Thursday, October 14, 2010
October 2010
Aylesbury Growth Area
After years of talking and preparing for thousands of homes to be built around Aylesbury, the new government has abandoned the plans. AVDC had not completed the planning for this growth, but had been given notice by the Planning Inspectorate that the controversial plans to site the development on Aylesbury’s ‘Eastern Arc’ were likely to be found ‘unsound’. As a result AVDC has voted to withdraw those plans, and fall back on the saved plans from the previous District Wide Local Plan, now about 10 years old. Although this will have no effect on individual planning applications in the villages, it does leave the Vale vulnerable to speculative major developments such as seen recently in Buckingham, Soulbury, Fleet Marston and Winslow.
Waste and recycling
AVDC has now sunk to 232nd out of 394 authorities for the percentage of waste recycled – having previously been 71st out of 408. This is mainly because AVDC does not collect garden waste for composting. Other authorities have introduced this on a fortnightly rotation which has vastly increased both the amount of waste collected as well as the percentage recycled. However, Worcester recycles the same way as AVDC and manages to recycle 36% compared to AVDCs 23%. The government targets are based on weight, and AVDC introduced glass recycling in response to this, but what AVDC collects, steel, aluminium and plastic, which have most value and positive effect on the environment, is disadvantaged. The main point I am making is that although we have a fantastic household waste site at Aston Clinton, not everyone can take advantage of it, and there are many elderly people and those without a car who need to have garden waste collected for composting. The green bag scheme which operates at the moment is totally inadequate for hedge cuttings and woody waste which needs shredding and cannot be home composted. The County Council has been unable to secure composting sites in Aylesbury Vale, and it is almost impossible for community composting schemes to get licences. The District Council has used this as an excuse not to improve anything about the recycling service at all and do not have any sense of urgency about it. In an answer to a question from Cllr Cashman (Cheddington) they are still only considering measures recommended in a scrutiny review eight years ago to increase the size of the containers, collect mixed recycling including card and textiles.
Quarry 2 Pitstone
Several years ago BCC granted permission for Clark Contracting to restore part of the quarry with inert waste. About 2 years ago Clarks applied for a variation to that permission. BCC have been unable to determine this while waiting for the Environment Agency to respond with their view. The Environment Agency in their turn have to be satisfied that the applicants could fulfil the terms of the licence they would require should planning permission be given. Meanwhile I understand that Chilterns AONB have objected to the current application, although they did not object to the earlier one. This means effectively that we are back to the drawing board on this one. Bucks planners are hoping to bring this all to Committee for decision on December 14th.
HS2 update
The Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond has undertaken several well publicised tours of the route, and high profile meetings with Buckinghamshire MPs and Councils. The report back on this is that he remains adamant that HS2 will go ahead on the preferred route through the Chilterns. While this may be good news for those living near the West Coast Main Line as we do, it is not good news for those near the other route.
I am still incensed that Bucks County Council are arguing that there is no business case for HS2 and that it should not run through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, while promoting a West Coast Main Line (new route or upgrade is not clear) alternative on the case for business, and which also runs through the AONB. Surely this position undermines their whole case?
Libraries
Thank you to the two people who came forward to stand by as Friends of Ivinghoe Library after my item in the last issue. Bucks have drawn up a libraries strategy and I have been invited to a special preview as Ivinghoe is included. I will be meeting with Paula Buck, head of Libraries on October 26. I expect to hear that we can have a community library supported by the council at best, and no library at worst. I will keep everyone informed as the Library needs supporters.
The Bucks Debate and Public Spending Cuts
While there is so much speculation in the papers about cuts it is a good time to get away with cutting services. The County Council latest is that it thinks it will be facing a £90M budget deficit next year. How much of this is from reduced grant and how much from overspending may never be known. The Government spending review hasn’t taken place at the time of writing, and next years budgets are not yet known. Facts are in short supply. Bucks County Council held a series of events around the County in September called ‘The Bucks Debate’ where members of the public were given information on about 30 services provided by the council and asked whether they wanted them to remain as they are, reduce, or discontinue. Unfortunately they did not allow for the option that the Council should hand them over to someone else, such as a Trust, another council, or charity. I am chairing a review of the County Council’s consultation processes at the moment and we will be asking consultees, members of the public, outside experts, and others their views on how Bucks communicates, and how it uses the responses, including The Bucks Debate.
Speed Limit Review Area 13
This is plodding on.The steering group of local councillors, the review team and the police met on October 7th and with two exceptions, all the changes consulted on are being recommended for implementation – next financial year. Meanwhile there is considerable work to be completed before then, publishing the changes, surveying the sites for signage, and getting tenders for the work. In the climate of cuts I referred to earlier the little things that matter so much to rural communities seem most vulnerable. We have a ‘big society’ in our village communities, but volunteers are run ragged already. The only thing we can do about speeding is be responsible for our own driving.
Community Car Scheme
Even though the Ivinghoe Division, I am reliably informed, does not fit the profile for ‘Big Society’ maximum volunteering ( not enough wealthy retired folk) I’m delighted that the meeting in the summer to get a community car scheme running in our villages has found enough people to be able to start.
After years of talking and preparing for thousands of homes to be built around Aylesbury, the new government has abandoned the plans. AVDC had not completed the planning for this growth, but had been given notice by the Planning Inspectorate that the controversial plans to site the development on Aylesbury’s ‘Eastern Arc’ were likely to be found ‘unsound’. As a result AVDC has voted to withdraw those plans, and fall back on the saved plans from the previous District Wide Local Plan, now about 10 years old. Although this will have no effect on individual planning applications in the villages, it does leave the Vale vulnerable to speculative major developments such as seen recently in Buckingham, Soulbury, Fleet Marston and Winslow.
Waste and recycling
AVDC has now sunk to 232nd out of 394 authorities for the percentage of waste recycled – having previously been 71st out of 408. This is mainly because AVDC does not collect garden waste for composting. Other authorities have introduced this on a fortnightly rotation which has vastly increased both the amount of waste collected as well as the percentage recycled. However, Worcester recycles the same way as AVDC and manages to recycle 36% compared to AVDCs 23%. The government targets are based on weight, and AVDC introduced glass recycling in response to this, but what AVDC collects, steel, aluminium and plastic, which have most value and positive effect on the environment, is disadvantaged. The main point I am making is that although we have a fantastic household waste site at Aston Clinton, not everyone can take advantage of it, and there are many elderly people and those without a car who need to have garden waste collected for composting. The green bag scheme which operates at the moment is totally inadequate for hedge cuttings and woody waste which needs shredding and cannot be home composted. The County Council has been unable to secure composting sites in Aylesbury Vale, and it is almost impossible for community composting schemes to get licences. The District Council has used this as an excuse not to improve anything about the recycling service at all and do not have any sense of urgency about it. In an answer to a question from Cllr Cashman (Cheddington) they are still only considering measures recommended in a scrutiny review eight years ago to increase the size of the containers, collect mixed recycling including card and textiles.
Quarry 2 Pitstone
Several years ago BCC granted permission for Clark Contracting to restore part of the quarry with inert waste. About 2 years ago Clarks applied for a variation to that permission. BCC have been unable to determine this while waiting for the Environment Agency to respond with their view. The Environment Agency in their turn have to be satisfied that the applicants could fulfil the terms of the licence they would require should planning permission be given. Meanwhile I understand that Chilterns AONB have objected to the current application, although they did not object to the earlier one. This means effectively that we are back to the drawing board on this one. Bucks planners are hoping to bring this all to Committee for decision on December 14th.
HS2 update
The Secretary of State for Transport Philip Hammond has undertaken several well publicised tours of the route, and high profile meetings with Buckinghamshire MPs and Councils. The report back on this is that he remains adamant that HS2 will go ahead on the preferred route through the Chilterns. While this may be good news for those living near the West Coast Main Line as we do, it is not good news for those near the other route.
I am still incensed that Bucks County Council are arguing that there is no business case for HS2 and that it should not run through the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, while promoting a West Coast Main Line (new route or upgrade is not clear) alternative on the case for business, and which also runs through the AONB. Surely this position undermines their whole case?
Libraries
Thank you to the two people who came forward to stand by as Friends of Ivinghoe Library after my item in the last issue. Bucks have drawn up a libraries strategy and I have been invited to a special preview as Ivinghoe is included. I will be meeting with Paula Buck, head of Libraries on October 26. I expect to hear that we can have a community library supported by the council at best, and no library at worst. I will keep everyone informed as the Library needs supporters.
The Bucks Debate and Public Spending Cuts
While there is so much speculation in the papers about cuts it is a good time to get away with cutting services. The County Council latest is that it thinks it will be facing a £90M budget deficit next year. How much of this is from reduced grant and how much from overspending may never be known. The Government spending review hasn’t taken place at the time of writing, and next years budgets are not yet known. Facts are in short supply. Bucks County Council held a series of events around the County in September called ‘The Bucks Debate’ where members of the public were given information on about 30 services provided by the council and asked whether they wanted them to remain as they are, reduce, or discontinue. Unfortunately they did not allow for the option that the Council should hand them over to someone else, such as a Trust, another council, or charity. I am chairing a review of the County Council’s consultation processes at the moment and we will be asking consultees, members of the public, outside experts, and others their views on how Bucks communicates, and how it uses the responses, including The Bucks Debate.
Speed Limit Review Area 13
This is plodding on.The steering group of local councillors, the review team and the police met on October 7th and with two exceptions, all the changes consulted on are being recommended for implementation – next financial year. Meanwhile there is considerable work to be completed before then, publishing the changes, surveying the sites for signage, and getting tenders for the work. In the climate of cuts I referred to earlier the little things that matter so much to rural communities seem most vulnerable. We have a ‘big society’ in our village communities, but volunteers are run ragged already. The only thing we can do about speeding is be responsible for our own driving.
Community Car Scheme
Even though the Ivinghoe Division, I am reliably informed, does not fit the profile for ‘Big Society’ maximum volunteering ( not enough wealthy retired folk) I’m delighted that the meeting in the summer to get a community car scheme running in our villages has found enough people to be able to start.
# posted by Avril Davies @ 10:14 AM 
