Postmen "Doing a Cameron"?

We all saw the press and TV publicity about the "unconventional" and sometimes illegal cycling habits of Tory Leader, David Cameron.

Sadly it seems that some Kidderminster postmen have decided to copy him.

This morning a postie on his way, presumably to Comberton or Spennells had obviously decided that the traffic lights at the Comberton Hill/Chester Road North junction did NOT apply to him.

By the time the lights turned to amber he was already half way across Chester Road having sailed past the red light before stopping right in the junction!

I'm all in favour of giving cyclists priority but that was downright dangerous.

Lea Castle. The Future?

Both Wyre Forest District Council AND Worcs. County Council have agreed that Coventry and Warwickshire Mental Health Trust have no REAL option, other than to close the Lea Castle site. BUT, both Councils INSIST that, before ANY patients are moved their alternative provision must be entirely acceptable to both patients and their families.

Alternative provision MUST be local to the families or, at least, within very easy travel. There are about 20 Worcestershire patients, who will be the responsibility of the Worcestershire Mental Health Trust. Other patients come mainly from Birmingham and the Black Country and will be the responsibility of their own "home" Health Trusts.

The other facilities which MUST be provided locally are URGENT replacements for the Outpatient facilities currently provided on the Lea Castle site. This MUST include replacement of Toddler Hydrotherapy sessions, which are about to close down.

As Vice Chair of Worcs. Health Overview and Scrutiny Cttee I am seeking urgent information about provision of replacement services!

Wyre Forest Hate Incident Reporting Partnership Launched.

This morning saw the launch of the Wyre Forest Hate Incident Reporting Partnership.

Working under the umbrella of the Wyre Forest Community Safety Partnership, this new group aims to provide community bases where hate crime (be it based on Race, Religion, Disability, Sexuality, or any other form of prejudice) can be reported by victims who don't feel confident or comfortable going directly to the Police.

As Chair of Wyre Forest Race Relations Council I am Chairing the Hate Incident reporting Partnership.

Habberley Valley; what is going on?

In common with other councillors I have received a thick file of correspondence concerning apparent/alleged inappropriate controls on access to Habberley Valley by WFDC.

It is obvious that local Parish Councillors and the MP have been receiving complaints for some years.

I'm going to spend some time looking into this, it MAY merit a scrutiny exercise, it may be without foundation. WE shall see. Watch this space!

Tesco Application for Carpets of Worth Outline Planning Application Approved by 10 votes to 2!

The controversial Tesco Planning Application for the Stourport Carpets of Worth site was overwhelmingly approved tonight.

I seconded the approval because, on balance, the application had more pluses than minuses. For me it wavered between 55:45 and 60:40.

£578,000 is to be made available to improve Highways access and public transport in Stourport and ON TOP OF THAT, Tesco's will have to finance and build the new bridge over the River Stour to take transport in and out of the site via Discovery Rd. and the footbridge link to Pinta Drive.

Interstingly the "objector" speakers were rather inconsistent.

The speaker on behalf of Stourport Small Traders said that of the 33 traders he represented only 11 were situated in Stouport Town Centre and NONE of these were food retailers! The only people who would be affected by Tesco!

The speaker objecting on behalf of the Cutty Sark Residents agreed that they all KNEW that Discovery Rd was to be part of Stourport Relief Rd; ADMITTED that if the relief road were to be completed far more traffic would use Discovery Rd but still objected to it being used as access to Tesco.

The objector on Air Quality grounds was proved by District environmental Health representative to be using innaccurate information!

Stouport Town Council had overwhelmingly supported the application on a Politically split vote!

Members of ALL Wyre Forest Political Groups SUPPORTED the application with only Health Concern playing to the gallery and splitting their vote!

I am copying the entire update report as presented to the Committee so everyone can see it.

At the end of the meeting several residents came and said they were glad it had been approved and had felt intimidated by the opponents:

07/1105/EIA

1

In the light of information received from neighbouring Local Authorities with regard to compliance with the Town and Country Planning (Shopping Development)(England and Wales)(No.2) Direction 1993 which requires consideration inter alia of cumulative gross retail floorspace within a ten mile radius of the site the published recommendation is amended as follows: “I recommend that delegated authority be given to APPROVE this application subject to it first being referred to the Secretary of State under the Town and Country Planning (Shopping Development)(England and Wales)(No.2) Direction 1993 and subject to …”   Stourport on Severn Town Council - Approve: the Town Council’s comments are reproduced in full as follows:   1.         The Tesco application for planning permission for the construction of a new Class A1 Supermarket with associated means of access, customer car park, petrol filling station, new road and bridge, footbridge, landscaping, highways and other works at the former Carpets of Worth site at Severn Road, Stourport-on-Severn was considered at a Meeting of the Town Council held yesterday evening, the 3rd March, 2008.   2.         The Town Council passed a Resolution recommending to the District Council that the application for planning permission should be approved.   3.         A major concern within the Town Council has been the impact of the proposed development on the Town’s highway infrastructure.  Particular concern has been the impact of the development at the Mitton Street/Severn Road junction, and on Lichfield Street.

REFERENCE NO.	PAGE	ADDENDA AND CORRECTIONS
		4.         The Town Council has been able to examine, however, the recommendations of the County Highway Authority as to the conditions of planning permission which  should be imposed in order to safeguard the Town’s highway interests.   5.         It was because of the conditions recommended by the County Highway Authority that the Town Council felt able to pass the Resolution recommending approval of the planning application.  Having said that, the feeling remains within the Town Council that the only realistic solution to the Town’s traffic problems is the construction of a second River Bridge and Relief Road.
		6.         If planning permission is granted by the District Council it is the hope of the Town Council that all of the highway conditions recommended by the Highway Authority will be imposed in the grant of permission.   7.         Should the District Council decide to refuse the application for planning permission, and an Appeal against such refusal proceeds, it is the wish of the Town Council that its views as to the highway considerations will be presented to the Inspector appointed to hear such an Appeal.
		8.         Equally, in the event that the applicant (Tesco) lodges an Appeal against the imposition of any of the conditions recommended by the County Highway Authority, the Town Council likewise wishes that its views should be presented to the Inspector appointed to determine any Appeal against any of those conditions.   9.         These comments are made on express authority of the Town Council by a specific Resolution passed at the Town Council Meeting held yesterday (3rd March).
		Arboricultural Officer - Further comments on amended plans: no objection in principle. Tree survey, and detailed planting proposals required under reserved matters scheme.
		British Waterways - Further comments on amended plans: re-iterate no objection.

REFERENCE NO.	PAGE	ADDENDA AND CORRECTIONS
		Disability Action Wyre Forest - Request information regarding routing of bus services to serve store/details of stops & shelters; details of trolley bays, footway crossings, disabled toilets and baby change facilities, lifts and barriers between car park and service road. Safety zone required adjacent to disabled parking bays. Disappointed that there is not a more direct ramped route from Severn road to the store. Welcome riverside walkway, but query long term intentions for extension.
		Environment Agency - No objection subject to conditions requiring a scheme to remediate site contamination, including a remediation strategy/sampling/longer term monitoring and maintenance; surface water drainage including sustainable drainage principles; piling details; Nature Conservation Management Plan.
		Property & Operational Services - Planning obligation required to address management of the car park, restricting maximum stay to 3 hours; landscaping appears minimal and could be seen to be detrimental given the proximity of the site to the canal basins. Concern over potential for litter on traffic/splitter islands.
		Neighbours : Two further letters of objection have been received on behalf of the Mid-Counties Co-operative Society.   The first, from their Highways Consultants, expresses concerns which can be summarised as follows: ·        Signalisation of the Mitton Street/Severn Road junction will worsen traffic congestion and road safety; buses and large vehicles will have difficulties manoeuvring and will overrun proposed footway widening works
		·        The provision of bus priority measures will not be possible without further reducing road capacity; concern that planning permission could be granted without such measures being provided ·        The store will virtually be a car borne destination generating up to 12,000 vehicle trips a day along Mtton Street/Severn Road: Mitton Street will not be a safe pedestrian route and any widening will reduce the carriageway width to ‘one lane’.
		·        Any upgrading of Lodge Road will not provide a satisfactory pedestrian route to/from the town centre: it is steep, narrow with steps, and at over 400m in length, will not provide ‘connectivity’ with the centre ·        There will be a deterioration of air quality resulting from increased traffic congestion ·        The proposal is contrary to local and national transport policies for all these reasons

REFERENCE NO.	PAGE	ADDENDA AND CORRECTIONS
		Highway Officer response:   The vehicle movements suggested are not reflected in the applicants’ TA and our own analysis suggests that the assumptions made by the applicant to be reasonable. Consequently I do not believe the numbers suggested by the objectors’ consultants can be substantiated. The recommendations relating to the bus service do not insist on the introduction of bus priority measures, but their investigation is necessary and introduction is desirable. The Highway Authority is satisfied that subject to the conditions recommended and the Section 106 requirements, the interests of the Public and the Highway Authority are protected. The applicant has produced a safety audit that does not raise the objectors’ concerns and the points made are difficult to substantiate as well. They do not present a strong case and have made statements that we disagree with. In summary the Highway Authority is satisfied that subject to the conditions and signing of an appropriate Section 106 agreement the Public will not be adversely impacted upon and that the requirements of the Highway Authority will be met. It would be unreasonable and unjustifiable to recommend refusal.
		The second letter, from the objectors’ planning consultants, received on 29th February, encloses a separate 24 page long, detailed Retail Statement which criticises the retail analysis provided by White Young Green on behalf of the Council on grounds which can be summarised as follows:   ·        The applicant has failed to demonstrate a quantitative need; the assessment is highly dependant on ‘clawback’ which is not part of need ·        Greater weight should be given to quantitative need ·         WYG do not explain their conclusion that there is a qualitative need; advice in the Government White Paper, from the Competition Commission and possible revisions to PPS6 have not been taken into account ·        The applicants’ evidence on the sequential test is vague; a potential alternative site (in Tan Lane) has been rejected on grounds of size, yet it would suffice based on quantitative need ·        The potential impact of comparison goods turnover on the town centre or impact of the closure of the  existing Tesco store on the town centre has not been considered. Incorrect data (relating to another Co-op group) has been used to assess store performance.

REFERENCE NO.	PAGE	ADDENDA AND CORRECTIONS
		WYG response:
		1)  The objectors are correct in that the WYG Retail Assessment only found a limited quantitative need for new retail floorspace within Stourport’s catchment area (zone 2), mainly because of the low market share achieved by existing convenience and comparison retail provision in the town, with substantial leakage of expenditure identified (mainly to Kidderminster in terms of convenience goods). The quantitative needs assessment was carried out on the basis of the low market shares continuing over the period to 2021. However, we noted that between 2001 and 2006, there had been a noticeable fall in the market share of convenience retailers in zone 2 because of the competition created by the new Tesco store in Kidderminster. We therefore recommended that a new supermarket should be provided in Stourport to meet qualitative needs and to clawback some of the expenditure that was leaked from zone 2 to stores in Kidderminster, particularly to the new Tesco store. This is set out at paragraphs 7.27 to 7.32 of the ret