and Local Advisory Group

Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 10th September 2018 at 6.30 pm in Town Hall

Present: Cllr. G. Ashworth, Vice Chair, Parish Council Cllr. C. France, Secretary, Chorley Council Mr. J. Finlay, Friends of GREAT Cllr. T. Dickenson, Chorley Spots Forum/ Parish Council Cllr. G. France, Chorley Council Cllr. M. France, Chorley Council Cllr. D. Hardy, Parish Council Cllr. N. Smith, Anderton Parish Council

Guest Speaker – Julian Ormiston of Constabulary

1. Apologies for Absence: Cllr. K. Snape, Chair, Chorley Borough Council – Due to her absence, Cllr. G. Ashworth chaired the meeting.

2. Disclosure of Pecuniary and Non-Pecuniary Interests: Cllr. Graham Ashworth declared an interest as a member of the Rivington Heritage Trust and Cllr. T. Dickenson declared his interest in Chorley Sports Forum.

3. Previous Minutes: The previous minutes of the meeting held on the 11th June 2018 were approved. Proposed by Cllr. T. Dickenson and seconded by Cllr. G. France.

4. Matters Arising/ Chairs Report: There were no matters arising.

5. Police Update: Sgt. Ormiston provided a verbal update regarding crime across the parishes.

A discussion was had around the recent fire on Winter Hill and suspected arson. Cllr. T. Dickenson raised concerns regarding drug use in Wheelton, Cllr G. France agreed and referred to drugs being used in the vicinity of Wheelton Village Hall. Cllr. T. Dickenson also raised concerns of drug dealing being conducted across county lines. Later, Cllr. G. Ashworth spoke about his concerns regarding the issue of agricultural theft.

6. Lancashire County Council Activity Update: No report submitted.

7. United Utilities Ranger Report: 1 No report submitted. Members raised concerns about the lack of UU attendance or reports. Cllr. Ashworth requested that the chair (Cllr. K. Snape) request a report or attendee for the next meeting.

8. Any Other Business:

8.a. Rivington Heritage Trust Update: No report provided. Cllr. Ashton discussed some events at recent meetings. Members were concerned regarding the lack of written reports during the last few meetings. It was resolved for the secretary (Cllr. C. France) to request a report for the next meeting.

8.b. Winter Hill Fire Recovery Update: Cllrs. G. and C. France provided a verbal update regarding the Winter Hill Fire Recovery Sub-Group meeting. Members were informed of the date and time of the next meeting and encouraged to attend. Cllr. G. Ashworth pointed to damage done to embankments on the moorland which was caused during the creating of firebreaks.

Other AOB: Cllr. G. Ashworth discussed an email he received from Cllr. K. Snape regarding County Councillor Keith Iddon having made a commitment to not grant permission for Iron Man to use Chorley roads during their next Bolton contest. Cllr. T. Dickenson pointed out that some Sports Forum members enjoyed taking part in the contest but acknowledged that there were similar events available.

Cllr. Ashworth also asked Mr. J. Finlay whether he wanted a specific agenda item to discuss an update on the friends of GREAT. As chair he stated that, should Mr. Finlay wish to have a specific item for the next agenda, he could.

Cllr. G. France pointed members to the recent “Call for Sites” regarding the Borough Council’s request for outside bodies and members of the public to propose new sites for development/safeguarding/protection. He explained that he was not able to refer to any sites that had been proposed so far and explained that he felt that Parish Councils should be permitted to see such information. A discussion was also had on the national governments increase on the quota of houses Chorley was required to build per year.

Cllr. M. France spoke of her worry that both the raised housing quota and new “Call for Sites” could be a threat to the green belt. She said that she was upset by recent events regarding the pressure that the Borough was under to construct new housing and stated that she felt that Chorley was being penalised for being a desirable location for people to live. There was a discussion and many members agreed with Cllr. M. France’s concerns. There was also a discussion about developers failing to develop approved sites for housing.

9. Date of next meeting:

Monday 10th December 2018, 6.30pm at Chorley Town Hall.

Chairs approval:

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Date:

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