Accrington Railways - Robert Kenyon

February At a joint meeting of the Highways & General Works Committees, it was resolved the Borough Engineer prepare for submission to these Committees a draft scheme for the reconstruction of the Scaitcliffe Street Railway Bridge, and the necessary alterations to the surrounding streets. March In accordance with his instructions, the Highways & General Works Committee received the Borough Engineer’s alternative draft of schemes for improvements to the roadway passing under the LMS Railway’s bridge on Scaitcliffe Street. It was resolved the Chairman, Town Clerk and Borough Engineer should visit the Divisional Road Engineer of the Ministry of Transport in Leeds, with regard to these plans. May At another meeting of the Highways & General Works Committee, the Town Clerk reported that an application had been forwarded to the Minister of Transport, for the ‘formal’ classification of the roadway over the LMS lines at the Queens Road Railway Bridge, and that on receipt of this notice he would notify the County Council that the Corporation wished to retain the maintenance of this length of roadway. He then produced a letter from the LMS which contained a statement that they were not intending to exercise the powers inherited from the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Company, (Various Powers Act 1902), in so much as they referred to the stores land on the north side of the railway lines opposite the stores yard, comprising of 575 square yards, and forming a part of the Willow Mills site. It was resolved to pass this matter on to a Sub-Committee to deal with. July The Highways & General Works Committees as requested by the Sub-Committee had indeed considered the position arising out of the LMS decision, with regard to the acquisition of the land containing the stores yard land. It was resolved that the Committee should take up the offer made by the LMS in this matter. At a second meeting of the Highways & General Works Committee held in July, it was resolved following a report on the condition of the Scaitcliffe Street Railway Bridge and consultations with the Ministry of Transport that the Borough Engineer and the Town Clerk would meet with the officials from the LMS with regard to the proposed works. September The Borough Engineer reported to the Highways & General Works Committee on his discussions with the Chief Engineer of the LMS Railway Company on the subject of the Scaitcliffe Street Bridge. It was agreed that the Corporation would supply plans and detailed information to him, for the proposed widening of Scaitcliffe Street. Following this the Company would look fully into the position and indicate their views together with an estimate of the costs. November The Town Clerk submitted a sketch to a meeting of the General Works Committee which had been forwarded by the LMS Railway Company, of the design of the signs they hoped to fix to the Corporation’s lamp standards at four named junctions subject to permission being granted by the Watch Committee. It was resolved to approve the design and also the locations at which they were to be located. The Town Clerk then submitted a letter from the LMS stating that in the near future they were proposing to repair the superstructure of the Willows Lane Railway Bridge, and asking if the Corporation wished to take this opportunity to carry out any scheme widening to highway thereof. It was resolved the Borough Engineer would look into this matter and then report back. At a meeting of the Watch Committee, the Town Clerk submitted a letter from Councillor H. Johnson with regard to the dangers arising out of the way in which cattle were being driven away from the LMS sidings in Paxton Street, across Blackburn Road into King Street and to the abattoirs in Moreton Street. The Town Clerk was instructed to draft a reply to the effect that a draft Bye-Law designed to address this matter was approved by this Committee only four weeks previously, and was currently in the hands of the Home Office authorities. The Watch Sub-Committee met and the Town Clerk reported on an application by the LMS to erect station direction signs similar to those illustrated in a sample sketch, on the Corporation’s lamp- posts at the following locations - 1. The corner of Blackburn Road with Eagle Street. 2. The corner of Peel Street and Whalley Road. 3. The corner of Whalley Road and Broadway. 4. The corner of Whalley Road and Milnshaw Lane. It was resolved to allow this request subject to the approval of the Borough Engineer, and at an annual rent of 1 shilling each.

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