposed writers from the region.  There are plans to support the work with podcasts and live readings to maximise the reach of the writing.
Sarah Hymas, the new publishing development manager, says, "Our aim is to highlight the contemporary voices of this diverse region of England. We are looking for writers who are as thought-provoking, stimulating and challenging as the culture of the area."
The first prose e-anthology will be launched at the November 2006 Litfest. From then on, they will be quarterly, alternating between prose and poetry. The print programme will focus in depth on fewer writers.
So if you have some writing that you believe deserves a wider readership, then see the new writing section on their website for more details and submission guidelines. www.litfest.org.
The deadline for the prose anthology is Friday 4th August, and for poetry Friday 8th September.
Litfest are also compiling a database of writers in the area who are interested in hearing about forthcoming events, readings and seminars. If you would like to give your details (and be entered for a draw for £50 worth of book tokens) follow the links for the writers' database on the website.
For more information, call them on 01524 62166.

LABOUR BEAT BNP, TORIES IN COUNCIL ELECTION
23/6/06: Robert Smith gave Labour a convicing win in the Skerton West council by election on 22 June, defeating Tories and the BNP.
The results were as follows:
Robert Smith (Labour) 826
Debbie Buck (Conservative Party ) 336
Chris Hill (British National Party) 220
Turnout 1383 (31.13%)
Labour leader Ian Barker told Virtual-Lancaster he was delighted with the result, as were local anti-nazis United Against Fascism, who campaigned hard against the BNP, urging locals to vote for the two other candidates.
40 people demonstrated against the British National Party outside the by-election count at Ryelands School, joined at one point by a local vicar who said that while it was bad that the BNP had stood in the ward it was good that Lancaster UAF and their supporters had leafletted against them.
Accompanying BNP candidate Chris Hill was Bradford councillor Paul Cromie - currently being investigated in a vote-buying scandal - and well-known Combat 18 member and councillor for Calderdale, Adrian Marsden, a former bodyguard to BNP leader Nick Griffin during the January court case in Leeds.
"Although we're obviously pleased at the fact that the BNP candidate came in last, we're naturally concerned that he was able to pull in over 200 votes," a UAF spolesperson said in a press statement, "showing that Lancaster anti-fascists still have a lot of work to do before next May's elections for the full city council.
"Nevertheless, with the support of our friends and colleagues - whether in political parties or not - we will prepare the ground and beat them again."

WIN A BIKE!
22/6/06: To help highlight the district's Cycle Demonstration Town status Lancaster City Council is running a competition with two bikes - an adult's and a child's, as prizes.
To enter, you just have to say in 50 words or less, why you should win a bike. Perhaps you want to get fit for health reasons, or are fed up with traffic jams and want to beat the queues to work? Perhaps you want to ride to school or have fun with your friends and family? Maybe you have never had a bike before and think its time you had a go!
The deadline for entries is Friday 7 July.
The competition is split into two categories -- children (under 16) and adults (16 and over).
The adult bike, donated by Budgie Bikes and worth £250, is a Cross Sprinter, 21 gear track and trail bike with shimano gears.
The under 16's bike will be built to order and supplied by Pedal Power, Lancaster District's Cycle Recycling, Re-use and Training Project.
As well as a bike, the lucky winners will also receive of a brand new helmet, bell, lock and the offer of free road safety and bicycle maintenance training to help them enjoy hours and hours of enjoyable and safe riding.
To enter, simply write to Rachel Scott, Cycling Co-ordinator, Lancaster City Council, Palatine Hall, Dalton Square, Lancaster, LA1 1PW or email your entry to celebratingcycling@lancaster.gov.uk by 7th July.
Don't forget to include your name, age, address and daytime contact number.
Entries will be judged by the Cycle Demonstration Town Board and winners will be notified shortly afterwards.

MARKET FORCES
22/06/06: In a move likely to strike apprehension into the hearts of local stallholders, Lancaster City Council has issued a press release entitled 'A new future for Lancaster Market'.
John Donnellon, Corporate Director Regeneration for the City Council said:
"The city centre has an exciting future with plans for expansion. The city council has a long term commitment to the market but needs to ensure that it is cost effective for council tax payers.  The joint working [with market traders] that is being put in place now is the best opportunity for achieving a stable and cost effective market into the future that will continue to compliment the town's shopping experience."
Privatisation of the market premises following a fire several years ago means that LCC now pays a hefty rent for use of the site it once owned. Passing on these bills has led to local stallholders' costs being almost double those of neigbouring markets and for many years many stalls lay empty. Now the site is finally running at capacity it looks like the screws are about to be turned tighter on the local small entrepreneurs who have set up businesses there.

NEVER BORN, NEVER DIED
20/06/06: Local journalist and sannyasin John Clarke, also known as Dayal, died last Thursday at home, peacefully, aged 50, in the company of his wife, Gila and daughter Aruna, after a long illness. John was well-known for his writing on the sports pages of the Lancashire Evening Post, particularly for his enthusiastic support of Morecambe FC. He was also well known and loved as Dayal, and for his hospitality and openness in hosting sannyasin meditations at his Lancaster home. His funeral will take place at Lancaster & Morecambe Crematorium on Wednesday 21 June at 2pm. No flowers - instead please give donations to Cancer Care and St John's Hospice. As with the rest of his life, Dayal experienced his illness with great dignity, decency and warmth. In his time he made a difference to many lives, including mine, and his memory lives on in our hearts. S.

Previous stories: 1 - 15 June 2006