Roughlee Parish Council
Potholes, Blacko Bar Road, Smart Tags, Planning Policy...
If prevention is better than cure, potholes are a case in point. On average, motorists each spend £120 per year fixing tyres damaged by potholes – often much more. Since 2018, UK drivers have spent £9.5 billion on vehicle repairs thanks to potholes.
The dangerous condition of Blacko Bar Road remains a concern, particularly as we head into winter. We’ve reported potholes along the full stretch of the road, along with the waterlogged surface and treacherous “ice-rink” bus route in winter towards the end nearest Blacko.
There are also damaged safety railings opposite Alice, which have now had temporary red barriers for well over a year following a collision. Along the road more generally, the concrete posts which support the safety barriers are severely degraded in several places, meaning the system is no longer fit for purpose.
Furthermore, a sinkhole on the riverbank just down from the Queen’s Canopy completes our list of current concerns on Blacko Bar Road. The hole has become much larger over the last year, and there may be a danger of the road eventually collapsing.
As a parish council, our only lever for resolving all of these concerns is to chase Lancashire County Council to try and get action from the Highways team. We have been very grateful for the support of Pendle Borough Council in helping us try to escalate and draw attention to them. We were also very happy to see our County Councillor Howard Hartley at our meeting in September, who has also promised to try and finally get some movement. In the meantime, we’ll continue to chase and keep you posted.
If you spot a pothole or blocked drain, please report it! If it doesn’t get resolved, we can then try and help chase it. Simply download the ‘Love Clean Streets’ app on the App store (Apple) or Google Play Store (Android) and use it to create a new report whilst you’re out and about.
On a related issue, over the last few years there have been a number of reports of sewage or waste overflowing from drains on Blacko Bar Road, in some cases polluting the river. If you see any such issues during the wet weather, please report it immediately to United Utilities on 0345 672 3723.
At the September meeting we also had an update from the police, who advised that around Pendle there have been organised crime gangs from outside the region targeting homes at night to steal car keys. The police are closing in, and have asked us to pass on the message that police helicopters can quickly trace vehicles that have tracking devices – a smart tag costs around £30 and can be easily hidden in a car. A wheel lock might also give an extra few minutes for the police to respond.
On a much more positive note, we’ll be hearing the result of the Best Kept Village final when the winner is announced on 15th October. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone for doing their bit right across the village – and especially Meg, Ian and all the volunteers of FORA who have worked so hard, all year round. Irrespective of the outcome, Roughlee Village Centre is hosting a Celebration Night on Saturday 19th October to say a very big, heartfelt thank you for another exceptional year, and to raise funds for FORA in 2025. See below for full details.
Over the next couple of months we’ll be discussing the Pendle Local Plan (Fourth Edition). This is a very important document that will help steer planning policy and priorities for the next 15 years. Along with other local parishes and stakeholders, we’ve been feeding comments into the development of this plan for some time. Pendle Borough Council will shortly begin the final stage, which is a six-week consultation period – this will address the plan’s overall ‘soundness’ rather than allowing new comments on the detail of the policies.
The next Parish Council meeting is on Monday 7th October at 7pm in the Village Centre.