TOWN halls could be forced to take action over petitions with more than 200 signatures, under new proposals to devolve powers to voters.

Communities Secretary Hazel Blears is to publish a consultation paper detailing new rights to trigger changes in council policy, reported The Times.

The story is of great significance to Penrith, where passions are running high over Eden Council proposals to build 3,500 new houses, many of them on fields to the north of town and at Carleton.

The implications for Penrith are earth-shattering for those of us who love the old place — the “historic market town” mentioned on roadside signs.

And this at a time when massive upheaval to the very heart of Penrith already looms, as residents grit their teeth awaiting the turmoil of the Southend Road redevelopment.

Footballers are playing their last season on the town’s 113-year-old ground before whizzing shots, yellow cards and cheering crowds are replaced by honking cars seeking parking spots.

Salt is now being rubbed into this recreational wound by the fact that one of the proposed housing sites just named by Eden is the Fairhill playing field, at the north end of town.

Penrith already faces enough controversial and dubious change to its character without the disappearance of fields of beauty beneath a house-building bonanza, which will virtually double the size of town.

Have the new petition powers, announced by Hazel Blears, arrived in the nick of time to save Penrith from this fearful threat?

GLORY OF CUMBRIA

It was the cert of all certs — a sure-fire winner.

Wastwater, representing the Lake District, outshone the opposition in the ITV series to select Britain’s Favourite View, screened earlier in the month.

Sally Whittaker, from Coronation Street, was a worthy spokeswoman for the overwhelming beauty of Lakeland, but, without wishing to be disrespectful to other finalists, the last lap was virtually “no contest”.

The television series highlighted the striking visual appeal, not just of the Lakes, but of so much of rural Cumbria, such as the Solway Coast and, of course, the more subtle charms of the Eden Valley.

Fully 40 years ago, on a reporting mission at South Stainmore, the magnificence of the valley struck this columnist for the first time. It was as though a vast multi-coloured carpet stretched ahead towards the distant fells of the Lake District —— a glorious patchwork of narrow roads, wooded areas, streams, fields and villages.

Our garden of Eden!

WHO’S FOR COFFEE?

An addiction to coffee began around 60 years ago when Jean and Connie Dayson sold it for fourpence a cup (old money) at their milkbar at the bottom of Castlegate, Penrith.

This was outstanding value, for the milkbar drew many customers — insurancemen, commercial travellers, farmers, shoppers and strollers — and the crack was always enjoyable, with a news story for the Herald occasionally emerging.

Coffee, a refreshingly simple drink, became a daily habit and desire.

The simplicity of making a mugful is now open to question, however, for a headline in The Times read: “Coffee-making becomes a fine art.”

Cornwall College has introduced a course in aspects of making the drink, which many of us take for granted — boiling the kettle, pouring the hot water and getting the quantity of milk right.

Reporter Phil Thomas claims the resulting qualification will equip cafes in Cornwall with the best-served coffee.

Perhaps — but will chat between customers and staff be as lively and lighthearted as it was in Dayson’s milkbar in the era of fourpence a cup coffee?

FASHIONS OF THE FUTURE?

Elegance is becoming environmental on the evidence of a recent fashion show among the Lakeland fells, at Thirlmere.

Models paraded trendy outfits made, not from satin, silk, chiffon and velvet, but with totally different materials — moss, bracken, heather and stone!

Designers from Germany joined Cumbrian artists to produce these snazzy costumes “in a bid to get to grips with sustainability and environmental challenges”.

However, dedicated followers of fashion will be unable to find them on display in Penrith fashion shops, such as Arnisons, Maureen’s and Coy.

“Do it yourself” will be the only way of creating some of these strange outfits — after first scraping the moss from wall-tops and the bracken, heather and stone from a handy fellside.