Last updated 16:20, Sunday, 18 May 2008

THE Times & Star today launches a campaign to save the cobbles of Workington’s historic Portland Square.

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Our ‘Save Our Cobbles’ campaign aims to persuade Cumbria County Council that its plan to rip up the Georgian square’s 200-year-old cobbles - and replace them with something modern and supposedly safer on which to walk - will ruin part of Workington’s heritage.

The Times & Star has today launched an online petition at www.timesandstar.co.uk.

Workington MP Tony Cunningham said: “I will be the first to sign the petition because I am disgusted at what is being proposed.

“What kind of authority is it that will allow Fieldside House (the county council’s period town house formerly used as special accommodation) to fall into a semi-derelict condition while at the same time it sets aside £300,000 for a scheme which the people of the area do not want?”

The consensus view is that the cobbles must stay - and that if they are unsafe then they should be lifted and re-laid to a level finish as they were more than 40 years ago.

Mr Cunningham added: “My understanding is that the county council has set aside £300,000 for this work, which is the cost of putting down tarmac.

“It has also approached West Lakes Renaissance to ask them for further funding which will pay for a better scheme then tarmac.”

It is part of a £1 million county scheme to replace the area’s cobbles (probably with granite setts), trees and street lights.

Final proposals will be discussed at a Neighbourhood Forum on March 11 at 7pm in Workington Christian Fellowship Church.

The tree-lined square has houses which date back to the mid-18th century.

It is the heart of a conservation area in which residents have to fall in line with rules to ensure that the authentic Georgian character is maintained.

Retired businessman Ken Kirkwood of Winscales, chairman of Workington Rotary international group, was in a three-strong gang of Workington council labourers who last re-laid the square in 1964.

He said: “The job lasted two years - we lifted every cobble by hand, washed every one and re-laid them all in squares.

“We ended up with a job of which were all very proud - very proud to have maintained an important part of Workington’s heritage.

“I am disgusted at the suggestion that these cobbles should now be removed.”

Workington and District Civic Trust this week wrote to the North West Development Agency to ask why it should consider helping with a scheme in which people did not want to spend public money

Chairwoman Anne Burton said: “I hope we can succeed in retaining the cobbles. People have rightly said that if this was Bath or York, then no such scheme would be suggested.

“You don’t have to go far to see cobbles which are a part of our heritage, just as far as Silloth.

“We are also querying whether modern paving would stand the weight of heavy vehicles.

“We intend to see this through to the end and keep our cobbles - improvement work is certainly needed but that is often due to bad re-instatement.”

Coun John Heathcote, councillor for St John’s (including Portland Square) said: “We have not much left to remind us of our historic past in Workington.

“I came away from the consultation presentation with the feeling that the loss of the cobbles would be detrimental to the character and the historic interests of the conservation area. I hope that Allerdale council will oppose the idea.”

Allerdale council’s conservation officer Helen Brownlie is investigating whether the cobbles are authentic originals before making a judgement on their historical significance.

Joe Holliday, county councillor for the Portland Square area, said: “It is clear that something must be done about the cobbles - but what the preferred option is I will leave to the public. Their view must prevail.

“If I was asked for my professional advice, as a former county highways foreman, then it would be that cobbles are not suitable and do not meet modern safety standards for pedestrians.”

• If you share our belief that the cobbles should be saved use the form below to add your name to our petition OR email news@times-and-star.co.uk . Mark subject box Portland Square and put your name and address in the body of the message.

             We will present the names to the county council.