Our work has continued throughout the year as we keep a watchful eye on activities and potential developments on our riverside area.
The Nottinghamshire Replacement Minerals Plan.
This plan came to an end in December 2008 but as Nottinghamshire County Council has not yet developed a new plan to take its place, it applied to the Secretary of State to “save” - i.e. to retain - some aspects of the expired plan including policy M6.6, the Gunthorpe allocation that extends from Burton Joyce to Gunthorpe. Much time has been taken up this year with leading objections to the proposal to retain this allocation but in December the Secretary of State gave the County Council permission to “save” all the policies they requested, including the Gunthorpeallocation.
NottinghamshireCounty Council - Minerals and Waste Development Framework.
We had expected the next stage of consultation to take place sometime in 2008 but yet again the timetable has slipped for the development of this framework, which will replace the now defunct Minerals Plan, and there have been no developments this year. Laterthis year we expect to be busy as the next stage of public consultations for the Waste Framework is now scheduled to begin in August and for the Minerals Framework in October. The timetable for future stages of the framework drags on until adoption of the new framework in 2012, which will then replace the currentWaste and Minerals Plans.
Flood protection.
Our efforts, in conjunction with the Undefended Villages Partnership, to get mitigation for the additional flooding risks posed to villages downstream of Nottingham that will result from the Nottingham Flood Alleviation Scheme have been successful. Aswell as installing a pump near St Helens Crescent, which was agreed earlier in response to the village flooding experience in 2000, we are pleased that the Environment Agency has now agreed to install a flood embankment alongside the existing railway embankment to provide further protection for houses in thevillage that are most vulnerable to additional flooding from the river Trent that will result from the Nottingham FAS. Some properties in villages further downstream are also getting some flood protection measures. Persistence and working together with other organisations has been important to success here.
In January, I was invited to give oral evidence to the Government’s Select Committee on Flooding and found myself flying the flag for flood protection for rural areas generally throughout the country in the wake of the previous year’s summer floods and thethreat that all available flood protection funding was going to be diverted to urban areas where larger populations were at risk.
Local Government Ombudsman complaint.
In October 2006, we made a complaint on behalf of members to the Local Government Ombudsman alleging maladministration by Nottinghamshire County Council in respect of the Minerals Plan. In December 2008 we received an initial letter of response from an investigator in the Ombudsman’s office and were disappointed to find thatour complaint has received very little attention. We raised 5 issues; of these, one had been addressed and rejected, two had been partially addressed but two had not been addressed at all. Having taken more than two years to do so little, the investigator asked for our response within a little over two weeks. In January 2009, we submitted our response and in March received afurther response in which the LGO’s investigator made it clear that she does not intend to look into most of the issues we raised.
Trent Valley RiverPark.
We are concerned that an unrepresentative quango, led by the East Midlands Development Agency, has plans to develop the whole of the riverside between Nottingham and Gunthorpe. Such plans are drawn up without any consultation with local residents or their representatives often in the guise of “improving the environment and leisure opportunities”. We shall continue to keep a watchful eye out for any developments that might be proposed that could impact on our lovely and currently peaceful riverside area.
Last year we learned that the Nottingham Centre for Biological Records had de-listed one of the Sites of Interest to Nature Conservation (SINC, now renamed as Local Nature Areas) on our riverside. On inquiring about this de-listing, it emerged that this was done on the basis of a quick survey of riverside flora and the sitecould be re-instated on the listings if a more detailed survey showed that relevant flora still existed in the area. So this year we are undertaking a botanical survey of the former SINC area on the Burton Meadows loop.
Consultations.
We have continued to read many consultation documents and have submitted comments where appropriate. We have commented on:
Further consultations on the proposals for restoration of the old gravel works at Gunthorpe and Bulcote by Severn Trent Water.
Two consultations on the Environmental Impact Statement on the Burton Joyce flood embankment proposals by the Environment Agency.
East Midlands Regional Plan, specifically on proposals to delete much of the Green Belt around Nottingham
Information.
We have continued to display news updates on our website (www.bjra.org.uk) to enable everyone in the village to have access to up-to-date news.
Contacts with other organisations.
We have continued to be in active contact with many other individuals and organisations – most notably with Burton Joyce Preservation Society, Gunthorpe Environment and Flood Alleviation Group, Undefended Village Partnership, Burton Joyce Parish Council, our County Councillors James O’Riordan and John Clarke and our MP Vernon Coaker.
