Latest news with #WestmorlandFurnessCouncil
Sky News
a day ago
- Sky News
Appleby Horse Fair: Major traveller community event leaves fields littered with rubbish
A major gathering of the travelling community has left fields covered in rubbish and debris. Pictures and videos published of the aftermath of the Appleby Horse Fair showed litter, including plastic bags, unwanted furniture, empty crates, and cardboard boxes strewn across the site in the east Cumbrian market town of Appleby-in-Westmoreland. On Monday, organisers published images of workers beginning to clean up. A handful of vehicles, including caravans, were visible, and fields had been churned up by tyres and turned into muddy tracks where people had driven across the area. Westmorland and Furness Council said its statement will include "reactions to how this year's fair has gone and the efforts being made to ensure a swift and thorough clean-up. "Waste management and street cleaning teams operate in Appleby and the outlying areas throughout the fair, including during this final phase," the council's communications and engagement manager, John Everingham said. A burnt-out white Ford transit van could also be seen following a fire on the Trade Field shortly before noon on Saturday, which police said they were not treating as suspicious. Cumbria Police said they attended, with firefighters and "crews extinguishing the fire - which did not spread beyond the vehicle - by midday". No one was injured, the force said. Pictures and videos published online over the weekend showed the van in flames. The fair is a week-long "annual gathering of Gypsies and Travellers in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland" in early June, which draws around 10,000 Gypsies and Travellers and more than 30,000 other visitors, the event's official website said. The fair incorporates a range of activities, including horse riding, horse trading, storytelling, and traditional music and dance. Temporary litter bins are provided during the fair. Around 30 arrests were made before the fair began, police said, mostly for road offences. Appleby-in-Westmoreland is located between the Lake District National Park and the North Pennines and had a registered population of a little over 3,000 at the 2011 census.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Plans for rejected Appleby horse sculpture resubmitted
Plans for a sculpture to celebrate a town's links to the Gypsy and traveller community have been submitted again after being rejected. In April, Westmorland and Furness Council refused a planning application for a stallion statue on the River Eden in Appleby, Cumbria, to celebrate the town's role in hosting the annual horse fair - a big event in the traveller community interest firm Drive 2 Survive, which is behind the statue, has amended its proposal, with the artwork now planned for Salt Tip Corner, opposite the entrance to Roman firm said it hoped the sculpture, which would be 7ft (2m) tall on top of a concrete plinth, would be "visible and celebrated". Previous plans for the sculpture were rejected by the council following backlash by locals over the "impact of the sculpture's symbolic presence on community cohesion, emotional comfort and the shared use of the site", according to the council.A report prepared by council planning officers said those plans received 163 letters of support, 72 objections and 21 observation new plans are currently in consultation. 'Celebrate Gypsy community' According to an artist's statement submitted with the application, the team has chosen the new location because it is where the most expensive horses are bought and sold for cash during the fair. It said the sculpture was intended to make the contribution of the Gypsy and traveller community to Appleby "visible, permanent and celebrated".It said when the fair was not on, there was "little tangible evidence" of the event in the town. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Cumbria special education: Son 'may never get school place'
The mother of a boy who has been out of mainstream education for nine months said she fears he may never be offered a suitable school Dean's nine-year-old son Alex has a diagnosis of autism, ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder - a behavioural condition which means his default position is to refuse anything, even the offer of something nice like an attended a school in the Eden area of Cumbria, where the family live, but struggled to cope. Mrs Dean's request to move him to a special school was turned down by Westmorland and Furness authority said it did not comment on individual cases, but that parents had a right to appeal through a tribunal. "I'm terrified he won't get a school place, that's my ultimate fear," said Mrs Dean."He's going to have challenges as it is and he's already missed nearly two and a half terms of education." Alex has an education, health and care plan (EHC), meaning his needs are assessed the last review, Mrs Dean told the council Alex was not coping in school and his attendance was low, but he was assessed as suitable for a mainstream added: "He's really tried, but he's been crying and sitting down on the pavement."He's been biting himself and hiding his clothes and his shoes so he didn't have to go." Mrs Dean said Eden was a special educational needs (Send) "desert", with few special schools available.A report last month by Westmorland and Furness Council found a need for as many as 264 extra Send places in the area to reduce the reliance on private and independent special authority told the BBC it was "seeking to expand specialist provision". 'In a hard place' Alex had been offered a place at the fee-paying Cambrian Whinfell specialist autism school in Kendal, but with the council turning down the request to move him Mrs Dean said she felt "in limbo" while she waited for the outcome of her appeal."I don't know how long the appeal will take, but I've heard about a year," she said."It's a tough one, I realise there isn't an easy answer, but equally I've got a nine-year-old and there's not a lot else I can find for a child with his needs."I'm in a hard place."In the meantime she is home schooling Alex without support, but she wants him to return to school. "I think the world of Alex, I love being with my son, but I think for him it's hard because he misses the routine and he misses other company."Because of my disabilities - I'm in a wheelchair - there's not a lot of physical activity I can engage in."He needs a lot of walking, running, cycling, and unfortunately I can't do that."Westmorland and Furness Council said it had "robust and proper channels" for people to raise concerns and encouraged anyone unhappy with the support they received to contact them.A spokesman added: "We are keen to improve experiences and outcomes for all of our children with identified Send and are currently seeking to expand specialist provision." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Government overrules Westmorland & Furness council on Ulverston planning appeal
A council's refusal to allow stables to be built near Ulverston has been overturned on appeal. Westmorland & Furness Council initially refused plans for a stable block near Ulverston, but that decision has now been overruled by the government's Planning Inspectorate. The application was for a site on land off Pennington Lane and the block would contain three stables on an existing hard standing. According to the appeal decision report the development should begin not later than three years from the decision date. It states that the main issue was the effect of the proposed development upon road safety and it adds: 'The appeal site forms part of a larger field, separated by post and wire fencing, used for equestrian purposes. 'At the time of my visit, the appeal site contained some baled hay, along with a tractor, van, horse box, trailers and some plastic piping. The site lies in the countryside, albeit with residential areas nearby. 'The appeal site has an established access to the south, off Pennington Lane. This existing access also serves agricultural land to the south-west.' According to the report the nearby road is a narrow country lane and the existing access lies on the outside of a sharp bend. It adds: 'Consequently, for vehicles exiting the appeal site it is possible to see vehicles approaching from either direction. 'For vehicles entering the appeal site, the access itself is visible from both directions, however, forward visibility of approaching vehicles to the opposite side of the carriageway, is restricted by the bend in the road. 'As the site is used for equestrian purposes, the existing access and turning area can presently be utilised by those on horseback, or by vehicles towing horseboxes, and the site could be accessed in this way going forward. 'As it also serves agricultural land, the access could also be utilised by farm related vehicles now and in the future. At present, there is a gravel area between the gated access and the carriageway. It is not clear whether this is of a sufficient size to allow larger or longer vehicles to pull clear of the road while opening or closing this gate.' The report states that there was no substantive evidence demonstrating that the introduction of a small stable block would significantly increase the use of the existing access and turning area, over and above the present use of the land for equestrian purposes. It adds: 'As such, I am unable to conclude that this development would result in an increased use of the existing access, or that this would lead to or exacerbate any highway safety issues.' The inspector imposed conditions specifying the time limit for commencement and the approved plans as this provides certainty. They concluded: 'For the reasons set out above, having had regard to the development plan as a whole and all other material considerations, I conclude that the appeal should be allowed.'
BBC News
10-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Grange-over-Sands £6.8m lido refurbishment reopening delayed
The reopening of a lido refurbished in a £6.8m scheme has been delayed again after problems were uncovered with concrete began on the Grade II listed site at Grange-over-Sands, in Cumbria, in 2023 and the project was expected to last 14 its 2024 reopening was delayed and Westmorland and Furness Council said further setbacks meant it was "unlikely" the project would be completed this summer. The authority said it was sorry to "disappoint" residents and it would announce a new reopening date in the coming weeks. The lido closed in 1993 after falling into on the site has included the installation of a new drainage system as well as sea wall repairs. Council leader Jonathan Brook said most of the work on the project had been completed and it looked "fantastic".However, he said: "While it is frustrating that the construction phase must be extended due to further assessment of the repairs required to complete the project, it highlights the complexity of working with historic assets of this nature. "It is important that we get this right, understanding that the lido project seeks to restore this important structure after more than 30 years of closure and several previous attempts to bring it back to life." Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
