|
|
Saltford Environment Group
|
| Home | About Us | News | Contents & Links | Contact | Find Saltford (map) |
Climate Change Cycling Energy Fairtrade Gardening
Green Belt History of Saltford News Archive Station Waste Wildlife
|
Recent News (click on links or scroll down this page) LATEST! Mactaggart and Mickel Homes Ltd withdraws its Appeal against planning refusal! Saltford Wombles next Litter Pick : Sunday 25 August OTHER NEWS B&NES Council & responding to the Climate Emergency Keynsham's Tesco store helping to recycle soft plastics SEG response to cancellation of the JSP SDL Hearings in autumn 2019 JSP Examination Hearing for North Keynsham Strategic Development Location cancelled! Application to build 200 houses between Keynsham and Saltford to be determined by an Inquiry The big butterfly count (19 July to 11 August) Giving hedgehogs a helping hand Family Treasure Hunt (for Saltford Festival) ANSWERS Saltford Wombles : Litter Pick Sunday 21 July How many bees can your lawn support? Saltford Parish Council agrees its statement on North Keynsham SDL You can find more news in our News Archive. Current VOLUNTEER assistance sought by SEG >> Mactaggart and Mickel Homes Ltd withdraws its Appeal against planning refusal!
The 330 residents and organisations that had submitted an objection to B&NES Council against the Mactaggart and Mickel Homes Ltd planning application to build 200 homes on safeguarded Green Belt land between Saltford and Keynsham (outline planning application 18/01509/OUT) will be delighted, for now, to know that the appellant's agent has withdrawn the appeal (appeal reference APP/F0114/W/19/3230009). The withdrawal was announced on 16th August. Our members will be aware that SEG and Saltford Parish Council submitted robust statements to the Appeal Inquiry earlier this month (reported here on our website). No explanation has been given for the withdrawal after wasting everyone's time, effort and expense on such an unwelcome planning application and appeal. It is likely that the appellant is now waiting to see what happens next to the West of England Joint Spatial Plan after the Government's Inspectors cancelled continuation of the examination hearings on 1st August. The local community understands better than anyone what the consequences are of poorly conceived and wrongly located new housing developments. What a welcome change it would make if developers sought to work with the local planning authority rather than against, the effect of which is to disrupt local plans. This latest appeal against a planning application refusal, a refusal that had been strongly supported by the local community, highlights the flaws in our planning system. For developers to try at will to influence where and when new housing developments are built regardless of sustainable development principles and the wishes of the local community and their local planning authority does not contribute to good planning and ignores the Government's declared policy that new developments should be genuinely plan-led, i.e. not developer-led. August 2018 Saltford Wombles next Litter Pick : Sunday 25 AugustOur next monthly litter pick will be on Sunday 25 August from 2-4pm, meeting outside The Little Coffee Shop on Manor Road. The focus will be the A4 and other litter hotspots in the village, for a good tidy up before all the schools go back. If you have litter pickers, gloves and high viz vest please do bring them, but if not we can provide them. We have bags provided by B&NES Council. As with any Saltford Wombles litter pick, everyone takes part at their own risk and it is essential that children are supervised at all times by a parent/carer. If you would like to attend this litter pick, or find out more about the Saltford Wombles, please contact Barbara at the following email address: saltfordwombles@gmail.com. August 2018 SEG submits statement to the Appeal Inquiry for 200 homes on safeguarded Green Belt between Keynsham & Saltford
On Friday 9th August SEG submitted its statement to the Appeal Inquiry to be held from 22 October over the Mactaggart And Mickel Homes application to build 200 houses on safeguarded land between Keynsham and Saltford. The key points making the case against allowing the appeal contained in that statement were:-
SEG also described the negative consequences of the existing over-development of Keynsham, and pointed out that the developer had made no real attempt to justify the development as genuine sustainable development, i.e. on environmental, economic, and social grounds and make provision of a net environmental gain whilst describing why this was particularly important to the B&NES area. SEG agreed with the statement submitted to the Inquiry by Saltford Parish Council (SPC) on 6th August. In conclusion, on behalf of our 550 members, we therefore asked the Appeal Inspector to show that a plan-led approach to planning where local views shape the development of local communities will not be over-turned by a developer seeking to benefit from higher property prices achievable by disregarding sustainable development principles. Those principles are to build affordable housing where it is actually needed, i.e. close to the main centres of employment, and without loss of valuable Green Belt or other green field land that does or can provide eco-system support for farmland whilst providing the health and quality of life benefits from access to open countryside for local residents and city dwellers alike. You can download SEG's full 2-page statement to the Appeal Inquiry here: SEG statement (pdf opens in new window) Our Chairman Phil Harding met with our MP Jacob Rees-Mogg on 9th August and presented him with, and discussed, the SPC and SEG submissions. NOTE: You can see below our report of the SPC statement to the Inquiry. August 2018 B&NES Council & responding to the Climate Emergency
A timetable and information about Bath and North East Somerset Council's immediate plans to address the climate emergency have been set out as part of the council's response to a 2030 carbon neutral goal. The council declared a climate emergency in March this year and added the new 'Responding to the Climate Emergency' button on the site's home page to set out its approach for the coming months. The button at www.bathnes.gov.uk takes website visitors to a timeline of the council's actions up until now and for the coming months. Since March development of the first Climate Emergency report on action planning has begun and will be presented to full the Council in October. In July, the Leader of B&NES Council, Dine Romero, led the initiative that resulted in the West of England Combined Authority declaring a climate emergency and carbon neutrality by 2030. Dine Romero said: "Bath and North East Somerset Council is making good progress on the development of the first Climate Emergency report. We will soon have more detail on the area's carbon footprint and options on how to reach our 2030 carbon neutral goal." "This report will include the proposals for a Climate Emergency, Environment and Place Partnership to provide the leadership and drive to make things happen quickly. It will also include proposals for engagement across the community - including citizens' assemblies. This is when we will need people's support and participation." "Responding to the Climate Emergency requires action from national government, local government and all aspects of society in order to achieve the big energy and transport system changes needed. Many residents and local businesses ask us what they can do, which is why we are also providing a list of relatively simple actions that can be taken. Whilst we should all do what we can, these individual actions on their own are not enough and we will be seeking support from the community for the larger system changes that are needed." Suggested actions:
Suggested actions for businesses or organisations:
More information can be found from this link to the B&NES website. August 2018 Appeal Inquiry for 200 homes on safeguarded Green Belt between Keynsham & Saltford: SPC agrees submission statementAt the meeting of its Planning Committee on the evening of 6th August, Saltford Parish Council agreed its formal submission statement to the Appeal Inquiry to be held from 22 October over the Mactaggart And Mickel Homes application to build 200 houses on safeguarded land between Keynsham and Saltford. The key points contained in that statement in summary were:-
SPC also said in its statement that it agreed with the Senior Highways Development Control Engineer at B&NES Council who has made it clear that the existing road network in the vicinity of the site has insufficient capacity to accommodate the increase in traffic likely to be generated by the proposed development. In conclusion, SPC asked the Inspector to support a plan-led approach to planning where local views shape the development of local communities by rejecting the appeal and refusing to grant planning permission. SEG will be submitting its statement before the 20th August deadline. August 2018 Keynsham's Tesco store helping to recycle soft plasticsThe trial underway at the Tesco store in Keynsham for the recycling of food packaging was recently reported in Keynsham Voice (August edition). The town's store is one of ten in the Bristol and Swindon area trying out the new system. Customers can return everything from pet food pouches and crisp packets to cling film and shopping bags. The Swindon based company Recycling Technologies is working with Tesco by using its specialist 'feedstock' recycling process to help keep plastic waste in the economy and out of landfill and the environment including oceans. The company's process chemically converts plastic waste, which currently cannot be recycled, into a hydrocarbon product. Whilst the key objective must be for society to move away from using plastics wherever possible, this trial can help divert plastics away from landfill, as well as from our countryside, rivers and oceans. As reported in Keynsham Voice, you can return to Tesco in Keynsham:-
August 2018 SEG response to cancellation of the JSP SDL Hearings in autumn 2019[See previous news story "JSP Examination Hearing for North Keynsham Strategic Development Location cancelled!"] The cancellation of the Strategic Development Location (SDL) hearings due to concerns raised by Inspectors that they were not persuaded that there is evidence to demonstrate that the SDLs had been selected for inclusion in the plan, against reasonable alternatives, on a robust, consistent and objective basis will doubtless cause some delay on finalising the West of England Joint Spatial Plan. Additional consultations etc. seem likely before progress can be made on identifying or discounting alternative locations for new SDLs. It is noted that the Inspectors did not take the view that any of the individual SDLs proposed in the JSP could not form part of the West of England JSP or as allocated developments in, for example, the B&NES Local Plan. We await further information from the Examination Inspectors on what they will be seeking from local planning authorities within the West of England area and also information from B&NES Planners. As the transport corridor between Bristol and Bath through Saltford is already at over-capacity and with increasing frequency unable to handle peak travel periods without serious levels of congestion and resultant air pollution, it would be impracticable to create new SDLs along or near this corridor. Such development would also be contrary to local and national planning policies. For example, the landscape setting that gives Bath its UNESCO World Heritage status due to Bath's "grandiose Neo-classical Palladian crescents, terraces and squares spread out over the surrounding hills and set in its green valley" that are a "demonstration par excellence of the integration of architecture, urban design and landscape setting" and allowed for "the deliberate creation of a beautiful city*" would be put at risk. Creating a mass conurbation by merging Bristol with Bath through incremental development and new SDLs between these two cities would undermine Bath's World Heritage status. Furthermore, national planning policy as set out in in NPPF (2018) explicitly places specific purposes on the Green Belt in Chapter 13 to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another; to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment; and, especially important for Bath, to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns, and NPPF (2018) also gives protection to the local landscape and its intrinsic character in Chapter 15 "Conserving and enhancing the natural environment". The policy clearly states that planning policies and decisions should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by: protecting and enhancing valued landscapes; recognising the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside; and preventing new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by, unacceptable levels of soil, air, water or noise pollution or land instability. SEG will continue to watch this issue closely and maintain close links with Saltford Parish Council and B&NES Council's strategic planners. August 2018 JSP Examination Hearing for North Keynsham Strategic Development Location cancelled!On 1st August the Government Inspectors for the West of England Joint Spatial Plan (JSP), Malcolm Rivett and Steven Lee, issued a letter to the West of England Partnership announcing that they had significant concerns over the JSP. They cancelled the hearings for discussing the Strategic Development Locations (SDLs) including the North Keynsham SDL (described as matter 7.1) that had been scheduled for September 2019. In their letter they said: "In particular, we are not persuaded that there is evidence to demonstrate that the Strategic Development Locations, and thus the overall spatial strategy, have been selected for inclusion in the plan, against reasonable alternatives, on a robust, consistent and objective basis. We therefore cannot conclude that these fundamental aspects of the plan are sound. Although there are a number of outstanding detailed points which arose during the hearings on which the Councils were intending to submit notes, these would not affect our conclusions on the selection of SDLs and overall spatial strategy." "In view of this it would be clearly inappropriate to hold the proposed Matters 7.1 - 7.12 hearings, provisionally arranged for September/October, to discuss the SDLs in more detail. Consequently, we have asked Helen [Helen Wilson, the Programme Officer] to cancel these hearings." They plan to issue a further letter in mid-August setting out their concerns in more detail. Members will recall that SEG submitted its formal statement on the proposed North Keynsham Strategic Development Location (SDL) to the West of England Joint Spatial Plan Public Examination (Matter 7.1) in June 2019. Proposals for the SDL include 1,500 new houses in a mixed-development near Pixash Lane and SEG was intending to attend and present to the Examination Hearing for this SDL. We published a summary of our evidence in June 2019 on our website. As a result of this news SEG is concerned that further pressure will be applied to B&NES Council from landowners and developers for (unsustainable) development on parcels of Green Belt hitherto kept out of the B&NES Local Plan that is being consulted upon alongside the JSP Examination process. We will continue to watch this issue closely and maintain close links with Saltford Parish Council and B&NES Council's strategic planners. The Joint Inspectors' letter of 1.8.2019 and other JSP Examination News can be found on this web page: www.hwa.uk.com/projects/west-of-england-joint-spatial-plan/. August 2018 Application to build 200 houses between Keynsham and Saltford to be determined by an InquiryMembers will be disappointed to learn that an appeal has been made by Mactaggart and Mickel Homes Ltd to the Planning Inspectorate against the decision to refuse planning permission for the development of 200 houses between Keynsham, and Saltford and that the appeal was not dismissed but will be determined by an inquiry. The inquiry will open at 10:00am on 22nd October 2019 at the Brunswick Room in the Guildhall, Bath. The inquiry is scheduled to sit for 4 days. Members may recall that over 330 objections were submitted to B&NES Council for the proposed 200 houses on safeguarded Green Belt land in Keynsham (outline planning application 18/01509/OUT). This included an objection from the Senior Highways Development Control Engineer at B&NES Council due to the lack of capacity on the existing road network, a point made by many of the 330+ objections including the objection from Saltford Environment Group - see our April 2018 news item "SEG objects to premature planning application for another 200 houses between Keynsham and Saltford" in our 2018 News Archive. The reasons for the refusal given on 28th December 2018 by B&NES Council were:- 1 The application site is safeguarded land and is not allocated for development at the current time. The development of the site has not been proposed for development following a review of the Local Plan. There are no material considerations that would indicate that permission should be granted at this time. The proposed development is therefore contrary to Development Plan polices, including Core Strategy Policies DW1, KE1 and KE3b. The development is also contrary to paragraph 139 of the National Planning Policy Framework which confirms that planning permission for permanent development of safeguarded land should only be granted following a Local Plan Review. 2 The existing road network in the vicinity of the site has insufficient capacity to accommodate the increase in traffic likely to be generated by the proposed development. In future scenarios, there would be significant delays at several locations, and it is likely that queues would block back across adjacent junctions. The proposed development would contribute towards these problems, and no mitigation measures are proposed to help alleviate the predicted delays on the network. The proposed development would result in a severe residual cumulative impact on the road network. The development is therefore considered to be contrary to policy ST7 of the Bath and North East Somerset Placemaking Plan, and contrary to paragraph 109 of the National Planning Policy Framework. 3 The planning application has failed to demonstrate that the required education infrastructure can be delivered in a timely fashion in order to accommodate the children of primary school age generated by the proposed development. There is no school in reasonable distance that has sufficient spare capacity or is able to be expanded in a timely manner to create additional capacity to accommodate the pupil needs arising from the development. The development is therefore contrary to Placemaking Plan policy LCR3A. SEG and its Green Belt Campaign is now considering the most effective way SEG can respond to this unwelcome threat to the well-being of our local community. SEG is also in close contact with Saltford Parish Council (SPC) and will be making contact with other local interested parties on this matter. SPC will be discussing its proposed response and submission to the Appeal Inquiry when its Planning Committee meets in public in Saltford Hall on Tuesday 6th August (7.15pm). NOTE: The original planning application can be found if you follow this link and key 18/01509/OUT into the search box: B&NES Development Control. July 2018 The big butterfly count (19 July to 11 August)
The big butterfly count is a nationwide survey aimed at helping us assess the health of our environment. It was launched in 2010 and has rapidly become the world's biggest survey of butterflies. Over 100,000 people took part in 2018, submitting 97,133 counts of butterflies and day-flying moths from across the UK. This year's big butterfly count is from 19 July to 11 August and could be something to also get younger members of the family engaged in over the summer holidays. There's even a free smartphone app for the big butterfly count so that you can carry out and submit your count all in one go while out and about watching butterflies. Details at www.bigbutterflycount.org. July 2018 Giving hedgehogs a helping hand
Hedgehogs are now rarely observed in Saltford's gardens. According to Hedgehog Street here in Britain we appear to have lost over half our hedgehogs from our countryside since the millennium alone, and have lost a third from our towns and cities, although this decline in urban areas does appear to be slowing. Badgers are hedgehogs' main predators whereas foxes and hedgehogs often live happily together in our cities. Badgers are the only animals strong enough to tackle a hedgehog's spines. Hedgehogs actively avoid areas where badgers live. Where there are many badgers, hedgehogs are likely to be less common. However according to Hedgehog Street while badger numbers have boomed, there is little evidence that suggests they are the main reason why hedgehogs are in trouble. Fences, walls, new developments and roads are all breaking up green spaces that hedgehogs depend upon. These barriers are making it harder for hedgehogs to get from one green space to another as no single garden is enough. Hedgehogs need neighbourhoods of linked-up gardens to survive. It is known that hedgehogs love gardens and what they need to survive and thrive in suburbia. This is why Hedgehog Street was created. Hedgehog Street is part of a wider campaign to help hedgehogs, run by two UK-based charities, People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES - https://ptes.org) and the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS - www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk). If you want to help hedgehogs in your neighbourhood you might like to pay www.hedgehogstreet.org/help-hedgehogs a visit for tips and advice on how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly - from providing more than one access and exit gap in your garden boundary fences and making your pond safe with a ramp, to creating a wild corner, dealing with litter, and being careful with strimming. July 2019 Family Treasure Hunt (for Saltford Festival) ANSWERS
We can now publish the answers to the Family Treasure Hunt organised by SEG for the Saltford Festival. Many thanks to everyone who took part, we hope you enjoyed the hunt and learned a few new things about our remarkable village. Click here to see the Treasure Hunt 2019 answers (pdf, opens in new window). SCA will be publishing in SCAN the names of the two winners. July 2019 Saltford Wombles : Litter Pick Sunday 21 July
Our next monthly litter pick will be on Sunday 21 July from 2-4pm, meeting place, Bird in Hand pub car park. The focus of the pick will be The Shallows and the Railway path as they are both always very popular areas over the summer months. If you have litter pickers, gloves and high viz vest please do bring them, but if not we can provide them. We have bags provided by B&NES Council. As with any Saltford Wombles litter pick, everyone takes part at their own risk and it is essential that children are supervised at all times by a parent/carer. If you would like to attend this litter pick, or find out more about the Saltford Wombles, please contact Barbara at the following email address: saltfordwombles@gmail.com. July 2019 How many bees can your lawn support?
Following an enthusiastic response to Plantlife's first ever "Every Flower Counts" over the May Bank Holiday weekend, they are teaming up with BBC Gardeners' World for a special repeat of the survey over the weekend of Friday 12 July to Sunday 14 July. If you'd like to either repeat the survey (if you took part last time) and find out how your Personal Nectar Score compares to spring or take part for the first time, the Every Flower Counts website will be open from Monday 8 July. The survey is simple. During the weekend of 12 to 14 July, simply throw a ball onto your lawn to find a random spot, mark out a 1-metre square quadrat (Plantlife will explain how), and then count the number of open flowers you find. If you have a large lawn, you can count several metre-square quadrats. Then enter your results on our website and they will give you your Personal Nectar Score showing you how much nectar your lawn is producing and how many bees it is supporting. You can do the survey on your mown lawn, or on areas of lawn you might have left unmown to grow as a mini-meadow. The results will be combined to produce a National Nectar Score. Here's the link: www.plantlife.org.uk/everyflowercounts/. July 2019 Saltford Parish Council agrees its statement on North Keynsham SDL
At its monthly meeting on the evening of 2nd July Saltford Parish Council (SPC) unanimously agreed its statement on the proposed North Keynsham Strategic Development Location (SDL) to the West of England Joint Spatial Plan Public Examination (Matter 7.1) - proposals for the SDL include 1,500 new houses in a mixed-development near Pixash Lane! This was submitted to the JSP Programme Officer today (3rd July). In its statement SPC said:- "Saltford Parish Council (SPC) is concerned that Keynsham's infrastructure including services lack the capacity to accept additional housing development of the proposed scale on the east and north side of the town and any development in this area would contribute to over-development of the town with a negative knock-on effect on Saltford. SPC considers the proposed North Keynsham SDL to not be sustainable development." SPC said it agreed with the statement submitted by SEG submitted on 14th June - we reported on this in June - and attached that statement as an annex to its submission. SPC also said:- "SPC therefore also agrees with SEG that if this SDL is to be taken forward despite reservations that it is not sustainable development a number of key mitigating factors need to be taken as listed in SEG's response and these are, in summary, for there to be an incremental approach to ensure that (i) transport and other infrastructure is coping satisfactorily with new developments added in increments before additional and relatively significant volumes of new houses are built (i.e. an "infrastructure first" approach allied to intermediate tests to ensure unintended negative consequences have not arisen and that any problems are resolved before making matters worse), and (ii) the genuine need for continued new developments is tested and proven during the plan period." "SPC agrees that the relocated Avon Valley Wildlife and Adventure Park should retain its Green Belt status to protect against future inappropriate development and to help maintain Keynsham's Green Belt buffer. New housing developments within the SDL and the relocated Avon Valley Wildlife and Adventure Park should be designed so as to contribute to a "significant environmental gain" (rather than a net environmental gain) and that this approach provides an opportunity to be an example of excellence in providing high environmental standards. All development associated with this proposed SDL should therefore meet the B&NES Council March 2019 cross-party decision to declare a climate emergency and that "B&NES is well-placed to champion both rural and urban decarbonisation through renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart energy development, zero carbon homes, local & sustainable food, sustainable travel, carbon sequestration"." "Finally, SPC also considers it vitally important that the SDL should be Local Plan led by the planning authority to protect local democracy and local accountability for planning policy and not developer led." July 2019 More and older news stories from SEGOur 'Newsletter' archive page features most of our past and recently published news stories (click on image):-
Current areas of local volunteer assistance sought by SEG
In addition to volunteer assistance with projects such as Saltford Wombles (tackling litter) and the Fairtrade Group we sometimes have specific roles or posts that need filling. Here are the current vacancies:- Website skills wanted!Our website is a popular resource for our members and others which means that in addition to keeping it relevant we want to make sure it continues to function as it should. If you live in or near Saltford, care about your local environment and have current knowledge of website design and might be interested in using your IT skills for a bit of IT volunteering to help us behind the scenes please get in touch with our Chairman by email to phil@philharding.net for a no-obligation chat on possible volunteer help. First published June 2018 Want to get more involved with SEG?
SEG is seeking new Executive Committee members to help steer and develop SEG's future as we address the environmental concerns of our members at the local level. If you think you might like to get involved and join our Executive Committee (enthusiasm is more important than expertise!), please contact our Chairman, Phil Harding, for an informal non-committal chat. The Executive Committee only meets 4 times a year and its working method is more about sharing ideas and getting things done in a friendly and productive atmosphere than being bogged down with time-consuming administration. First published February 2018, updated April 2018 Contact SEG
SUPPORT FROM BUSINESS:
|
For news archive click here:-
Saltford Heritage Centre's next scheduled public opening will be on Sunday 22nd September from 2.30pm - 4.30pm during the B&NES Council Heritage Open Days initiative when afternoon tea will also be available.
Special Features: Saltford Wombles (tackling litter)
"Think global, act local" |
© Saltford Environment Group (SEG) 2011 - date.
All material on this website is copyright Saltford Environment Group (SEG) or others where indicated. Please have the courtesy to name source if reproducing our photographs in your publication/website.
Website designed and built by Phil Harding (to W3C website and CSS standards). Hosted by GetOnline Ltd.
Home | About Us | News | Links | Contact || Climate Change | Cycling | Energy | Fairtrade | Gardening | Green Belt | History | Waste | Station | Wildlife