Trellis"Too pretty"!

An award-winning couple of keen gardeners who have been told by Lancaster City Council that their front garden looks "too pretty" think it's bloomin' ridiculous.

Barry and Betty Atack have been ordered to remove a trellis arbour of beautiful flowers from around the front door of their 200-year-old Lord Street cottage – and have been given a deadline of four weeks to take it down.

The council says the trellis "detracts from the architectural simplicity of the area" in Poulton village and "sets an unacceptable precedent".

But Barry and Betty, who have won trophies for their garden in the annual Morecambe In Bloom competition, are digging their heels in.

"This council clearly don't want Morecambe to be 'in bloom'," said Betty. "They don't want flowers in the gardens? It's potty! It seems that we're being victimised because our property looks good. We rang up the council and the lady said our garden was 'too pretty'. They also said 'we don't really want you to have hanging baskets either'.
"Our property is bought and paid for and the council are acting like they own it."

David Lawson, forward planning manager for Lancaster City Council, said the Atacks signed an agreement when they benefited from more than £6,000 worth of building work to their cottage through the Morecambe Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI).
Grant
"To ensure that the improvements gained through the THI are long lasting, all grant recipients are required to maintain their property in a manner consistent with the character, appearance and amenity of the area," he said. "This is a standard condition the likes of which are used on similar schemes throughout the country. In this case, the Conservation Officer considers that the trellis adversely affects the character and appearance of a building that has been radically improved with the THI grant and would set a precedent for other property owners to do likewise."

John Bates, of the Morecambe Neighbourhood Council – organisers of Morecambe In Bloom, said: "It is a rather pedantic interpretation of that particular clause in the contract. I'm sure the clause is not intended to apply to temporary decoration but rather to material change. The Atacks have contributed greatly over the years to the appearance of Morecambe and we will do everything in our power to ensure that this continues."