South Ribble Borough Council, Planning Committee Meeting 26th March 2026
The main topic of the meeting was the planning application 07/2025/00922/FUL, which is related to the Land Off Victoria Road, Higher Walton Road, Chorley Road and Grove Road, Walton-le-Dale.
It discusses the proposed flood defence work and the removal of a row of Lime Trees on the ‘Land Off Victoria Road’. It also discusses the removal of the Commemorative Decorative Drinking Fountain, with no clear plan for its reinstatement.
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You can find the agenda for this meeting on the link below:
https://southribble.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=139&MId=4514
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Whilst the future of the Lime Trees on Victoria Road is now a fait accompli, the outcome for the Commemorative Decorative Drinking Fountain is vague and woolly, to say the least. The following is a slightly edited version of the YouTube transcript, regarding a question about the future of the Drinking Fountain.
“One more question with regard to Growth Lancashire. It’s been mentioned that Lancashire County Council haven’t been consulted. Growth Lancashire, is that Lancashire County Council and and what part of Lancashire County Council is Growth Lancashire?“
“Through the chair, no, Growth Lancashire are an independent organization and we for our part we employ them as our heritage advisor. We’re all qualified to to work on heritage things. They go into the nth degree. They have no objection to this and they are particularly fussy about it. Lancashire County Council archaeology team are a separate entity. They don’t have an issue with it either. But so we’ve consulted two heritage organizations both from their own their own points of view, and neither have that. And, I tend to be to work on the heritage work for this council. I wouldn’t have had an objection to it, but we did that as a fail safe. Um, just coming back on council councillor Green’s comment before about the water fountain. Condition three requires a methodology for resitting, for removal, cleaning, storage, and it has to be put back within 12 months of completion of the development. Thank you.”
Considering that nobody involved knew the history of the Lime Trees or the Fountain, I can’t see that anybody did anything to the “nth degree“.