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Campaigners fear government will drop onshore windfarm promise in England. Fears that the government is quietly planning to renege on promises to lift the ban on onshore windfarms in England have prompted a large group of green campaigners, business leaders and prominent figures to protest to ministers.
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the chef and environmental campaigner, has led a letter to secretaries of state, signed by conservation groups, academics and business people who are concerned that the pledges to free up planning restrictions are being quietly subverted. The effective ban was put in place in 2015 by tightening planning restrictions in the National Planning Policy Framework. To end the ban, the relevant planning regulations should be scrapped or clearly reformed. The letter warns: “The proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework which are currently under consultation are entirely inadequate to bring about the required change in policy. The decision to replace [paragraph 158] Footnote 54 with some marginally revised wording, in the form of new Footnotes 62 & 63, looks to be almost identical in effect, and inevitably means the effective ban will remain in place.” The footnotes refer to a clause in the framework that effectively excludes onshore windfarms. The signatories called for the removal of these footnotes, to place onshore wind planning applications on the same planning basis as other onshore infrastructure projects.
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The ‘Pink Rebels’ of Extinction Rebellion Wimborne have staged a protest to highlight the issue of Wessex Water discharging storm water containing raw sewage into the River Stour.
The group says the watercourse is an ‘internationally-recognised chalk stream’ yet, they claim, Wessex Water discharged raw sewage into it on 449 occasions in 2021. “This is a danger to wildlife, to the health of people who use the river for recreation, and to their pets,” they said. Solicitor Joanna Bury, of Extinction Rebellion Wimborne said they had staged the protest because: “England’s sewage infrastructure is in urgent need of updating and we want to alert everyone to the lack of a correspondingly urgent timetable to deal with this problem.” She branded the Government’s Storm Overflows Reduction Plan, which states that by 2035, water companies must improve storm overflows in bathing or high priority nature sites as: “Too little, too late.” The group say they have placed their own ‘Blue Plaques’ around the area to ‘commemorate’ the sewage dumping. A spokesman for Wessex Water said: “Storm overflows operate automatically during or after intense rainfall to prevent flooding of properties and are licensed by the Environment Agency. “What’s released is mostly rainwater after combined sewers have become overwhelmed. “We agree that storm overflows aren’t fit for the 21st century, so we’re spending £3million per month on improving them and reducing how often they operate.” The Dolphin in Poole and BCP Council have announced that Dorset’s first secure public cycle storage facility officially opens on Monday, February 27.
To celebrate the opening, members of the public are invited to attend the official launch event, taking place on Monday, February 27 in the cycle hub, located by the Primark entrance to The Dolphin. The public can drop in between 10am to 2pm to view the facility and ask any questions. The Dorset Police Neighbourhood Team will also be on site to provide free bike tagging for attendees, which is a highly effective track and trace solution, to enhance security for bike owners. The Dolphin’s retailer, Cycle Paths, will also be in attendance to offer free bike safety checks and carry out any minor repairs or adjustments on the day. The Dolphin Cycle Hub uses an innovative cycle parking model provided by Spokesafe and includes secure parking for up to 34 bikes, cargo bikes and non-standard cycles. The hub offers 24-hour access for members and affordable storage options start from as little as £1 per day for Pay As You Go bookings. There are also various weekly and monthly membership packages available* for those looking for regular secure storage solutions. The facility has been funded by BCP Council’s Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund. Its programme, ‘Transforming Travel’, aims to create and promote greener, healthier, better-connected travel options across the county, particularly for shorter journeys. The Dolphin Cycle Hub also offers a repair station and pump service, personal storage lockers, and electric charger points are also available for members to use while storing their e-bikes. Please visit www.spokesafe.com/dolphin-cycle-hub to browse the available packages and to book a storage slot. The action plan sets out the reforms to the NSIP regime that we will implement to ensure the system can support our future infrastructure needs by making the system better, faster, greener, fairer and more resilient. The action plan sets out how the reforms will be delivered across government (including the Planning Inspectorate) to meet these objectives.
The NSIP regime needs to be: 1. better at delivering as robust as possible decisions within the statutory timescales, giving both developers and communities certainty in the process 2. faster at handling all applications, through streamlined and strengthened processes, a proportionate approach, and a new fast-track timeframe for suitable applications 3. greener by delivering positive outcomes for the environment and following the mitigation hierarchy with proactive plans for environmental protection and enhancement 4. fairer to communities by emphasising benefits to local people that come with major infrastructure investment 5. and more resilient in its resourcing to enable all stakeholders to engage meaningfully and proactively in the process with the right skills at the right time Despite a three-year break, the team from Christchurch Food Festival Education Trust are back running cookery days in Christchurch primary schools.
A total of 11 cookery days are being run throughout the district with children being taught a range of skills and given nutritional guidance in order to make healthy food choices. The sessions are aimed at children in Years Four and Five and are being organised by Mary Reader a trustee of the charity and the founder of the original Christchurch food festival. Mary is joined by nutritional specialist Diane Thomas and chefs Loic Gratadoux and Colin Nash. Also part of the team is Master’s Degree student Jess Harris from Bournemouth University. Following an introduction about the importance of eating breakfast children are split into groups. Some learn to chop vegetables safely and the value of including fish in the diet by making a steamed trout dish with vegetables while others are taught to recognise a wide range of vegetables and about how adding spices, juices and sauces to vegetables can improve the flavour. They are also shown how to become Food Detectives and learn about branded foods and the labelling on packaging.  Bournemouth University has won two bronze and one silver awards for their environmental projects with St Luke’s Church of England Primary School, Winton at the annual ‘Root & Shoots’ awards ceremony to be held in London, organised by well-known ethologist Dr Jane Goodall DBE. BU staff and students led the activities at St Luke’s school. Along with a team of volunteers, including school children and local residents they helped to re-dig the two ponds.
(Image © Acabashi; Creative Commons CC-BY-SA 4.0; Source: Wikimedia Commons) Draft Climate Action published. The overarching aim of our strategy is to meet climate change head on by putting into place measures to actively reduce carbon emissions in the area to help Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole adapt to the inevitable effects of global warming. We recognise the plan to reach our aims is complicated, and that some of the actions will change over time because they need to be informed by those closest to the actions. This climate strategy represents the best picture we have right now, but one that we want to change and develop as more information and solutions become available and more stakeholders are engaged.
Strategic Aim 1 To make BCP Council and its operations carbon neutral by 2030 Strategic Aim 2 Work with the wider community to make the area carbon-neutral before the UK target of 2050 Strategic Aim 3 To help our area reverse the ecological decline, and be prepared for, and resilient to, the impacts of climate change 9 key delivery themes: People & Communities Business & Economy Digital & Smart Places Transport & Travel Water Resources & Flooding Energy Generation & Use Buildings & Homes Resources & Waste Environment & Place People & Communities Engaging with our residents to enable us all to make life choices which reduce our impact on the environment locally, nationally and globally. Communities are at risk from climate change and action must be taken to adapt accordingly. Community led responses are recognised as having the potential to contribute significantly to reducing CO2 emissions from the smallest rural community to the centres of our big cities. A gamekeeper has been fined after protected birds of prey were found dead at his home along with banned poisons and an unlicensed shotgun.
Paul Allen, 54, was investigated by police after a poisoned red kite was discovered on the Shaftesbury Estate in Wimborne St Giles, Dorset, in 2020. At Weymouth Magistrates' Court earlier this month, Allen pleaded guilty to seven rural and wildlife crimes. He was fined £2,022 and given a 15-week jail sentence suspended for one year. All birds of prey in the UK are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and killing them is illegal. Police began investigating when it was revealed the dead red kite found on the estate, of which Allen was head gamekeeper, contained high levels of rat poison brodifacoum. The court heard a search of his home and land revealed stashes of poisons, including two bottles of banned pesticide strychnine along with other chemicals associated with killing birds of prey. Police also found six shot buzzards and parts of three more of the large birds on a fire, as well as a loaded shotgun that was unlicensed. During mitigation, the court was told Allen had been recently widowed and has two teenage children. The gamekeeper, who no longer works at the estate, admitted two charges of possessing the dead birds, two of failing to comply with firearms rules and three offences relating to the chemicals. The £2 cap on bus fares in England has been extended for three months following warnings that hundreds of services could be cut if it ended.
The cap applies to more than 130 bus operators outside London. It had been due to expire on 31 March, but has been extended until the end of June. Bus operators have been struggling to maintain service levels in the face of rising costs and passenger numbers not recovering to pre-pandemic levels. The cap was introduced partly as a cost of living measure but is also meant to encourage people back on to buses. Up to 15% of services could have been scrapped without further funding, the Confederation of Passenger Transport, which represents bus and coach firms, said earlier this month. During the pandemic the government provided £2bn to support bus firms, who provide the most popular form of public transport in England. It said the extension for bus fares would be backed by up to £75m in funding. The UK's green economy grew by 30% in 2021 while the number of jobs in low-carbon industries increased by 16% year-on-year.
But IPPR, a think tank said, “Today’s ONS assessment shows that the UK risks falling behind in the global green race, just as our allies and economic competitors such as the United States are unleashing significant interventions to boost their economies and accelerate towards net zero. “While the growth in the low-carbon and renewable economy is positive, overall, the UK’s progress in growing the green economy over the best part of a decade has been decidedly unspectacular. It’s estimated that there are thousands fewer businesses operating in these sectors than in 2014, and the number of jobs has only increased by 5 per cent over the same period. “Before the UK falls out of the race altogether, the UK government needs to step up public investment, offer longer term and more ambitious policies from energy efficiency to clean transport, and back them with a serious green industrial strategy. Failure to do so will see the UK fall behind economically and undermine our progress towards our climate goals.” The ONS concludes that although a proportion of this observed increase could be attributed to the recovery of the UK economy from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this is not likely to be the whole picture and more significant progress is now being made. Lynne Baber, Head of PwC Sustainability, said: “We know that the transition to a green economy must accelerate. (The) ONS data is welcome confirmation that the pace is beginning to pick up with turnover and employment rates in the low carbon and renewable energy sectors both reaching their highest levels, but more must be done. “With our recent Green Jobs Barometer showing that green jobs are growing at almost four times the rate of the overall jobs market, today’s data reinforces how strong the UK’s starting position is in the race for green economic growth. “However, with countries across Europe and other parts of the world stepping up their own ambitious plans for green growth, the UK must ensure the path is clear to continue moving at the required pace – that means ambitious policies aimed at green growth, and investment in infrastructure, energy efficiency, and technology while ensuring that these jobs are created in the regions where they are most needed. “PwC analysis has shown that reskilling or upskilling of the workforce needs to accelerate now in order to fill the green skills gap in time to meet net zero by 2050. “Challenges arise in ensuring that workers are sufficiently reskilled into new roles and that the demand for skills are met, particularly given a lack of coherent labour force planning, a lack of engagement with educational institutions and negative perceptions of the energy sector amongst young people.” |
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