Fradley Village News - 26th June
| Published: 27th June 2008 21:20 |
Judging by their response to FACT's petitions, most Fradley residents were shocked to discover that a town of 5,000 new homes had been proposed for within their village's boundaries. Now, it seems, there is something else to worry about.
Buried deep inside the developers' 2007 eco-town bid (www.curborough.org) is a plan to install, on the other side of the A38 by Hilliards Cross, a ‘Renewable Energy Park', which the developers insist is a government requirement for all eco-towns. It appears that other companies will have to apply for permission to construct it.
The ‘Renewable Energy Park' would consist of wind turbines, biomass converters and a ‘combined heat and power plant' (CHP) designed to utilise waste material from all over the region to create energy to support the eco-town.
Staffordshire County Council has confirmed that there is a need for such a plant to treat municipal waste in the southern part of the county from 2013 onwards, and that Fradley would be an appropriate location for it.
Neither the County Council nor the developers have taken the trouble to ascertain the feelings of existing Fradley residents who would have to live near to it. There would surely have been a much more vociferous response from them if they had been told about this aspect of the eco-town scheme at the outset
The name ‘park' is artfully used to suggest something pleasant, but I can already see - and smell - all those stinking lorries containing other people's waste materials joining the mass of HGVs that roar down the A38 towards Fradley.
The next sardonic question is - where will the County Council want to plonk the region's nuclear power plant, or a plague pit, following a major outbreak of bird flu?
Yes, you've guessed it.
FACT has been in contact with other eco-town protest groups about a rally due to take place in Westminster on Monday June 30. Early indications are that each action group will take along 50 protesters.
Let them know if you can attend the event, as they believe that this action may have a crucial impact on the decision-making process. Tickets cost £15, and depending on the timing of the rally, there should be an opportunity to enjoy London too.
FACT's website is at www.factinfo.co.uk and if you would like to receive regular newsletters informing of impending action, email them on: fact@accamail.com
Fradley service centre. Glossy brochures were distributed at the Parish Assembly and we were told then that building would start in October, but now the District Council seems to have found another way to potentially hold up the building of Fradley South's long-promised shops.
Apparently they are waiting for reports on retail need from their own experts and, subject to those, this issue is likely to be dealt with under delegated powers.
Yet long before submitting this planning application, Fradley Park Developments would have done their commercial viability surveys and research to substantiate their investment.
It seems amazing, therefore, that at this final stage of the process, the District Council's so-called experts are considered better informed of the needs of residents than the residents themselves.
They, and the nearby workforce of Fradley Park, desperately need the promised facilities and new pub, and the lack of them is affecting potential house sales.
School Fete. Councillor Cross opened the event by saying: "Thanks to everyone for attending and giving such wonderful support, which we regularly see at such events in our village. It is really good to see how we all come together at village events, and how close friends and neighbours actually are in Fradley."
He also thanked the local sponsors who had made generous donations towards the day's raffles and sales.
Councillor Cross then opened the Trim Trail, built with around £3,500 earned by the strenuous fund-raising efforts of the Friends of St Stephens.
When the tape was cut, an impatient group of children rushed to try out the exciting new equipment, which consisted of embedded tyres, climbing walls, a ‘wobbly bridge' balance beam, pencil stilts and monkey bars. All the comments I heard were favourable, apart from one young lady's minor complaint that the ‘wobbly bridge' didn't really wobble.
I told her that in the old days, we weren't lucky enough to have any of those things. Just like real monkeys, we used to climb the trees!
Longdon Model Flying Club exhibited their intricate model aeroplanes and students of the Helen Pearce School of Dance, dressed as fairies, entranced us with their gracefully synchronised movements. Are these our future village pantomime stars?
Later Councillor Cross judged ‘royal hats' made by the children. The winners were: Preschool: Owen Stottert; KS1 - Rebecca Davis; KS2 - Charlotte Lamb.
The ‘Pot of Gold' was won by Brian from the Longdon Flying Club.
The ‘royal raffle' winners were: first prize, £100 cash donated by Florettes and a family ticket to the Black County Museum, won by Phil Schofield; second prize, a free weekend break for two, won by Mrs Spires; third prize, a family ticket to the Heights of Abraham, won by Joe Wrighton.
The ‘Friends Helpers' draw was won by Nick Lamb.
The sun shone all afternoon and a great time was had by all. Well done to the ‘Friends of St Stephens' for their hard work in organising this successful event.
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