JOE HENDRY WEBCHAT
Carlisle City Council leader answers your questions
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The new Labour administration has been in control of the city council for only 13 weeks. We feel we have done a ghreat deal in that period but we are aware that this is just the beginning and there is a lot of hard work and strategic planning to do. I am very keen to listen to the peoplle of Carlisle and learn from them their hopes and aspirations.
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Carlisle has very few, if any, large events that take place annually. This is a missed opportunity for the city and its businesses. What steps will you be taking to make Carlisle catch up with the small towns of Keswick with its excellent theatre and Lakes Alive events, Maryport with it’s Blues Festival, Cockermouth with it’s food festival and Kendal with it’s many music and arts events, to name but a few?
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Thank you for this. You make some very good points. I am aware that in this respect Carlisle has some catching up to do. However, we have demonstrated with the Olympic Torch, music in the city and especially entertainment in the city centre at the weekend that we need to make Carlisle much more events conscious. I believe that both the Olympic Torch and the forthcoming Tour of Britain cycle race will demonstrate to the wider world that we can handle such events very well indeed and as I have said many times, Carlisle is open for business.
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Blues - Personally I would like to see Carlisle Utd go into the Championship and as part of that ambition have a new stadium. Is that what Carlisle Utd supporters want? If so please tell the club that. The city council's overall priority is to ensure the health and prosperity of the city centre shopping. If that were to fail it would badly damage Carlisle. If Carlisle Utd and its partners at Kingmoor estate can produce a retail viability study that demonstrates that any development there would not be a threat to city centre retail and also provide finance for a new stadium then submit evidence to that effect as part of a future planning application. I believe the planning committee would find this evidence very helpful.
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Hi Joe
Over the last 30 years Carlisle has lost a lot of it’s character and heritage; ending up like any other faceless city with a characterless shopping centre, a city centre covered in block-paving and an area devoted to cheap pubs and takeaways. We could have been a mini York had our council made better decisions decades ago but instead we are a mix of a bland Milton Keynes and a downtrodden Blackpool.
What steps will you be taking to ensure we preserve the last of our heritage before it falls down or is burnt down and how do you think we can return some of our past character to the city? -
I am hopeful that the city centre is beginning to turn the corner as far as retail shopping is concerned. There has been a real buzz in the city in recent weeks, particularly at weekends. We are trying to create a good social atmosphere where people can come to the city centre not only to shop but to socialise and enjoy themselves.
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Joe all the labour party in Carlisle seem to be doing is resurrecting old conservative party ideas when are your party going to contribute some originality to this city we are in desperate need of a theatre in the city but we have to put up with performances in a gymnasium why is this and why convert an old Methodist hall into a theatre when we have an original theatre going to waste on Warwick road
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But Joe, all those events you gave as examples are/were one-offs. The city needs an annual event. Anyway, would you agree that Carlisle, the biggest city in Cumbria with an enormous catchment area, deserves a better live performance venue than a multi-function sports hall or a converted Methodist church with only a capacity of 300?
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I would like to hear people's views on how we can improve Botchergate. In the last few weeks the city council and the county council have agreed a land swap whereby the county council now owns William St and Cecil St car parks. This will allow them to go ahead with their new county council headquarters. The city council is undertaking a business feasibility study to see if it would be viable for the city council to move to the same location with a shared headquarters. We hope this will help to regenerate Botchergate and I would be happy to have any positive views and suggestions abot these proposals.
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Can you give a rough idea of when we can expect the Carlisle City Centre Transport Overview and Joint Parking Policy Statement which is being developed by the county, city council and local businesses to be made public and will any of the communities affected also be allowed any input into the plans?
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Geraldine - Our community neighbourhood team is working with local schools, community centres and the Sheepmount to encourage a whole range of sports activities for our young people. I am personally very committed to this as I ran for Glasgow athletics many many years ago. I shall do all I can to encourage this.
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Dr Hendry, now that you are in administration, what measures is the current administration taking to re-open the Waverly Viaduct to pedestrians and cyclists? The current planning permission for the 'Berlin Wall' barriers is due to expire in December, the City Council believing that that 'steel sheeting looks unsightly' and that it has a 'significant adverse impact on the character of the area and the listed viaduct'. Any other major city or minor city for that matter would have sorted this issue by now. What plans are you making for December with regard to the re-opening of the viaduct?
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Concerned - Personally speaking I understand your concerns. However, licensing of the sale of alcohol is a statutory provision that the regulation committee of the city council follows according to the legal requirements laid down by Parliament. It would depend, therefore, whether each application fulfilled these statutory requirements.
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Lakeuk - I find Carlisle a very attractive and quite beautiful city with many special attractions. I am a Carlisle convert and I think it is a wonderful place. However, I recognise that we have not always been good at publicising the good things we do. I realise we need to do better in the future. Thank you for your comments.
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Hi Joe
Over the last 30 years Carlisle has lost a lot of it’s character and heritage; ending up like any other faceless city with a characterless shopping centre, a city centre covered in block-paving and an area devoted to cheap pubs and takeaways. We could have been a mini York had our council made better decisions decades ago but instead we are now a mix of a bland Milton Keynes and a downtrodden Blackpool.
What steps will you be taking to ensure we preserve the last of our heritage before it falls down or is burnt down and how do you think we can return some of our past character to the city in order to attract more people to visit? -
Andrew - Thanks, Andrew. I would be very happy to seee the Waverley Viaduct reopen and I had several meetings with viaduct enthusiasts prior to the local elections in May of this year. We have had no further meetings with you but I would be happy if you would contact me and the local councillors to discuss this further. Just contact me at the civic centre. The phone number is 817000.
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