Agenda item

It was moved by Councillor Martyn Hurt and seconded by Councillor Sue Graham that;

This council notes :

1.       Street clutter is increasing over time, particularly within the town centre.

?      Street clutter includes (but is not limited to) items like Advertising boards, guard rails, wheelie bins, outdoor tables and chairs, planters, badly places signposts and lampposts, telecommunication boxes and masts, poorly placed EV chargers and bollards.

2.       Other issues that affect accessibility include pavement parking, parking over dropped kerbs, pavement cycling/E-Scooter riding and overgrown bushes and hedges.

3.       Visually impaired residents and visitors in particular are finding it increasingly difficult to navigate our streets and town centre, with guide dogs struggling to safely guide their owners around obstacles; high obstacles such as rope barriers causing canes to miss them, causing them to walk into them, or safe routes completely blocked, requiring visually impaired residents having to use the road.

4.       The lack of tactile definition of roadway and pavement means that visually impaired people and guide dogs cannot tell if they are on the road or pavement in some areas, such as the pedestrianised area of St James’s Street.

5.      That Lancashire County Council and Lancashire Police are not fulfilling its duties around vehicles obstructing pavements and dropped kerbs.

6.       That there are not enough dropped kerbs within the borough, and many stretches of pavement have no accessible routes, leaving those with accessibility issues having to use the road.

This council believes that:

1.              The streets of Burnley and Padiham should be accessible for all.

2.              Public realm works should consider the accessibility needs of all residents in their design.

3.              Reducing street clutter benefits everyone but has a greater benefit for those with additional accessibility needs.

4.       On-Street EV Charging points should be built out into the highway rather than taking pavement space.

This council resolves to:

1.       Place accessibility at the heart of future building and public realm works.

2.       That the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive write to the Chief Executive and Leader of Lancashire County Council requesting:

?          That all highways works take into account accessibility, and that improving accessibility of our pavements is treated high priority, such as increasing the number of dropped kerbs, particularly on streets where there are no accessible routes currently in place, and that dropped kerbs and crossing points should have tactile surfaces to indicate their location.

?          That requests for pruning and trimming works to bushes, trees and hedges that are causing pavement obstruction are dealt with promptly, and that they encourage residents to use the Love Clean Streets app to report these issues.

?          Request that when working on the roll-out of on-street EV chargers, that charging points are built out into the highway and not take pavement space.

?          That they make full use of their powers in enforcing issues such as pavement obstruction and parking on dropped kerbs.

3.          Work with Urbaser to ensure that bins and waste receptacles are put in a place that does not obstruct pavements after they have been emptied, and also request residents and businesses to ensure that their bins and waste receptacles are not obstructing the pavement when presented for collection.

4.       Take a more proactive approach to planning and streetscene enforcement where advertising boards, outdoor dining areas etc are exceeding the curtilage of the property.

5                 That the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive write to Chief Constable of Lancashire Police requesting that Lancashire Police:

?      Enforce the rules and regulations around the use of bicycles and other prohibited vehicles using the pavement

?      Proactively enforce the laws around motor vehicles obstructing pavements and dropped kerbs.

 6.     That the Chief Executive reports back to Full Council on the responses received from Lancashire County Council and Lancashire Constabulary.

On being put to the vote the motion was CARRIED and it was RESOLVED accordingly.