Planning Meetings

[Keith Scantlebury]

Keith,

 

The statutory consultative authority for that will be the East Bedlington Parish Council. 

We have just seen even when Town and parish councils put in concerns and votes to deny permission the NCC planners take little or even no notice. 

Is Bernicia now more or less responsive to community needs after their recent reorganisation? E

EBPC and our County Councillor know nothing of any plans to demolish houses to make way for a car park, or for any other development for that matter.  Bernicia representatives even had the gall to tell the tenants living in the affected houses to keep quiet about it until after the drop in, / information meeting arranged for 15th Jan at the Station club. We all want improvements and we realise that you cant make an omelette without breaking eggs, there seems to be an excessive amount of eggs being broken here. They are to make improvements to the field and our properties. One thing that does worry me is the amount of demolition and construction traffic using what is an inadequate estate road. We may well like what we see on Wednesday as far as the improvements go, but at what cost ? 

Edited January 11, 2014 by keith

[Malcolm Robinson]

Construction traffic,

Spare a thought for Slaley Court residents who will soon be having construction traffic for 33 new houses passing within a cat's whisker of their homes.  All to go down what is now a quiet residential cul-de-sac.    

Totally unsuitable! 

[Symptoms]

Oh dear!  Who said what and what was agreed? Minutes ARE the offical record of what took place and what was agreed - however, each meeting should have an agenda with one of the first agenda items being concerned with the Minutes of the previous meeting and specifically ARE THEY A TRUE RECORD and if not why not;  this is the opportunity to 'put the record straight'.  Clearly, if you suspect the Chair and/or the Clerk are playing fast and loose then trap them.

 

Record the next meeting (I don't know why folks don't always secretly record stuff like this), then at the following meeting if there's a dispute over the Minutes AND lies are told challenge the Chair/Clerk to repeat the untrue statement.  If they do then you confront them with the true record, either by playing the saved recording or read the transcript.  To stiff them they must repeat the lie and by doing so have committed an offence and can be asked to stand down.

 

Back in the day I was involved with the GLC (Greater London Council), a hotbed of intrigue, double dealing and double crossing;  Oh, and this was a time before digital recording devices - late 70s and 80s.  There was a shop in Leytonstone (East London) that specialized in supplying tackle for private investigators, from here I bought a modified Sony Walkman tape recorder* that had the drive motor slowed down to half speed which doubled the recording length of the cassette tape.  A small clip-on microphone would be fastened to my sleeve cuff and the wire threaded up my arm to the recorder housed inside my jacket.  We always had a true record of events ... this proved especially useful in sub-committee meetings;  our trick was never to admit to having a recorder.

 

*I still have this beast ... complete in it's moulded storage box and with the clip-on mic and the phone 'sucker' mic.

[Keith Scantlebury]

That's the thing. there has been no meeting. Wednesday will be a walk in info event for the residents of the estate between 10 and 6

[Malcolm Robinson]

Oh dear!  Who said what and what was agreed? Minutes ARE the offical record of what took place and what was agreed - however, each meeting should have an agenda with one of the first agenda items being concerned with the Minutes of the previous meeting and specifically ARE THEY A TRUE RECORD and if not why not;  this is the opportunity to 'put the record straight'.  

 

 

 

Exactly my point Sym,

If they are not correct they can't be referred back to at a later date!  

[Adam Hogg]

For those who want to go there is another Town Council meeting at 6.30pm on Thursday night in which the precept will be set, attend if you wish it is open to the public for the whole meeting.

[Malcolm Robinson]

For those who want to go there is another Town Council meeting at 6.30pm on Thursday night in which the precept will be set, attend if you wish it is open to the public for the whole meeting.

 

Well actually.................AHmmmmmmm!

[Symptoms]

Mal, your Council meeting's Standing Orders will, under the Local Government Acts, deal with the issue of accurate minutes;  something along the lines of: 

 

... issued to members of the Council not later than the fourth day before the next ensuing ordinary meeting at which they will be submitted, held as read, corrected if need be, and where held to be a true record of the proceedings to which they relate will be signed by the person who presided at the previous meeting.

[Maggie/915]

Good luck tonight!

I will think of you but not that often.

[Malcolm Robinson]

elsewhere............

 

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/mayor-blyth-coun-bob-parker-6512828

[Keith Scantlebury]

I was pleasantly surprised at what Bernicia were proposing for Burnside, major improvements on the cards, it is hoped work will start in September.

[Malcolm Robinson]

So fill the rest of us in Keith.............

[Keith Scantlebury]

The four houses are to be knocked down to make way for a car park and a new pedestrian entrance to the field. The field will have a new boundary fence and will be planted with trees / shrubs and some re landscaping with seating etc. The current pedestrian entrance will possibly be closed off.

The 2 bed houses will have new kitchens with French windows to the rear. The empty 3 bed houses will be converted to 2 beds as will some of the other 3 bedroom houses that are occupied by those who don't require 3 bedrooms

The bathrooms in the 3 bed houses will be moved into the small bedroom directly above. The side door will be blocked up and the kitchen enlarged into a kitchen diner. An extension will be built and behind where the bathroom was will be a stand alone shower, w.c. and utility room with a door to the garden, above will be the replacement bedroom.

Garden fences will be replaced where necessary, some trees will be planted, untidy gardens will be tidied up and tenants told to keep the tidy!

Nothing will be done to the front of the houses except that those that are rendered will be painted. New roofs will go on with new guttering and facias etc.

Much of this has come about in response to pressure from the Burnside Estate Residents Group and tenants in general. I asked if there would be any cameras put up especially in the new car park, they said no but speed bumps will be put in, maybe they could be persuaded differently as it would be a small cost in the scheme of things.

It has also a lot to do with the way the current residents have behaved, very rarely do you see a police car in the estate with lights flashing etc. I think there has only been 1 occasion in the past year or so. People on this estate who wanted to move have taken their names off the homefinder site. A family who have had their house on the market for four years, finally got a buyer , at the asking price, they knocked it back and took the house off the market because they are happy here now. There are people asking to move to the estate now so we must be doing something right.

I have ALLWAYS said that there are plenty of good people living in Burnside but the few a*****es living here gave the place a bad name. They have been shipped out and the results are there for all to see. Just proves what can happen when people stick together and make things happen.

Edited January 19, 2014 by keith

[Malcolm Robinson]

Seems not everyone is happy about it,

 

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/bedlington-heart-patients-special-garden-6536365

[Adam Hogg]

Seems not everyone is happy about it,

 

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/bedlington-heart-patients-special-garden-6536365

I understand Bernicia are trying to improve the area but can they not plant trees somewhere else and leave this brave little girls garden be?

[Vic Patterson]

It would appear Bernicia is a rather large development company and may not be aware of the situation (but as a development company they should be!) the newspaper publicity will have reached them and I'm sure they are considering alternative plans!

This is an ideal opportunity to improve their PR and keep a little girl happy.      Now, if only "that†local radio had been able to stay on the air they could have made sure Bernicia were informed!  

[Malcolm Robinson]

 

 

This is an ideal opportunity to improve their PR and keep a little girl happy.      Now, if only "that” local radio had been able to stay on the air they could have made sure Bernicia were informed!

 

 

Aye could they Vic!

 

Incidentally Holly is the little girl we all backed to switch on our Xmas lights only a month ago!

 

[Vic Patterson]

A true VIP Malcolm! good choice.

[Keith Scantlebury]

They live a couple of doors from me. Barry (Holly's Dad ) told me that the tree planting would affect a handful of houses that back onto the Welwyn field and he seems to think that mine is included. Well they wont be taking any of my garden (they mentioned nothing to me at the consultation meeting). They can take their trees and plant them somewhere else and it will be so much more painful for them than it will be for me !!. As far as I am aware the properties that are ear marked for tree planting, one is empty and the other tenants don't want the trees.

[Maggie/915]

Ten houses it seems underway to be built on the old Coop site on Netherton Lane opposite Westlea.

Fourteen houses on Netherton Lane opposite where Raisbecks Garage stood.

This development is to be discussed on Thursday by WBTC or is it now demoted by there own vote to a parish council. Wonder what time the

meeting is to start.

Garages being demolished at Westlea look out for plans!!!

No green belt therefore we become attached to Nedderton and someone makes money maybe.

Affordable housing, that starts at a good price and then looses money.

Example Ridge Square and flats at Cowpen !(they are the only ones I know about .)

Core strategy or neighbourhood plan ignored and we need to ask 'Who Gains'

Malcolm we need the Latin translation.

[Maggie/915]

Good luck with the council meeting tonight.

Well done to all who put themselves out to help our town find the right path forward.

[Maggie/915]

Sorry I missed the meeting on Thursday !

Anything interesting

[Maggie/915]

From the grapevine it seems we are to get many wrap around building projects in Bedlington.

Near the golf course to Hartford Hall.

To the west we are to become one with the village.

The development plan is not working it seems.

Housing at a rate of 60 per year with building to the North of Bedlington is now forgotten !

The money motive is King.

NCC were to be at the meeting but it seems did not turn up.

Maybe fear .

Feelings it seems are running high .

Rural life here is about to change forever.

Our town is not the only place to be targeted.

[Malcolm Robinson]

I think it was absolutely inexcusable for no one from NCC planning or NCC highways to get to that last meeting when they were supposed to.

Still not sure if a planning officer could have spoken about live planning applications mind!

It would seem the housing bubble is once again with us and that makes all these relatively smaller scale developments worthwhile.

[John Fox (foxy)]

I would love to say something positive about last night but cannot.

The situation was unbelievable.

A view on how not to run a meeting was our conclusion .

Sadly there is no video or recording of the process for posterity.

Will Bedders follow suit? could be Coming Soon at a Cinema near you