Lancashire County Council (LCC) is gathering views from individuals, groups, organisations, and businesses to help shape the 2025–2035 Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP). The consultation questionnaire can be found here. The deadline for survey responses is 5pm, 16 January 2026.
Public Rights of Way are legally protected routes that the public can use to walk, cycle, ride horses or drive vehicles (where permitted), across both countryside and urban areas. These include footpaths, bridleways, byways and other designated paths that support access, recreation and connectivity. Your feedback will help LCC ensure the updated RoWIP reflects the current needs and priorities of Lancashire’s communities.
You might find it useful to see the 2015-2025 RoWIP, available here.
Source: Liz Unsworth, Silverdale Parish Council / Lancashire County Council Website.
A magnitude 3.4 earthquake shook homes in Silverdale on Wednesday night, 3rd December.
The tremor, with an epicentre just off the shore in Silverdale, struck shortly after 23:23 and was felt across northern Lancashire and the southern Lake District.
Residents reported floors and walls shaking and, because of how close Silverdale was to the epicentre, the earthquake was accompanied by a loud boom.
Some residents thought their roofs were collapsing or that there had been a big explosion nearby but it appears that the earthquake has caused no damage.
The Community Car Scheme needs YOU!
We are a volunteer car scheme operating here in Silverdale. We urgently need more local volunteer drivers to ensure the scheme can continue. Could you volunteer, just now and then, and help our local residents get to health appointments in the area between Kendal and Lancaster?
For further details, contact Julie Pole on 01772 516208.
Operated by Lancashire Community Car Scheme/Preston Community Transport.
Source: Poster.
Lancaster City Council have embarked on a review of their Local Plan and have published a new timetable for its preparation under the newly emerging plan-making system. The first stage of this new process is called ‘Scoping and Early Participation’. This stage allows the Council to explore the broad scope of the Review, including what issues it should focus on, and allows interested parties to comment on that scope. It also provides the Council with further opportunities to promote their work on the local plan and the importance of participation throughout its process, ensuring it is shaped by the local community and all interested parties.
Visit the council’s Local Plan Review Hub to find out more and comment. There will also be a drop-in consultation event on November 15 in Silverdale – see this site’s one-off event listings for further details.
Source: Lancaster City Council
At the close of our 2025 season, we’ve tallied up and we’ve donated over £3300 to West End Impact, over £700 to The Gaskell Memorial Hall, and we have just over £700 in our Silverdale fund which we will soon share out between a few local projects.
These will include something wildlife-friendly for the St John’s Church community garden (maybe a solar fountain) and a donation towards the Methodist Eco Church initiative. In addition, we are looking at a couple of other ideas – more to follow on that as things evolve!
We may also reinvest a small portion of the funds towards extra compost and seeds to boost the most popular seedlings for our next season, to help everyone start growing food again in the spring.
So a big big thankyou from our group of volunteers to everyone who’s participated and contributed on the garden surplus stall, and made 2025 such a great season – we’ll catch up with you in the spring.
Source: Fen Tratt, Silverdale Garden Surplus, Facebook
In their October newsletter Friends of Silverdale Community Post Office (FOSCPO) announced the news that Silverdale Post Office is set to re-open and the village is to benefit from an expanded pharmacy providing a wider range of services, securing its future. In addition, there is a possibility of a volunteer run Community Shop. For details click here to see the full newsletter. See also the related news item about the pharmacy, https://silverdalelancashire.uk/silverdale-pharmacy-update/.
Source: FOSCPO, www.foscpo8.wordpress.com
Dear Silverdale residents,
We are excited to be able to share some good news with you. A lease agreement to re-open the Silverdale Post Office has been reached with the landlord, and an operating licence agreed in principle with The Post Office Ltd. The joint re-opening will happen after The Silverdale Pharmacy has moved across Emesgate Lane, from its present premises to the Post Office building, hopefully in November. Both services will then operate together with the same staff and opening hours.
Additionally, the current pharmacy premises will become available to the Silverdale Community Society Ltd. (established by Friends of Silverdale Community Post Office Association) to be used as a Community Shop & Hub.
We are very pleased to be working in partnership with the local community to develop both the Post Office and Pharmacy services and to help establish a new voluntary centre for the benefit of local people and businesses.
We look forward to welcoming you to our newly re-furbished establishment, and to offering enhanced pharmacy and Post Office facilities to the area. Meanwhile, please do ask us, in the existing pharmacy, for any further information.
With best wishes,
Ash & the Silverdale Pharmacy Team, and Irfan Balapatel
Source: Silverdale Pharmacy Via Friends of Silverdale Community Post Office
Silverdale needs more On-Call Firefighters. If you live within 8 minutes of the station, and are interested in learning more come and speak to us any Wednesday evening 19.00-21.00.
Source: Silverdale Fire Station, Facebook
The small car park next to Silverdale station has introduced a parking charge of £2 / day + 20p fee payable via RingGo (app or phone).
Source: Car Park Sign
The Arnside & Silverdale Grants Fund is a small, local grants fund aimed at supporting projects which provide a public benefit and are directly related to the landscape – these projects could be focused on the history and heritage of the area, nature recovery or helping people get out and enjoy and appreciate this special place.
We welcome applications of up to £4,000, and applications are open.
We have information about the fund on our website https://www.arnside-silverdale.org.uk/grants/arnside-silverdale-grants-fund
Source: Caroline Howard, Arnside & Silverdale National Landscape
The Wolf Cafe has opened this week on the former site of Wolf & Us. Normal hours are Wed-Sun 10:00-16:00.
Source: The Wolf Cafe.
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Friends of Silverdale Community Post Office (FOSCPO) report that a commercial entity with Post Office experience, a good track record, and knowledge of the village has emerged, and is keen to take on the Silverdale Post Office and expand its offering. However, it is likely to be some months still before the Post Office counter re-opens. Full details are available on the FOSCPO website.
Source: FOSCPA.
Residents and visitors should be aware that new parking regulations are now in force at The Shore and that parking is strictly forbidden between sunset and sunrise. If parking on the Shore, residents and visitors should heed the blue Cumbria Parking Services signs, which have information about parking fees and how to pay by Ringo (mobile app or call).
Some background:
Recently, at the request of residents, the Parish Council (with the permission of Cllr Houghton the landowner) erected a new sign warning visitors that overnight stays are not allowed on the Shore. However, this was being ignored, and there has been a rise in the number of vehicles camping on the Shore overnight, causing disturbance to both wildlife and residents, and an unpleasant increase in waste; both canine and human.
At the Parish Council June 2025 meeting, several residents voiced their concerns about overnight parking on the shore. Standing Orders were suspended to allow residents to take part in a full discussion, and for the landowner, to explain what measures had been taken over the past two years to deter overnight parking. Residents and councillors agreed that the recent monitored parking system had provided a solution, however, the private company involved had not obtained planning permission and, following wide-ranging objections, the monitoring equipment was removed. The Minutes of the meeting recorded: “The general feeling was that the landowner should not close off the parking, but control of the parking is essential.”
Source: Liz Unsworth, Silverdale Parish Council
Silverdale Renaissance, a small local group of music enthusiasts, has put on five top-class early music concerts in St John’s church in Silverdale, and a singers’ workshop at the Educational Institute at Arnside.
We are run entirely by volunteers. We have no income but what we get from ticket sales or grants. We have an ambitious plans ahead, but putting on events is expensive, and we want to keep the ticket price down so more people can come. We need to raise money to subsidise our costs.
We have launched a crowd-funding appeal. If we can raise enough this way from our supporters and the local community, Lancashire Culture and Arts Fund will consider match-funding, which could make everything you give worth twice as much!
Please contribute to our appeal. Every little helps! Many thanks.
Find out more at https://www.spacehive.com/bring-early-music-to-the-bay
Source: Silverdale Renaissance, Facebook
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Ann ceased trading on May 17th so the PO Counter and Shop are now temporarily closed. Since then Friends of Silverdale Community Post Office (FOSCPO) have worked to clear the shop of all the fixtures and fittings that it wanted to purchase from Ann, as well as her remaining stock. This is now all in safe storage. Because FOSCPO’s local fundraising has been successful so far, with over £18,000 raised, it was able to pay Ann an agreed fair price. Local people also donated to give Ann a very decent “Goodbye and Thank You” gift.
FOSCPO’s application to The Post Office Ltd for a licence to re-open the PO Counter is making progress and it has applied to the Financial Conduct Authority for registration as a Community Benefit Society in order to be able to resume trading.
FOSCPO now has over 170 members. If you’re keen to help in any way please do let us know at foscpo@outlook.com. Our small committee will not be enough to make this project work successfully for the village, so please give this request some thought.
Source: Friends of Silverdale Community Post Office, https://foscpo8.wordpress.com/
