Carlisle City Council

Councillors in Carlisle have voted through a £3.6m redevelopment of the city's civic centre.

The project was discussed during the first full virtual council meeting held by the city council under lockdown and it's hoped work can start later this year.

The plans were developed over several years after the building flooded during Storm Desmond, and include removing building services and other features from the basement, and redesigning the ground floor so parts can be removed if floods happen again.

The octagonal structure will be replaced with a new space for council meetings, with furniture that can be moved so it can be used and let out for other purposes.

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This project has gone on long enough now, four-and-a-half years since the flood and we need to get it done."

Cumbria's county council and six district councils are getting more than £30m to help them deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, according to government figures.

The Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick announced an extra £1.6bn for councils in England, bringing the total to £3.2bn.

Cumbria County Council should get £25m, and £5m is being split between the districts.

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Carlisle councillors decided a number of planning applications this morning without being in the same room.

Instead they linked up by digital connections, to comply with the Covid-19 social distancing restrictions.

Carlisle City Council

The meeting of the development control committee under chairman councillor Raymond Tinnion dealt with a routine agenda, such as plan for a housing estate to a later date, and whether to allow a static caravan to remain in a new position.

You can watch a recording of it here.

Almost £19m has been given to Carlisle businesses as part of government-backed support during the coronavirus crisis.

At the other end of the county, more than 1,300 businesses in Barrow have been paid almost £3m, according to the borough council.

Carlisle City Council says it's awarded £18.84m of grants to 1,653 businesses after inviting all the eligible ones it was aware of to apply, and officials are inviting anyone who thinks they should have been invited to get in touch.

The money goes to firms eligible for the government’s small business grant fund or the retail, leisure and hospitality grant.

Carlisle City Council says its garden waste bin collections will resume next Monday.

The service will be gradually phased back in and households will get one collection every four weeks.

The council says social distancing guidelines mean fewer staff will be working on each collection round, meaning collections may take longer and happen at different times.

Staff at BBC Radio Cumbria are collecting a huge amount of information that could be useful during the current emergency and we are sharing it here through the day.

Carlisle City Council says all its play areas, open-air exercise areas, Multi-Use Games Areas and the Skate Park are closed until further notice. Their parks and green spaces will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.

North Cumbria Hospitals ask that if you're a patient attending an outpatient appointment please don't take anyone else with you unless it's absolutely essential.

Remember the trust has temporarily suspended hospital visiting for all but the most exceptional cases.

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If you can't order online or ask friends or relatives to run errands for you then lots of local groups have been set up to help with things like shopping, picking up prescriptions and phone befriending:

• The Ulverston group can be contacted on 01229 357951: They cover the LA12 postcode area and the Crake Valley only
• Wigton 07790676573
• The Northern Fells group - which covers a lot of villages in North Cumbria - is on 016974 77196.

The groups will also help if you are are self-isolating because you or someone in your household is showing symptoms.

If you missed a number or you want the number for your local group then call BBC Radio Cumbria on 0800 111 4950.

If you have to stay at home because of the coronavirus, it's important to take care of your mental health.

For tips on how to keep on top of your mental well-being and cope with how you may feel while at home, the NHS has advice here.

Cumbria Fire Serviceis asking all land managers not to undertake prescribed or controlled burns unless absolutely necessary to minimise potential for wildfires.

The service says it's already dealing with additional pressures and challenges due to the outbreak.

For the latest news and information about the virus and the new restrictions on people's movements go to the BBC news website or app.

Details of a bid for money for Carlisle from the government's Future High Streets Fund will be discussed at a meeting today.

The report going before the city council's executive includes the redevelopment of the site of the Central Plaza, as well as reconfiguring some roads.

Also listed are helping a developer to find new uses for buildings including the large former department store (pictured) which was formerly Bulloughs and then Hoopers before it fell empty a number of years ago.

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It could be small retail offer, it could be offices, it could be restaurants and cafes, I'm quite relaxed in terms of uses, it's about getting that building up and creating that footfall."

Carlisle needs to become less dependent on retail if its high street is to survive in the future, according to Jane Meek, the city council's corporate director for economic growth.

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The way people shop has changed over the years and as a consequence of that, there's less demand especially for the large retail developments or large retail outlets in the city centre."

The council is putting forward a range of proposals as part of a bid for funding from the government's Future High Streets Fund, with senior councillors discussing the final application on Monday.

The projects include work to prepare the old Central Plaza for redevelopment, bringing buildings like the former Bullough's department store back into use, improving the appearance of public spaces and introducing more housing and businesses to the city centre.

Officials put a price tag of around £18.5m on the programme, and the fund allows applications of up to £25m.

Carlisle Council's Conservative leader has called for "vital" flood defence works to be speeded up.

The £25m scheme was delayed last autumn due to wet weather.

Councillor John Mallinson said: "We need to see that efforts are redoubled, to make sure that the maximum amount of progress is made."

And the leader of the Labour group Colin Glover called for the Environment Agency to be given more resources.

He said: "We are asking the government to look at how we can fast track things to catch up on any delay."

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The council meeting last night passed a motion promising to work with other agencies to get it back on track.