SAVE CLITHEROE’S PUBLIC TOWN WELLS CAMPAIGN

This petition is prepared by Clitheroe Town Wells Conservation Campaign (CTWCC). We are a Community  Action Group formed from various Clitheroe organisations to secure a long term future for our town's three ancient former public wells: Heild Well  in Wellgate, St Mary’s Well in Well Terrace, and Stock Well at the foot of Parson Lane. To have one recognisable former public town well within a Parish Boundary, such as Clitheroe’s, is rare. To have three of these ancient Grade II Listed heritage assets is, possibly, unique.

In 2017 CCS invited RVBC to work in partnership with them to secure the future of all three ancient sites. This as they had successfully done in 2013-16 with the Palace of Westminster Pinnacle in the Castle Gardens here.  The offer to project manage   a comprehensive conservation and repair works project was submitted for RVBC’s consideration at the end of 2018. The only  requirement of them was their recognition of, and action on, the key issue of  formalising their 'de facto' responsibility  for all three wells by Registering them with the Land Registry (LR). At that date all three wells were unregistered. Without  a registered title it is virtually impossible to secure any significant funding or grant aid for such conservation projects. The significance was recognised and this inclusive approach was agreed  with the Chief Executive on 29th April 2019. Sadly, this decision was then almost immediately rescinded and only  one application - for Stock Well  - made in May 2019. This was accepted and a First Registration approved by LR in July 2019.

Since then RVBC’s Officers have directed Councillors to reject making any further applications to LR for Heild and Stock Wells. This on the grounds that to do so - in the absence of title deeds which have either been lost or possibly even never having existed - would be either ‘unethical and illegal’ or ‘a deception’. To date there has been no legal justification for this from RVBC and this despite the application for Stock Well being submitted with the statement that ‘‘it is not known how the deeds have come to be lost’. We can only conclude that our Local Authority simply wished to avoid its current, and its municipal forebears previous,  recorded  responsibilities for all of these ancient public wells.  

Legal opinion provided to CCS & CTWCC advises that the only issue which prevents our District Council from making application to LR is - 'the will to do so'! Having now reached an impasse with our District Council to work cooperatively with our Community Group, we now seek public support via this Petition.

Your views, and we hope support, for our belief that the only  body who can take responsibility for all three town wells  is RVBC is now sought. To date Officers have led the rejection of the historical  evidence assembled by CCS and turned their backs on the social, environmental, and  cultural significance of these ancient  heritage assets. By this petition - and other initiatives which can be  viewed on the CCS Website @  https://clitheroecivicsociety.org.uk/projects/town-wells.html and the CTWCC’s Face Book Page www.facebook.com/CTWWG - we seek to persuade our elected RVBC representatives  to direct their, and our, Officers to make the outstanding  applications to LR. Once Registration is achieved CTWCC & CCS will manage and secure most - if not all - of the cost of these works to secure the recognition and future that our  town wells deserve and in partnership with our  Local Authority and to everyone's benefit.

Please lend your support for this long overdue initiative to give pride of place to three of the oldest structures in the ancient Borough of Clitheroe. Without your support now,  these ancient heritage site will be lost to us and our Authority will continue to disregard their responsibility to respect and conserve the town's heritage assets.  

Steve Burke Dip.Arch (Oxf’d)

Conservation Architect (Rtd.)

Secretary

Clitheroe Town Wells Conservation Campaign

25th January 2021.