Bacup THI update: Christmas/fountain/irresponsible car parking

Following the latest board meeting of the Bacup Townscape Heritage Initiative, acting chair Councillor Jackie Oakes has published the following statement.

“At the weekend, we saw the community come together to enjoy a superb Christmas lights switch-on. I want to pay special tribute to all the volunteers who made this fantastic event possible. The artisan market was certainly a highlight. I want to see more events like this.

“The THI project is drawing to a close but as I have always said, the £2m we secured through this fund is only the beginning. It is a springboard for further improvements and resources being brought into the town.

“This is the start of a very exciting journey for Bacup and it has a bright future.

“The Board and I know one area of contention during the THI project has been the fountain and its future. The plan was always to have an attractive centrepiece for the town centre. The fountain has been determined to be that centrepiece. However, Lancashire County Council has directed it cannot be brought back into use as a fountain. Therefore we are looking to install a lighting feature to improve its look. We will immediately start the process of commissioning a company to install that feature following last night’s board meeting. We will instruct the successful company to keep the necessary plumbing in place in case Lancashire County Council change its view that it can once again be used as a fountain.

“Sadly, over the last few weeks, we have seen people park on the new public realm spaces in the town centre. This is, of course, unacceptable and needs to be strongly dealt with. We have raised the issue with Lancashire County Council and they will be taking enforcement action. If you don’t want to be fined, please park considerately and not over the new pedestrian areas in the town centre. Please don’t ruin it for the rest.”