Hertfordshire & North Middlesex Area of the Ramblers' Association
 |
||||||
Area Countryside Secretaries Campaign Update: September 2008
This report sets out the position regarding campaigning and issues of concern and threats to Hertfordshire’s beautiful countryside where we ramble, particularly plans to build 5500 houses in Lilley Bottom. Please bring it to the attention of your friends and colleagues.
For Your Diary
11 September
“The Planners are coming”: Thursday 11 September BBC 1, 8pm The start of a six week series on how the Planning system works. The first episode will highlight the issues handled by Barnet and Barking and Dagenham Councils.
13 September
Lord Hanningfield to lead runway ramble against second runway plans: Stop Stansted Expansion campaign group
+++ Do join us for the photocall at the start of the Runway Ramble
at 10am on Saturday 13 September +++
Lord Hanningfield, Leader of Essex County Council and member of the CO2 (Council’s Opposed to Second Runway) group, will be the guest of honour at Stop Stansted Expansion’s Runway Ramble on the morning of Saturday 13 September.
The Runway Ramble is primarily designed to highlight the homes, countryside and rich local heritage that would be obliterated or severely compromised by BAA’s expansion plans: a second runway and associated land grab would make the airport’s landholding even bigger than Heathrow today. Molehill Green – the starting point of this year’s five mile circular walk – would itself disappear if the proposals went ahead, while 35 historic buildings and the ancient Woodland are also jeopardised by the plans.
13 & 18 September
Open Country on Radio 4. About the Chilterns Society. 13 September between 6-10 and 6-40am and repeated on 18 September between 1-30 and 2pm.
Update Summary
Events in recent months have moved in favour of Countryside Protection , heralding a slowdown in activities destined to destroy and detract from our enjoyment of the beautiful countryside we walk in.
- The downturn in the economy has seen house building slowing down, so that developers have had to put on hold plans to build houses in the Green Belt and open Greenfield countryside.
- Airlines are having to pull back because of fuel prices. At Stansted the number of flights were down this year and have still not passed the number of flights allowed from the existing runway. This despite BAA wanting to increase the number of flights from the existing runway and putting in another planning application for a second runway.
- The County Council and St Albans Council have decided to mount a legal challenge to the Governments East of England Plan to build over 90,000 houses in Hertfordshire, which is supported by other Councils in principle.
- Increases in food prices mean the wheat and cereal crops we see in the fields we walk through have increased significantly in value. Farmers may therefore prefer not to sell their land to developers. The cost of buying land will be also higher.
However, when the economy picks up, the Plans will be moving forward once again. The Government remains stuck in old White Papers and Plans which precede the concerns about climate change, food shortages and so on.
East of England Plan
Despite total opposition to the Plan from almost all Hertfordshire's Councils, it was finally approved by the Government in May almost unchanged, except for even more houses being added during this three year consultation. Hertfordshire County Council and St Albans District Council have decided to mount a legal challenge to the Government’s East of England Plan, seeking a Judicial Review.
Local Development Plan Process
St Albans Transport Plans Consultation
Phil Escritt has been dealing with these HCC consultations re two Urban Transport Plans and has responded to the consultations. The consultation documents are on the Herts Direct Website:
Proposed New Forest between Sandridge and Wheathamstead
There is a proposal for a large new forest that the Woodland Trust want to create in the area between Sandridge and Wheathampstead which Phil has been dealing with.
Local meetings have been attended by footpath and ecology activists.The RA will try to influence the outcome to preserve important views and get increased access if it does go ahead. We also propose to cooperate closely with the St Albans FP Society and with other non motorised user groups if this seems sensible.
Guardian article on the new forest.
Second Runway Planning Application at Stansted
The Secretary of State has called in this Planning Application submitted in the Spring by BAA for a second runway and seeks specifically answers to numerous PSSs (Planning Policy Statements).
Although this in itself could be a long and drawn out affair, it is different in that it will not follow the same Public Inquiry route that went on for 6 months last year and to which we presented our case on the first day. The Secretary of State has not yet given a decision regarding expansion of the existing runway. Campaigners are amazed that the Government has called in this Planning Application for the second runway when the reasons for a decision to approve the expansion of the existing runway or not have still not yet been given.
NATS Air Traffic
Terminal Control North
Consultation
This consultation, in proposing to move some air traffic from flight paths away from towns would simply be offset by a tripling in the numbers of planes as proposed by Government and the peace of the countryside where we walk would be ruined.
The initial analysis to the consultation has taken place. Developing an alternative option for easterly departures to pass to the north of Stevenage, LADACAN is very concerned that this will cause extra noise in villages such as Preston, Wymondley, Graveley and Weston.
Possible means of designing an initial westerly departure route which follows the existing one more closely. LADACAN supports this as it will reduce the impact on south Luton, Slip End, Caddington and Markyate.
It does not, however, offer much hope for other small settlements which will be seriously affected by departing aircraft at low altitudes if its plans go ahead.
In the Chilterns, the Chilterns Society felt that NATS were failing properly to interpret Government guidance about the status of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). They objected strongly on those grounds.
This Campaign Update and much of the Countryside pages were prepared by:
Philip Greswell
Countryside Secretary
Hertfordshire and North Middlesex Area,
The Ramblers Association
Email: philipgreswell@aol.com
Ridgeway near Wendover
English Trail
