NEW THREATS FROM THE COUNTY HIGHWAYS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN SAY VILLAGERS.
Its nearly 20 years since the residents of Winewall together with many others from Colne succeeded after many years of struggle and much expense, in ending the threat of the M65 which would have rampaged through the South Valley of Colne and the villages of Winewall, Cotton Tree and Laneshawbridge. As soon as the Motorway threat ended, it took another struggle to also end the blighted line of the motorway and best of all to introduce Conservation Area Status to first Winewall and Cottone Tree and then later, the whole of Trawden.
The main motorway threat was believed for many years to be the work of the Government which had long favoured major road building and cars over Rail travel since the era of the late unlamented Doctor Beeching who trashed the Rail system in the UK and made motorways and car transport inevitable. It turned out that the real threat to Winewall was actually from Lancashire County Council which had plans for the extension of the M65 in its bottom drawer and all it ever needed was a government which was gullible enough to fall for it AND FUND IT. Fortunately for all of us and our environment, time and money ran out before this nightmare could be made a reality.
Now a new threat has appeared and of course as usual, its the Highways Department in County Hall, and the Planning Department in Pendle Council, or at the very least their contractors. The expectation in the village was for some re surfacing work but what we actually got was the worst excesses of heavy handed local and regional Government. large cobblestones dating back at least a couple of hundred years were dug up using machines, cobblestones which were not just part of Winewalls Heritage for 2 or three hundred years but which also helped stabilise the road its self and the footpaths. The deep drain at the field boundary on Winewall lane was not so much improved as destroyed and replaced by a large plastic drain and horrible plastic bollards.
The current arrangement would look horrible and out of place in most locations even in an Urban area, but here we must remember that this is a Conservation area and theoretically at least, building and renovation work within and adjacent to the conservation area should use traditional materials and styles. Replacing ancient cobblestones with concrete slabs and plastic bollards which serve no useful purpose whatever and only make the steep and narrow lane even more dangerous. Incidentally much of this work will be designated as work to improve Health and Safety. Even doors and windows, slates, extensions etc should all be built in keeping and replaced like for like. Sadly it seems that the Highways department are unaware of this and as usual are literally steamrolling the environment to fit their plans, and plans I should add which the previous government secured as unreachable by the public who are paying for it all.
We wish to know how much is budgeted for the work in Winewall and Cottontree.
Who drew up the current proposals and who granted permission.
Who in their right minds would be prepared to spend tens of thousands on doing unnecessary road works, clearly altering the look of the Conservation area when what was needed was merely a re setting of some cobblestones and relaying a few paving slabs. The lane itself needed only a layer of tar and gravel and repainting of white lines and warnings. TBC
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