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THERE'S NOTHING LIKE A BIT OF FRENCH!

31/10/07: This weekend local artist David French opens his latest exhibition at Lancaster’s Edge Gallery on King Street. While much of his recent work has taken a surrealist approach, here his work will be much more realist, from Lancaster City scenes to Happy Mount Park swings (pictured).
“Lancaster is a great place to live and the exhibition illustrates the City as I see it” he tells us.
A preview night is being held at the Edge Gallery this coming Saturday night (3 November), after the Lancaster Castle firework display. The exhibition ends in mid January and it’s definitely not one to miss out on!
In recent years David has exhibited all over the UK from London’s Infinite Mall, to his most recent this same weekend at Manchester’s ‘Love Arts’ festival at the G Mex. The G Mex show features some of the finest original artwork created by some of the very best current and emerging artists to be found anywhere today.
His paintings range from Cuban streets to Morecambe’s seafront. “Sunday is usually the best day to enjoy Morecambe, when you can take a leisurely stroll along the prom and enjoy the view across the bay” David adds.
His most recent work has been sprung upon us with a much more surrealist approach than usual. “My style has developed over the years and I’m constantly experimenting with new ideas. I’ve produced a lot of work that has developed my ideas into paintings that depict surreal situations.”
For more information or tickets to Manchester G Mex, contact David at davidjfrench[AT]yahoo.co.uk or
visit David’s website at myspace.com/frenchdavidj

NEW CAFE & LOOS PLANNED FOR WEST END

Visitors to the newly created West End Gardens in Morecambe may soon have even more to cheer about.
Lancaster City Council has applied for permission to build a café next to the newly created play areas and picnic spot as part of the ongoing regeneration of the area (pictured: an artist's impression).
The new development, if granted planning permission, will also provide a separate toilet block designed to similar modern standards as those by the Clock Tower.
Coun Evelyn Archer, cabinet member with responsibility for regeneration in Morecambe, said: “The play areas at the West End Gardens are probably some of the best in the district and are a big attraction to both local people and those from further afield.
“The one thing they currently lack is a set of toilets and a good quality café to grab a cup of coffee and a sandwich.
“With these new plans we hope to rectify this and make the West End Gardens one of the top visitor attractions in the district.”
The building's design makes a sharp contrast to its surroundings and this, we are told, "reflects the ever-changing nature of Morecambe’s weather."
Central to the design are window panels that span the length of the building on both the front and back - which means that on a clear sunny day visitors will be able to sit on the terrace and gaze over Morecambe Bay - or watch passers by on Marine Drive. But when the weather turns cold and wintry they will be able to cuddle up inside with a mug of hot coffee while still appreciating the beauty of the bay through the large glass windows.
The windows frame views of the seascape through the building, edged with a band of black sheet rubber.
The rubber material provides an economical cladding solution. Raised on a series of terraces, the proposed edifice is planned sit above the sea-defence, and provides a south-facing outdoor seating area for use by the café.
For the toilets, robust high-gloss painted steel with hardwood doors and fittings are being used.
The plans are a result of a consultation exercise with local people which took place in summer 2006.
It is hoped that planning permission will be granted before Christmas with the building ready for occupation next summer.
The planning reference for the development is 07/01456/FUL and you can view the plans online and submit any comments on the city council's public access planning website.

SPIRIT OF THE BLITZ NIGHT COMES TO SALT AYRE
30/10/07: Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and numerous voluntary agencies are joining together on the evening of Friday 16 November to test the plans for using Salt Ayre Sports Centre as a Rest Centre. Volunteers are being sought to help test the plans for how people will be evacuated in the unlikely event of a major emergency.
Salt Ayre is where people temporarily evacuated from their homes would be cared for until it was safe for them to return. To make sure that everything is in place to take care of evacuees properly a 'rehearsal' is planned for the night, and they are asking for help from people who would be prepared to act as evacuees for the evening.
This is so that the procedures can be tested and the volunteers who staff the centre can learn more about what it would be like if it had to open for a real situation.
Coun Eileen Blamire, Lancaster City Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for emergency planning, said: "It is some time since we had to activate the plans for Salt Ayre.
“However, our colleagues in Blackpool had to open their Rest Centre twice in one weekend recently to deal with residents who had to be evacuated because of large hotel fires. This demonstrates that it is important for us to keep our plans up to date and to practice them."
For the most part evacuees will just be asked to turn up and be themselves and go through the registration process.
Anyone with any acting skills could be asked to play a particular role that will assist in testing the centre and staff.
Families, pets and people with special needs such as mobility problems are particularly welcome, as this adds to the realism of the exercise and is good training for the volunteers and staff.
Refreshments will be provided for all taking part and the evacuees will also have their names entered in a Salt Ayre prize draw as a thank you for taking part. Friday 16 November is also Children in Need night and it is hoped that there will also be a fundraising opportunity at the exercise for this.
Evacuees will be fully briefed before taking part and will be asked to arrive at Salt Ayre between 5.45pm and 7pm. The exercise will finish by 8pm at the latest. If anyone feels they can help at the exercise they should contact either:
Susan Williams, Salt Ayre Manager swilliams@lancaster.gov.uk Tel: 01524 847540 Ext 207 or Mark Bartlett, Civil Contingencies Officer, mbartlett@lancaster.gov.uk Tel: 01524 582680.

LUDUS DANCE FINALE TO VELOCITY FESTIVAL
29/10/07: The "Velocity" digital art festival will come to an end on Saturday 3 November with dancers from Ludus Dance entertaining passengers on trains around the Bay as they perform an innovative new piece of dance on platforms and in carriages. They'll be keeping audience members informed of their progress round the Bay via text messages on their mobile phones.
The all-singing all-dancing end to the festival is a collaboration between Lancaster-based organisations Ludus Dance and folly, and the travelling performance will be brightening up journeys between Lancaster and Barrow-in-Furness, and all along the train route, including Ulverston, Carnforth and Grange-over-Sands.
The performance builds on the success of last year's Finale (pictured), where dozens of dancers Ballet'd on the (Millennium) Bridge, Salsa'd in Sun Square, and Boogied outside Boots, ending up with the last dance in Lancaster's Dalton Square.
This year the dancers will be leaving Lancaster on the 16:06, adding to their number all along the route and arriving in Barrow at 17:09. After a dance in the gallery at Art Gene (and refreshments) they'll be off again on the 18:14 for the main performance, arriving in Lancaster at 19:17 and boogieing their way up to the Bonfire Night fireworks celebrations at Lancaster Castle at 8 o'clock.
If you would like to participate as an active audience member, text FINALE to 07847 466 832 (normal rate) or contact enquiries@folly.co.uk or 01524 388550.
You'll receive text messages on the day, telling you what to do and what strange and interesting things to look out for on the journey.
Who knows? Maybe you'll even end up joining in the dancing! See www.folly.co.uk/finale

BANG!!!!!

Lancaster Fireworks Festival will be upon us again on Saturday 3 November, yet again celebrating the human race’s unique ability to set fire to stuff and blow things up - safely! hurray!
Daytime events explore and explain Lancaster as it was at the time of the Lancashire Witch Trials in 1612. In that year, men and women from several parts of Lancashire, but particularly the Pendle Hill area, were brought to Lancaster Castle to stand trial, accused of witchcraft, which was the 17th century version of the War on Terror. Except that they actually got trials.
Attired in costume of the period, duos Hautbois and Diabolus in Musica play Tudor and Jacobean music in the Judges’ Lodgings Museum and the Penny Almshouses Chapel.  The Judges’ Lodgings, home of Thomas Covell, Castle Keeper during the witch trials, will also be the venue for a talk on ‘The Pendle Witches’ and a children’s witch hunt!
Lancaster Castle’s regular programme of internal tours are to be complemented by exterior tours, following a route around the outside of the Castle, highlighting the Well or Witches’ Tower, where Old Chattox, Demdike and their kin and cohorts, were imprisoned in a dungeon.  ‘The Lancaster 1612 Walk’ further explores the ancient county town, as it was during the period of the trials.
At 6pm, the evening event starts, with food stalls opening on the Castle Green area and the playing of a special build-up soundtrack, featuring works by Sir Edward Elgar and his contemporaries, in acknowledgement of the 150th anniversary of the famous composer’s birth.
The fireworks spectacular begins at 8pm.    Prepare to be thrilled and go, “Ooh!” and “Ah!”.  They always put on a really brilliant show and it is definitely worth getting out there.
The end of the display will be marked by the customary ringing of the Priory Church bells.
Across the City, the elevated Williamson Park will be open from 7.15pm to 8.45pm, with café facilities, to provide a viewing area particularly suitable for families with young children and wheelchair users.
BBC Radio Lancashire will be supporting the event with a live broadcast from Castle Hill, starting around 7pm which will feature interviews and also include the musical soundtrack (listen out for the witchy bits), which accompanies the fireworks display, enabling the many people who view from a distance to hear the music on their radio. 
The event organisers, Lancaster City Council Cultural Services, are reminding people that, for everyone’s safety, fireworks, sparklers and alcohol must not be brought to the event.  In addition, the main entrances to the site on Castle Hill, will close at 7.55pm, or earlier, depending on crowd numbers.  However, the entrance to the Priory Churchyard, at the bottom of Long Marsh Lane, will remain open throughout.  The Tourist Information Centre on Castle Hill, will also be open until 8pm.
People intending to watch the display from Priory meadow, which is always my favourite place, despite the endless hassle over whether it’s ok to have a community bonfire or whether it’s ‘safer’ to freeze in the dark (lucky the cavemen got that one right), are reminded that the George & Dragon is currently closed.
Remember remember, now is the time for full safety instructions for the kids and to sort out your supervision policy. Make sure they (and you) are wearing inflammable, non-melty stuff. Also it’s an early night indoors for your animal companions through the bonfire weekend and Monday 5th, and no fireworks / bangers etc any night after 11pm (12pm on 5 November) or you'll get a fine.

A VIEW FOR ERIC
26/10/07: Last year there was some public debate about the fact that the Eric Morecambe statue presented a very attractive view – so long as you stood with your back to Morecambe…
So the good news is that the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) will today announce that it has provisionally earmarked £923,000 for a second Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) in Morecambe. Following Lancaster City Council’s application to the HLF in May this year, the HLF has awarded a ‘Stage 1’ pass to Morecambe THI 2: ‘A View for Eric’ for a new programme of conservation-led regeneration.
As one of only thirteen towns and cities across the UK to be invited to develop a ‘Stage 2’ application, Morecambe is now in line to benefit from significant investment in revitalising the Art Deco and Victorian shop fronts in the heart of the resort and improving the streets and public areas that surround them.
‘A View for Eric’ will continue the successes of the first Morecambe THI, which has seen the restoration of key listed buildings such as the Midland Hotel and Mona House and over seventy residential and commercial properties throughout Poulton.
The Stage 2 application will require the Council to further develop the proposed scheme and engage the public and various stakeholders in the vision for Morecambe’s promenade and surrounding streets. This must be submitted to the HLF by November 2008, with a view to the scheme commencing in April 2009.
Morecambe THI 2 will cover the core of the resort area at the heart of the Morecambe Conservation Area (see map). Unlike THI 1, funding will be available towards public realm improvements that will complement the property improvements being undertaken.
In order to secure the £923,000 funding from the HLF, the City Council must find equivalent funding from other sources before the scheme can commence, giving a THI Common Fund of some £1.8 million.
News of the THI decision means that there has been a double success for Morecambe. The Winter Gardens Preservation Trust has recently been allocated £50,000 by the HLF towards developing a conservation management plan for the Grade II* listed building.
Peter Fellows, HLF Casework Manager for the North West, said: “Regeneration is all about making places that people are once again proud to live and work in. The Heritage Lottery Fund’s scheme is also an excellent way of bringing together local and national partnerships which can transform an area, often acting as a catalyst for further improvements.”

TASK GROUP TO DISCUSS SCHOOLS MERGER PLAN
25/10/07: In September Lancaster City Council set up a task group to consider the impact and effect of the proposed closures of Skerton and Hornby High Schools and their possible amalgamation with Central Lancaster High. The task group will meet publicly on Monday 5 November with County Councillor Alan Whittaket to discuss the proposals.
A representative from Lancashire County Council’s schools policy and operations team has also been invited to attend.
Councillor Stuart Langhorn, chairman of the City Council's Overview & Scrutiny Committee, said the meeting was an “opportunity for a public airing of the issues and arguments surrounding the proposed closures”.
The task group will be asking for clarification regarding the consultation and admissions process, whether alternative proposals are being considered, future plans for the sites and the rationale for school transport.
Following on from this meeting the task group intends to hold further meetings at the schools affected by these proposals before producing a report to feed into the county council’s consultation process. 
The County Council's original proposal was to merge the schools into a City Academy. This met with substantial local opposition. Despite fears of schools being handed over to sinister business interests intent on bending young minds to their will, the only sponsor who came forward was Lancaster & Morecambe College, whose bid was clearly not sinister enough to tempt the County Council.
Coun Langhorn said it was essential that the task group hears from as many people as possible.
“Lancashire County Council’s proposals will have far reaching consequences if they are implemented,” he said.
“It is vital that the issues are questioned in a public forum and the establishment of this task group will allow that to happen.
“But to ensure we produce a report that is as comprehensive as possible we need people to give us their views.”
"Will your child be entering secondary school within the next year or two?
"Is your choice likely to be affected by the possibility of imminent closure of Hornby and Skerton High?
"Are you considering sending your child out of the county to receive their secondary school education? Have you any thoughts on plans to establish an academy in the district?
"Are you a school governor, teacher or concerned parent or student? The task group is eager to hear your views."
If you are interested in listening to these discussions then you are invited to come along to the meeting, which starts at 6pm. To attend the meeting or to give feedback on the issues raised above, contact Democratic Services by telephoning 01524 582047, or by  emailling scrutiny@lancaster.gov.uk.

VC BACK ON THE PULL?
25/10/07: Lancaster University Vice Chancellor and Chair of the Lancaster & Morecambe Vision Board Prof Paul Wellings is rumoured (by The Australian) to be seeking a new post down under as VC of the University of Sydney. The appointment is not yet in the bag, however. Wellings visited Oz this summer and a second trip is planned soon. Could this be the interview? The current Sydney U. VC is due to leave in mid-2008.
Since his arrival in Lancaster in 2002, the Wellings legacy is, sadly, one of academic privatisation, prosecution of students, courting companies condemned for human rights abuses, and steering the Lancaster & Morecambe Vision Board in its single-minded (and publicly funded) campaign for a bypass.

VISION BOARD SEEKS NEW MEMBERS
26/10/07: The Lancaster & Morecambe Vision Board seeks new members, particularly from the retail, logistics and manufacturing sectors. To balance things up a bit, we are told, they would would welcome more businesswomen and people with business interests in Morecambe and Heysham. However, all applications for membership will be considered entirely on their own merits.
The Vision Board was the original author of the economic regeneration Vision for Lancaster & Morecambe, which, following consultation, was adopted by the City Council and by the Lancaster Strategic Partnership in July 2006. The Board now acts as ‘custodian’ of the Vision, which will be reviewed every three years, and drives its realisation through lobbying for funding and overseeing the delivery of initiatives through a number of Steering Groups.
"Members are invited to sit on the Board in their personal capacity", Board manager Catherine Potter said, "not as representatives of their company or sector. Members are recruited for their expertise, creativity and insight and for their commitment to the economic wellbeing and development of the district.” Board membership is unpaid. Board meetings take place quarterly and most private sector members also sit on one of the steering groups, which also meet quarterly.
To view the Vision and for further information about the activities of the Vision Board, please visit www.lancaster-morecambe-vision.org. If readers are interested in putting themselves forward they are invited to write, stating what qualities they would bring to the Board and providing a synopsis of their career, business interests and expertise, to: Catherine Potter, Lancaster & Morecambe Vision, c/o Palatine Hall, Dalton Square, Lancaster LA1 1PW. Email cpotter@lancaster-morecambe-vision.org. The closing date for applications is 2 November 2007.

THE WRITE STUFF: FESTIVAL BLOGGERS WANTED
25/10/07: LitFest07 is coming up at the Dukes from Wednesday 14 - Sunday 18 November and they are looking for two festival bloggers unafraid to take on the entire LitFest07 programme and write about it each night. The bloggers get free entry to every event and free reign to write what they like.
So if you'd like to be a litfest07 blogger just send 150 words on a recent event you've attended to LitFest , using the 'contact us' form on their website at www.litfest.org by this Tuesday 30 October. Andy Darby, Litfest's Artistic Director, will choose the lucky bloggers on 1 November.
For the five-day celebration at the Dukes, Litfest have booked two or three writers a night to give readings and explore literary themes. They have packed in award winning novelists, top class poets, short story writers and a selection of independent presses you might not have come across before. Novelists include Sarah Hall, A L Kennedy, Biyi Bandele and Rachel Cusk, with short stories from Peter Hobbs, Jane Rogers and Carys Davies, and poetry from Robin Robertson, Ian Duhig and Graham Mort. The headline guest Linton Kwesi Johnson rounds off the programme with support from Segun Lee French.
Download the LitFest07 events brochure here.

LABOUR GROUP SHORTLIST CANDIDATES
25/10/07: Lancaster & Fleetwood Labour Party have narrowed down their longlist of nominees to a shortlist of people in the running to be Labour's parliamentary candidate in the next General Election. The four contenders are: Azhar Ali - Executive recruitment consultant, member of Labour's National Policy Forum, former member of the Guardian Newspaper's Muslim Youth Forum and former Pendle borough councillor; Tom Grinyer - Director of Campaigns and Communications for the Public and Commercial Services Union; Clive Grunshaw - Leader of the Labour Group on Wyre Borough Council and County Councillor for Fleetwood East and Lynne Stafford - Chair of Lancaster Branch Labour Party, formerly Senior Public Health Manager of Blackpool PCT and now employed at Inward House, Lancaster.
Labour's parliamentary candidate will finally be chosen at a
one-member-one-transferable-vote selection meeting at Pilling Memorial Hall on Friday 9 November.
James Groves, Secretary of Lancaster and Fleetwood Constituency Labour Party, commented: "Any of these candidates would make an outstanding Labour MP for Lancaster and Fleetwood. It's now up to our local members to choose a winner."
The new parliamentary seat of Lancaster & Fleetwood is formed from parts of the current Blackpool North & Fleetwood and Lancaster & Wyre constituencies, together with a small part of the current Morecambe & Lunesdale constituency. It covers the Lancaster City Council wards of Bulk, Castle, Duke's, Ellel, John O'Gaunt, Lower Lune Valley, Scotforth East, Scotforth West and University together with the Wyre Borough Council wards of Mount, Park, Pharos, Pilling, Preesall, Warren and Wyresdale.
According to Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher's Media Guide to the New Parliamentary Constituencies (ISBN 0 948858 45 1), the seat has a notional Labour majority of 3,428. A map is available at www.election-maps.co.uk/.

RESIDENTS TRIUMPH AS 3G CANCELS PHONEMAST
25/10/07: Hutchinson 3G UK have announced that their planned 'infrastructure roll-out' has been put on hold for the foreseeable future, and so they have abandoned their plans to erect a phone mast on Golgotha Road.
In response to public concerns Labour and Lib Dem councillors have been campaigning for new national and local policies to regulate the siting of masts (read more here).
Cllr Jim Blakely told Virtual-Lancaster: "I think we must have scared them off! Thank you to all those who wrote, signed the petition and helped fight this mast, especially Peter Lea at the shop. Hutchinson 3G UK certainly did not have the easy time that they were expecting."

XMAS GIFT THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE

25/10/07: Animal Care, Lancaster's local animal rehoming charity has an exciting new scheme to help raise money and awareness of the many animals in its care and in need of help.
Are you struggling to think of a Christmas present for your relative who has everything and who you don't really want to buy more socks for?
Well now you can buy an Animal Care Gift Voucher for them and help an animal at Animal Care as well.
Maybe you know someone who has a dog, cat or rabbit that isn't microchipped?
You can buy a voucher for their birthday, anniversary, Christmas or even wedding to cover the cost of getting their companion animal chipped. It only costs £7.50 for a chip voucher - indeed, as Animal Care worker Vanessa Walling told us, "What else can you get that is so thoughtful for that sort of money?"
Vouchers can also be personalised for a husband, wife, lover or relative. For more details ring Vanessa on 01524 841819 and leave your name and number if no one is available or go to www.animalcare-lancaster.co.uk for information.
Vanessa added:
"We were recently lucky enough to hold a cash and pet food collection at Asda in Morecambe and would like to thank them as we were able to raise £356 cash and received over 200 items of pet food.
"Local supermarket Morrison's in Morecambe now have a pet food collection bin for Animal Care, so if you can spare a small amount of change to buy a tin of food for the animals it will be much appreciated.
"These collections make a huge difference to our local charity. Thanks again for your support especially as we enter the busy period up to Christmas when so many animals are forgotten and abandoned."

TAYLOR MAC WANTS YOUR DRAG
25/10/07: The Nuffield Theatre is looking for some rather special clothing to help dress the set for New York performance artist Taylor Mac's show on Friday 2nd November.
"I would like to see if we can get some extra drag donated for the evening," said Taylor (pictured).
"When I say extra drag I mean anywhere between two to twenty hefty garbage bags full of it. I wouldn't wear any of the clothes - they would essentially be my set (I bring my own giant suitcase of my own drag but it's a wonderful image when there's enough to fill the entire stage or at least create a massive mound in the middle that I have to maneuver through).
"Drag to me is everything from what you would expect
(sequinned gowns, boas, wigs) to normal female clothes (swimsuits, house dresses, cocktail dresses), to the more costume like stuff (football pads, kimonos, hoop skirts), to household products (latex gloves, tin foil, a bicycle wheel, etc.).
"If you have a costume shop that would be willing to donate that'd be great. Thanks so much for everything - I'm really looking forward to it".
Asked if clothes could be lent and returned to their owners after the show, Sarah Nash of the Nuffield (who perfectly understands the sentimental value of a sequinned gown) reassured us, "We're definitely open to negotiation." If you think you can help please call Sarah on 01524 594160 or email: sarah@nuffieldtheatre.com.
So come on chaps, time to peel off that spangly number, that bicycle wheel and latex accessories and offer them up on the altar of Art. Or just wear it all to the show - Taylor always likes his audiences to 'come sparkly!.
Full details of the show in our events listings.

COUNCILLOR: WE MADE MISTAKES PLANNING BYPASS
25/10/07: The Ormskirk Advertiser reports that Lancashire County Council has delayed plans for an Ormskirk Bypass. Cllr Tony Martin (pictured), Cabinet member for Sustainable Development and the County Council's transport chief told them that the County Council had made mistakes in preparing the Heysham-M6 Road proposal which had been criticised by the inspector at the Public Inquiry.
“The Heysham M6 bypass was the subject of a planning inquiry a couple of months ago." he said.
“As a result of that the inspector said even though we’d done everything right statutorily we hadn’t looked at non-road schemes, alternatives such as encouraging more people to use public transport, park and ride schemes. Stuff like that.
“We said fine, we thought we’d done what we had to, but we’ll take it on for the future. We’re a four-star authority but we never said we were perfect.
“Now we have another road scheme in Ormskirk, similar but not as controversial, and we’re picking up on what the inspector said so there’s less chance of the Ormskirk bypass being called in by the Government when we present it.”
Transport Solutions for Lancaster & Morecambe (TSLM), the anti-link road campaign group that opposed the Council's road proposals at the Public Inquiry wrote to Cllr Martin last week asking him to explain his comments.
TSLM Chairman David Gate said:
"A major part of our case against the £156 million Northern route was that Lancashire County Council had ignored Government guidance and common sense by rushing to build a road before considering alternatives."
"Now after all this time and trouble, Lancashire County Council has admitted that what we have been saying has been right all along. And all along the Council has been wrong to ignore it."
“The Inspector didn’t say those words at the Inquiry – he didn’t express any opinions: it would have been improper for him to do so. And his report is confidential between him and the Department of Communities and Local Government, until Hazel Blears, Secretary of State, announces her decision. Tony Martin can’t have seen it officially, and even if somehow he knows what it says, he should not be commenting on it. We’ve asked Tony for an explanation, but he hasn’t replied."
“He seems to be misquoting the Inspector, while admitting Lancashire County Council got it wrong. He doesn’t want to admit that the local campaign group was right."
"The Minister’s decision is due in January, and it is hard to see how the Government can give the go ahead after this admission.
"We need a solution to the district’s traffic congestion, not a polluting and destructive lorry route to Heysham port. Lancaster City Council has withdrawn its support from the scheme. How can we move forward without a proper integrated transport study which considers all the options?"
Cllr Martin has yet to reply.
Manwhile, Lancashire County Council has submitted a planning application for a Park & Ride scheme at Junction 34, as “an integral part” of the Heysham M6 Link.
It's not clear why such a scheme should have to depend on approval for a road that its customers wouldn't be planning to use, but the County Council have refused to countenance provision of a Park & Ride unless the new road is approved, possibly fearing that an easing of local congestion might jeopardise their case for a £156 million publicly funded driveway for Heysham Power station and the Port of Heysham, the road's principal supporters.

SUPERMARKET DECISION CALLED IN for scrutiny
25/10/07: Lancaster Council Cabinet's decision to put land at Lawson's Field in Scotforth on the market for a supermarket tender has been called in by the Council's Overview & Scrutiny Committee, chaired by Cllr Stuart Langhorn, and will be considered at an O & S Committee meeting at Morecambe Town Hall on Wednesday 31 October at 5.30pm (following a meeting of full council).
Calls to have the meeting held in Lancaster to enable greater access for the residents most greatly affected by the decision failed to sway the council's administrators.
Chief Exec Mark Cullinan said: "I can see that there may be consideration given to moving the location of a meeting on a ward issue, but this is a strategic rather than ward issue, so any such consideration does not apply in this case.
"The call-in is for non-executive elected members to consider the decision of Cabinet based on the information available to Cabinet and the procedure rules for call-in do not, therefore, include provision for members of the public to participate in the meeting or to ask questions. However, the meeting will be in public so members of the public can attend to observe."
Scotforth Councillor Emily Heath is calling on local people to attend the meeting and to maintain their lobbying of councillors by email, letter and phone to send a clear message of opposition to the superstore proposals.

POWER CUTS WARNING AS FAILING REACTORS CLOSED
24/10/07: 7 of the UK's 16 nuclear power stations are currently closed for repairs, with one of the Heysham reactors being shut down following the discovery of corroded wire in a similarly designed reactor in Hartlepool. The other Heysham reactor was already out of service for repairs.
By 2023 all the UK's reactors will have reached the end of their predicted life spans, although some predict that a history of insufficient investment in an industry that proved considerably more expensive than was originally estimated, has led to under-maintainance that could reduce that life.
The government is keen to reduce the UK's dependence on imported carbon fuels such as gas and oil, which are set to become increasingly expensive as global reserves dwindle and supplies are destabilised by military appropriation.
The nuclear lobby is still the most powerful energy lobby in the UK and the industry's current crisis has already led to strident calls for the government to make an urgent decision about initiating a new programme of reactor building.
Previous government plans to do so were overruled due to inadequate consultation and the current round of consultation, finalised this month, was heavily criticised for its pro-nuclear bias.
It is likely that, were a programme to be initiated this year, it could still take 5 - 10 years before it would reach the production stage (ministers are talking about 2014, so 2016 is likely to be the reality) by which time the UK will be in serious energy deficit at current rates of consumption, as the population is also set to increase by a further 4.4 million between now and 2016 (Office for National Statistics).
Estimates are also unlikely to have taken in consideration the effect significantly increased security requirements will make on the construction progress.
According to the government's Energy Review the amount of electricity from renewable energy sources will triple to 15% by the year 2015. However the inevitability of unfulfilled demand will significantly enhance renewables as an investment prospect and this target on paper should be read in its political context.
In the meantime, it could be worth taking a few minutes out to think about preparing for power cuts this winter (and the winters after that).

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