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Stephen Quigley representing you on the District Council
squidcom2@aol.com, www.stephenquigley.comAndrew Smith representing you on the County Council
Andrew.smith@westsussex.gov.uk www.andrewsmith.mycouncillor.org.ukLangmead Farms has applied to build a one megawatt power plant based on an anaerobic digestion process at Walnut Tree Farm, Runcton. In principle a green power plant that will supply power for Langmeads’ own operations, heating for local green houses and earn revenue from supply to the national grid is a sound idea.
However there are concerns about the location of what is effectively an industrial plant in a Horticultural Development Area. And for local residents especially along Marsh Lane there is concern about noise, odour, and the visibility of unscreened silo like towers of up to 16 metres in height
The applicant is meeting with representatives of the two parishes to explain the operation and respond to questions. Members of the public may comment on line to the County Council’s website
www.westsussex.gov.uk/eplanning or in writing to County Development Division, WSCC, County Hall, Chichester PO191RG. The formal deadline is Wednesday December 16 but that date may be extended. The application number is WSCC/88/09/NM.This comes hot on the heels of Langmead Farms’ getting approval for the permanent processing of green waste at its existing composting site at Walnut Tree at the County Planning Committee meeting of October 27, 2009.
A condition of the approval was the setting up of a liaison committee chaired by Councillor Andrew Smith representing all interested parties including ward member Stephen Quigley and residents, to monitor the operation of the site from the point of view of odour and the handling of complaints.
Langmead Farms will be shortly distributing leaflets to potentially affected residents setting out the procedure for registering complaints.
St Richard’s will retain A&E and consultant led paediatric and maternity services following the merger with Worthing and Southlands hospitals.
Officially, the Fit for the Future programme has ceased. The Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee of which local County Councillor Andrew Smith is a member, voted to accept this latest configuration of hospital services. The whole exercise has cost over £2 m of precious NHS funds - not to mention the time of others, including the District Council and its Policy Development Committee chaired by local District Councillor Stephen Quigley.
The District Council will now almost certainly withdraw its request for a Judicial Review of the Primary Care Trust’s original decision to concentrate key services in Worthing at the expense of St Richard’s.
Had the Strategic Health Authority pressed for the acute hospitals to achieve Foundation Trust status earlier - rather than raise the requirement so late in the day - a vast amount of time and money would have been saved.
The District Council has revised its policies for taking enforcement action. The most important change is the upgrading of two positions within the service that give the holders more responsibility and make them more attractive for recruitment. Other advances include the routing of retrospective planning applications that arise from enforcement proceedings, to development management, thereby freeing the service to concentrate on its main job. The handling of enforcement cases is now prioritised into high, medium and low. This will prove a more effective management tool than the previous performance indicators that put all cases into the same time limits.
Residents need to understand that not all breaches of planning law will lead to action. The Council has to decide what is reasonable, expedient and justifiable solely on planning grounds. Enforcement action is taken as a last resort after all other efforts to resolve the problem have failed.
There is a recent example of more effective enforcement. In August a Colworth resident complained about a possible breach of planning by the Mercedes Garage in respect of all night flood lighting. This was investigated by an enforcement officer. The company admitted the breach and the non compliant lighting was removed, all within two months. Some you win
On a recent visit to India organised by Traidcraft, Stephen Quigley had the opportunity to see some fair trade certificated businesses in and around Delhi, Agra and Kolcata, producing bead necklaces, stoneware ornaments and textiles.
Chichester is a fair trade city though County unlike elsewhere will not agree to having the designation attached to road signs at the entrance to the town. A great deal of promotion in Chichester is done by a small voluntary group. As a result of its efforts the university is now a fair trade university.
Assemblies are taken in primary schools. Across the world some seven million workers benefit from operating fair trade businesses. We spend about half a billion pounds in this country on fair trade products per annum. Cadbury’s has recently announced its adoption of fair trade for sourcing cocoa for Dairy Milk chocolate. Look out for the logo and read more at www.fairtrade.org.uk
The County Council has begun an informal consultation on background papers on its Minerals and Waste plans. The period of consultation lasts until 29th January 2010. The council has to prepare a Minerals and Waste Plan covering the period up to 2026. Further periods of consultation will take place during 2010 with a public examination by an independent inspector in 2011. Full details are on the County Council website.
The District Council will be consulting the public in January on the potential sites for major development (more than 500 homes). The District Council has to plan for an extra 9,600 homes, 7,100 of which are expected to be on the coastal plain. The failure of the government to improve the A27 and the limited capacity of the waste water treatments works in the area has not helped the District Council in its task. Full details will be on the District Council website in the new year.
The Government has indicated its grant allocation to local authorities for next year, 1.5% increase for County, 0.5% for the District. Both authorities are working hard to cut costs to maintain services. The real test will be in future years when the new Government, after the General Election, has to make large cuts in public expenditure to get a grip of public finances as the consequences of the enormous size of the banks’ bailouts take effect.
As part of the Chichester Festivities autumn season Shirley Williams is appearing at the Venue, Spur Road at 18:00 on March 19, 2010. Tickets cost £13, £6.50 for students, U/18s and people on income support or jobseeker allowance. Telephone 528356 or visit www.chifest.org.uk.
Shirley Williams is an outstanding figure in the British political landscape and one of the most dynamic and inspirational female politicians of our time. Her mother was renowned pacifist Vera Brittain and her father, George Catlin, a left wing political activist and philosopher. She was a member of the Wilson and Callaghan governments, before co-founding the SDP. She later became leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords.
In her autobiography Climbing the Bookshelves she tells the remarkable story, for the first time, of her life and career and gives a fascinating insight into a life in politics. There will be an opportunity to put questions to Baroness Williams followed by a book signing.
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