Cockermouth and District Civic Trust

11/06/2026

COCKERMOUTH FLOOD DEFENCES - OLD COURTHOUSE BUILDING
The Environment Agency, (EA), has provided the Civic Trust with a formal statement relating to the funding they have this financial year in respect of the work required at the Old Courthouse for flood protection purposes. We have included it below. It is in line with what we included in a recent Civic Trust post

“The EA has recently been asked some questions about some money that has been allocated for flood defence work in Cockermouth from local news and has provided the following;

Using funding allocated this year we are undertaking investigation work to identify the works required at the Old Courthouse to protect the community from flooding.

The results of this investigation will inform a plan to deliver the required works to provide a long-term flood defence at this location, which will inform decisions on costs and timescales to achieve the required flood defences.

We will continue to keep the local community informed and will share these plans as soon as we are able.

In the meantime, we are maintaining our temporary defences at the location of the Old Courthouse and remain ready to respond as required to protect the community.

The owner of the building remains responsible for securing and stabilising the structure and ensuring that no debris obstructs the river channel.”

23/05/2026

OLD COURTHOUSE UPDATE
It’s now around 5 years since the Civic Trust first reported cracking in the rear section of the Old Courthouse after a high river level undermining the building, (2021), 4 years since the building was sold by auction, (2022), and coming up to 3 years since the rear section collapsed, (2023). Yet we believe there are no firm plans in place to remedy the situation despite the enhanced risk of flooding to the town, the continuing eyesore and the likely loss of an important grade II listed building.

On a more positive note, the Environment Agency have reported that,
- They have emergency flood protection arrangements available behind the Courthouse building in the event of high river levels and a perceived risk of the river breaching the building itself.
- They have developed contingency plans to remove debris from the river in the event of a further significant building collapse into the river, potentially using a crane on Cocker Bridge
- They are currently undertaking further inspections and studies to determine options to enable them to permanently reinstate the flood protection along the river. Clearly any piling operations with the building in its current state would risk further building collapse and risk to the workforce.
The Environment Agency have agreed to keep us informed on progress.

The EA are clear that it is the building owner’s responsibility for securing and stabilising the building structure and for ensuring that no debris obstructs the river channel.

23/05/2026

UPDATE ON POLLARDING OF TREES IN COCKERMOUTH TOWN CENTRE
The Civic Trust has now received a response from Cumberland Council concerning our formal complaint about the pollarding of trees on Main Street AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. They say that:

- The pollarding was not illegal and was carried out in line with relevant guidance and legislation.
- Although the trees are in a Conservation Area, planning permission is not required.
- The works undertaken are appropriate for Lime Trees and are not detrimental to their long term health.
- Prior to any work taking place, the contractor carried out checks to ensure that there were no active bird nests present, ensuring full compliance with wildlife legislation.
- They have only undertaken the safety critical work to trees obstructing the pedestrian crossings.
- Additionally, the works were to ‘reduce a slippery footway surface’.

It is important to note that the Civic Trust fully understands the routine need to pollard the lime trees every 4 to 6 years. This is important to stop the trees growing too big, maintaining the tree shape and keeping the trees healthy. Our expert advice is that the best time to prune lime trees in the UK is during winter, typically November to February when they are fully dormant. Pruning in Spring should be avoided because lime trees can bleed sap heavily. Autumn pruning should also be avoided as this encourages soft new growth that may not harden before frost.

Whilst we acknowledge that the Local Authority can undertake tree work without formal planning permission, this has to be undertaken under the authority of the Council Planning Department, who we should expect to apply the same rules as would be applied to submissions by the general public. We contend that either the Highways Department are exceeding their legal authority or the Planning Department are being irresponsible in authorising work that may damage the trees and would not be allowed at this time of year for an application from the general public.

The Council argument that the Council only undertook work to trees obstructing the pedestrian crossings as an emergency action is not defendable when you examine which trees have been pollarded, (e.g. one in Market Place, several in a row on Main Street). Gentle targeted pruning may have been more prudent anyway rather than heavy pollarding.

We also expect our Council to respect their own Conservation Area Character Appraisal and Design Guide which identify the rows of lime trees on Main Street as key to the character of the Conservation Area, which the Council has a legal duty to ‘maintain and enhance’. Pollarding in May is not appropriate and is detrimental to the image of our town.

We also note that trees in Silloth have also been recently pollarded. These are not near zebra crossings or slippery surfaces. We wonder what the people of Silloth think of this.

It’s true that what is done can’t be undone. However, the Civic Trust considers that this untimely tree pollarding is an undesirable precedent and we intend to keep pressure on the Council to ‘act responsibly ’.

22/05/2026

CIVIC TRUST MEMBERS’ VISIT TO WHITEHAVEN
Members of the Civic Trust had an interesting, historical walking tour of Whitehaven this morning led by Mike James, a volunteer at the Beacon Museum. This was a follow-up to a talk given by Mike to members at our meeting last December. The Beacon Museum organises walking tours round the town during the summer season which we recommend if you are interested.

From the Beacon, we first visited the Market Place, the original centre of the Whitehaven, then a small fishing village. We then proceeded to explore the Georgian architecture of the surrounding streets, built to a strict design code imposed by Lord Lowther in the 18th century. Finally we leant about the industrial heritage centred on coal and iron ore, ship building and harbour import and export activities.

13/05/2026

POLLARDING OF TREES ON MAIN STREET

A row of trees have been heavily pollarded on Main Street in Cockermouth, presumably by Cumberland Council or their agents, see photos. This is illegal because permission is required to pollard trees in the Conservation Area from Cumberland Planning Authority, OR, if permission has been obtained, the advice is illegal as it is totally inappropriate to pollard trees at this time of year and a timing constraint should have been issued*.

The best time to pollard is late winter/early spring. Late spring and summer, when there is active growth and sap flow, should be avoided for the health of the tree, potentially causing serious harm. The bird nesting season from March until the end of July should also be avoided.

The late pollarding of the trees leaves the trees in a poor and unsightly state into the summer season. The Conservation Area Appraisal for Cockermouth recognises the tree-lined street as a major part of the character of the town and the trees therefore deserve proper protection.

We have written to both Cumberland Council and Cockermouth Town Council expressing our concerns, demanding an explanation and asking that no more of the street trees are pollarded at this time. If you share our concerns, you may wish to write to Cumberland Council** or your Cumberland Councillor, Helen Tucker.

* Under the Town and Country Planning Act, it is a legal requirement to give six weeks written notice to the Local Planning Authority before carrying out ANY work, including pollarding, on trees in a conservation area. Carrying out such work without notification is a criminal offence.

**you can raise the issue formally with Cumberland Council as a complaint by navigating to:
https://www.cumberland.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-transport/streets-roads-and-pavements

09/05/2026

CIVIC TRUST CASTLE TOUR TICKET ISSUE REMINDER, SAT 23RD MAY
Tickets for the castle tours on 12th, 13th and 14th June, all at 2pm, can be obtained from Cockermouth Library from 10am on Saturday, 23rd May. Demand is usually high. Tickets cannot be ordered or reserved by telephone so please do not try ringing the Library.
Please note that,
- Tickets must be ordered and collected in person on the day with a maximum of 4 tickets per applicant.
- Access to the castle Inner Bailey is not easy with steep steps and high drops, so all ticket holders need to be reasonably fit and flexible and wearing sensible footwear. The tour is not suitable for children under seven or pets.
- If you or anyone in your party subsequently can’t attend, please let the library know so that the tickets can be reallocated.
- Tours are free of charge but afterwards you will be asked if would like to make a voluntary charity donation, cash only. The donations will be equally divided between the Civic Trust, Hospice at Home West Cumbria and the Friends of Cockermouth Hospital.

For information- we are also giving a presentation about the castle tour at the Kirkgate Centre, this coming Monday May 11th, 6pm. Tickets from the Kirkgate Centre Trust.

08/05/2026

SITE MEETING WITH SAINSBURY’S

Members of the Civic Trust had a site meeting with Sainsbury’s management, corporate and local, on Wednesday 6th May, in conjunction with members of the Town Council. We have been seeking such a meeting for a long time and so it was very gratifying to at last have a very positive meeting. Our focus was clearly on both the forecourt area, which has been fenced off for so long, and the general condition of the building, which is detrimental to the image of Sainsbury’s and Cockermouth itself. We also asked that Sainsbury’s be more open in liaising with the local community, which appeared to be well received. Some of the meeting outcomes follow:

- Sainsbury’s expect to start work on repairing the forecourt by the end of May. They will be using existing slabs and like for like replacements where necessary.
- We have asked that they make the forecourt area more user friendly with greenery, seating, etc, and make the area potentially usable as a community event space.
- We also asked that they consider incorporating more reference to the historical usage of the site as Mitchell’s livestock auctions, the pioneer of modern day auctions worldwide*. The existing statue has completely lost this connection with the loss of the hand and gavel. We offered to produce one or two public information panels in the style of the other panels that we have installed across the town.
- Sainsbury’s agreed to consider general repair work to the building itself, including degraded and rusty pillars, faded signage, etc. In respect of signage, we asked that they comply with the shop front and signage design guide for the Conservation Area, [The sign itself should constitute separate letters attached or painted on].
- We suggested that the large south facing roof on the building would be appropriate for solar panels.

Sainsbury’s agreed to keep both the Civic Trust and the Town Council fully informed and involved as plans evolve.

*Robinson Mitchell, born 1821, started taking open bids from would-be customers on the Fairfield. This is believed to be the foundation of the modern method of auctioneering worldwide. In 1865, he had a purpose-built auction mart built on what is now the Sainsbury’s site. This was believed to be the first purpose-built livestock auction in the country.

08/05/2026

HERITAGE TALK: Our Chairman is giving a talk about Cockermouth Castle, Monday, 11th May, 6pm

Heritage Talk: Cockermouth Castle with Phil Campbell

Monday, 11 May, 6pm

Phil Campbell, Chairman of the Cockermouth and District Civic Trust, will guide you through Cockermouth Castle, exploring it’s history and development. Cockermouth Civic Trust have been leading historical tours of the castle since 2011.

03/04/2026

COCKERMOUTH CONSERVATION AREA DESIGN GUIDES
- Links now available from the Civic Trust Website

Cockermouth Town Centre sits within a designated Conservation Area, meaning that all works to buildings, from routine repairs to new shop fronts and extensions, are subject to planning controls to preserve and enhance its special character. Two guidance documents, published by Cumberland Council, set out what is expected of anyone carrying out such works and are available on the Cumberland Council website. Links to these documents have now been provided on the Cockermouth Civic Trust Website under ‘About The Trust - Design Guides’.

- The ‘Conservation and Design Guide’ provides broad advice covering the full range of building works within the Conservation Area.

- The ‘Shopfront Design Guide’ focuses specifically on the ground-floor commercial frontages that define Cockermouth’s shopping streets.

These guides make clear that Cockermouth’s character depends on the cumulative quality of individual buildings and shopfronts. Planning permission, Listed Building Consent and Advertisement Consent may all be required depending on the nature of the works and early contact with Cumberland Council’s planning and conservation teams is strongly advised before any project begins.

Discover the Cockermouth & District Civic Trust's work to protect the heritage and history of Cockermouth and the surrounding area.

27/03/2026

CONGRATULATIONS STATION MINI MARKET

The Civic Trust would like to thank and congratulate Auder Sangsary of Station Mini Market for the major improvement to the looks of his shop frontage, see the comparison photos below. It just shows that a very simple change can make a massive difference to how well the shop fits in with the character of Cockermouth Town Centre and its Conservation Area. We hope others will agree.