STOP PRESS! STOP PRESS!

Just saw some water board and County Council personnel reviewing the water pipes etc. around Pottery Lane and Quennels Hill, in order to solve the problem of ground water leakage!

That was quick!

My first phone call this morning regarding borough council things, was directly to do with the SANGS! Not that it was an immediate reponse to my own blog below, but more that a local resident with an outstanding planning application, has discovered that this (and I quote) "blanket" ban on planning permission will affect his application for one property which he has been working on for some time.

Unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of impact that will occur many times until we have the review of the SANGS. I'll be passing on this information to my member colleagues, and keeping the blog up to date with progress.

SANGS

This is not an acronym that I would have known prior to becoming a councillor, but it is one that has a significant impact on planning, especially new houses, in our town.

Suitable Natural Alternative Green Space

The below text is on the Waverley website, and describes a review about to occur of the status of Farnham Park as a Suitable Natural Alternative Green Space, for planning applications. It is critical that any review not only takes into account the need to allow planning to continue without unnecessary constraints, but also legitimately identifies green space that mitigates the potential negative impacts of any new construction in the town.

If you need to know more, do search on the Waverley website for historic documents and news items related to this. And ask the planning department for more information. But - and here I admit my ignorance (further than what I've described) - don't ask me!

“Information for prospective applicants regarding the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA) and the Council’s Interim Miniplan

In order to avoid new housing in the Farnham area having an adverse impact on the Thames Basin Heaths SPA, the Council adopted an Interim Miniplan in 2007, whereby developers contributed to the enhancement of Farnham Park as an alternative green space. When the Miniplan was first adopted, the identified capacity at Farnham park was 10.9 hectares. That capacity has now been almost completely exhausted and it is likely that it will be completely used up as a result of planning applications that are already in the system or pending appeal decisions. Therefore, prospective applicants for new housing within the affected area are advised that, in the short term, it is likely that there will no longer be the opportunity to contribute to the enhancement of Farnham Park as alternative green space. As a result, the Council may have no alternative but to withhold planning permission for new residential development within the affected area.

On 10th February, the Council’s Executive approved plans to review the Interim Miniplan. This review will include exploring with Natural England the scope to increase the capacity of the green space at Farnham Park. This review will take some months to complete and in the meantime, prospective applicants are advised to discuss their proposals, and progress with the Miniplan review, with the planning officer before submitting their planning application to the Council.”

Slippery Slope

As you may have already read on my blog, I was away during the heavy snowfalls, but I heard about the flurry of accidents that took place near the bottom of Quennell's Hill, and read a number of letters in the Herald that note the continued leakage of groundwater from the junction with Pottery Lane, and the lack of any noticeable work to prevent this.

I've just this minute emailed our County Councillor David Munro, who I know has already been involved with trying to work this out. Presently the only warning abou the road conditions is given part way up Quennell's Hill, but this doesn't help anyone on the main road through Wrecclesham, and when it's icy, you can see what happens to the house at the bottom of the hill!

Musing

I'm musing on two things today:

(1) Neighbourliness - I've decided that landscaping my front garden is an excellent way to catch-up with neighbours, visitors to my neighbours, and people walking their dogs. Simply being outside where people see you going about your business is a really great way to strike up conversation. I heard a lot about this kind of community when we had all the snow a couple of weeks ago (although sadly I wasn't around): my mother was helped up a slippery hill, and some neighbours who'd never met each other before were nattering outside with fresh coffee in their hands.


(2) Twitter - now, I think of myself as technically literate, but I'm not sure I've quite clicked with Twitter just yet. Follow this link to see for yourself, but, I'm going to give it a few weeks whilst I work out whether it does anything different from Facebook or blogging.

Ramblings...

...of my mind, and definitely not of my feet.

Not that I wouldn't love, simply love, to be rambling over the mountains this weekend. I was invited to a weekend of winter walking in Snowdownia, but turned it down as I needed to be at home with my family, especially after being away so much recently, and with Rach 38 weeks pregnant... yes, I hear you all ask, was there ever really an option to go walking. No, not really.

Anyway, I love winter climbing - usually Scotland somewhere - and so Snowdownia was going to be a great weekend, as I haven't been out in a couple of years. And it looked especially exciting, what with all the snow over the past few weeks. However, all that was before I heard about how some climbers have been killed on Snowdon this week, and how the continues are extreme and treacherous.

There's a part of every climber that, on hearing that information, simply wants to get out there and see how bad (read 'exciting', 'thrilling' etc.) it really is.

But not this time. With a baby on the way, and the sobering news of two brothers (both with young or imminent families) dying in the past week, I know I made the right decision. Nobody could every call me risk averse, but on this occasion, I feel that discretion is the better part of valour.

My nice neighbour

A day off today (after 3 weeks business travel including weekends), and my first job is to fill the skip in the driveway with rubble and earth from the front garden which we're completely re-landscaping.

So, good exercise certainly, but not exactly fun - until that is Ian, our next door neighbour, popped round with his wellingtons on, gloves on, and a shovel in his hand: "Can I help? I could do with some exercise."

It was then that the job became fun, and chatting over a shared endeavour became simply the best thing in the world to do right then.

Good news? Bad news?

I'm not sure that this FT story is entirely good news for Farnham. Whilst restructuring of the debt and equity of Crest Nicholson is bound to be designed to some extent to allow some cash to flow, and existing schemes to progress to completion, it may not necessarily allow new schemes to start, perhaps not this year, perhaps not for a number of years.

Just my own opinion.

Planning Applications 11th February 2009

(Click here if you want to go the Waverley planning search page, and select 'Ward' from the left hand list of options)

No new aplications to report this week.

From the ridiculous to the sublime

I'm fuming. Really fuming. There's no excuse for the kind of inconsiderate, rude, and downright unacceptable behaviour that my wife experienced on public transport today.

Electing to use the bus that runs to Farnham - primarily because our car was in for its MOT, but secondly, choosing it in lieu of borrowing her brother's car as my mother had said how good the service was - Rach duly waited until 45 minutes after it was due, and as you can imagine (in the cold, the wet, and having to entertain a toddler for 45 mins), was delighted to see it arrive.

What was not delightful was the following 5 minutes during which:
* she struggled to get the pram up the steps;
* no-one offered to help or watch Caleb;
* eventually a gentleman assisted with the pram;
* once the pram was in, the driver pointed out that (due to another - uncollapsed - pram taking up most of the room available, our pram had to be moved again so it wasn't in the way;
* and then, when the driver suggested that a couple of ladies make way for my pregnant wife of 37 weeks, they said no, as they were in (and I quote) "their" seats; therefore
* my wife stood all the way into town.

ARGH!!!!! WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON WITH OUR SOCIETY?

However, contrast this with the way back to Wrecclesham:
* the bus arrived on time;
* she was given help into the bus;
* when exiting the bus, the driver held Caleb on his lap (and I can't tell how much Caleb loved that being a bus driver!) whilst Rach took the pram out and made it ready.

In summary:

(1) Isn't it incredible how inexcusable some people's behaviour can be, when in actual fact it takes very very little to behave in a polite and kind manner?
(2) In fact, the worst of the experiences had more to do with members of the public's attitude that the public transport system itself.

I didn't realise it was so bad

Email's a great thing, and in many ways I've kept in touch with what's been happening even though I've been thousands of miles away in some pretty remote places.

But it wasn't really until I was home this weekend, that I could really envisage the difficult circumstances under which our public services have been operating, especially the rubbish and recycling collections. And it's been driven home to me by the number of emails from fellow members of the council who are sharing residents' frustrations at the lack of collection over the past week.


Whilst I can't claim to be able to solve the problem personally, I can promise to communicate and negotiate and influence as much as possible - so, if you do still have an outstanding collection issue in the ward, let me know, and I will find out as soon as I can about when you can expect it to be sorted.

Breathtaking

I really do think that Waverley is a beautiful borough. However, stood on the top of Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town this morning, simply took my breath away.

Grit, protectionism, and other stories

(1) Today we depart from Luanda, the capital of Angola, to Cape Town. I've been here since Monday with two colleagues, and, whilst I'm glad to be on my way home after almost two weeks on the road, I'm sad not to have seen more of a country that is beginning to find its feet after 3 decades of civil war.

Some incongruities caught my eye this morning though, when after breakfast in the guest house we're staying in, I saw a bit of Sky News telling me that councils were running out of grit in the UK! Well, I can say that I've heard no such status updates for Waverley, and we would certainly be appraised if it happened.

(2) While the EU gets its federal knickers in a twist about US proposals to favour US companies and purchasing, I'm drawn favourably to the concept of buying in-country, having heard much this week about the Angolan strategies to build a skill and knowledge base that is presently lacking. Of course, it's protectionism for a very different reason, but it at least made me stop to think that blindly lashing out at the US for what at first appears to be anti-free-market policies, is not the most helpful response, and instead we could we calmly considering whether promoting local economies is indeed a good and right thing to do.

(3) They make great coffee in Angola! And although I had read that prior to the 70s coffee had been major business here, I hadn't expected to be drinking Angolan coffee, as virtually everything - and I mean virtually everything - is imported, rather than produced locally.

Don't expect to see Angolan coffee on the menu any time soon at the pottery, but, if Rwanda is anything to go by, the potential growth in the industry could see high quality Angolan coffee on the UK supermarket shelves in a few years time.

Planning Applications 4th February 2009

(Click here if you want to go the Waverley planning search page, and select 'Ward' from the left hand list of options)

WA/2009/0085: 15/01/2009
Proposed Development: Erection of two storey extension to dwelling and new pitched roof to existing garage. 8 Lickfolds Road, Farnham.
E: 482372 N: 143210
Case Officer: Mr A Griffiths

Applicant: Mr & Mrs P & M Ede, 8 Lickfolds Road, Rowledge GU10 4AF
Agent: Mr K Field, 4 Hillary Road, Farnham GU9 8QY

WA/2009/0097: 28/01/2009
Proposed Development: Erection of extension and alterations (revision of WA/2008/1762). 9 High Street, Rowledge.
E: 482287 N: 143510
Case Officer: Mr J Hammick

Applicant: P Brooker, 9 High Street, Rowledge, Surrey GU10 4BS
Agent: Mr Andrew Tomkins, Abode Architects LLP, The Forge, 5 Upper Church Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 7PW

NOTICE: Waste / Recycling Catch-up

Due to the snow, collections were interrupted. I've just received the below email notice of the plans to catch-up - which of course are subject to further weather interruptions!

Dear All, I am pleased to confirm that the operational arrangements we made yesterday were put into place at 0700hrs today, Wednesday , when all the vehicles left the depot. The arrangements are as follows:

Wednesday normal collection. Thursday normal collection, Friday normal collection. The missed Monday and Tuesday collections will be collected on SATURDAY 7 feb.

This information has been placed on the Radio,BBC Southern Counties, Eagle andDelta. and in the Surrey Advertiser and the Herald Group of newspapers. EXTRA side bags will be collected during this period.Some roads may remain unsafe and therefore collections will not be made.When new arrangements will be made and communicated over the radio . If no collection is made, or for further information please phone 01483 523524.

Best Wishes,
John

No to No2ID... for now

You may recall that a few weeks ago I described how I support the NO2ID campaign, and I followed this up by proposing to the executive that we put forward a motion at the next full council, an example of which could be as follows:

1. That the introduction of National Identity Cards will do little, if anything, to prevent terrorism, crime or fraud and that the money could be spent more effectively.
2. That it will be an unacceptable burden for the citizens of West Berkshire to be forced to pay for a card without regard to their ability to pay.
3. That this is an unacceptable infringement of civil liberties and a further domination of Government over the citizen.

I circulated this with members, and received a broad range of responses. On the basis of needing to address various points raised (all good), and in the desire not to detract from what will be necessarily a robust and critical meeting in a few week's time (where the budget will be the main item), I will be postponing this motion until a future date.

I'd still be very pleased to hear from anyone who has a view on this, and help inform my position, and a future council motion.

And snow...

From Mary Orton, this morning:

Dear Councillor

We are not able to run any refuse / recycling collection service today, as too few roads are passable. The web-site has been updated, and we are asking local radio stations to broadcast the information to the public.

Our plan now is to resume the service tomorrow. We will aim to run the normal service for the remainder of the week. People whose collections were missed today and yesterday (except for the most remote and isolated properties) will receive a catch-up service on Saturday. Obviously, this plan still does depend on what happens with the weather over the next few hours - any further heavy snowfall could still disrupt services further.

I shall keep you posted by email on service developments.

Kind regards

Mary

Let it snow

I don't believe it. I love snow, I mean, really love snow, and the moment I go to Africa on business for a week, we get more than a foot of snow one day in our village, and I miss the opportunity to break out my winter climbing gear, and build snowmen with my son!

I'm distraught. 31 degrees and humid may be some people's idea of bliss, but I'd much rather be back in Wrecclesham, and being able to post great photos of the pottery in a snow blanket.

Catastrophe

Flying back from Baku this morning, it would entirely normal for me to guffaw outloud at some comical film that I was watching (last example was Ghost Town), listening on my headset, and then look around embarassingly to see if anyone had noticed.

What isn't so common, is a gasp of horror and incredulity as I read one of the most ridiculous stories in the Telegraph. Apparently Birmingham City Council is no longer going to use apostrophes in its street names, as they are confusing, and difficult to understand.

As the leader in the Telegraph writes, what "a defeatist position to adopt".

May I therefore ask, that if you, like I, are protectionist towards the beauty and history of the English language, and would like to see it preserved instead of butchered by local government, please go to the Daily Telegraph's website and sign its online petition: www.telegraph.co.uk/debates.

Planning Applications 28th January 2009

(Click here if you want to go the Waverley planning search page, and select 'Ward' from the left hand list of options)

There's no new planning application for me to bring to your attention today.

However, on the topic of planning and our Waverley portal to associated plans and documents, I know that there's been a few issues the past week or so with getting access.

If you need anything urgently, and you can't find the documents you need, please email me, and I'll see what I can do.