The Birmingham Mail have published more about the lack of development at the Swan centre and Developer Jeremy Knight-Adams and local MP John Hemming.
There is more information is on John Hemmings Blog regarding Jeremy Knight-Adams actions, which says Jeremy Knight-Adams is objecting to the compulsory purchase order as the development is unsuitable and they have come up with alternative scheme.
Sadly, I can only find a news item on the website and am unable to find detailed information on the website, so have emailed them for more information.
UPDATE: Received an email referring to a full website that describes the alternative proposal for the Swan Centre site.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Big Decision For Renewables in Moseley Tomorrow
The planning committee of Birmingham City Council will meet tomorrow morning to decide on the installation of a photovoltaic array on the roof of St. Mary’s Church in Moseley.
SusMo has been rallying support for this as it is a crucial part of the plan for spending the money they recently won in the Green streets challenge to bring energy savings and sustainability to the area.
A report to the committee by the planning officer has recommended refusal, but this withholds crucial information, and seems to entirely ignore Birmingham City Council’s own Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan, as well as the government’s Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development. Under the heading of ‘Policy Context’, the report fails to mention a letter of support from Birmingham City Council’s head of Climate Change and Sustainability, Sandy Taylor. Furthermore, under the heading of ‘Sustainability’, the report states the project as ‘Neutral’ – failing to note the array’s expected contribution of 8000kWh of electricity. SusMo has written to all members of the Planning Committee to alert them to these omissions.
With regards to the listed status of the building, it is significant that the National Trust has recognised the threat that climate change poses to our national heritage, and that there will be none left to conserve if climate change is not tackled. The National Trust first installed solar panels on the roof of one of its Grade I listed buildings in 2008, and recommended that owners of other Grade I listed buildings follow suit, where appropriate. Indeed, solar panels are particularly appropriate, given that their installation is a simple and easily reversible procedure which causes no damage to the roof that they are installed on.
For a current example, there is a photovoltaic array on St. James’ Church, Piccadilly.
It is also notable that the Moseley Society, which for decades has guarded the character of the Moseley Conservation Area, is in favour of the application. In total, 22 messages of support were received, and just two objections – one of which came from the Chantry Road residents’ association, which did not consult all residents before forwarding their objection. However, no objections were received from residents on Oxford Road, which is the vantage point from which the panels will be seen most frequently.
For reference, the panels, which are dark blue and low profile, will not be visible from the pavements of St. Mary's Row as they will be hidden by the parapet. Some panels will be visible from the end of Oxford Road but most will be hidden by trees when they are in full leaf.
If the Planning Committee refuses planning permission at its meeting on Thursday, not only will Moseley lose all the benefits that the project would bring to the parish and the wider community, but also, the £30,000 contribution towards the cost of the project from the British Gas Green Street project will be lost, as it has a tight timescale.
The Planning Committee meets on 4 February at 11:00 in Committee Rooms 3 and 4, Council House. The St. Mary’s photovoltaic array is Item 15 on the agenda.
It would seem very strange indeed to reject such a project the day after Birmingham City Council announced it was signing up to 10:10.
(Information from Susmo: susmo@moseleyforum.org.uk)
SusMo has been rallying support for this as it is a crucial part of the plan for spending the money they recently won in the Green streets challenge to bring energy savings and sustainability to the area.
A report to the committee by the planning officer has recommended refusal, but this withholds crucial information, and seems to entirely ignore Birmingham City Council’s own Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan, as well as the government’s Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development. Under the heading of ‘Policy Context’, the report fails to mention a letter of support from Birmingham City Council’s head of Climate Change and Sustainability, Sandy Taylor. Furthermore, under the heading of ‘Sustainability’, the report states the project as ‘Neutral’ – failing to note the array’s expected contribution of 8000kWh of electricity. SusMo has written to all members of the Planning Committee to alert them to these omissions.
With regards to the listed status of the building, it is significant that the National Trust has recognised the threat that climate change poses to our national heritage, and that there will be none left to conserve if climate change is not tackled. The National Trust first installed solar panels on the roof of one of its Grade I listed buildings in 2008, and recommended that owners of other Grade I listed buildings follow suit, where appropriate. Indeed, solar panels are particularly appropriate, given that their installation is a simple and easily reversible procedure which causes no damage to the roof that they are installed on.
For a current example, there is a photovoltaic array on St. James’ Church, Piccadilly.
It is also notable that the Moseley Society, which for decades has guarded the character of the Moseley Conservation Area, is in favour of the application. In total, 22 messages of support were received, and just two objections – one of which came from the Chantry Road residents’ association, which did not consult all residents before forwarding their objection. However, no objections were received from residents on Oxford Road, which is the vantage point from which the panels will be seen most frequently.
For reference, the panels, which are dark blue and low profile, will not be visible from the pavements of St. Mary's Row as they will be hidden by the parapet. Some panels will be visible from the end of Oxford Road but most will be hidden by trees when they are in full leaf.
If the Planning Committee refuses planning permission at its meeting on Thursday, not only will Moseley lose all the benefits that the project would bring to the parish and the wider community, but also, the £30,000 contribution towards the cost of the project from the British Gas Green Street project will be lost, as it has a tight timescale.
The Planning Committee meets on 4 February at 11:00 in Committee Rooms 3 and 4, Council House. The St. Mary’s photovoltaic array is Item 15 on the agenda.
It would seem very strange indeed to reject such a project the day after Birmingham City Council announced it was signing up to 10:10.
(Information from Susmo: susmo@moseleyforum.org.uk)
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
Open Letter to Channel 4 news
On hearing that Lord Lawson is appearing on channel 4 news this evening, I felt compelled to contact them and express the following after his previous appearances on TV:
Dear Channel 4 news
Could I please request that appropriate rigour be used in questioning the views of Lord Nigel Lawson on this evening's programme when allowing him to speak on the subject of climate change. His involvement with oil companies who fund much of the denialist work in preventing action on CO2 emissions reduction has now been well documented: http://www.leftfootforward.org/2009/11/oil-links-of-tory-climate-denial-grandees/
It is dangerous to allow such people to continue their self-interested campaigns to promote doubt in the well-supported, peer-reviewed science of climate change when the lives of billions of people all over the globe are at stake. Please also see this article: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18279-deniergate-turning-the-tables-on-climate-sceptics.html which is far more damaging to the sceptics' arguments than anything that has been discovered about climate scientists.
I trust that you will consider such points and ensure that the integrity of your news coverage is not damaged by allowing oil industry lobbyists an easy ride on this crucial issue.
Yours faithfully
Joe Peacock
Birmingham Friends of the Earth
Joe Peacock
Birmingham Friends of the Earth
Maybe you would like to write something similar to news@channel4.com
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Think Tank - Environment: 23rd-24th Jan 2010
Nichole Samuels, the community outreach officer for the Think Tank, contacted BFoE about having a presence at their open weekend as it was based around the concept of 'environment', which fits with our campaigns and they had invited families from less well off backgrounds/ areas in Birmingham.
The visitor numbers were in the hundreds over the weekend and quite a number did make it up to us on the 3rd floor. I had a brill but exhausting time over this weekend at the Think Tank. I would like to thank Roxanne and Janet who were invaluable in helping run the stall and keeping me safe from the hoards of children!
I hope that the next Outreach Officer has more opportunities like this to go out and engage with people around environmental issues at such events. If you are looking to put on an event and would like a representative from Birmingham Friends of the Earth to come along, contact us via info@birminghamfoe.org.uk
Beth Peters
Environmental Outreach Officer
Joe, being the incredibly busy man that he is, decided that it would be a great outreach opportunity for me, so, with the fact that this would be the first and last of these events I would be doing, I wanted us to have a good end product to show off back at the office. The hand tree was the solution, the idea coming from the catch phrase 'make your mark' from the Friends of the Earth leaflets. I took along the standing wooden tree, made by our Faith and Climate Change volunteers, covered half of it with paper, then had the families who were visiting the event to draw round their hands and write/draw something to do with the environment in them which we cut out and then stuck to the tree. We got everything from penguins and tigers to hybrid cars and deforestation! This has now gone up in reception of the warehouse for all to see.
We weren't the only outside organisation there; sharing the space were representatives from the wildlife trust and an organisation promoting Maths and Science in schools. While the children were making their hands we were discussing our campaigns with the parents, I had taken a whole range of reading materials with me from our different campaigns. The Fix the Food Chain campaign attracted a lot of interest, as well as the Faith and Climate Change project, with quite a lot of our newsletters being taken too.
We weren't the only outside organisation there; sharing the space were representatives from the wildlife trust and an organisation promoting Maths and Science in schools. While the children were making their hands we were discussing our campaigns with the parents, I had taken a whole range of reading materials with me from our different campaigns. The Fix the Food Chain campaign attracted a lot of interest, as well as the Faith and Climate Change project, with quite a lot of our newsletters being taken too.
The visitor numbers were in the hundreds over the weekend and quite a number did make it up to us on the 3rd floor. I had a brill but exhausting time over this weekend at the Think Tank. I would like to thank Roxanne and Janet who were invaluable in helping run the stall and keeping me safe from the hoards of children!
I hope that the next Outreach Officer has more opportunities like this to go out and engage with people around environmental issues at such events. If you are looking to put on an event and would like a representative from Birmingham Friends of the Earth to come along, contact us via info@birminghamfoe.org.uk
Beth Peters
Environmental Outreach Officer
Friday, 22 January 2010
Community groups get together for 20's plenty meeting
Saturday 30th January Birmingham Friends of the Earth are organising a meeting for representatives of community groups to get together and talk about making their roads safer.
After spending last year campaigning on 20s plenty, largely working on getting letters signed by individuals asking the council to implement default speed limits and sign the council petition, this year we are intent on building a coalition of groups to show a wider base of support. The scheme has been incredibly successful in other places where it has been implemented, such as Portsmouth and Oxford, so it is time for the residents of Birmingham to get a safer environment, too.
There has already been great interest in attending from many neighbourhood forums and we expect it to be a really good event, with a short presentation at the beginning outlining a few aims and then a chance for everyone to interact, share ideas and experiences and make some plans for future collaborations and ways of sharing information.
It has already been publicised on other local blogs, such as this one from Birchfield, so please pass the message on yourself to anyone who may be interested in attending.
People don't need to have any experience of campaigning, just a desire to work together with people in their neighbourhood to try to improve things and build some more community feeling.
It will take place at 10.30am on January 30th at the Journey Metropolitan Community Church in Digbeth (opposite the Birmingham Friends of the Earth building on Shaw's passage).
Contact anne@birminghamfoe.org.uk if you want to come or want any more details about the meeting.
Monday, 11 January 2010
Meat Free Mondays: Buy one get one free at Warehouse Cafe
The meat and dairy industry produces more climate-changing emissions than every plane, train and car on the planet - 18% of the global total. This doesn't mean that you have to give up eating meat, but that you should consider reducing the amount of meat you eat, see our other food chain blogs for more information about our Food Chain campaign.
So we can start by having Meat Free Mondays, or any other day of the week. The point of having Meat Free Monday (or just a meat free day or meal) is it will take the pressure off the food chain and get people thinking about caring about what they eat and the impacts it has on the world around us. It is more realistic to get the whole world to alter their diet and reduce their consumption than get a few to convert to vegetarianism or veganism.
To make this easier for us, and to tempt us by having an enjoyable Monday evening out, with excellent food, the Warehouse Cafe at 54-57 Allison Street, Digbeth B5 5TH, has a great offer: buy one meal, get one free until 8th February. Call 0121 633 0261 for details of the Meat Free Mondays offer and reserve up to eight places - four will be free. Mention that you read about it on this blog.
So we can start by having Meat Free Mondays, or any other day of the week. The point of having Meat Free Monday (or just a meat free day or meal) is it will take the pressure off the food chain and get people thinking about caring about what they eat and the impacts it has on the world around us. It is more realistic to get the whole world to alter their diet and reduce their consumption than get a few to convert to vegetarianism or veganism.
To make this easier for us, and to tempt us by having an enjoyable Monday evening out, with excellent food, the Warehouse Cafe at 54-57 Allison Street, Digbeth B5 5TH, has a great offer: buy one meal, get one free until 8th February. Call 0121 633 0261 for details of the Meat Free Mondays offer and reserve up to eight places - four will be free. Mention that you read about it on this blog.
Wednesday, 30 December 2009
The Wave: Wondering At The Wave.
On the 5th of December 2009, a coach-nearly full- set off from The Warehouse. For some it was far too early in the morning, but there was a buzz of anticipation none the less. How many people would show up? Would the police be heavy handed? Would the placards survive the duration of the march without falling to pieces? Finally the question always asked in Great Britain, would it rain? (It didn't rain until the very end, and only lightly.)
After nearly losing one passenger at Oxford services, and then getting stuck in a seemingly inpenetrable one way traffic system we eventually arrived at our drop off point in London.
We grabbed our banners and started following the masses of living blue material trudging, dancing and shouting it's way to Grosvenor Square where the march began. Estimates vary between the Police's conservative 20,000 and the organiser's 50,000 estimated people in attendance. What ever the true number it filled up the square and overflowed down various roads. After half an hour or so the march began.
Far too much happened in the hours of walking to be recounted, but overall the atmosphere was one of both hope and wondering, with a little bit of fun mixed in. Hoping the collective effort would have some effect on the then upcoming Copenhagen Climate talks and wondering what the use was if nations bigger than out the UK took no action.
To see the fun aspect of the march, watch the video below.
Although in retrospect The Wave march seems to have had little effect on the decisions and emissions cut pledges (or lack of) made at the Copenhagen Climate Talks, I think it still served a very valuable purpose.
It brought people together from all over the United Kingdom and Europe. The optimist in me hopes it showed those attending, and especially the British government, that people want action to be taken quickly on climate change. What struck me was the great mixture of people from all walks of life and of all ages in attendance.
Even if the governments of the world seem hopelessly lost in a maze of negotiations, at least we know we can get organised as individuals and organisations to take action together. I look forward to a new year and decade, and wonder if we can avert runaway climate change?
Thanks must go to Mark who helped organise and sell tickets for the BFOE coach, as well as everyone else who helped sell tickets and prepare for the march.
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