Decision details

Council received a report to update members on the situation regarding the Heritage Lottery Bid for Rhyddings Park in Oswaldtwistle, and which included an arboricultural consultant’s report concerning the sequoia tree, situated at the entrance to the park.

In early January 2016 the Council had been notified that it had been successful in a Parks for People funding bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) relating to Rhyddings Park in Oswaldtwistle, a bid developed in conjunction with the Friends of Rhyddings Park. The HLF had been allocated £1,461,900 for the delivery stage of the project and the total value of the project, including in-kind funding and volunteer work, was £2m.

One element of the park refurbishment was the removal of the sequoia tree to facilitate the landscape improvements to the Rhyddings Street entrance of the Park. In late January 2016, a petition had subsequently been submitted to the Council asking for the tree to be saved. This had been discussed at the Council meeting on 24^th March 2016, when it had been agreed that an independent arboricultural consultant’s report would be commissioned in respect of the tree and the issue opened up for debate at Council.

That report was now submitted for debate, and Council was invited to make a recommendation to Cabinet, if it so wished, bearing in mind that Cabinet would make the ultimate decision whether to continue with the landscape plan or to change it any way in respect of the sequoia tree.

It was firstly put to Council whether it would, in fact,  wish to make a recommendation to Cabinet. A named vote was requested in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.5 and the vote was as follows:-

For:

Councillors Judith Addison, Lisa Allen, Jean Battle, Peter Britcliffe, Stephen Button, Clare Cleary, Lorainne Cox, Paul Cox, Munsif Dad, Bernard Dawson, Tony Dobson, Stewart Eaves, Diane Fielding, Melissa Fisher, Glen Harrison, June Harrison, Eamonn Higgins, Terry Hurn, Abdul Khan, Gareth Molineux, Ken Moss, Jenny Nedwell, Tim O’Kane, Bernadette Parkinson, Miles   Parkinson, Joyce Plummer, Kath Pratt, Jeff Scales, Paddy Short, Paul Thompson (30)

Against:

none

Abstentions:

none

The vote was unanimous for Council to make a recommendation to Cabinet in in respect of the landscape bid and specifically the future of the sequoia tree.

It was then proposed by Councillor Peter Britcliffe and seconded by Councillor Judith Addison,

“That it be recommended to Cabinet that the sequoia tree should not be removed and is retained as part of the refurbishment.”

A named vote was requested in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 16.5 and the vote was as follows:-

For:

Councillors Judith Addison, Lisa Allen, Peter Britcliffe, Tony Dobson, Glen Harrison, Terry Hurn, Kath Pratt, Paul Thompson (8)

Against:

Councillors Stephen Button, Lorainne Cox, Eamonn Higgins, Ken    Moss, Miles Parkinson (5)

Abstentions:

Councillors Jean Battle, Clare Cleary, Paul Cox, Munsif Dad, Bernard Dawson, Stewart Eaves, Diane Fielding, Melissa Fisher, June Harrison, Abdul Khan, Gareth Molineux, Jenny Nedwell, Tim O’Kane, Bernadette Parkinson, Joyce Plummer, Jeff Scales, Paddy Short (17)

Resolved                            (1)  That Council wishes to make a recommnendation to Cabinet in respect of the landscape bid; and

                                            (2)  That it be recommended to Cabinet that the sequoia tree should not be removed and is retained as part of the refurbishment.