Brave TTC  members are out there on the hill  as I write, battling with the elements, but  our beautiful gazebo alas did not make it through the night.  Blew away, snapped, ripped completely un useable.

So , a plea for help. If anyone has a gazebo, yurt, or outdoor  structure of any sort, so that TTC can still function at the Beatherder, please please get in touch !!!  text 07870879220 or email transitiontownclitheroe@googlemail.com asap.

thanks

TTC will be at the Beatherder Festival from Friday 29 June  to Sunday 1 July  so if you plan  to be there come and say hello.

From the Sublime to the ridiculous

I write this post trying to get my bearings after a hectic week of highs and lows.

Last weekend and Monday I attended a series of talks  given in Manchester by the Dalai Lama : the words common sense; compassion; optimism; collective responsibility come to mind.

This Thursday I attended a planning meeting  of the RVBC here in Clitheroe; the words  callousness; collective blindness;  irresponsibility; gobbledigook  come to mind .

Observing the process by which the physical geography of our town is shaped I found  a thoroughly depressing experience ; I won’t go into detail here.

The decision reached by the committee was that the plans to build 32 homes on the area at the top of Primrose Lodge, encroaching on what is supposed to be biological heritage site,  should go ahead.

The council  managed to fudge the issues and pretend that it doesn’t really pose any problems as  only 15% of the lodge is affected ( surface area wise, perhaps but  around 50% of usable land is  being taken); there are no problems with traffic and access ( not sure how they managed to convince the committee of that when is patently not the case); only 4 dwellings would actual be within the boundary of protected area  (  yes 4 dwellings- some of which are three story blocks of flats )  It’s okay that there will be  a ghetto of affordable housing  far away from the posh houses,  as the council are within the regulations to create such a ghetto ( even though it contradicts their own guidelines which promote peppering affordable with market value)…. and so on.

What was really apparent from the discussion of this and other planning applications submitted to the meeting was that RVBC has absolutely no idea what it is doing in terms of a strategy  on traffic, and is incapable of long term holistic thinking for our town.

Any one who is able to comment on the  draft Core Strategy I would encourage you to do so – it may be ignored, but comment anyway.

I do have to offer a “Well done”  to the brave councillors who put themselves forward  for these committees, to try and improve the town. Given the level of debate and lack of meaningful  discussion that takes place, I think  in their position I would soon top myself .

Meanwhile in the real world…

please get in touch if you would like to be part of an action to highlight the issues  surrounding the development of Primrose Lodge for housing, and indeed other developments ( eg Costa) in the town. Lets Talk before they Trash  our Town

Kate

Minutes of meeting 8-June-2012

Cloudspotting is a micro music festival held at The Aspinall Arms, (Mitton BB7 9PQ) – a real little gem in July for people who  appreciate  a low key,  local chilled  arts scene . We are so fortunate to have this on our doorstep, and TTC are delighted to be invited back this year to be involved in some way.

But we can only do this if there are people who come forward to do it with us !

We are few though our plans are many !

Ideas are evolving (at present we are thinking along the lines of an  allotment curry… but who knows….)please do get in touch if you  would like to be involved in some way. The festival runs 27-29th July and there  is the possibility of camping.

email us if you are interested : transitiontownclitheroe@googlemail.com

click on the link    cloudspotting 2012 to find out more about the festival

interesting guardian article.

Bristol Green Capital of UK?

You may be aware that Primrose Lodge,  the  long neglected wooded and watery area which runs along Woone Lane and Primrose Lane, has recently been designated as the first biodiversity offsetting site in Lancashire; it has also been declared a biodiversity heritage centre, and RVBC’s countryside officer David Hewitt appeared  in various local publications explaining how the council  planned to work together with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust to preserve  and enhance this area.

What you may not be aware of is the fact that this area was previously under threat and was saved largely due to the efforts of local people, who formed The Friends of Primrose Lodge. You may also not know that Transition Town Clitheroe has been in conversation over the past two years  with RVBC  officers as to how best  make use of the land for the benefit of local wildlife and also residents.

We have put forward ideas about energy generation by means of an Archimedean screw , cycle tracks and walkways through the woods avoiding the increasingly dangerous road, and the possibility of an area for workshops- composting, woodland crafts, plant identification, rustic furniture making and the like. In short we have a vision for the place which RVBC seemed to share.

However, in spite of the biodiversity status, there is a planning application ( No 3/2011/1064  Mearley Croft) requesting that 32 affordable homes be put on the site, including three storey buildings at the top of the lodge in the most useable area.

RVBC countryside officers do not see this as a problem.  Members of TTC have visited the site, discussed with local councillor Allan Knox, scrutinised the plans and see that this is indeed a problem.

If you would like to read the letter that TTC has sent to members of our local planning committee,  outlining our concerns and suggesting a scaled down  development,  click on the following link

RVBC letter to planning officers

In case you would like to send your own letter to RVBC’s planning committee ,we have provided a sample letter for your convenience

sample letter to planning committee re primrose lodge

If you have any further questions on the Primrose Lodge development and  why TTC are working to ensure that it is is taken forward in as sustainable manner  as possible, email transitiontownclitheroe@googlemail.com or leave a comment on this site.

You can also contact the LCC, RVBC and  Town councillor for Primrose Ward, Cllr Alan Knox, whose details can be found on RVBC website, where you can also find full details of the application

This is a transcript of an interview between Rob Hopkins of TTT and Andrew Simms on the impacts of chain stores on local economies.

Whilst TTC is not a single issue, anti anything movement, we do need to reflect collectively on what sort of a town we want to live in,  considering which decisions by our council leave the town more resilient, and which erode our character and local economy.

In recent years we have  lost one of our independent bookshops and a local bakery, and seen the arrival of Aldi, WH Smiths and Cafe Nero- to name but a few of the changes,   and we now look set to get lumbered with our own Costa Coffee shop too.

Andrew Simms on the impact of chain stores on local economies

If you woke up this morning wondering what the REconomy  project  is all about , well wonder no more. Here is a succinct little film that explains it  well .

the REconomy project