Joint Core Strategy Consultation – What you can do NOW!

Our final chance to have our say in the future of our town and countryside!

What is the JCS?

The Joint Core Strategy (JCS) in a house building plan put out by Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury councils together to plan for the needs of our 322,600 residents for the next 20 years. The public consultation has began and is open until 12th February 2012.

What do Save The Countryside want?

Save The Countryside have been consulted by the JCS team and these councils for 5 years, to ensure the best plans are developed for the long term future of our towns, countryside and out residents.

We are passionate to save our greenbelt land and green fields, and for our planners to build much needed housing in a responsible way, using the available sites and regenerating properties before considering development on open countryside. Save The Countryside have made our own calculations and would like to ask you to consider these and make up your own decision for the future.

The JCS has tried to predict the future stating that the population of the area will increase by 45,200 people and to house them it will be necessary to build 36,850 new houses. This is one house built for each 1.2 people (really?!)

The strategy gives us four options to choose from:

A 16,200 new homes building only on brownfield (previously used) land

B 33,200 new homes (baseline -10%) BUILDING ON LARGE AREAS OF GREENBELT

C 36,850 new homes (baseline) BUILDING ON LARGE AREAS OF GREENBELT

D 41,500 new homes (baseline +10%) BUILDING ON LARGE AREAS OF GREENBELT

Options B, C and D would see development on brownfield land and also on large areas of greenbelt and greenfield land. Including 4,450 homes between Swindon Village and Uckington on existing greenbelt land.

Many councillors, like us, have indicated that they would prefer not to build on greenfield/greenbelt land if at all possible but they are worried that if they go for option A then developers will be able to resort to costly (for the council and developers) appeals on the grounds that not enough land has been made available.

This would enable the developers to gain access to green land first because it is easier to build on than redeveloping previously used land and so they made bigger profits.

How to support option A

Occupancy assumption: If you look at the figures you can see that the JCS made the assumption of one home built for every 1.2 people. This projected level of occupancy is extremely low given that current on Gloucestershire the average is 2.3 people per home and same figure stands for England as a whole. So the way out is to challenge the evidence base and assumptions that the JCS stands on, this is just part of the evidence base. Redoing the sums assuming 2.3 people per house we find that only 20,000 houses will be needed over the next 20 years, a lot less than options B, C and D. This means that the land identified in Option A is sufficient for the first 16 years of growth without any need to touch green land.

GDP growth assumption: An ambitious 3.2% GDP growth figures was assumed for the region for the next 20 years! (as in the Regional Spatial Strategy). We now all know this is widely optimistic. This is important because GDP growth drives population growth due to new employment opportunities. So more realistic GDP growth (or even contraction) means less population growth.

Flawed greenbelt review: Another part of the evidence base in the green belt review. This report judged the area to the NW of Cheltenham around Swindon Village against green belt criteria. The judgement is flawed due, firstly because the huge Wingmoor farm landfill site containing the most highly toxic waste and site inside this region is completely ignored! and importantly it is advised that no house building should sit within 3km of such a site. In addition the review only seems to focus on the greenbelts value is a separator between urban areas and not its value in food production, flood prevention, health benefits and wildlife protection. Finally the ribbon development along Tewkesbury route was considered to have “reduced the openness of the greenbelt” when it is clear it has an insignificant impact on the miles of green fields.

Certainly we would be foolish to allow the green fields to be used until we know that the population is actually going to grow as the JCS expects.

So what can you do?

Let the JCS team know which option you prefer A, B, C or D and explain why in your comments. If you agree with STC then please let your concillors know too. Please let your concillors know that you support their wish to not build on green land. This will increase their resolve to support Option A.

Consider the points raised if they help your view on which option to propose and use them to back up your argument.

Your Councillors are:County Councillor (Swindon Village): Cllr. Mrs Suzanne Williams Tel:230648 suzanne.williams@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Cheltenham Borough Councillors:Cllr. Bernard Fisher Tel: 227569 bernard.fisher@swindonparish.org.uk Cllr. Paul Massey Tel: 771482 cllr.paul.massey@cheltenham.gov.uk

To comment:

By letter:The JCS Team, Municipal Offices, Promenade, Cheltenham, GL50 9SA On the website: http://www.gct-jcs.org By email: info@gct-jcs.org Visit the JCS displays – you will find details on the JCS website. Your closest is on the 4th January at Uckington Village Hall from 4pm until 9pm or 7th January at Sainsburys from 10am until 5pm

It’s really important that you do comment, this is our very last chance.
If you don’t do anything our village will be engulfed by thousand of new houses within a few years!
THANK YOU!

 

JCS Consultation now started!

The Joint Core Strategy consultation starts today, on the 13th December 2011 and runs until 5pm on the 12th February 2012. Your views are very important to the development of the local area over the next 20 years. Participate here. Heres a piece Barry Simons wrote for the Swindon Village news about the JCS…

The fate of the green fields between Swindon Village, Uckington and Elmstone Hardwicke is dependent upon the Joint Core Strategy (JCS). The JCS is a plan to be agreed by Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury for future development within the control of the three local authorities. This plan will make an estimate of the future requirement for houses, employment land and other land uses and then say how these needs will be met over the next 20 years. Once it has been agreed it will provide a basis which developers can use to plan what and where they can and cannot build.

The plan must provide sufficient land to meet future needs. The government requires each local authority to have identified at any one time sufficient land to allow the next 5 years of housing to be built plus twenty percent

Local authorities have to make this much land available or developers can ask to develop other land outside that which is allocated and if the local authorities don’t allow it the matter can go to appeal on the grounds that the local authority are not meeting their commitments.

A first draft of the JCS has now been passed to the councillors of the three authorities and they have to decide if it is good enough to go out for public comment.

The draft has gathered a lot of figures on the expected population growth then estimates the number of houses needed to cope with this growth. This leads to four options: one shows what can be provided without any green fields being built on and the other three detail what land is required to meet the expected actual need stemming from the earlier growth estimates. All these three require building on green field and green belt land.

It is Save The Countryside’s belief that the figures in this draft which estimate the future increase in population for the area and the number of new houses needed to house these people are very wrong. When Cheltenham Borough Council debated the matter recently almost every councillor said that the felt they should recommend option which does not include building on green fields. Many spoke eloquently on this matter including our own councillors. However as the JCS reads right now this could lead the process open to appeal. What we have to do now is prove that the JCS growth figures are a considerable overestimate and thereby give our councillors a way to accept the first, non Greenfield, option without leaving the door open for developers to appeal. We must also show to our councillors that we support them in their stance and that it is for local people to decide the need and how to meet it. The government has said it supports localism and David Cameron himself has spoken in support of the greenbelt.

One important line to take is that the JCS figures are no more than an estimate. No matter how the numbers turn out in the end, we must not allow building on green fields until all the brown fields have been used up and there is still an unmet need.

So what can residents of Swindon Village do?

The JCS will go out for public consultation before Christmas. You will be able to find the JCS on the internet http://www.gct-jcs.org/PublicConsultation/

We will have a link to the appropriate place on our website www.savethecountryside.org.ukand will share with you easy ways that you will be able to put forward your comments (coming shortly!).

It is so important for all of us to take the opportunity formally put our comments to the Joint Core strategy team. So we ask all who can to do this and write to their counsellor to confirm that you are against building in the greenbelt and on green fields until all other land has been built on.

Without responses from local residents we are at risk of the JCS team pushing forward on one of the options resulting in a huge urban extension on our doorstep and the loss of our countryside forever.

If you want to keep those fields green prepare to do your bit.

A big thank you to our supporters, particularly the 100 of you who stood with us outside the Council offices on 10th October.

(Adrian) I attach a programme of JCS public meetings where you can also participate in the consultation.

Day	Date	Time	Venue
Wednesday	4-Jan	5.30 – 8pm	Uckington & Elmstone Hardwicke Village Hall
Thursday	5-Jan	4.30 – 7.30pm	Parish Rooms, Highnam
Monday	9-Jan	3 – 6pm	Churchdown Community Centre
Thursday	12-Jan	2.30 – 5.30pm	Shurdington Social Centre, Century Hall
Friday	13-Jan	10am – 5pm	Eastgate Centre, Gloucester
Saturday	14-Jan	10am – 5pm	Kings Walk, Gloucester
Tuesday	17-Jan	5.30 – 8.30pm	Brockworth Community Centre
Wednesday	18-Jan	6 – 9pm	Ashchurch Village Hall
Friday	20-Jan	10am – 1pm	Tewkesbury Town Hall
Friday	20-Jan	10am – 5pm	Regent Arcade, Cheltenham
Saturday	21-Jan	10am – 5pm	Regent Arcade, Cheltenham
Thursday	26-Jan	5.30 – 8.30pm	St Michael’s Church Hall, Bishop’s Cleeve
Monday	30-Jan	2.30 – 5.30pm	Dumbleton Village Hall
Tuesday	31-Jan	5.30 – 8.30pm	Winchcombe School
Wednesday	1-Feb	10am – 1pm	Tewkesbury Town Hall
Thursday	2-Feb	2.30 – 5.30pm	Apperley Village Hall

 

 

Big Protest at Cheltenham Council Offices

STC and LegLag join forces

On Thursday 10th November the combined the forces of STC and LegLag mobilised about one hundred of us for a peaceful demonstration outside the council offices in Cheltenhams promenade. We were makinb our views heard on the Joint Core Strategy (JCS). On that day councillors were about to pass for the ‘preferred options’ document for publication.

The Joint Core Strategy

Both Kit Braunholtz (LegLag) and Helen Wells (STC) gave an excellent speech on the current state of the process. Kit explained that he believed the joint core strategy was the correct approach as it was right that planning needed to be jointly decided by neighboring regions. However, he was seriously disappointed by the draft document. It is almost a carbon copy of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) which was scrapped by the coalition government when it came to power. But surely, don’t we have localism now, surely they have to listen. But do they? as despite much discussion of STC and LegLag with the JCS team we seem to be back where we started 3 years ago! Also the JCS document is seriously flawed.

Scenarios

The JCS document contains four scenarios with increasing requirements for housing over the next 20 years in the Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury regions.

• Scenario A – 16,200 houses built. No building on the green belt
• Scenario B – 33,120 houses built (baseline projection -10%)
• Scenario C – 36,800 houses built (baseline projection)
• Scenario D – 40,480 houses built (baseline projection +10%)

Scenario A has been presented as the doomsday scenario as according to the document the housing market will fail. We know it won’t be seriously considered. The councillors are expected to recommend scenario B. So they are planning to build on the green belt, even though the government says and green belt should be protect, and while it says the default answer to development is YES and it required council to up there needs for 5 years supply of building land by 10%!

An absurd document

Ridiculous economic growth predictions – The JCS ‘preferred option’ information assumes 2.3% economic growth for the next 20 years!, hardly likely

Dodgy population projections – These seems seriously out of whack with the proposed housing. Scenario B makes the assumption that 80% of household will have one person, whereasgovernment predictions for 2031 assume only 65%.

Villages ignored – There are 2 key areas of development in Cheltenham 4450 in the NW urban extension and 1300 in the south Extension but absolutely little regard for any development in what is termed medium and smaller settlements, so where villages are asking for housing, these again seem to be ignored.

Toxic waste site vanished!  – there is no mention of Wingmoor Farm toxic waste site in the JCS or Greenbelt review. The land in this area is referred to as agricultural land. We know that this area is one of huge concern and no housing should be built with a 3km range

Greenbelt not valued– The references to the greenbelt around the area are far to generalised and seem only to focus on its value as a spacer between urban areas. We all know that these fields have more value than that and reference should be made towards it’s value in delivering food production, flood prevention, health benefits, wildlife protection and so on.

County council owned Green belt land - Despite assurances some time ago from council leaders that the council owned land was not for sale, we have fears that a document from rural estates includes their policy to continue to work with developers – what does this really mean?  This land used for agricultural purposes was highlighted as a ribbon development on the greenbelt review and this is inaccurate. We fear that the county council may now consider the sale of this land to developers to help relieve their financial pain.

Flooding – Reference is made to flood prevention but also to a 1 in 100 years risk. We know that the Environment agency data is unreliable and have grave concerns that their flooding projections are inaccurate regarding fluvial and pluvial flooding. This means that development could be allowed on high flood risk land. We are not clear if the surface water management assessment was actually included as part of the preparation.

Outcome of the meeting

Several people attended the council meeting in the public gallery. From what I heard the council didn’t make a good impression, it was hard to hear and some aspects were disappointing. For instance questions were asked early on by STC and LegLag but they were told they would be answered at the end of the meeting. This meeting went on for 3 hours. Many of us have jobs, family and other commitments to make. It isn’t fair to expect people to wait around all afternoon on a week day.

Despite this I’ve heard from Helen that most of the councillors are very supportive of STC and LegLag positions, but the concern is along the line that if modifications are made as this stage developers will be able to use this an ammunition to further undermine the document. This really makes no logical sense to me, surely a more solid document without obvious flaws would be less open to attack! Importantly, however, we established the the evidence base of the PCS document could be challenged via the consultation.

The JCS ‘preferred options’ document will be published any day now for consultation. Unfortunately the consultation period is over Christmas when people will be very busy. Both LegLag and STC are pressing for an extension to the consultation period.

 

Letter to JCS Steering Group Members

This letter was written to the councillors from Gloucester City council proceeded their consideration of the JCS ‘Preferred Options’ document. It lays out our dismay at the process which it likely to see the document passed with all its flaws, omissions, inaccuracies and downright biased view.

TO ALL JCS STEERING GROUP MEMBERS

Dear Steering Group Member

We understand that, if Gloucester City agrees, then all three Joint Core Strategy Districts will be prepared to allow the JCS ‘Preferred Options’ information to go out to public consultation, unrevised and with whatever omissions and flaws may have been identified during the Councils’ discussions on the document, particularly with reference to the housing Scenarios A – D.

The rationale for allowing the go-ahead appears to be that, if the Officers’ recommendations, which are already in the public domain, are altered at this late stage, this would provide Appeals ammunition for developers now relying on the recommendations.

The first very sad thing is that the document seems to have been presented to the Councils as a fait accompli, take it or leave it, rather than as a consultation draft where any problems identified could be solved before it reached publication.

There seem to us to be two terrible effects of letting the document go forward without review or revision of those points Councillors have already queried.

Firstly, we should be so sorry if the three District Councils are called to account for allowing the publication of information many Councillors suspect to be flawed or misleading. Surely this could cause even more trouble for the Councils – even heading towards maladministration?

Secondly, to rely on the public to spot the flaws and challenge the weaknesses on
your behalves, and actually for them to take a positive and informed part in sufficient numbers to correct the document, is surely pie in the sky and almost an abrogation of your responsibilities as our democratic representatives.

For instance, how would Joe Public gainsay the ‘doomed collapse of civilisation’ predicted by the Team in Scenario A? Wouldn’t he say, on reading the document as it is now, “If the OFFICERS and a COMPUTER model and the COUNCIL say it, it must be true. So bother, we can’t vote to save the Green Belt as the housing market will fail, all the 19 – 59 year old workers will leave, there’ll be 84% of oldies and we’ll all be overcrowded. So, we’ll have to choose Scenario B, even though it means that 4 out of every 5 houses in 20 years’ time will only have one person living in them and even though it means so much of our green countryside being concreted over.”

Surely you should not go out to an innocent public and waste their time (and yours) by asking them to comment on what may be faulty statistics.

Please agree to initiate a speedy review of the housing Scenarios and the weighting of the input into the Gloucester Affordability Model which seems to us to have produced such questionable results – perhaps because of an inflated 2.3% growth rate.

Yours faithfully

Alice Ross

Secretary, Save the Countryside

 

Joint Core Strategy published with high housing targets

Last night was a important milestone at the Tewkesbury Borough Council offices which sets the stage for many hundreds of house to land on our doorsteps. The councillors authorised the Joint Core Strategy for consultation by the public.

In the document there were four levels of housing options. Option A being the lowest and option D being the highest. Only option A would not require building on the green belt. They voted for option B, which is a plan for 33,200 houses over the next 20 years in the Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Gloucester areas. All four options for building houses in the three areas are; scenario A is for 16,200, Scenario B is for 33,200, Scenario C is for 36,800 and Scenario D is for 40,500.

STC at Tewkesbury Borough Council Offices

Some wording in the JCS document was changed as some councillors objected to APPROVING or ENDORSING option B and wished to stress that they were publishing the whole document for consultation. However, they did think that option B was the right option even so! I wasn’t at the meeting so I may not have conveyed the subtleties quite right. Whatever, my friends in STC thought the three Bloor representatives present when away very happy.

We had a small contingent at the offices so we should be in the Glos Echo and Helen Wells made some comments which should he heared on Radio Gloucestershire today.

We are outraged that the JCS seems basically to be a regurgitated RSS with all the same housing figures and same dodgy evidence base that assumes massive growth in housing need based on 3.6% economic growth over the next 20 years. Last night STC and Leglag campaigners established that the public does have a right to challenge this evidence base and we will be doing so.

 

Green light for development to NW of Cheltenham?

The green belt review has now been published.

Its good news for land around Leckhampton but bad news for land around Swindon Village to the NW of Cheltenham.
Areas have been rated on their value for green belt purposes. With Red meaning are large contribution to green belt objectives and Green meaning little contributions. It looks like Green=Development (although the report does stress further consideration is required). The NW of Cheltenham gets the green light.

Summary of Green Belt Review

There is an excuse that ‘the north side of the Tewkesbury Road is ribbon development’ reducing the openness of the Green Belt’. This is nonsense, it has little impact on the miles of open fields. There has been no consideration on the land value in relation to needed farmland or flood prevention. It all very depressing.

See the Glos Echo Article.

The full document is available from Here

 

Making a Mockery of Localism

The government’s claim that local people will have more say over planning is an outright lie.

By George Monbiot, published on the Guardian’s website 6th September 2011

The government is telling us two stories, which don’t seem to connect. New building, it says, will be approved with less control than before. And local people will, it says, be given control over new building. How can both claims be true? Answer: they can’t and aren’t.

The first claim is correct. Planning in England is being so thoroughly gutted that it is, in effect, being shut down altogether. As my column yesterday showed, when you read the small print in the government’s draft national planning policy framework, you find clauses which make it more or less impossible for local authorities to say no to anything, however inappropriate and destructive it might be.

But that’s all right – isn’t it? – because what councils can’t do, local people can, through the localism agenda and the neighbourhood plans the government has announced. That was the promise. When you read the draft document, you find that this promise has been broken: broken to the extent that the government almost seems to be mocking us.

The document maintains that neighbourhood plans, drawn up by ordinary folk, “give communities direct power to plan the areas in which they live.” They will be able to “develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood”.

But read on, and you soon discover that these powers can be used only one way: to commission development, but not to prevent it. “Neighbourhoods will have the power to promote more development than is set out in the strategic policies of the Local Plan”. Communities will be able to grant planning permission for this extra building through Neighbourhood Development Orders and Community Right to Build Orders.

In other words, you’ll be allowed to give developers what they want. You will not be allowed to prevent developers from wrecking your neighbourhood. The only right you’ll have to protect anything is designating land as “local green space”, though the draft makes it clear that this applies only to small parcels of land “of particular local significance”, which communities can apply to defend when the local plan is drawn up. But people can do this already, under the Commons Act 2006, which allows for the creation of town and village greens.

How different all this is to the promises both parties made in opposition, that they would empower communities to fight damaging and unnecessary developments.

To understand these promises, you first have to grasp an extraordinary fact at the heart of the planning system. If a developer’s proposal is turned down by the local authority, he can appeal against the decision. If he loses the appeal, he can either alter the plan and re-submit it, or wait for a period and re-submit the original plan. As long as he has enough money, he can do this endlessly. Big developers such as Tesco keep appealing and re-submitting until they grind down the resistance of local people and get what they want. The objectors must fight, fight and fight again. The developers know that eventually they’ll become exhausted and give up.

But while there is perpetual scope to hold local authorities to account for their refusals, they cannot be held to account for their approvals. There is no right of appeal against a decision to award planning permission. This applies even in cases when the local authority making the decisions has a commercial interest in the development (in other words when it acts as defendant, judge and jury); when the development is against the local plan and when planning officers have recommended that it should not be approved.

The only right objectors have is to apply to the High Court for a judicial review of the decision. But there are two problems with this approach. The first is that the decision cannot be challenged on planning grounds, but only on the grounds that correct procedures were not followed when the decision was made. The second is that it can cost the person who takes the application to court hundreds of thousands of pounds. In almost all circumstances, in other words, this is a useless provision. As the House of Commons Library points out, the cost of judicial review means that it’s likely to be of more use to big developers than to local people:

“It tends to be a more suitable option for a company involved in extensive development (like a chain of supermarkets) wishing to establish a legal point that may help in future applications, rather than for private objectors.”

Altogether, in other words, there is a profoundly undemocratic imbalance between the rights granted to developers and the rights granted to local people. The existing planning system bends over backwards to prevent people from curbing the schemes of property developers, supermarkets, road builders and airport operators. It’s as if there were no higher value in life than corporate profits.

This imbalance will be greatly exacerbated by the government’s proposed new presumption in favour of development. Local authorities, it says, should “approve all individual proposals wherever possible … the default answer to development proposals is ‘yes’”.

In February 2010, in its publication Open Source Planning, the Conservative Party promised that:

“We will make the system symmetrical by allowing appeals against local planning decisions from local residents, as well as from developers”

In their report Blueprint for a Green Economy, published in 2007, the Conservatives promised sharply to reduce the scope of developers’ rights of appeal. It proposed a reform of the planning system in completely the opposite direction to the one now being pursued by the coalition.

In their manifesto before the general election, the LibDems announced that:

“We will create a third-party right of appeal in cases where planning decisions go against locally agreed plans.”

All broken, all swept away in the speculators’ charter commissioned at the behest of the coalition’s landowning chums. The draft planning document is the most blatant product of cronyism and corporate power that this government has yet produced. And that’s not for want of competition.

www.monbiot.com

 

STC on Radio 4!

Hear Helen Wells, Anne Griffiths and Martin Horwood talk about planning issues around Swindon Village and the wider countryside on World at One, from Friday 9 Sep, 2011. Hear it here

 

localism bill will sacrifice our countryside to market forces

Anne, Alice and Margaret White from LegLag (who wrote this), have alerted me to threat to the countryside from the NPPF. The damage that could be done is truly shocking. I urge you all to take action.

The Government has issued during the Parliamentary Recess a draft document that could change the face of the Countryside of England – and says in effect that all development applications should be allowed to
go ahead.

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT MATTER – PLEASE, PLEASE READ THE LINK DOCUMENTS BELOW AND ADD YOUR SIGNATURES TO THE PETITIONS

LEGLAG CAN HAVE A FAR GREATER INFLUENCE BY JOINING UP WITH THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR ENGLAND AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE PROTECTION OF RURAL ENGLAND, THAN BY TAKING ACTION ALONE

Please read these links from the National Trust website and pass it on to as many people as you can think of in order that they will sign the petition.

I have personally linked in to each one, and they are very easy indeed to access. See the Guardian article and the National Trust Petition

Also, we should be encouraging as many people as we can to read the CPRE website and send an e-mail to their M.P. Email your MP here

THESE ACTIONS WILL TAKE A FEW MOMENTS OF YOUR TIME, BUT COULD BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE THING YOU DO TO HELP SAVE OUR GREEN SPACES, AND THE PLACES YOU VALUE.

YOUR ACTIONS TODAY CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

 

Fourth walk a huge success

About 100 people came out for a sunny but blustery walk over the fields around Swindon Village. We can celebrate 4 years on and no building yet. We must remain vigilant though.

We were also filmed by Cotswold TV. See it here

Barry Simons delighted the children by hiding fluffy animals along the route while also keeping charge (with Mike Griffiths) of the young bullocks. I even heard that someone had stroked them. Thank you to all the organisers, especially Helen, Kit and other helpers plus Anne and Mike who provided refreshments at Elmstone Hardwicke.

 

Save the Countryside Walk in May

At present we are winning. However the next challenge comes in the Autumn when the Joint Core Strategy is published. While it is still being prepared we need to let Local Government know we are still here and still want to protect our countryside. So the next event is the fourth annual walk over the greenbelt area between Swindon Village and Elmstone Hardwick. This will take place on Sunday, 22nd May 2011 starting at Stantons Drive in Swindon Village at 2pm. The walk is over less than 3 miles and takes about 90 minutes. It is relatively flat but there are several stiles. There will be refreshments on route and at the end. There will be teddy bears. There will be the press. We need to let ‘them’ know we are still here, still interested and we will not let ‘our’ green land be developed when there are other good alternatives to provide the neccessary housing. So do come and join us, rain or shine, for this very pleasant ramble.

 

Joint Core Strategy Latest

At a recent committee meeting for Save the Countryside, Steve Jordan of Cheltenham Borough Council briefed us on recent developments. Two points in particular are worth mentioning. The first is that delivery of the Joint Core Strategy had been put back to allow it to better meet the requirements of government development policy which is only now starting to be issued. As a result the JCS will not be put before council for initial review before September after which it will be issued for consultation. This is the point at which we may need assistance in writing to refute any points with which we disagree. In particular we do know that the JSS will include a review of the green belt(s) and this could prove very contentious, depending, of course, on what it decides.
The second point Steve made is that urban Cheltenham has space for about 2000 houses in unused sites, that is to say within current boundaries. It has always been Save the Countryside’s view that these should be used before any inroads are made into green fields both from the point of view of saving the green fields and so as provide regeneration within the town in some areas which badly need it.

 

Our Presentation with Swindon Village Society

There was a big turnout on 16 Feb where the Swindon Village Society hosted a presentation by Save The Countryside. The general message was that lots has been achieved and no building had happened yet! But, there is currently a policy vacuum which creates uncertainty and leave a gap for developers to use. It is important that the local plan reflects local views, at process that we will all be consulted on soon.

Save the Countryside general presentation 2011

 

March 2011 Update

While we celebrate the success of the scrapping of the RSS and wait for the latest joint core strategy to be released we now are working on practical plans. Under the new localism and communities Bill from Parliament local communities are tasked with developing their own Neighborhood Plans which will be used in the planning process. They of course have to work in line with the local Councils direction, but this is a great step forward in moving the power from enforcement from central government to local communities regarding the future of their neighborhood.

We encourage all readers to work with their local parish council to ensure local neighborhood plans are drawn up to design their neighborhood going forward – stating what housing needs are identified in their area and how these can be met.

 

Save the Countryside Presentation – Swindon Village

On Wednesday, 16th February 2011 the Save the Countryside team will give a presentation to the Swindon Village Society on where the campaign stands at present. This presentation is open to anyone. The venue is Swindon Village Hall which is on Church Road, Swindon Village at the north end of the playing fields. It will start at 7.45pm. Free Admission. After a short presentation on the progress of the campaign and where we need to go next there will be a free question and comment period. We want to hear your concerns and let you know when and how you may be able to help. Finally there will be tea and coffee when you can talk to the team informally. We would greatly welcome you presence.

 

The Joint Core Strategy

At the last committee meeting of the STS a member of the Joint Core Strategy Team provided some useful information. The JCS has commissioned a review of the green belt(s) by an external contractor to take place in the period Jan-Mar 2011 for presentation to the JCS in the spring. This does not mean that the contractor will make alterations to the green belt but will provide the JCS with their own recommendations that the JCS can then either accept and incorporate or decline. It is understood that the contractors work will not be open to consideration by outside organisations until some or all of it appears in the next itteration of the JCS which is expected to appear for public review in the summer of 2011.
It is also understood that the JCS is giving the RSS very little weight in its considerations since it was never agree or formally published.

 

We are Just a Bunch of Lambys

A Save the Countryside Update From Helen Wells

Nimby (Not In My Back Yard) is a word sometimes used with negative conections about campaign groups such as Save The Countryside. That does not describe what our campaign is all about.
In fact it is about Looking After My Backyard.And we are still at it nearly 4 years on. So far we have avoided what many saw as a destined enormous development of 5000 new houses on green belt land in Swindon Village as a North West Urban Extension.
‘ So what’s been happening as it all seems rather quiet?’ I hear a a lot of people say. Well while trying to keep up with the day job we have been hard at work with all the political stuff.
We are delighted to tell you thaqt the ill-advised Regional Spatial Strategy for the South West (RSS) has been scrapped. So a very big thanks to everyone that joined the campaign totalling 35,000 for its removal. We won! However that was only one battle in our continuind campaign to protect our green land.

We maintain our alliance with the 22 groups in the South West called Save Our Green Spaces (SOGS). Our Colleagues have had great TV and press coverage, particularly those trying to renew the Bristol City stadium on its present site rather than sell the land to a supermarket and build the new stadium on green belt land in Bristol.
We have been working with our farming colleagues who dont want to sell their land to developers, despite very attractive financil offers, as we continually work to to protect the gren land that we have and build the housing that we need on the already identified sites that are crying out for regeneration.
In August representatives from SOGS, including Save The Countryside, had a meeting in Parliament with the Government Chief Planner, Steve Quartermain. Frank discussions took place on the need for more local participation and transparency in all planning decisions; the need for regeneration of vacant and ex-industrial sites; and the need to ensure that sufficient employment opportunities match housing developments.
The danger was raised of national food security as our best growing fields are continually being built upon for massive warehouses that provide poor employment scope.
In September we joined colleagues from LEGLAG, the Leckhampton campaign group, with our MP Martin Horwood and Steve Jordan, the leader of Cheltenham Council, to meet the Minister for Communities Greg Clark. We were delighted that our arguments were taken into consideration in the development of his Localism and Decentralisation Bill. A very big thanks goes out to Martin Horwood who was instrumental in setting up this meeting.
So the change in government seems to be really looking positive for us as it wants building to be aspirational and supporting local communities rather than dictated from Central Government.
We now continue our close links with the Joint Core Strategy Team which will manage the development of housing in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury and the local Conucil to ensure that the right amonut of housing is built, in particulat the affordable homes that are needed for the benefit of the community.
In the interim, we are really pleaed that until the final JCS is completed, for the next year, they are omitting greenbelt land from land availability plans (SHLAA). Many alternative brownfield sits have been identified to meet an appropriate need for new housingwhich will not have a detrimental effect on our green belt land, our food production, flooding, pollution, health benefits and way of life. Again a big thank you to everyone who commented on the Joint Core Strategy so far.
So whats next? We continue our close links with our concil colleagues as official consultees to the planning process to ensure that our beautiful green belt land remains protected. We wait for the final Joint Core Strategy to be published and work with our JCS colleagues to ensure that our local needs are met. The Localism and Decentrallisation Bill should be published next month. We continue to work with SOGS, CPRE, our Severn and Avom combined flood group colleagues and other organisations including the NFU. Our focus remains on protectingfarm land, green land and flood land from uneccessary development.
So What Can You Do?.
We are aware that there are some protected species living within the land under threat and we would ask any nature lovers among you to to take note and advise us of any sightings of protected animals and birds. In particular any birds on the RSPB protected list, newts, slow worms or dormice. These can be reported to the Swindon Village Society since any sighting can be used in our future defence of this land.
As for Save The Countryside, we are a very small group of individuals working in our spare time, so if anyone cares to join our group and take on any administraive tasks to help we would be delighted. Watch out for the final Joint Core Sterategy. Until green belt land is permanently removed from the land made available for building we are still not safe! We’ll be sure to let you know how things are going and we will let you know how you can continue to help. Thanks everyone for your tremendous support so far. It has been hard work but definately worth it.

 

Scrapping of RSSs ruled unlawful

Shock news! Just when we though top-down houses figures had been scrapped they are back! You can’t make this stuff up.

High court ruling says the goverments scrapping of Regional Spatial Strategies when they came to power was unlawful.

However, housing minister Bob Neil says this will change little since this problem will be fixed in the localism bill coming along in a few weeks. But, it is worrying as it seems to mean that before then developers can get their applications in under the old RSS’s, though remember that the final South West RSS was never published due to legal problems. My feeling is we shouldn’t worry too much about this. What do you think?

 

We get to speak in Parliamentary Select Committee!

Hi everyone. Ron and Alice represented our combined campaigns brilliantly yesterday as witnesses in the Parliamentary Select committee – Communities and Local Government Committee. The topic was the abolition of regional spatial strategies. You can see them on this video link.

Alice Ross and Ron Morton spoke with Mark Steele from Ringwood Town Council, they followed witnesses from RTPI and TCPI. After their fervent discussions, CPRE, the Woodland Trust and The South East Sustainability Forum spoke. Tough questions were asked including

1. What was wrong with the RSS?, what would we do instead?
2. How should cooperation work between Local Authorities? Is a tier higher than local needed, How could it be democratically accountable?
3. How can provision of house building reflect local need? How can planning take account of need? If there was an absolute need, would we accept building on the greenbelt?
4. What do we think about proposed incentives?

It was clear that all parties agreed that the Regional spatial Strategy had been fundamentally flawed, and planning power should return to local authorities and communities but with an element of control to ensure reasonable numbers of housing is actually built where it is really needed. There was a big focus on how to ensure that we build the required volumes of affordable housing. The issue of incentives for new house building was discussed and our stance remains cautious but in any case we will follow up with our specific point that incentives should be arranged for regeneration of disused properties.

Well done Alice and Ron

 

Coalition abandons Localism from the start!

It appears that a third party right of appeal will not appear in the forthcoming localism belt. Such a right would give local people a right to be taken seriously when objecting to large scale developments on land on their doorstep. The coalition made this a pre-election pledge, it is looking like they have abandoned it. We need to put pressure on our local MPs.

See comment here in the Telegraph and here in Planning Daily. The CPRE clearly says this was a pre-election pledge, though the Telegraph is a little less sure. Can someone check their manifestos for me please?

Laurence Robertson (MP for Tewkesbury) says he will follow this up.

 

An invitation to help shape the Nature of England

DEFRA is currently collecting your views on how we can best protect and enhance the natural environment. The on-line survey runs until 30th October 2010. The questions ask are:

1. Which parts of the natural environment matter most to you?
2. How do you feel you benefit from the natural environment?
3. How do you think we could improve the natural environment?
4. What would encourage you to get involved in protecting the natural environment?

Do it here. The answers can be free-form so you express what you really value about your local environment. Make your views heard!

 

Campaigners Fear Open Season on Gloucestershire Greenbelt

This is big news! The council has just published the Urban Extensions Definition Study. This was prepared for the RSS. It shows all the likely sites in the greenbelt that the RSS came up with. The council says it is to fill a legal planning vacumm since the scrapping of the RSS until December 2011 when the Joint Core Strategy (JCS) in finalised. But this document echos the RSS exactly. It is as if the RSS had never been scrapped!

See the article in the Gloucestershire Echo

 

Joint Core Strategy consultation news

Issues and Key Questions public consultation report

The JCS Issues and Key Questions public consultation was held between November 2009 and February 2010. Corresponding Parish Council events were held in February and March 2010. A report on all of this activity has now been published and can be viewed on the JCS website

Current consultation opportunities

The JCS team has recently launched an informal public consultation on the draft Part 1 of the Joint Core Strategy. Part 1 includes:

• A ‘spatial portrait’ of the JCS area
• Key issues faced by the JCS area
• A vision of how the area may be in future, and
• The strategic objectives to be fulfilled if the issues are to be resolved and the vision is to be delivered.

Part 2 will set out the policies to guide development in pursuit of the vision and will be consulted on in due course. If you wish to view or comment on Part 1 please visit: www.gct-jcs.org/PublicConsultation. The public consultation on this document runs from 14th June to 5pm on the 9th August
Future consultation

The JCS project timetable is currently being reviewed in light of the Coalition Government’s recent changes to the planning system. Future consultation events will be announced thereafter. See the attached fifth JCS newsletter for further information and watch the JCS website for further announcements

If you have any questions please contact a member of the JCS Team either by email: info@gct-jcs.org or phone 0800 073 1441.

 

Regional Spatial Strategies Scrapped!

As promised the new Lib Dem-Conservative government has now scrapped the Regional Spatial Strategies. Hooray!!

Find the announcement here.

And in the last day or so Cheltenham Borough Council has also reflected this change in the joint Cheltenham-Tewkesbury Joint Core Strategy. The JCS was forced to be broadly in line with the RSS so by design it is flawed if the RSS no longer holds. CBC now says

The proposal to abolish the RSS provides an opportunity for the JCS to support local determination in terms of housing and employment need. We will be able to progress this work once guidance is provided by the Government.

Regards,

Mella McMahon
Corporate Head of Borough Development
Tewkesbury Borough Council
Gloucester Road
Tewkesbury
Glos
GL20 5TT

The stakeholder meetings for the JCS will go ahead imminently. STC representative(s) will be formally involved in the process.

Does this mean we’ve won?

Well, Yes and No! We’ve achieved a huge success now that the RSS is scrapped. It means that housing targets will not be imposed on us from central government. However, they will now be determined by local consultation. If we all keep quiet and let it happen massive new housing development could go ahead anyway. But we now have much more hope to stop them since we are fighting the local council which is more on our side and which has to consult with us, rather than central government.

 

Success! Stoke Orchard gets housing on brownfield site

AN EYESORE in Stoke Orchard is set to be revamped after villagers used their voice to sway committee members.

A fresh bid to regenerate the former Coal Research Establishment (CRE) was given the thumbs up by Tewkesbury Borough Council’s planning committee, even though it did not fit into its official policy.

Ashfield Land Management put in an application to transform the site into a 129-home mini-village, which would also include a community hall, office space, and new roads and sewerage.

Despite a planning officer’s recommendation to refuse the scheme, councillors decided it would be in the best interests of the village after a site visit last month…

See full article in the Gloucestershire Echo here

 

Responses of Councillor to STC Election Questionnaire

OUTCOME OF LETTER SENT BY SAVE THE COUNTRYSIDE TO ALL CHELTENHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL WARD COUNCILLOR CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION 6 MAY 2010

Letters with a questionnaire were sent out to the 64 candidates for the 20 Wards:

Political party	No. of Candidates	No. of responses
CONSERVATIVES	22	5
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS	22	14
GREEN PARTY	12	6
LABOUR PARTY	6	2
PEOPLE AGAINST BUREAUCRACY	2	1
+ ONE WITH ILLEGIBLE SIGNATURE	1

TOTAL 29 = 45% return

Leckhampton Ward was the only one where ALL the candidates responded.
NO candidates whatsoever responded from these Wards: St Paul’s, St Peter’s, Springbank

CANDIDATES’ RESPONSES TO QUESTIONNAIRE BY CUT-OFF DATE 1ST MAY 2010

	Yes No ?
1 Should all empty houses be filled first before new homes are built?	[ 27 ] [ 2 ] [ ]
2 Should brownfield land be developed first before any greenfield sites are considered?	[ 28 ] [ 1 ] [ ]
3 Should garden land be removed from brownfield classification?	[ 23 ] [ 6 ] [ ]
4 Should housebuilding be according to established local NEED?	[ 29 ] [ ] [ ]
5 Should affordable homes be given priority?	[ 26 ] [ 2 ] [ ? ]
6 Should housing instead be according to Central Government-imposed targets as in the South West Regional Spatial Strategy (SWRSS) or the virtually identical ‘Option 1’ figures which preceded it?	[ 1 ] [ 26 ] [ ?2]
7 Should large-scale development be permitted in the Green Belt?	[ 1 ] [ 28 ] [ ]
8 Should Cheltenham and other Local Authorities with restricted land areas surrounded by designations be penalised if they are unable to prove a five year supply of available housing land?	[ 1 ] [ 28 ] [ ]
9 Should Planning Inspectors continue to be invited to ‘look favourably’ on any unplanned application if the Borough does not have a five year supply of land?	[ ] [ 28] [ ? ]

 

Liberal Democrats publish Manifesto for Cheltenham

The Lib Dems have just published their local manifesto for Cheltenham borough. Click below to download.

libdem_chelt_manifesto_2010

 

Tory published Green Paper on “Open Source Planning”

The Tory have published a Green Paper on “Open Source Planning”. Read it here.
STC have published a response.

The paper looks promising. They claim they will protect green belt, agricultural land, reclassify gardens as green field, support local democracy and abandon the RSS. There planning process will be driven by local people rather than from the top. Planning inspectors are given a review role and will not be able to force through planning applications. However, they are sticking to “Option 1″ housing targets which have their origin in the RSS process and will keep the 5 year supply of land for housing rule. We think it will impossible to stick to the “Option 1″ housing targets and protect green belt, etc…

Alice has written to Gloucestershire council regarding the “Option 1″ housing targets. See her letter and response from a Conservatives councillor below.

Dear Councillor Dare

Our group, Save the Countryside, has been considering the recent ‘Open Source Planning’ Green Paper which may lead to a change in the planning system should the Conservatives win the next Election. As you probably know, they would abolish the RSS within the first ten weeks of office, and the rest of their proposals would form part of the Queen’s speech.

I attach our letter of representation for your information. We have outlined some areas of concern, particularly the commitment to make Local Authorities adhere to their ‘Option 1′ housing targets submitted in 2004-2005.

In the light of our letter, is the County perfectly happy with the Option 1 figures you were obliged to give back then? If not, do you think that a happier revision of the Green Paper could be achieved reflecting our community?

Yours sincerely

Alice Ross
Secretary, Save the Countryside

The response from Councilor Mark Hawthorne (Cabinet member for planning) is below:

Thank you for your email of the 24^th March to Barry Dare.  As the Cabinet Member for Planning, Barry has asked me to reply on his behalf.

I wanted to start by paying tribute to the work that you and your organisation have done on this issue.  You have really helped us to make the case to our national party about the need to scrap the RSS.  I also welcome your support for the majority of the proposals contained within the green paper.

I would admit to some concerns about the appropriateness of returning to the option 1 level in the original draft of the RSS, although, it should be noted that this would still be a considerably better position than we find ourselves in at present.  I would agree that, given the substantial changes to the economy since 2004, it would seem prudent to me for these to be re-examined.

Many thanks.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Mark Hawthorne

Cabinet Member for Planning, Gloucestershire County Council

 

Glos Echo report on “Cheltenham Under Attack”

Gloucestershire Echo have reported the very well attended and interesting Cheltenham Under Attack talk from Jonathon Porritt. Jonathon Porritt spent six years as director of Friends of the Earth and now heads Forum for the Future. He holds strong and important views on the unsustainability of continued economic growth. Local MP Martin Horwood played a major role in the meeting and spoke well about the issues.

Here are some notes from Tim Courtney about the meeting (slightly edited).

Jonathon Porritt said how he educated (in the mysterious workings of government agencies) by his time at the SW RDA. During his time there he was surprised that the figures were excitedly ‘talked up’- 3% growth but if things go well, then almost up to 4%!!!

He described the issue of ‘Finance fetish’ – Where everything has to be discussed in terms of maximum financial growth as opposed to using some wealth to increase quality of life for people and that the Housing figures of the RSS were based on unsustainable economic growth figures

He stated how top down development planning doesn’t work. The local people should decide how the towns grow, although he doesn’t subscribe to the argument that people can declare their towns ‘full’

Importantly he noted how the economy is inextricably interlinked with national growth figures. Crudely if population growth is 2% and the GDP is 1% then we have a decreasing national wealth. A little bit more wealth is spread among many more people. GDP is also very misleading in many other ways,

If housing is only placed in certain towns then they will grow continuously whilst other towns that require growth or not given enough housing. And there are places that actually require housing

During his time at the sustainable development commission he ended up giving up trying to count the over-use and misuse of the word ‘sustainable’ to make otherwise unpalatable things palatable! One of the misuses being ‘eco towns’ and ‘sustainable urban’ extensions Sustainable is as it says and should have appropriate infrastructure in
place so unsure this.

 

Seeking your views: Health Impact Assessment of Wingmoor Landfill Site

Seeking your views

Wingmoor waste treatment plant and landfill sites

Earlier this year, a group of people from Bishop’s Cleeve and the surrounding areas completed a community health impact assessment (sometimes called an HIA) of the Wingmoor waste treatment plant and landfill sites with assistance from NHS Gloucestershire.

The work identified some key areas of action that the group felt should be addressed by a number of different organisations.

Next Steps

NHS Gloucestershire is now seeking the views of local people on these key areas of action at two ‘drop in’ sessions to be held in Bishop’s Cleeve later this month.  Come along to complete a questionnaire about the work and share your views.

When?

Tuesday 8^th December 2009 between 8am and 4.30pm

Wednesday 9^th December 2009 between 9.30am and 7.30pm

Where?

Bishop’s Cleeve Parish Council Offices, Church Road, Bishop’s Cleeve, Cheltenham GL52 8LR

No need to book as these are ‘drop-in’ sessions

– just come along

If you are unable to attend please contact Caryn Hall at NHS Gloucestershire – caryn.hall@glos.nhs.uk or 08454 221633 – and she will be able to send you a questionnaire to complete

 

Good public reaction to future plans for Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury

Local residents have been giving their views and comments on a new document called the Joint Core Strategy. The strategy looks at tackling climate change, providing for new homes, managing traffic, and improving public transport, and will replace the local plans in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury.

The first three of 17 planned public exhibitions in the county have already taken place, and a two-day exhibition in Cheltenham’s Promenade runs tomorrow (Friday 27) and Saturday (28 November), from 10am to 6pm.

Steve Jordan, chair of the Joint Core Strategy member group, says: “We are really pleased with the way that these consultation events have kicked off. Local residents have already shown a lot of interest and have given us some good feedback.

“We would like to encourage people to come along to the next events, and have their say, and tell us where they think new development to meet local needs would best be placed.”

Just some of the views received so far include:

o No building in or near the floodplain
o Need more homes – ‘where will I be able to live in future?’
o No need for more homes
o Will the Joint Core Strategy be able to influence climate change and reduction in energy use?
o Lack of facilities in certain local areas such as doctors surgeries/health facilities and other community facilities
o No more growth in the green belt
o Housing should be located in Gloucester or Cheltenham first
o Housing should avoid the floodplain at Tewkesbury
o Housing should not build in the Leckhampton area -it is open countryside at the foot of the Cotswolds
o Could use the land outside but near to Gloucester and Cheltenham as this would mean more spacious less dense development in the urban areas
o Need to protect the environment – ‘we live in a beautiful area’.
o Need for improved cycle ways and footpath networks
o Inadequate public transport links
o No more development south of Gloucester

Further exhibitions planned for next week are:

Monday 30 November – Quedgeley Parish Office, Gloucester – 3pm to 6pm
Tuesday 1 December – -Bishops Cleeve Parish Council Office – 3pm to 8pm
Wednesday 2 December – Brockworth Community Centre – 3 pm to 8 pm
Thursday 3 December – Uckington /Swindon Village Cheltenham Civil Service Sports Centre, Tewkesbury Road – 3pm to 7pm
Friday /Saturday 4 and 5 December – Unit 33 Kings Walk, Gloucester City Centre – 9am to 6pm
The document can also be found on the JCS website (www.gct-jcs.org) where comments can be made using the on-line system.

The ten week consultation period for the Joint Core Strategy ends on Monday 1 February 2010.
ENDS

Contact: Laura Carter, communications team leader, telephone 01242 775037, email laura.carter@cheltenham.gov.uk
Notes:
The Joint Core Strategy needs to be ‘in conformity’ with the draft Regional Spatial Strategy, which is still to be published by Central Government.

The Joint Core Strategy will identify the key issues facing Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury and set out a vision and strategy for tackling them. Some of the issues to be addressed include:

· Tackling climate change;
· Protecting the environment
· Managing traffic and improving public transport
· Supporting health and education; and
· Providing for new homes and stimulating the local economy

Exhibition dates and venues
Manned exhibitions:
The big three:
1. Cheltenham
Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November in front of Cavendish House, Promenade.
2. Gloucester
Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December at the vacant shop in Kings Walk Shopping Arcade
3. Tewkesbury
Friday 11 and Saturday 12 December at Tewkesbury’s main library
Gloucester

· Tuesday 24 November: Gloucestershire College, Gloucester campus
· Thursday 3 December (TBC): Quedgley’s Severn Vale School
· Wednesday 9 December: Innsworth Community Hall
· Thursday 10 December (TBC): Hempsted C of E Primary School

Cheltenham

· Monday 23 November: Gloucestershire College, Cheltenham campus
· Wednesday 25 November: Oakley Community Resource Centre, Clyde Crescent
· Thursday 26 November (TBC): Swindon Village Civil Service Sports Association
· Thursday 10 December: Leckhampton/Up Hatherley Brizen Young People’s Centre

Tewkesbury

· Tuesday 1 December (TBC): Apperley Village Hall
· Tuesday 1 December: Bishops Cleeve parish council hall
· Wednesday 2 December: Brockworth Community Centre main hall/conference room
· Monday 7 or Tuesday 8 December (TBC): Alderton Village Hall
· Tuesday 8 December: Highnam Community Trust Centre
· Wednesday 9 December (TBC): Winchcombe Parish Hall (community centre)

Unmanned exhibitions
Gloucester
City Council Offices , The Docks
Gloucester Guildhall, Eastgate Street
Gloucester Library , Brunswick Road
Gloucester TIC, Southgate Street
Hucclecote Library, Hucclecote Road
Longlevens Library , Church Road
Matson Library ,Winsley Road
Quedgeley Library , Bristol Road
Tuffley Library , Windsor Drive

Cheltenham

Cheltenham Borough Offices , Promenade
Charlton kings Library , Church Street
Cheltenham Central Library, Clarence Street
Hester’s Way Library ,Goldsmith Road
Prestbury Library ,The Burgage
Up Hatherley Library , Hulbert Crescent , Caernarvon Road
Lower High Street Resource Centre
Oakley Community Resource ,Clyde Crescent

Tewkesbury

Bishops Cleeve Library , Tobyfield Road
Brockworth Library , Moorfield Road
Churchdown Library Parton Road
Tewkesbury Borough Council Offices , Gloucester Road
Tewkesbury Library Sun Street
Winchcombe Library , Back lane

 

The Joint Core Strategy

YOUR TOWN, YOUR COUNTRYSIDE, YOU CHOOSE

A draft JOINT CORE STRATEGY (JCS) is to be prepared by Gloucester City, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Councils. It will decide our area’s planning future up until 2026. The draft has, by law, to be based on the draft South West Regional Spatial Strategy (SWRSS) even though all three Councils object to many of its policies, particularly unjustified urban extensions and incursions into the Green Belt.

An initial Public Participation Document has been produced that identifies the key issues that need to be resolved before the strategy can be produced. The consulation started on Monday 23rd November for 10 weeks. There will also be manned roadshows on this schedule:

Friday 27 November – Cheltenham Promenade – 10am to 6pm

Saturday 28 November – Cheltenham Promenade – 10am to 6pm

Monday 30 November – Quedgeley Parish Office, Gloucester – 3pm to 6pm

Tuesday 1 December – Bishops Cleeve Parish Council Office – 3pm to 8pm

Wednesday 2 December -Brockworth Community Centre – 3 pm to 8 pm

Thursday 3 December -Uckington /Swindon Village, Civil Service Sports Centre, Tewkesbury Road – 3pm to 7pm

Friday /Saturday 4 and 5 December – Unit 33 Kings Walk, Gloucester City Centre – 9am to 6pm

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF WE WORK TOGETHER

If we can choose and agree the best options for our area and if we can encourage a massive unified community response, the Councils will have a public mandate to resist Central Government dictat.

WE NEED EVERYONE TO RESPOND

The full “JCS Initial Public Participation Document” together with a comments form is now available online, or you will be able to order a hard copy by phone.

online: www.consult.gct-jcs.org Tel: 0800 073 1441

Responses can be submitted by e-mail or by post.

e-mail: info@gct-jcs.org
Address: Joint Core Strategy Team, Municipal Offices, Promenade, Cheltenham, GL 50 9SA

For further details of the event and a single-page summary of the key issues contact Alice:
e-mail: alice.ross@btinternet.com
Tel. 01242 529793

EVENT ORGANISED BY SAVE THE COUNTRYSIDE (www.savethecountryside.org.uk)
AFFILIATED TO SAVE OUR GREEN SPACES (www.saveourgreenspaces.org)

SUPPORTED BY LEGLAG (Leckhampton Green Land Action Group) (www.leglag.org.uk)

CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) (www.cpre.co.uk)

 

First major RSS planning threat is here!

Greenbelt land around Innsworth - but how long for?

Please make time to attend a planning meeting at Longford Village Hall, Longford Road, Gloucester, GL2 9DE) at 7pm on Wednesday July 15th. Here’s why…

One of our number attended a recent meeting involving legal counsel for Robert Hitchins and Tewkesbury BC. What follows is an extract from his notes. I you will agree its a compelling case for us to turn up in numbers.

Anthony Crean Q.C . on behalf of the developer Robert Hitchin: The RSS is coming, and on that basis we have the right to build these 1750 (up to 2,500) houses on this Greenbelt search area round Innsworth.

Paul Cairnes on behalf of Tewkesbury Borough and Glouceestershire County councils 

appealed on the following grounds:

- whether there are very special circumstances to justify development within the greenbelt

- whether granting development in advance of the Joint Core Strategy evedence is premature

-  Whether proposal delivers adequate affordable housing

- Whether appropriate design standards have been met

- whether adequate community infrastructure is provided / intrusion into the rural landscape

- The acceptability or otherwise of the proposed s106 (This is code for the SW RSS) obligations offered by the appallent

 So this is maybe two thousand houses plus on the Green Belt between here and Gloucester. It could turn out to be an important test case for the RSS, so please consider coming along on next Wednesday.

 

Joint Core Strategy Newsletter 2 – Available here!

The second newsletter of the Joint Core Strategy for Cheltenham Gloucester and Tewkesbury can be seen below. it has all the dates and contact details so you can keep up to date with what is happening.

jcs_newsletter_2__1112082

 

Worcs Lib Dem Petitions to Suspend RSS

West Worcestershire Liberal Democrat campaigner Richard Burt has lodged a petition with the Number 10 website calling for the suspension of the regional housing targets.

The petition reads:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to suspend regional housing targets determined through the Regional Spatial Strategy, empowering local councils instead to set their own targets based on local, sustainable housing needs assessments and consultation with local communities.

You can sign it at http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SuspendRSS/

 

Minister listens after all

Martin Horwood addresses the campaign in Committee Room 14

 

About 90 people from Gloucestershire congregated at the House of Commons to put pressure on the Government to back down from its deeply flawed Regional Spatial Strategy proposals. The day before we had been told this in a written note from the Minister Iain Wright:

I cannot discuss the content of the RSS or communicate the points raised at our meeting with decision making Ministers about issues raised by regional stakeholders. This is for reasons of fairness and to avoid new issues arising which might necessitate a further round of consultation..

which all seems to fly in the face of democracy. Our party was undeterred however and when a deputation of Gloucester MP’s met the Rt Hon Mr Wright they found him to be very sympathetic. He was impressed both by the strength of feeling and by the force of some of our arguments and while he could not publicly commit to help, the MP’s were pleased to see aides scribbling notes throughout the meeting.

At a debrief to the whole group in Committee Room 14 jointly chaired by Helen Wells and Cheltenham MP Martni Horwood, the mood was upbeat – there was a definite feeling that the messagewas beginning to get through. Some evidence of this can be seen in one of the comments after the meeting by a spokesman for the Department of Communities and Local Government who said: “The South West is facing long term housing shortages and affordability issues.  It is already the only region with above average house prices and below average incomes. If more homes are not built the housing ladder will get even further out of reach leaving the next generation with nowhere to live.” 

In response to fears about green belt land however, the spokesman continued: “The government has no intention of weakening the protection given to green belt in planning decisions. We believe it is possible to build the homes future generations need whilst protecting the environment and green spaces.”

There were a number of interviews with regional press and television and there was a good write up of the day in the Gloucesrshire Echo here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7842764.stm 

NEXT STEPS:

This weekend the focus switches to the local dump – why build houses near the toxic waste facility at Stoke Orchard? This Saturday, 31st January, Grundon are putting on a public exhibition about their proposals for 20 more years of operations at Wingmoor Quarry and Wingmoor Farm.
 
If you need transport or do not wish to drive onto Grundon’s site, SWARD are running a minibus shuttle, financed by Bishop’s Cleeve Parish Council.  The minibus will start at 9.30 am and run continuously till the exhibition ends. Simply wait outside Bishop’s Cleeve Community Centre.

We are planning another meeting in February and will publish that date nearer the time – its important we keep up the pressure.

In the meantime, enjoy this coverage on ITV West with star performances from Helen Wells, Barry Simon, and Martin Horwood.

http://www.itvlocal.com/west/news/?player=WST_News_15&void=279869

 

Environment Agency massively under estimates flood risk

As we heard from the Severn and Avon Vally Combined Flood Group last week, the Environment Agency only includes river flooding in its flood risk estimates. Insurers however take a more cautious approach, and while we may not want our premiums to go up, we would all rather have avoided the risk in the first place. New Flood Risk Assessment maps published by Landmark Information include minor rivers and surface water and give an overall figure of 30% for housing at risk from flooding as opposed to the 10% estimated by the Environment Agency. Landmark worked in conjunction with RMS to produce the reports. If homeowners won’t buy houses at risk, maybe developers can be deterred from building on the green belt.

Matthew Grant, global head of client development at RMS, which has been modelling all sources of flood risk since 2001, said: “The 2007 floods provided a stark reminder that major river flooding is just one part of the full flood risk picture, and a much more comprehensive view is needed. “

There may well come a time when Save the Countryside should be commissioning RMS and/or Landmark Information to give us a detailed assessment of our area with its impermeable soils and fast flowing minor rivers.

To find out more read this article from today 20th January on the aboutproperty.co.uk site or the formal press release is available on Landmark’s  Homecheck  site along with some similar articles.

 

Toxic Waste and the Flood Risk should make this decision a no-brainer

Save the Countryside Meeting January 15th 2009 Municipal Offices

More than 40 people attended the meeting last night (15th January) to discuss the issues arising from proposals to build in the Green belt around Cheltenham.
Barbara Farmer from Safety in Waste and Rubbish Disposal (SWARD) outlined the history and issues associated with waste disposal at the Wingmoor Farm site near Bishops Cleeve.
In addition to the smells, flys, rats, noise and 82,000 traffic movements to and from Wingmoorevery year is the much bigger problem of toxic waste disposal. The hazardous waste site deals with ‘disposal’ of dioxins which amount to about 50% of the UKs total toxic waste.
The European Commission in a draft document maintained that there should be a half kilometer distance between non-hazardous waste sites and 2 kilometers distance from hazardous waste sites. This was not turned into law – but the so-called NW urban extension is to be built right up against the tip. Who will buy a house in such a situation?
Dave Wittsand Vernon Smith from the Severn and Avon Valley combined Flood Group outlined the history of flooding in the Severn Vale and the use of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS). The evidence shows that most SUDS systems don’t work on the Severn Flood Plain because it is covered in impermeable clay and the water cannot soak away. Any building in the area of the NW urban extension will send more water down local streams into the Tewkesbury area and increase the risk of flooding there as happened in July 2007. Their campaign has attracted academic support from Professor Cluckie (Swansea University).
Cllr. Paul Massey, speaking for Cheltenham Council Leader Steve Jordan, indicated that the Regional Spatial Strategy has fallen even further behind and won’t be available until Summer 2009 now, and this will delay production of the Local Development Framework back. There will be a General Election in 2010 at which housing targets imposed on the area can be challenged.
Helen Wells, Chair of ‘Save the Countryside’ urged people to attend the meeting in Parliament on 21st January when Gloucestershire MPs will have an opportunity to meet one of the Ministers, Iain Wright, responsible for the RSS. ‘Save the Countryside’ is running a coach to it.
For further information, leave a comment on this site and we will get in touch.

John Webster

 

Mind our agricultural land!

Agricultural Grades around Tewkesbury Road

The land along the Tewkesbury Road earmarked for develpment by the RSS is ‘very good’ or ‘good’  agricultural land as the attached map clearly shows. Even the pasture which makes up most of the proposed development area is classed as ‘moderate’.  At a time when news stories like this continue to argue imminent food shortages, why are we planning to build over these precious food sources?

 

I want one of those!

Cut an activist dash in one of out T-Shirts!

There is going to be plenty of opportunity in the New Year to stand up and be counted as an opponent of greenbelt development and Urban Sprawl. Our committee have been cutting quite a dash in their ‘Save the Countryside’ T-shirts. Now we are putting in an order for a whole lot more. If you would like one, please leave a comment (with your email in the hidden email field) on the site stating size (XL, L, or M) and we’ll get you one.

 

Tories publish opposition to RSS

Save the Countryside is a non-political organisation, we just want to stop the urban sprawl that will result if the RSS gets the rubber stamp. To do this we need to persuade politicians of all colours to see the strength of our arguments. Well it looks as if campaigning groups like ours have hit a chord with the Conservatives, as can be seen from this excerpt from a statement from Eric Pickles, Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government:

Conservatives have pledged to scrap regional planning and the unelected regional assemblies.

“A Conservative Government will abolish the undemocratic and unwieldy tier of regional planning across England. This will include changing the law to scrap the Regional Spatial Strategies and Regional Planning Bodies (currently the regional assemblies, soon to be RDAs). We will return their powers to elected local councils.
As a logical consequence of scrapping the regional plans, if the RSSs have already been implemented, we will allow councils to revise their local plans (‘Local Development Frameworks’) to undo the changes that the Regional Spatial Strategy forced on them. This will allow local communities to protect their local environment, and decide themselves the most appropriate level of development for their area.”

Fine words – its a forlorn hope that Labout will U-turn on this policy to nullify this vote-catcher, but hopefully it will make them consider the detail more carefully. For example, Margeret Beckett in the Commons this week was put on the spot about the principle of consecutive development which was cut from the final draft of the South West RSS – she responded:

(On the issue of brownfield development..) “this is one of the many targets that others said we could not possibly meet but we have met; in fact, we have exceeded the targets on building on brownfield. I understand his concerns, and I feel sure that all Members will agree with him that we should do this, rather than, as the hon. Member for Esher and Walton (Mr. Taylor) mentioned, go for greenfield development. (Hansard: 18 Nov 2008 : Column 113)”

We just need to keep the pressure up.

 

We have won the argument!

This may seem like a rash and brash statement to make but it comes in the light of a written answer to a question submitted in the Commons last week.

Question: What assumptions about annual economic growth rate were made in compiling the housing numbers for South West in the RSS?

Answer: 3.2%

We say: Not flipping likely! These levels of growth are just not going to happen, unless  we go back to piling up huge amounts of unsustainable debt, and starting from where we are now, that just isn’t going to happen. if that figure is then agreed to be wildly overstated, then it follows that population and therefore housing predictions are also wildly overstated. Result? The housing component of the RSS is a busted flush and it has to be back to the drawing board.

 

We went to Westminster

Chair Helen Wells catches the photographers eye at Downing Street

Representatives of the Save The Countryside Campaign went to Westminster last week to hand in our petitions, both electronic (well, evidence of) and paper.

We met with the press and a shadow politician first of all outside the houses of Parliament; we handed in a total of 4208 petition signatures from Save the countryside to Hazel Blears’ team at the communities and local government office,  and we handed in our letter at the gates of Downing Street.

 

It was good to get the attention of the press and the politicians, and we have had excellent news since confirming that the 4000 plus signatures on our petition will count as objecting comments against the RSS.

About to be interviewed by the press at Westminster

 

Last Day to Post Response to RSS

TODAY is the day to post your Comments on the RSS - or email tomorrow

Well I got mine in ok – sent it by email. The Save The Countryside Group has posted over 200 responses, which is brilliant – thanks to Anne, Kit, Tim and all who worked so hard to make that happen. I sent mine by email in case there is a major problem with the mail (or was I just too lazy to find a stamp and walk to the post box!). Martin Horwood’s response in his official capacity as MP of Cheltenham is excellent. He has actually read the whole document so makes the right references to the right paragraphs. He includes almost everything we had planned to say plus a whole lot more – if you would like a copy for inspiration – comment below and we can send it over. Finally, remember you can still do it tonight or even tomorrow if you email it. Use the official form (see previous post) and email to ‘rssconsult@gosw.gsi.gov.uk’

 

One Week to Go

RSS Comments Form - download yours and fill in today!

You only have one week left to get your comments on the RSS into the system. They must be received by Friday 24th at 5pm so best to do it this weekend and get them posted Monday morning. Advice from our local government expert is: you don’t have to read the whole document and comment in detailed scientific terms – if you use the correct form they have to read your comments and the important thing is to register dissent. Alhough in theory we can only comment on the latest changes, do not hesitate to attack the whole process, the initial assumptions of numbers of housing required, the loss of the principle of sequential development (brown land first), and the loss of greenbelt. Plus anything else you feel strongly about.

To down load a copy of the form click here and then down load the document entitled ‘Response Form.doc’ whihc is the only Word document on the page.

 

NEWSFLASH – Exeter Bus Places Available

Exter Cathedral Close

Message from Anne Griffiths:

Hi everyone,
I have been to Tewkesbury Flood Group Meeting tonight.
They have booked a coach to go to Exeter on Friday.
There are plenty of seats left.
The cost is £5.00
The coach will leave The Crescent at Tewkesbury at 8.00 a.m.

 

Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Unite Against RSS

MPs and Campaigners Rally at Swindon Village 27th Sept 2008

MORE than 100 countryside campaigners, residents, councillors and MPs rallied in Swindon Village to protest against plans for thousands of homes on the greenbelt.

There were cheers and claps from the Seasons Business and Leisure Complex, in Quat Goose Lane, as politicians called for townspeople to lobby against Government proposals to build 8,100 homes around Cheltenham, including 5,000 on the edge of Swindon Village, as part of the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy.

The meeting was led by protest group Save the Countryside, with speeches from Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood and Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson, who gave advice on action to take.

There were calls for revolt as residents heard the Government had failed to take into account space already within the town, flooding concerns following last year’s crisis, or the need for new infrastructure including roads and schools to support the area of new housing.

Concerns were also voiced about the short amount of time taken by Government inspectors to assess Cheltenham for housing

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Helen Wells, chairman of Save the Countryside, told the crowds: “We’re here to make the maximum impact for our cause.

“The Government wants to massively increase the size of our beautiful town by 26 per cent and we’re not having it.

“Let’s all be clear, it’s our last chance to save our beautiful countryside.

“We have nationwide support and have come a long way since our inception seven months ago. It’s up to us to make our mark.”

Tewkesbury MP Laurence Robertson added: “We are all concerned about this issue.

“We have experienced problems with flooding and further development is only going to make this worse.

“The Government is not listening to us and it’s important to campaign and fight this.

“Once thousands of houses are built in the wrong place it’s too late and we’ll have to live with our mistakes.”

Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood called for public protests in London against the plans.

He said: “We cannot be bullied with accusations of being nimbys.

“We need a test that makes sure space in urban areas is used first and this should be part of the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy.

“That will help us to defend the countryside.

“Laurence and I also need to get together with MPs in the south west and go to London with bus loads of people behind us to make the Government listen.

“If we turn up the political heat, then just maybe we might become a success story.”

Mike Griffiths travelled from Elmstone Hardwick for the meeting.

He said: “This is not just a campaign by people from Swindon Village, but by the people of Cheltenham and Tewkesbury.

“Residents from both towns have joined together to present a stronger case against these plans.”

The public have until October 24 to make their views known on the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy through a consultation process.

■ Have your say by emailing rssconsult@gosw.gsi.gov.uk.

 

Gloucester County Council Slams RSS

 

Gloucestershire County Council, whose web site still features a special section on flooding, is making it clear that it plans to object strongly to the Regional Spatial Strategy, with the main criticisms being around lack of consideration for flood risk and instrastructure planning.

Cabinet member for Environment, Councillor Julie Girling said: “The whole thing is not very well thought-out – in the Government’s terms it ‘lacks soundness’.  “We intend to make our views very clear on this. I’d like to reassure councillors and members of the public that we’ll be reflecting their views in doing so.”

The council is objecting over increased flood fears thousands of new homes would pose to the county and the lack of a flood-risk assessment in the RSS. It also says there is a lack of planning for new infrastructure – roads, schools, medical services – to support the area of new housing.

These are fears shared by us in North West Cheltenham, where the loss of vast tracts of pasture land to housing will mean the replacement of acres of natural water-absorbing meadows. Have a look at these photos to see what we mean. The run-off will surge into the Swilgate which flows north to join the Avon and Severn at Tewkesbury. The result will surely mean more flooding – Councillor Girling is right – this is not well thought-out at all.

 

Don’t Let The Diggers In! Public Meeting: Sat, 27 Sep

Your personal responses to the Westminster driven ‘RSS’ proposed building plans to build 5,000 dwellings on our Greenbelt must be registered by mid October. This is your last opportunity to officially file your complaint about the absurd plans.

TOGETHER WE REALLY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

We have identified some ‘hot’ subjects for you to make a brief comment about:

Flood risk;
Desecration of our countryside;
houses not required;
Urban sprawl;
20 year building site;
massive traffic congestion;
extra pollution;
proximity of houses to Wigmore Farm;
Loss of wildlife;
massive reduction of property prices in local areas; etc

To find out how to comment go to comment on the RSS.

If you haven’t signed the e-petition yet, please do so and please forward onto anyone you know – we need to ramp up the signatures to at least 3,000 to make as much impact as we can: www.savethecountryside.org.uk

Once again to show solidarity to the various media that have shown interest, and to register a unified resistance, we will be gathering on:

Saturday, 27th September, 3pm

at

“Seasons”, Quat Goose Lane, Swindon Village

Our Local MPs who are against the RSS, will be there to share with us what they are doing for our cause.

I know most of you who have attended meetings/walks previously have enjoyed the community spirit. If you have not been before, please come and meet us

Looking forward to seeing you there.

Don’t let the diggers in!

 

Housebuilders ‘jeopardising green targets’

Michael Donnelly, PlanningResource, 27 August 2008

A report has warned that housebuilders are jeopardising the UK’s green agenda by cutting green technologies to cut costs.

Window supplier VELUX says the slowdown in the UK property market is posing a serious threat to the UK’s zero-carbon targets and hindering further development of eco technologies.

VELUX says that many housebuilders are being forced to cut costs and as a result, eco technologies are one of the first things go.

Kevin Brennan, head of sustainability, VELUX, said: “While cutting back on the use of eco technologies might provide a short term solution to reducing costs, it is a short sighted view and makes a mockery of the government’s zero carbon target.

“Understandably in the current climate, certain developers will be looking to cut costs, but ignoring the benefits of incorporating eco technologies could have disastrous, long-term consequences.

“If simple eco technologies such as solar thermal became integrated into all new homes, the reduction in the UK’s carbon emissions would be considerable. Further still, the unit cost to manufacture these technologies would fall, making such technologies more affordable and more accessible for all concerned.”