Wycombe Liberal Democrats

Over the last week I have been receiving letters and calls from local residents in Ryemead who are raising concerns regarding the scrapstore
I am told their funding and premises is under threat from their landlord, Wycombe District Council as of next March.

When I hear of issues like this it concern me and makes me question the future of Wycombe’s voluntary sector in the current local economic and political climate.

Myself and our local community consultant Hilary Reed visited the scrapstore yesterday.

Our findings
1. The scrapstore we discovered is an Aladdin’s cave
2. Used by schools, groups churches, local artists –and more
3. Developing arts/ crafts experience in the community
4. Good for community cohesion
5. providing low cost materials
6. Opportunities to learn through art/ craft
7. Assisting recycling targets of council
8. Underpinning the local community voluntary and cost sectors

The issues
1. Funding for this project is being cut – Why ?– a venture of this scale needs supporting and additional funding
2. WDC are funding this project –BCC are not – believe BCC are benefiting from the centre and need to be making a contribution also
3. It’s probable by March 2008 the resource zone may have to close unless it can be funded by moving to the voluntary sector

Whilst we were there the unit was visited by over 30 people and groups from Ryemead ward (Local Church) ,Abbey Ward ( Local Church) and the other a group from Flackwell Heath (helping disabled)

Every one we saw in there had a smile on their face

WDC are in the process of working with a newly formed management committee to migrate the service to the voluntary sector. I wish them every success and will be monitoring progress.

I READ with interest in the BFP the reasons for refusing the building of five homes in Hazlemere opposite the Cedars Residential Homes.
I am familiar with the area and the ongoing issues regarding development of the site, and sympathise with any councillor and ward faced with the dilemma of inappropriate developments.

However, I have to comment there is a need for the district to build mixed dwelling homes in our semi rural, rural villages and out-of-town brownfield sites to sustain the local communities and meet the expected new government housing targets. We can’t keep dumping development in the town.
I note with interest and with some irony the reasons for rejection of five homes.
Cllr McCarthy states: “I think we need to remind ourselves that this site is exceedingly busy, I think the quality of the local environment will be harmed and the development will have an unsatisfactory impact. I do think there would be excessive pressure on the outside area by this development.”
Since joining the council, I’ve noticed a marked difference in our councillors’ views on rural/semi rural(urban) areas v town areas. This puzzles me somewhat as I’m aware that the rural areas need to look towards building homes to be able to protect rural communities and community cohesion

Let me point out some stark facts. A situation exists where we have seen massive building programmes in the town wards for several years.
Many of the town councillors grapple with these problems on a daily basis but often the scale of the problem is multiplied by the sheer size of the developments we are seeing being dumped in our wards. We all appreciate the need for new homes but they need to be in a controlled way.

A ward close to my heart (Ryemead) in Wycombe I estimate had suffered with over 400 new homes in the last ten years. Over 150 more are in progress – plus another 480 are to be built in the next three years in the Marsh area alone. That’s without the incremental builds we now face from back garden and knockdown incremental rebuilds.
The local environment and community is being harmed and developments are having an unsatisfactory impact across all of the east end of High Wycombe town.
We have a situation where Ryemead has the “accolade” of being one of the wards with the highest density of homes per hectare and highest growth in new homes in the Wycombe area
There is excessive pressure and lack of foresight and understanding on the pressure this will place on local schools, transport, roads, community facilities and community cohesion.
The entire east end of the town is suffering with increase in traffic on the A40 and surrounding roads and increase in congestion.

I would like to believe next time I or another town councillor raises concerns or objections regarding excessive housing developments and the social impact, be it on allotments, high rise apartments, or large estates in the highly-populated town wards, I trust we can count on support of our rural and out of town councillors in opposing them with the same vigour as the five homes in Hazlemere?

With the development of Eden what is going to happen to our local shops?

We are seeing small businesses being pushed out of business by the weight of the large retailers, Trevor Snaith and Ray Farmer are asking the council to invest in our local communities to support local shops for local people

The Friends of the Earthg have recently produced an advert you may find interesting

Click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGoWKVA87ro

 The competition authorities are currently investigating supermarkets.

In January they published their interim report. In this report, they recognised several potential problems related to supermarket dominance.

The next stage of this inquiry is crucial. Tough action is urgently needed to control the power of the supermarkets.

We have the opportunity to ask the Competition Commission to make the grocery industry fairer for everyone.

We must urge them to investigate the things that really matter:

• Stronger planning policies
  Needed to protect smaller shops.
• Supermarket code of practice
  Needed to protect the interests of consumers, farmers, workers and the environment.

After all, who wants cheap food if it’s at the expense of people and the planet?

Aaron commented on an earlier thread that he would like to see our literature posted online. This is an excellent suggestion, all though with just three days to go I doubt if I’ll be able to do more than post a representative selection. As a start, I have uploaded one of my leaflets from Chiltern Rise: chiltern_rise_3.pdf. I would also like to point out that our Manifesto is here too.

Whilst canvassing in Lane End, I have again been shocked by the level of noise that some residents have to put up with from the M40. I have met many residents who have to live with a constant background roar from the M40. Last weekend we were treated to some beautiful weather, but I cannot imagine relaxing in my garden at the weekend with the noise of a busy motorway in the background.

Last night, Wycombe District Council passed the following motion:

‘This Council wishes to place on record, its serious concern at the level of noise produced by traffic on the M40 as it traverses the district and the blight this causes the communities that border the motorway. The Council considers that all practicable means should be taken by the Highways Agency to mitigate this noise and wishes to support local residents whose quality of life is affected by noise pollution in their campaign for the necessary works to be carried out.’

Your Liberal Democrats councillors, of course, supported this motion. But it does not go far enough. This motion does not actually commit your Council to any kind of action - instead, it simply abdicates responsibility to the Highways Agency. Of course, the Highways Agency are responsible for the M40. But I believe that the District Council could and should:

1. Schedule regular meetings with the Highways Agency to monitor progress on noise reduction measures
2. Explore together with the Highways Agency what can be done to alleviate noise for those residents closest to the motorway
3. Explore what actions the District Council may be able to take independently - for example erecting noise barriers and tree planting

This is not a new problem, residents have been campaigning for too long without any real action being taken. With only three weeks to go until the election, this motion will not placate the long suffering residents of Lane End. It is time to elect councillors who will take action.

To read more about the M40 noise camapign, visit http://www.m40-chilterns.org.uk/