posted 7pm, Friday 20 December
Reopening of the cordons today will allow pedestrian access as well as residential and business access permitted from this evening from 7pm onwards. Access up to St Mary’s Court including Spar, Platos, Gathered and Mill House Cottages from Main Street and access to The Sun Inn from Market Street only. There will be no through access for pedestrians between Market Street and Main Street over the weekend. We will keep the community updated on further access arrangements.
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The community support centre has remained in St Mary’s Church this week. This is being manned by local volunteers from 9am to 5pm daily with support from Westmorland and Furness Council officers. Please feel free to call in for help and advice. The centre is welcoming of people of all faiths and people with no faith. Anyone unable to visit in person can call 015242 36404.
After today, the centre will be open 10am to 3pm on Monday 23 December, Friday 27 December and Friday 3 January.
The Go Fund Me page set up by Lunesdale Hall (Institute) charitable trust working with Kirkby Lonsdale Community Recovery Partnership and Cumbria Community Foundation has closed.
At the request of the Kirkby Lonsdale Community Recovery Partnership, Cumbria Community Foundation has launched the Kirkby Lonsdale Fire Disaster Recovery Appeal to help support the immediate and long-term recovery of people affected by the fire.
The appeal has been launched with a donation of £50,000 from Westmorland and Furness Council.
- The appeal is focussed on individual hardship caused by the fire and will broadly support the following:
- People who have lost their homes and possessions to the fire and been displaced, and
- People who are suffering hardship due to business closure linked to the fire and the loss of income to their households.
- If funds allow, community recovery activities
To donate to the Fund, please click here
To find out more about the fund, please click here.
The initial application round for immediate grants has now closed and CCF are now reviewing applications and making payments. Seventy applications are being processed and distributed.
Parking in Westmorland and Furness Council-run car parks – New Road 1, New Road 2 and Market Square – will be free to use until January 14. Parking off Wellington Court, adjacent to the A65 and before the Lunesdale Surgery (with the exception of the specified staff parking bays) if offered throughout December as temporary unrestricted parking with immediate effect. The Booths main store car park remains one hour free with an option to purchase a second hour as normal. Please note that the Lunesdale Surgery parking is for patients of the doctor’s surgery only. Our thanks go to Booths for their ongoing support to the community and the economic recovery of the town.
While the cordon is in place, temporary loading bays have been created in Market Square to support businesses in Main Street and Market Street whose loading arrangements have been disrupted. Anybody parking in Market Square is asked to use the spaces off Wellington Court if they are staying longer than an hour, to keep spaces available for shoppers.
Please park considerately around the town and within the car parks, do not block narrow lanes or passing places and make use of the free parking arrangements across the town
Further to the completion of the scaffolding at the eastern end and installation this afternoon of the necessary protective concrete blocks, the council is now in a position to open Mill Brow to light goods vehicles and pedestrians from Monday. A one-way traffic and weight restrictions to 3.5 tonnes will be in place from the end of Ruskin Drive through Horse Market and up to the top of Mill Brow to enable a circulation of local traffic to take place as safely as possible. Exemptions to the restrictions for emergency service vehicles will be included to ensure they have access to properties and they are able to pass the Spar and line up in the wider turning head to get down Mill Brow. Full signage will be installed as soon as possible to accompany the reopening. Parking bays on Main Street will be suspended and coned off to deter vehicles from circling repeatedly to try and access one of a few usually available limited waiting parking spaces.
New guests arriving to stay in Kirkby Lonsdale are encouraged to check travel arrangements ahead of arrival to ensure they are can access accommodation providers due to diversions in place. Visitors are also encouraged to park over the weekend and throughout the festive period at Wellington Court free of charge to ensure short term visitors have access to car parks closer to the town centre. Speak to your accommodation providers if you need further information.
Mitchelgate is open – but only open ONE WAY – so please drive with care and follow the diversions and signs.
Businesses in Kirkby Lonsdale are holding late-night opening events until 7pm on Friday and Monday December 23. Monday night will feature a performance from Drum Nation.
The improvement works on Hophouse Lane are now completed. Thank you to the community and residents for working with the council while these works were being delivered this week.
Join the Kirkby Lonsdale Brass Band for a festive afternoon at St Mary’s Church from 4pm on Saturday. Free entry, retiring collection, mince pies and raffle. All proceeds to the Kirkby Lonsdale Fire Disaster Impact Support Fund.