Over the last 24 hours there have been postings to this blog and other websites linked to the No Ford Eco-Town campaign... I welcome all comments, rants, abuse and I have no issues with anyone, no matter how strong their opinion is - for or against.
This blog is an open forum - there is even a link inviting people to join in... It also happens that most of the people living in the surrounding area are against this Eco-Town development - hence the huge support for CAFÉ and this Blog.
Saturday, 2 August 2008
Friday, 1 August 2008
Spirit FM - Caroline Flint interview
Usual political sound bites and spin...
Quite a few well - welll - wells.
A bit of old tosh!
And those carefully chosen words,
'Articulate, confident & Rich!'
Listen here...
Quite a few well - welll - wells.
A bit of old tosh!
And those carefully chosen words,
'Articulate, confident & Rich!'
Listen here...
DCLG publishes full sustainability appraisals - but doesn't know where Ford is!
The Department for Communities, & Local Government have published full sustainability appraisals on the shortlisted "Eco-town" proposals.
The one for Ford includes this little gem....
" Arundel bypass site: AONB to north. At the western end the road would
cross through 1.5km of Tortington Common Ancient Woodland and through Binstead Wood Complex SNCI. There are also protected species in this area (adder (BAP species), grass
snake (BAP species), common lizard (BAP species), and common pipistrelle The eastern section crosses the Adur, but is unlikely to affect the SSSI.
Oops - do they know where Ford is? You'd have thought the name of our local authority would give them a clue to the name of the river running beside the proposed site (that they still insist on calling an airfield)?
Also....
"Ford parkway (railway station): May be issues with watercourse, ditches and water voles, depending if footprint changes.
Residential development site: Issue with watercourses and ditches.
Industrial/commercial development site: Watercourses and protected species (great crested newt and watervoles (EA lead, BAP species).
Marina: Climping Beach SSSI and Littlehampton golf course SNCI to the south (see Ford Airfield above). Issues with protected species, flood risk, and watercourse."
Erm have I missed something???
Thought the PARKWAY station was rejected (not v green inviting 1000's of motorists from all over the coastal strip to DRIVE to the station's supposed fast and frequent rail services.
And MARINA? Isn't the riverside supposed to be wetland and greenspace? Or do they want to inflict another aesthetically challenging - oh, and very 1980's marina development on the south coast?????
Read the full sustainability appraisals here: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/910920.pdf
The one for Ford includes this little gem....
" Arundel bypass site: AONB to north. At the western end the road would
cross through 1.5km of Tortington Common Ancient Woodland and through Binstead Wood Complex SNCI. There are also protected species in this area (adder (BAP species), grass
snake (BAP species), common lizard (BAP species), and common pipistrelle The eastern section crosses the Adur, but is unlikely to affect the SSSI.
Oops - do they know where Ford is? You'd have thought the name of our local authority would give them a clue to the name of the river running beside the proposed site (that they still insist on calling an airfield)?
Also....
"Ford parkway (railway station): May be issues with watercourse, ditches and water voles, depending if footprint changes.
Residential development site: Issue with watercourses and ditches.
Industrial/commercial development site: Watercourses and protected species (great crested newt and watervoles (EA lead, BAP species).
Marina: Climping Beach SSSI and Littlehampton golf course SNCI to the south (see Ford Airfield above). Issues with protected species, flood risk, and watercourse."
Erm have I missed something???
Thought the PARKWAY station was rejected (not v green inviting 1000's of motorists from all over the coastal strip to DRIVE to the station's supposed fast and frequent rail services.
And MARINA? Isn't the riverside supposed to be wetland and greenspace? Or do they want to inflict another aesthetically challenging - oh, and very 1980's marina development on the south coast?????
Read the full sustainability appraisals here: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/pdf/910920.pdf
Thursday, 31 July 2008
The Video passed to Caroline Flint by Cafe
Cafe over the weekend of 26/07/08 managed to shoot and mix together a video to show the Minister the area that could be lost forever. Thanks John for sending this in...
VIDEO: Campaigners tell minister how they feel
Housing minister Caroline Flint this afternoon visited Yapton to meet eco-town protesters and supporters.
Ms Flint spent two hours in the village hall, which is on King George V playing field next to part of the site of the proposed 5,000 home development. Click here for more...
Ms Flint spent two hours in the village hall, which is on King George V playing field next to part of the site of the proposed 5,000 home development. Click here for more...
Is the eco-town dream dead?
It all looked so different just 12 months ago, when Gordon Brown won national plaudits for making housing – and the construction of five “eco-towns” – one of his principal priorities. The prime minister was even applauded when he somewhat opportunistically increased the number to 10 at last year’s Labour conference. Since then, however, the popularity of the eco-towns programme in the national press has closely matched that of the prime minister.Read the article from building.co.uk
Challenge Team Report
This is the link (PDF), to the second report of the eco-town challenge team, who are "independently" assessing the proposals.
They say of Ford that “The proposal has been brought forward an impressive amount since the first session.”
“The amount of thinking and work that has gone into the project is appreciated.”
“Good progress, but issues still to be addressed in the areas of transport and land use.”
Where may I ask is the transparency of this thinking and work?
Other developers for the other sites publish a huge amount on their websites. FAVG have only updated their website with a 2 page re-hash of the plans (very very draft) shown at the exhibitions, and included a rather comical day in the life section about some imaginary resident of the new town.
Why are FAVG so secretive? Why aren't these proposals being developed in the full public arena?
They say of Ford that “The proposal has been brought forward an impressive amount since the first session.”
“The amount of thinking and work that has gone into the project is appreciated.”
“Good progress, but issues still to be addressed in the areas of transport and land use.”
Where may I ask is the transparency of this thinking and work?
Other developers for the other sites publish a huge amount on their websites. FAVG have only updated their website with a 2 page re-hash of the plans (very very draft) shown at the exhibitions, and included a rather comical day in the life section about some imaginary resident of the new town.
Why are FAVG so secretive? Why aren't these proposals being developed in the full public arena?
If you're not in favour of the Eco Town - you're rich!
Fascinating - when Housing Minister Caroline Flint did her radio interview with Spirit FM she described those against the Ford Eco-Town as being 'confident, articulate and rich'.
Maybe she was feeling less than confident about her position in that interview, as that often brings out people's hidden thoughts? But I wonder if those three words really do sum up the 2000 people who marched round the site in June to protest - all of them rich? Really, Caroline?
Or is that just how the Minister would like it to be - to see everyone disagreeing with her as being rich people, to see this as a rich vs. poor issue?
As I see it we have across the community support for the CAFE campaign. Rich and poor, black and white, employed and unemployed. Some may be some of her 'confident, articulate and rich' things, but others certainly are not.
Some are even Labour voters, Caroline! They just think that this is the wrong place to put an Eco Town.
Tuesday, 29 July 2008
To all friends and supporters
We now have confirmation that Caroline Flint will be visiting the proposed Ford eco-town site, Wednesday 30th of July. She will be arriving at 12:30pm and departing at 5:30pm. CAFE' and the parish councils have arranged to meet with her at the Yapton and Ford Village Hall to strongly put across the community's concerns with Ford eco-town and related issues.CAFE' will continue to carry on our determined but professional stance which has won us the support of the media, MP's and the local government by attending this meeting but NOT demonstrating. We want to engage the Minister and not allow her to place us in the NIMBY camp.
It is imperative that everyone have a poster, leaflet or car sticker in evidence in their gardens and their vehicles in the surrounding villages and along both roads leading to the A27 (Ford and Yapton roads, Ford Lane, etc.) We want to be visible but not obstructive or antagonistic.
If you need any placards, leaflets or car stickers please contact me campaign@nofordecotown.com
Monday, 28 July 2008
Yapton Local Internet Radio Podcast
Show 1 of Yapton Local is now on our servers for you to download, we feature an interview with Alan & Jo ( The Yapton Wombles ). We also feature our Street barbeque, we also reveal Eco Daleks may be coming to Ford, plus, indie music around the worldPlease support us. Click here for more...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)