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Windermere Enhancement Scheme 2007/08.
This page and photographs are provided by
the Windermere and Bowness Chamber of Trade as part of its commitment to
public information.
Windermere Junction Review
Since
the completion of the Windermere Town Centre Enhancement
scheme there has been considerable concern raised over the
operation of the new mini-roundabout. Cumbria County Council
has monitored the use of the junction as well as parking
manoeuvres in Crescent Road. This work has enabled officers
to consider a number of alternative layouts which will be
considered by the Council before making any decision on the
Junctions future.
Letter regarding the conclusion of the Enhancement Scheme.
A copy of this
letter
has been sent to the following:
| Cumbria County Council |
| Cumbria Tourism |
| Cumbria Vision |
| North West Regional
Development Agency |
| South Lakeland
District Council |
| South Lakes
Development Trust |
with
courtesy copies to:
| Tim Farron, MP |
| Windermere & Bowness
Civic Society |
| Windermere Town
Council |
E-mail from Tim Farron MP
regarding the below
Mr.
Adrian Faulkner
2
Thwaites Howe
116
Craig Walk
Bowness On WINDERMERE
LA23
3AX
5 June 2008
Dear Adrian
Thank you very much for the copy of your
letter with regard to the contract for the Enhancement works
that have caused so much upheaval for your members in
Windermere.
I am pleased to confirm that I have written
to the Chief Executive of the County Council to ask for his
clear statement on the terms of the contract and to question
whether there are legal conditions for compensation for the work
that was not undertaken by United Utilities until last Tuesday.
I will write again, when I have received his response.
With best wishes
Yours sincerely
Tim Farron MP
Crescent Road's
Further Enhancement!!!
On Tuesday
3rd June 2008 workmen were preparing to dig up
part of the newly laid sets. United Utilities has shocked
everyone involved with the Enhancement Scheme by turning off the
power in Windermere in order to connect up the new street
lights. United Utilities had, allegedly' been contacted
before Christmas to give an indication of when the lights were
to be connected up and Carillion (the main Contractors) have
been arguing with them for the last two to three weeks to get a
schedule together so they could complete the work.
Cumbria County Council said it had
ordered the light connection work from United Utilities back in
December 2007.
All the good work undertaken by
Carillion - gone!!!!
Below are just some of the
photographs taken during this shambolic occurrence and the vandalism.
Please click on the smaller
pictures for an enlarged version.
And finally ............
The Humorous
side, and we certainly need some humour!!
Despite all these
setbacks, the Windermere Traders are a resilient bunch,
and will still welcome customers, old and new, with a
friendly smile!
Light Hearted
Look At The Enhancement Scheme
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Mum?
You told us The Lake was bigger than this! |
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Ah!
But this wasn't here a couple of hours ago! |
Non-Domestic Rate Payments
The
Windermere & Bowness Chamber of Trade, on behalf of the
businesses in Windermere, have been corresponding with the South
Lakeland District Council to ascertain if there was a
possibility of those businesses having their non-domestic rates
suspended until the enhancement work has been completed.
The Chamber
of Trade are pleased to announce that such measures have been
made available by SLDC.
You can find
details on how to apply for this suspension by clicking on
SLDC Letter.
PLEASE
NOTE: This is only a suspension and still means
the Non-Domestic Rates are still liable for payment at a later
date. The reduction in the rateable value is a separate
claim and is made to the Valuation Office in Ulverston.
Up Date - 9th May 2008
Paving works along
crescent road are now virtually completed with only
the porphyry setts
left to lay. We anticipate that these works will be finished in
the next two weeks. We have now surfaced the carriageway along
the whole of crescent road with only a final surface course to
be laid once all works are completed.
United utilies have
now started to install new connections on site which will result
in a few new holes opening up along the works area. These are
completely unavoidable but we will endeavour to reinstate these
as soon as is possible.
The areas around
Beech Street and Birch Street where there has been some paddling
are being rectified this week so the local ducks will possibly
need rehousing.
Works on the A591 are now substantially completed with only
connections for the traffic signals and signs remaining.
Works to be completed
United Utilities to
provide new electrical connections for both street lighting and
traffic signs.
Trees to be installed outside Ashworths and at the bottom of
High Street
Remaining Porphyry
setts to be completed.
Street Furniture such
as benches, cycle stands and litter bins to be installed along
Crescent Road.
Final surfacing works along Crescent Road between High St and
Main Road.
Up Date - 21st April 2008
CRESCENT ROAD ENHANCEMENTS
Works are
still continuing apace along the south end of Crescent Road. All
Kerb lines are now in place and the tie in with main road has
been excavated ready for concreting and paving works to
commence. The porphyry paving will be virtually completed by
the end of next week (25/04/2008) with some jointing works and
sett paving required.
Lighting
columns have now been erected and are awaiting further works to
be carried out by United Utilities. Works installing Street
Furniture such as Rope lighting, Bollards, Benches and Bike
stands will start week commencing 21/04/08.
On the
A591 we are waiting for the traffic signals to be powered up to
allow them to be commissioned.
Traffic Management:
There is
no access from Oak Street to Crescent Road but there is a
diversion route in place via Broad Street.
Whilst
Crescent Road remains closed to through traffic it is open for
deliveries and shoppers between Beech Street and Oak Street.
Martin Robertson
Senior Engineer
Carillion Infrastructure Services
Mob: 07717430403
Up Date -
10th April 2008
Extra Free Parking
in Windermere!
South Lakes Development Trust has secured
some extra free parking in Windermere, to offset the temporary
loss of spaces on Crescent Road.
After approaches by the Town Centre Manager
Paul Holdsworth, South Lakeland District Council has agreed to
provide 44 free short term
parking spaces in Broad Street car park. These
spaces are now free of charge for
two hours, enabling
shoppers to access Windermere village easily, at no extra cost.
The free spaces are operational now, and will be available until
March 14.
“With the roadworks on the A591
drawing to a close, and extra McAlpine manpower coming into the
village centre, the contractors agreed to install signs
directing shoppers to the Broad Street car park. I was
concerned that this would be misinterpreted as SLDC cashing in
on the traders’ problems, by making extra money out of shoppers
displaced from the free on-street spaces,” said Paul. “So I
approached the district council again, urging
them
to reconsider.
“Impressively, the council not only agreed to
release some spaces, but it offered the whole of the short stay
section of the car park – that’s 44 spaces! Even more
impressively, SLDC pulled out all the stops to get the decision
made and implemented in super-quick time.”
While this help won’t eliminate the
disruption in the village, it should go some way to keep
shoppers coming in to this important local service centre.
This newsletter goes out to over 80 local businesses, residents
and others. If you know someone who would like to be included
on the email distribution list, please ask them to contact me.
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Windermere
Works In Progress
Change on the Way
Work on the Windermere
Enhancement Scheme is about to begin. Contractors Alfred McAlpine
will commence work on the A591 junction with High Street on Monday
November 26, 2007.
Work In
Progress - 22nd
January 2008
Works Schedule
The latest schedule is for the A591
works to start next week, and finish in the New Year, with the
Crescent Road works starting on January 7, 2008, and finishing in
April 2008. Alfred McAlpine will be suspending works over the Xmas
and Easter breaks.
Temporary Mini-roundabout
While no work on the
Crescent Road element of the scheme is planned prior to Christmas,
some preparatory work to enable the A591 works to proceed will
impact on the village centre. A temporary mini-roundabout is to be
installed outside The Lighthouse, at the bottom of Victoria Street.
One of the three telephone boxes here will be removed to allow for
this.
A CCTV underground survey
will also be undertaken before Christmas, to bottom-out drainage
issues on Crescent Road.
Latest Plans
Latest plans for the
scheme should be available via our website,
www.sldt.co.uk from early next week. Adjustments and detail
alterations are inevitable on a scheme like this, and every effort
will be made to keep local people fully updated as changes are
required.
Public Liaison
In order to ensure local
questions and concerns can be addressed promptly, Alfred McAlpine
have appointed a Public Liaison officer, Ian Goss. Ian will be
available on-site full time, to help smooth the process as much as
possible, or you can phone him on 07786 110658.
Ian will be located in
temporary works offices, which are to be set up on the Old Nursery
site on New Road, opposite the Windermere Social Club. If Ian
cannot be contacted readily, I will be happy to assist.
Alfred McAlpine will also
be setting up a dedicated website for the scheme, with regular
updates on progress.
I have attached an A4
poster – please display this as you see fit. This newsletter goes
out to over 80 local businesses, residents and others. If you know
someone who would like to be included on the email distribution
list, please ask them to contact me. (Poster)
Paul Holdsworth, Town
Centre Manager
The Windermere Enhancement
Scheme is a partnership project led by the Windermere & Bowness
Masterplan Steering Group, with representation from Cumbria Tourism,
Cumbria County Council, South Lakes Development Trust, Lake District
National Park Authority, Northwest Regional Development Agency,
Cumbria Vision and South Lakeland District Council. The scheme is
funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, the European
Regional Development Fund and Cumbria County Council.
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Windermere
Works In Progress
Local Committee Decision A591 & Crescent
Road - 31st July 2007
Hello All
Peter & I attended the meeting this
morning at Cumbria County Council where the final decision on the
Crescent Road & A591 Enhancements was made.
On arrival at the Council Chamber we were presented with
a report from Capita for the Committee members, stating several changes
made to the scheme as put to the Committee this morning. These were:-
Raised Tables have been removed
from Crescent Road. Instead of these, junctions will be identified by
inset blocks on the tarmac which are imprinted onto the road surface.
These will not change the level of the road at all.
The 20mph zone has been abandoned (with associated
signage). Crescent Road will continue to be as it is now.
Peter spoke to the Committee members
about the concerns locals & traders had about the last set of plans as
seen at the Marchesi Centre. But with the revised plans in front of us
removing many of the objections we had come to talk about, he found more
relevance in how the changes above would be implemented into the design
& what the final project would look like.
The Committee voted to accept the revised plans (with the
removal of speed tables & no 20mph limit) with the proviso that the
final design be approved by Cumbria County Council's Director of Client
Services, the Chairman of the Local Committee & The Local Councillor for
Windermere (Joan Stocker). Approval has
therefore been given for the scheme to go to tender & work will go
ahead.
To clarify:- The A591 Junction will be as
highlighted at the last Marchesi Centre open Meeting (Elleray Road
junction will remain as existing, High Street junction will have no
traffic lights). The junction at High Street will be made safer by new
road markings & road surface texture etc.
The mini roundabout at the bottom of
Victoria Street will remain as seen at last Marchesi Meeting plans.
The speed limit on Crescent Road of 20mph
& therefore the signage that goes with it, has been scrapped.
All Speed Tables (raised platforms) have
been scrapped along Crescent Road. Junctions will have imprinted blocks
on road tarmac. These will not require a change in road level.
No on-street parking has been lost under
the revised plans (there is currently 118 meters of parking on Crescent
Road, this will increase to 120 meters under new scheme). Parking will
also increase slightly on High Street (but I forgot to write the figures
down!) since traffic will be able to park on the right at the bottom of
this road & then on the left as the road nears the half-way point.
The report states that ideally the A591
junction work would be carried out in November 2007. Crescent Road to
commence January 2008 through to March 2008. Crescent Road will have to
close to through traffic & there will be limited access to businesses &
residents properties.
Following the decision, Peter & I
had a chat with Joan Stocker & Paul Holdsworth. We have been assured
that the new revised plans will be implemented as stated here & that
Paul will liaise with traders & residents with the relevant timescales &
other appropriate info regarding the changes to be made to the A591
Junction & Crescent Road.
Mrs Stocker was at pains to point out both during & after
the meeting that during the works Windermere will have to have
alternative near-by parking due to the loss of on-street parking & also
to be seen to be still "open for business" despite the roadwork's. I
believe that she will work to support this during these changes.
Peter & I both feel that the scheme
as seen this morning is by far & wide the best scheme yet. We are
satisfied that the changes are now positive, not negative. The A591
Junction may still be changed at a later date into a roundabout if money
becomes available for the land (Capita's words, not mine!)
While no solution suits everyone, a fair compromise has
been made by all parties.
If anyone requires any further info,
please contact me.
Joanne Harris
Windermere Wine Stores Ltd
www.maltlounge.co.uk
t. 015394 33001
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Windermere Works In
Progress
As part of the
Windermere Traffic Management Scheme, it is proposed that traffic lights
be installed at the junction of Ellery Road and the A591.
The pictures below
show what 'potential' chaos' could be caused by such a scheme, and where
taken at approximately 10:40am on Tuesday 6th June 2007. The
actual hold-up was caused by traffic lights being placed approximately
100 meters north of the junction and consisted of only 2 sets - one from
Ambleside, one from Windermere. It is proposed that there are to
be a three way set of traffic lights.
There is to be
a Public Exhibition on Thursday 14th June 2007, at the Marchesi Centre,
Windermere, between 1pm and 8pm. Please do your best to attend and
express your views.
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Windermere Works In
Progress
Public Comments
20th June 2007
Please call into one of the shops in
Windermere to sign the petition against the
proposed changes. Petitions at Windermere Wine Stores, Windermere
Service Station, Claytons Butchers, Inspirations, Valerie Ann's,
Autograph Shop, Anna Rayna Fashions & many more.
Jo Harris - Windermere Wines.
11th May 2007
Dear Adrian
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I think
that Traffic Lights would create jams in Windermere
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Is this
really necessary?
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Is this
necessary?
I feel that
there have been no reasons given to back up the changes suggested.
Would it not
be possible to trial a mini round-about at very little cost without
the need to change priorities??
This would
prove the question one way or the other.
My Thoughts.
Simon Everett
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Windermere Works In
Progress
Response
From Paul Holdswoth - Town Centres Manager.
I attended an
extraordinary meeting of the SLDT board on Monday, convened solely
to discuss this issue. We had an in-depth (four hours plus)
discussion with the scheme’s designers, which proved very fruitful.
On another matter, I’ve
been approached a number of times about the proposed traffic lights
on the A591, specifically drawing comparison with the recent
temporary lights outside St Mary’s Church, and suggesting this
proves the proposed lights will cause congestion. I note that your
website promotes this idea.
I’ve been responding
along the following lines:
The temporary lights
installed outside St Mary’s Church on the A591 recently did generate
tailbacks, but operated very differently from the proposed Elleray
Road lights.
At the temporary lights,
northbound traffic flows for just less than 50% of the time,
likewise southbound traffic. For a short period lights are red in
both directions, to ensure all traffic has cleared the roadworks
prior to the flow reversing.
The design engineers have
not provided detail on their suggested timings for the Elleray Road
lights (which will be programmeable to allow for peak flows in
different directions at different times). However, I think it’s
fair to assume that A591 traffic will have green lights for more
time than the Elleray Road traffic exiting Windermere. That means
that traffic will be allowed to flow in both directions on the A591
for significantly longer than the sub 50% flows at the temporary
lights. It’s only a (fairly) educated guess on my part, but I
wouldn’t be surprised if the A591 traffic would have green lights
for at least 70% of the time.
The design engineers
believe the proposals will have NO impact on traffic congestion on
the A591, for good or ill. They are firmly of the opinion that
congestion on the A591 in Windermere at present (apart from that
caused by temporary lights and the like) is caused by hold-ups on
Crescent Road and beyond towards Bowness.
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