Broadgate Blog Builds Community

The latest blog post on 'Broadgate Is Great' lists "85 ways to build community".

These are ways of building 'Social Capital', the invisible glue that holds communities together, makes people feel happier, and actually be healthier and live longer, better lives.

The list includes organising walking tours of local beauty spots, organising campaigns to defend community resources, going to local meetings and speaking up for your area, all activities we at 'Save The Ribble' became dab hands at in our campaign to keep our beautiful river free from the Riverworks Barrage.

It's nice to know that not only did we stop the barrage from being built (at least for the time being), but, without even realising it, we were also helping to build 'social capital' in the communities neighbouring the Ribble.

Broadgate Gets A New Community Blog

The Ribble-side community of Broadgate have a new blog, that will report on issues affecting local people in the area.

'Riversider', who helped 'Save The Ribble' set up the Save The Ribble Blog, a key part of our strategy to defeat the Ribble Barrage proposals, is one of the founders of the new Broadgate blog.

He said

"The blog called Broadgate Is Great is a blog that will keep everyone up to date with what is happening in Broadgate and the work of the Broadgate Residents Action Group. It will give everyone in Broadgate a chance to have their say about the things that matter most to them.

The blog wants to paint a positive picture of Broadgate, without shying away from some of the more difficult issues affecting the lives of local people, it wants to build inclusiveness and strengthen the sense of community that already exists in the area, and hopefully add to the quality of life of everyone who lives here"

The blog's 'mission statement' says:

Broadgate stretches from the Continental Pub, all the way to the docks including Hartington Road and Marsh Lane, and up Fishergate Hill to County Hall. All kinds of wonderful people live here. It's a place people stay once they've found it.

Broadgate means everyone in Broadgate, no matter where you started out, no matter what your colour or creed, no matter whether you are young or old. Let's find ways to live together and make our area the best place to live in Preston.

The blog has already carried news about new developments at the Continental pub, and about controversy surrounding press coverage of the closure of the Alma Hotel on Fishergate, as well as a great article exploring the history of the North Union Bridge, one of the finest Victorian bridges spanning the Ribble.

Council Votes To Ignore Flood Risk to Preston Residents

Preston City Council has voted today by 28 votes to 25 AGAINST a motion from Riversway Councillor Jack Davenport to "suspend further work on Riverworks until the flood risk assessment can be completed" - this assessment, due out next month, looks at the flood risk posed to existing houses by the river, such as those in Walton Le Dale, Frenchwood, Broadgate and Penwortham.

Jack Davenport argued that "Flooding concerns are more important than Riverworks and suspending work shows that we are taking the flood concerns seriously, there will be no cost to us if we delay the work in favour of making sure our residents are safe and protected"

Mayor Christine Abram, said the matter could be dealt with at the next full council meeting on October 18. Coun Davenport, said: "Better hope it doesn't flood before that, Christine."

Lancashire Evening Post Coverage Here

74% of local people voted AGAINST the idea of the Riverworks Ribble barrage and housing plans in a recent LEP poll,

By voting to oppose this motion, the council has shown that it puts the wishes of those greedy developers behind the Riverworks Barrage and Housing proposals ahead of the interests of local people, and ahead even of the need to protect local people from the flood risks in the area, exacerbated by our increasingly wet weather and our old and shoddy flood defences, a flood risk that would be greatly increased by building a barrage across the Ribble, and thousands of houses in it's flood plain, as is suggested in the Riverworks proposals.

It seems that since developers stand to make £millions from this irresponsible scheme, the council is not going to let things like the flood risk to local people stand in their way.

What is encouraging is that 25 councillors ARE now concerned about the threat of floods, and we hope that this number will increase as local people continue to show their opposition to this deeply irresponsible assault on our environment, and on the safety and quality of life of local residents.

Invest In Flood Defences Not A Barrage!

Jack Davenport, Preston City Councillor for Riversway ward, called in a letter in the Lancashire Evening Post today for money that the Council and Vision Board are planning to waste on feasibility studies into the unwanted Ribble Barrage, to be used instead on investigating the improvement of Preston's flood defences.

His call is underlined by disastrous flooding in Hull, Doncaster, Tewkesbury, Gloucester and many other parts of the UK.

Even a cursory visual inspection of the 'panel and post' flood defences along Broadgate shows that they are old and showing worrying signs of deterioration.


This is just one of a number of pillars with large vertical cracks.

Here are a few more:








It seems likely that in winter when water turns into ice inside these cracks, it will cause them to worsen.


This is where a small vertical crack meets a horizontal crack in one of the panels, that extends for several feet.


Tree roots are also making their way beneath the flood barrier and breaking the pavement on the other side.




The faces of some of the panels are worn, showing rusty steel underneath.


Despite recent flash flooding, the council has done nothing to clear blocked drainage in the area.

The flood defences protect a large amount of local housing.

We at Save The Ribble are not experts on Flood Defences, but we share residents' concerns about these cracks, and about the post and panel flood defences that should now be upgraded given the clear threat of flooding when the river is in spate, a risk that any kind of obstruction in the river, like a barrage, can only exacerbate.

Riversway & Middleforth Election Candidates Blast Ribble Barrage and Green Belt Building Proposals

Riversway in Preston and Middleforth in Penwortham are two seats up for re-election where local residents have expressed strong opposition to the proposed Ribble barrage and massive housing and business development ideas earmarked for the Green Belt and floodplain area on the Penwortham side.

Riversway has one council seat up for grabs in the Preston City Council Elections, May 2007. The ward includes the Broadgate area, which is one of the areas that will be most affected by the increased flood risk and other adverse side effects of the Riverworks Barrage and the associated floodplain housing proposals. The issue of the barrage could be crucial in deciding who is elected.

Now we have clear statements on Riverworks from the two main candidates in the election.

Sitting Councillor, former Mayor Bhikhu Patel in the latest 'Riversway Labour Rose' seems to speak for all 3 Labour councillors in the ward when he says

"We have recently carried out an extensive consultation regarding the Vision Board's proposals for developing the docks and the barrage across the River Ribble. We support the views of the residents who are against the proposal to build the barrage"

Bhikhu says he is more in touch with local residents because he is the only candidate to actually live in the Broadgate area.

Meanwhile, former councillor Elaine Abbot, the Respect Party candidate for the area has blasted Preston City Council and the Vision Board for the Barrage in local information sheet 'Broadgate News':

"Consider the Ribble Development plans. Who are the Preston Vision Board, and does any member live in your area? I doubt it. They are a small number of unelected people with a clear interest in going against the wishes of residents. Their views are clouded by their aim to bring big business to Preston. Yet Preston Council claims it is consulting with us on this issue.

Respect supporters point out that while individual Labour councillors are now making statements against the barrage, their party leaders (and the leaders of the Tories and Liberals) on the Preston City Council Cabinet still back the proposals and point to the fact that Labour MP David Borrow sits on the Vision Board and is thus part of the quango pushing the barrage idea.

Both Bhikhu Patel and Elaine Abbott have done useful things to help the Save The Ribble Campaign, we leave it up to the local voters to decide who they believe will fight most determinedly against the Ribble Barrage and Housing ideas when they cast their votes.

Here is a link to Save The Ribble's official position on the May elections

The other candidates in the Riversway ward are Wilf Gavin (Liberal Democrat) and Ronnie Smith (Conservative) we have not heard anything from these candidates about their position on these issues yet, and invite these candidates to share their views on the Ribble Barrage and housing plans with the people of Riversway by commenting below, or emailing us - we will give Wilf and Ronnie's positions equal prominence to Bhiku and Elaines, once we actually know what they are...

This was the result in the last Riversway ward council seat election in 2006:

Crompton Linda Labour 501

Abbot Elaine Elizabeth Respect 318

Gavin Wilfred Ronald Lib Dem 221

Balshaw Jane Conservative 196

Meanwhile, in Middleforth - the Penwortham Ward at high risk from the potential impacts of the barrage and building developments being proposed for the Penwortham Green Belt and floodplain - both the Labour candidates and the Conservatives have made strong statements about these proposals.

David Bretherton and Gaynor Bretherton, the current Labour Councillors for the ward, are standing for re-election. In their latest election newsletter, they state:

'They want to see the green spaces in Middleforth improved and maintained';

'They DON'T want a barrage on the River Ribble';

'They want to see the river tidied up for the benefit of the wildlife and enjoyment of visitors'.


The South Ribble Conservative newsletter makes it clear they are 'committed to fighting ANY moves to build on our green fields and open spaces'.

Still no word from the Lib Dems in this Ward...

Contact us at savetheribble@tiscali.co.uk and let us know what YOUR candidates are saying - and contact us if you are a candidate with views on the Riverworks "Visions" for our river and green spaces...