CPRE News
RENEWABLE ENERGY OBLIGATIONS AND THE CLIMATE CHANGE LEVY. Our North Devon Chairman Bob Barfoot has been working with John Constable, Director of Policy and Research at the Renewable Energy Foundation to produce an explanation of RO. To read their paper click here.
NORTH DEVON MP NICK HARVEY IS DEMANDING AN EXPLANATION FROM GOVERNMENT MINISTER HAZEL BLEARS AS TO WHY A DRACONIAN CLAUSE HAS BEEN SLIPPED INTO THE PLANNING BILL JUST BEFORE THE SUMMER RECESS. To read Nick Harvey's Press release click here. To read his letter to Hazel Blears click here.
WIND ENERGY STAFF ACT AS ADVISORS
According to the Western Morning News staff from wind energy firms have been working as advisors to government departments. To read the full article click here. Nick Harvey - MP for North Devon has written to John Hutton to express his concern regarding this apparent conflict of interest within govenment. Click here to read his letter.
BEST KEPT VILLAGE COMPETITION
The three rounds of judging are now complete and the results will be sent out in the next few weeks. For more information about the competition please click here. Watch this space for the results!
DEN BROOK VALLEY WIND FARM - PLANNING PERMISSION QUASHED
As a result of the Den Brook Valley Judicial Review Team’s legal actions, the Secretary of State has quashed the
unlawful planning permission for the mid Devon wind farm. The application will now have to go back to the
Planning Inspectorate to determine the next step. To read the full press release click here.
DRAFT PROPOSAL ISSUED BY THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION
On 7th July the Commission released its draft proposal; that Plymouth and Torbay remain as unitary bodies and that the rest of Devon became another unitary body. A summary of the proposal as well as the full draft can be seen on the commission website or by clicking on the highlighted links. (The full proposal runs to 46 pages)
We believe that this is an undemocratic structure as the ability for local input, especially with regard to planning applications, will be lost. Currently the Local Authorities are responsible for planning, housing, leisure and recreation, waste collection, the environment and revenue collection. In areas outside Plymouth and Torbay these would become the responsiblity of a single body. We feel that the practical issues have not been thought through sufficiently and that in many areas the proposal would be unworkable.
Please read the documents and add your voice to the many who are already opposed to a single Devon unitary body. If sufficient people are against Concept A it is possible that one of the other Concepts will be proposed. To see an extract of the concepts click here. There is an on-line submission form on the Devon reorganisation page on the Commission website.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT REVIEW OF DEVON
On 6 February 2008 the Secretary of State requested the Boundary Committee for England to advise her on the unitary proposals made by Exeter City Council, Ipswich Borough Council and Norwich City Council. As a result of this the Boundary Committee is now looking at options to replace Devon County Council and the eight district councils in Devon with a single tier of unitary authorities. An Advice Note which sets out the procedure and the timetable is available at the Boundary Committee website.
North Devon District Council states in a letter to all parish councillors that:
"This review comes in light of Exeter City Council's failed bid to become a Unitary Council. In turning down the proposal the Government said it wanted to relook at Exeter in the context of options for unitary local government right across Devon"
CPRE has grave concerns over the way that this review will affect all of our lives. Tim Hale, Chairman of CPRE Devon, has written a letter to the Boundary Committee which sets out these concerns. This letter, along with the submissions made by all of the local authorities in Devon, local organisations, parish councils, and individuals, can be accessed from the Boundary Committee website by clicking here.
The Boundary Commission intends to publish its draft proposals on 7 July. There will then be a 12 week public consultation. It is vital that the public responds to this consultation if we are to influence these proposals which will affect our lives for generations to come. Please consider mking your views know to the Committee.
Why Beef and Sheep Farming Matters
We are supporting a campaign by the National Farmers' Union: Why Beef and Sheep Farming Matters. The campaign launched in November 2007 is urging stores to ensure that UK farmers receive a fair price for beef and sheep, without this much needed support the livelihood of farmers and the work they do in maintaining the character of the countryside could be at risk. For more information click here.
April 2008 CPRE Devon commission groundbreaking report in wind farm visualisations. Following questions raised about the accuracy of developer's photomontages of proposed wind farms CPRE Devon commissioned Architech Animation Studios Ltd to review them.To read a summary of the report click here.
Click here to see photos. (NB for those with dial up the file size is 3.5MB)
February 2008
Best Kept Village Organiser wanted.
Organiser wanted to run the Best Kept Village competition. Details from Marion Trotter 01395 597405. Email info@cpredevon.org or Xanda Vass 01398 331384. Email membership@cpredevon.org.
