One of the longest standing item in my inbox (along with Chris and Dale’s) has been doing something about speeding traffic and pedestrian safety on West Chevin Road, which runs between Menston and Otley.

Following an extended delay due to local government bureaucracy an a very long wait for comment from the Ambulance Service, the Council is finally advertising a scheme which should make the residential part of this popular rat-run much safer.

I’m very pleased all this work (including considerable effort by local residents to keep things moving forward) is now coming to fruition and we can finally tell people on Viewlands that there is not much longer to wait!

Full details available here (pdf): West Chevin Road Safety Scheme

• Come to "Burley Library Consultation" 06 September from 19:30 to 22:30. Consultation meeting on Burley Library /… http://t.co/s0XVTy5 #

• Good to see 200 people turn out for parish council meeting on burley library this week. But are they all library members? #

At the Parish Council planning meeting on Monday it was announced that the Libraries Service had refused to have the plans on display in Burley Library. I contacted the head of the Council’s libraries service yesterday and have been assured that the plans will now be made available for viewing in the Library. I will let you know as soon as they are available.

Burley Library meeting

It was great to see so many people attend the planning meeting. There was some confusion at the beginning though – this was never intended to be a full scale consultation – that will be on September 6th. Understandably, some residents publicised the meeting very effectively but the Parish Council only became aware of that late on. Given that the Parish Council did not expect such a turnout, they did an admirable job. The larger hall was not available, I’m sorry people (including me!) had to stand but it was not within the Parish Council’s control, so not their fault.

The consultation meeting will be in the main hall and a microphone and full size display will be available, as will representatives of the Libraries Service.

Matt

The Co-op / Burley Library proposals are understandably generating a lot of interest, both for and against. In order to give everyone a say and ensure the co-op and the council can take local views into account, i have asked the Area Coordinators Office to support a Special Neighbourhood Forum on the issue. This will take place at the Queens Hall on Tuesday 6th September at 7.30pm. I am hoping the plans can be made available in the Hall earlier in the evening for viewing as well.

Artists impression of proposed building

The co-op does not want to run the library, contrary to the Gazette headline! The proposal is for Bradford Council to lease the library building to the co-op on a 99 year lease, with the co-op building a new library on the first floor. I have asked the developer and the Council to brief the Parish Council, which they will do tomorrow night. This meeting is open to the public, but is not a consultation. I have been assured that no decisions will be made before the consultation meeting on September 6th.

If you’d like to be kept informed of how this develelops and make sure you hve an opportunity to comment, you can add your email address here.

f you’re interested in the plans, more information (and discussion!) is available here:

• Ilkley Gazette – Co-op wants to take over Burley Library
• Ilkley Gazette – Growing Opposition to Library Plan
• Wharfedale Forums – Burley Library