Protests held over '15 minute cities' at council meeting in Morecambe

Campaigners protested about controversial plans for '15 minute cities' during a meeting at Morecambe Town Hall.

The protesters sat in the public gallery at a Lancaster City Council meeting displaying signs which said 'Stop Zoning Morecambe' as councillors met to finalise budget plans for the next financial year.

A number of UK councils have put forward ideas for 15 or 20 minute cities - although Lancaster City Council is not one of them.

And a leading city councillor said there were no plans to use the idea for any specific areas in the Lancaster and Morecambe district at present.

The idea of 15 minute cities or low-traffic neighbourhoods would ensure residents would be just a short distance from accessing essential goods and services - to reduce traffic congestion and help the environment.

But this has proven controversial with some who believe it will force people to stay near their homes and infringe on civil liberties.

Councillor Gina Dowding, cabinet member for planning policy and a Green councillor, told Beyond Radio: “The 15 minute neighbourhood concept is simply about planning for the future to ensure that the services and amenities that people need and enjoy in their everyday lives can be easily reached and are accessible to everyone.  It’s not about preventing people from leaving their neighbourhood or removing their rights.

“We have no plans to use this idea for any specific areas at present and if it is something we ever wish to explore we will be making sure that there will be plenty of opportunities for local residents to have their say.

“Our adopted local plan, which was subject to many rounds of consultation and a public inquiry, sets out how much development is needed in the district over the next 10 years to provide the homes and jobs needed to support a growing economy.

"Accommodating this growth will require the exploration of new infrastructure and approaches to the way residents, visitors and businesses use the local transport network.  This will be achieved by providing the conditions where they have the opportunity to travel quickly and safely to access the services they need.  It will also improve choice through the provision of sustainable transport such as cycle, foot and public transport options.

“No decisions on how this will be achieved have been made and any plans for changes to traffic flows and regulations will be led by Lancashire County Council, as highways authority.

“Lancaster city centre already provides the majority of amenities that people require such as shops and GP services within walking distance, and the masterplan for the Canal Quarter reflects this fact.”

Councillor Caroline Jackson, leader of Lancaster City Council and a Green councillor, also spoke about the concept during a speech at Wednesday's meeting, held at Morecambe Town Hall.

"They mean somewhere where you can walk or cycle, or get to, so you can get our shopping or go to our library, or go to your doctor, all within 15 minutes' travel.

"It doesn't mean you're not allowed to go. It means you can get there easily."

Councillor Jackson was responding to Chris Dealtry, one of the campaigners, who spoke at the meeting.

A written speech, which he'd submitted to the council, raised concerns about '15 minute cities'.

During his actual speech, Mr Dealtry said it had been a "farce" getting to speak to councillors.

He said this was because members of the public have to write in, explaining the topic they want to talk about, if they wish to speak at a Lancaster City Council meeting.

Mr Dealtry also told councillors about his concerns over 'fake-green' policies.

"There are lots of people in the public who would like to speak with councillors," he said.

"Maybe we could arrange a more informal meeting at some point because we appreciate you have lots of formalities here. Maybe we can come up with something where us the public, can have a real public meeting with the councillors, something a bit more informal and friendly.

"We don't see much green growing, what we see is 'grey-technology'. Some of that is actually harmful.

"LED lights are not good for organic life. In the interests of ecological improvement, if you can remove some of the public wireless radiation, that would be great.

"What's really green, is visibly green. We need a lot of allotments, that will be real green and will tick lots of boxes."

Councillor Caroline Jackson, leader of the city council and a Green councillor, told him: "We didn't make (the rules about public speaking at council meetings) up because we like them. They are based in law and they imitate Parliament.

"Yes it is much better to have informal talks and we do actually have a system of conversations with anybody and everybody, that we've been doing since lockdown. We'd be very happy to have a conversation with you. 

"We've got a priority of taking action on the climate crisis. We do accept that you've got to think about it. There are many vested interests of what we do in the future to reduce our carbon, and some of them are not the best of interests.

"We've looked to use and invest in solar power. We think that's a good way forward.

"There are a lot of things that we are interested in and improving in, and making really green.

"I'm not going to comment on street lighting and the provision of BT monoliths and Wifi on buses and trains, you're not talking to the right people. The county council and the government deals with those things.

"Allotments. We love them. You've got it right, to get green, we need to get our fingers dirty. 

"There are many things you've said, I'm not going to comment on, but there are many things you'll find, that there are people here who agree with you."

Some of the campaigners at Morecambe Town Hall had joined a protest against plans for 'low traffic neighbourhoods' in Oxford on Saturday.

The idea of 15 minute cities caused controversy in Oxford when its council wanted to split the city into six different districts and introduce rules on how often motorists could drive outside their area in order to cut traffic congestion.

But some are outraged at the plans, saying zoning schemes damage small businesses, discriminate against families and low income groups in older cars, and increase pollution as they make journeys longer and create more traffic jams.

Others have more extreme views, claiming the idea is to control people and is part of a 'climate change con'.