Presentation to the County Council at Kendal

The petition to have the cobbles repaired is being presented to the County Council Local Committee for South Lakeland this next Thursday morning at 10:30 at the beginning of the meeting.

Along with the petition, the following question is being asked which the County have received prior notice, and has been circulated to all the relevant County Councillors.

I have also prepared on-line videos and photos that illustrate the problem. See below.

The Petition

Repair of Cobbles in Market St, Ulverston

We urge the County Council to review their duty to make contractors accountable for shoddy workmanship resulting in dangerous road conditions after work to install their services. We request an undertaking to repair the length of the street by March 2009 otherwise we will pursue legal action against the county.

(Note: we already have a commitment from one local businessman for £10,000 and have 200 signatures in two days of standing at the market including some from door to door visits.)



The Question

Why have the County Highways Authority failed in their duty of care for Market Street, Ulverston’s main cobble street in the following respects and when will they repair all the cobbles and bring them up to the high standards required by a conservation area?


1. The cobbles in Market Street are in the Conservation Area and the Planning Authority of South Lakeland District Council take great care to preserve the appearance of the town. This is important not only to the residents but to an important industry that the County Council seeks to promote – Tourism. The County Highways Authority has prepared a Code of Practice setting down principles and practice for all highway and environmental works affecting the character of the district’s Conservation Areas. They are clearly flouting this responsibility.



Furthermore The Government states that: “Local authorities need to develop policies which clearly identify what features of the area should be preserved or enhanced, and set out how this can be done.”


2. Unlike Bradford Council , the County Highways Authority failed to ensure that Balfour Beatty used their conservation team when they contracted to carried out the extensive work for United Utilities down Market Street. Bradford on the other hand ensured that the setts where returned in perfect order when a similar situation required work to be carried out on the cobbled street of Haworth. Instead the workmen in Ulverston appeared to have no expertise in re-installing the setts and failed to label them and return them correctly as was done in Haworth.

3. When Ulverston Town Council approached the County to do repairs this was not done even though United Utilities were legally required to return to make good all deficiencies in the work done by their contractors. The County Highways Authority have failed in their duty to make sure that the work was carried out to the high standard consistent with the Conservation Area and its status as a Quality Town with a street market with its traditional cobbles . These features are extremely important in view of their Tourist Attraction Potential

One reason put forward by Stuart Taylor, the local inspector for the Ulverston’s Highways employed by Capita (working for the County) for not getting the work done was that they were ignorant of which contractors did which work and that it was impossible to attribute blame.

This we believe to be untrue

The presentation of photos and video, which will take several minutes to load correctly, can be seen here.