Government Planning Policy puts Sussex countryside at risk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

West Sussex Countryside

By Alex Oxborough

Environmental groups have warned that new planning policy guidelines, recently released by the coalition government, are a threat to the countryside, ancient woodland and the character of rural communities.

JUST one year after the establishment of the South Downs National Park, the Sussex countryside is under threat. Bringing to mind the adage “the best laid plans of mice and men” — often applied to actions that prompt unintended consequences — environmental groups have warned that a lack of clarity in the government’s recent review of national planning policy has left legal loopholes.

The most radical overhaul of planning policy for 20 years, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has rewritten the rulebook on development. Whereas in recent years planning policy mushroomed in an attempt to balance the need for economic and social development with the protection of the environment, the NPPF aims to streamline and modernise planning policy.

Reducing hundreds of pages of guidance, comprehensible only to professionals and the initiated, to a 59-page document was never going to be easy, but changes effecting long-established principles, such as the requirement for environmental sustainability, mark a shift in the protection given to the conservation of the countryside and the existing character of rural communities.

Woodland Trust Chief Executive Sue Holden said, “Ancient Woodland remains significantly threatened under this new framework. Although the NPPF retains phrasing from existing planning policy around the protection of ancient woods and trees, the wording that planning applications should not bring about the loss of these habitats ‘unless the need for, and benefits of, the development in that location clearly outweigh the loss’, leaves a dangerous loophole.”

By defining sustainability as, “ensuring that better lives for ourselves don’t mean worse lives for future generations”, the NPPF has arguably watered-down the environmental connotations of the term since it was defined by the Brundtland Commission in 1987, and cleared the way to put economic and social needs first. Brighton and Hove Green MP Caroline Lucas said, “Local communities rightly remain highly sceptical about whether the Government’s new framework will be up to the job of allowing truly sustainable development whilst providing enough proper protection.”

Chris Todd of Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth said, “The NPPF sounds very good in places, but what do those expressions mean? Does it mean that if you create jobs and provide housing you can get away with damaging the environment?” Chris believes the change in the meaning of terms such as sustainability will result in expensive legal challenges. He said, “If developers, councils or individuals don’t like particular decisions, or believe things were taken wrongly or misinterpreted, then that could end up in the courts. Where there are elements of doubt or ambiguity then the whole process could take a long time to be sorted out while people struggle.”

Given that the 2011 draft version of the framework had included measures to speed the planning process in order to boost economic growth, the likelihood of lengthy planning disputes is a shot in the foot for the coalition government. The public mauling of the headlining “presumption in favour of sustainable development” when the draft framework was released resulted in a further source of potential delays in key planning decisions across the county.

Following fierce criticism from middle-England heavyweights The National Trust and the Countryside Alliance, the “presumption in favour of sustainable development” has been watered-down in the final Framework. Now development must comply with a local authority plan, but where none exists it must go ahead unless, “Any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly outweigh the benefits when assessed against policies in this Framework.” A leaked local authority briefing report notes this “effectively limits the local scope for manoeuvre” to reject poor quality planning applications against the best interests of the local community.

Sussex local authorities are now scrabbling to put in place up to date and robust development plans. Not a simple task when even figures such as Liz Peace, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation are saying “Urgent questions remain over how local authorities should determine how many homes and jobs they need, and what the guidance that underpins the NPPF should be.” The majority of local planning authorities are in the process of creating or updating plans to comply with the NPPF.  As the Framework’s grace period to put plans in place runs out in March 2013 many local authorities are still vulnerable.

Brighton and Hove City Council City Plan is currently awaiting examination by an independent Government inspection, prior to adoption. Toad Hole Valley, a green field site in Hove, has been allocated for a new industrial estate, in spite of opposition from local residents and Labour Councillor Brian Fitch who argued the suitability of a brown field site near Shoreham Harbour.  Councillor Fitch said, “I know you can hear the noise of the bypass in the distance, but it’s a lovely setting and the local public here have enjoyed it for a number of years.”

As a result of the NPPF local authorities will increasingly have their hands tied when it comes to identifying land for development. Councils will be obliged to allocate a five-year supply of land for housing based on projected population figures, plus an additional 5% buffer, to be updated annually, unless there has been persistent under-delivery in which case the buffer will be 20%. No definition of how “under-delivery” will be assessed is given so this will be open to legal challenge. For Brighton and Hove this is likely to leave them particularly vulnerable to challenge because of the historical reliance on ‘windfall’ sites,  freed up by change of use, in housing delivery in the city.

Though the aim of the NPPF is clear from the Framework’s Ministerial Foreword onwards—economic growth— the practical application of the Framework is currently a mystery. A lack of clarity in the use of terms, and the circumstances in which key caveats become active, means that, for now, planning will remain almost incomprehensible. A cynic might point out that now it is incomprehensible to professionals, too. What this will mean for the Sussex countryside remains to be seen.

For whom the bell tolls: Do we really need to know when it’s time for church?

As I slip my feet back under the duvet, the ghastly Leonie and James seem to be starting another row. I sip my coffee. I’ve been looking forward to this…. CLANG; CLANG; CLANG; CLANG; CLANG..  Oh well.  Now we’re outside the Bull, and Jolene’s trying to organise everyone … CLANG; CLANG; CLANG; CLANG; CLANG. … Leonie’s berating James again.  Seems their aerial photo shoot didn’t go that well. I guess there’s always the iPlayer.

Kemptown’s noisier than Ambridge. People socializing in gardens, car alarms, Brighton Ballroom smokers shrieking drunkenly – and the seagulls! Can’t be helped, though, can it?  Unlike that CLANGING!

The insistent, tuneless racket is not an alarm. There’s no fire, or sinking ship. It’s St George’s call to prayer.

Interview: Dan Denis

By Alex Easthope

Dan Denis is a promising young racing driver raised in the quiet West Sussex town of Midhurst. Having had a successful karting career, winning the Caterham Superlight R400 Championship and tackling the Ginetta G50 Cup, he now has his sights set firmly on the British GT4 title. We caught up with Dan to talk about racing – past, present and future.

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Brighton Boys feature in new pop video

Cover for single Brighton Boy by Maria McAteer

Brighton boys of all ages co-star with singer-songwriter Maria McAteer in a pop video released yesterday.

The new video promotes her single, Brighton Boy, which was released for download as a sneak peek of the long-awaited debut album Her Night At Noon.

Maria directed the video, shot by co-songwriter Bjorn Dahlberg, on Hove seafront on Sunday 25 March, after putting out the call through social media.

“We were determined to get every single person we shot in”, she says, “because they’d all given time for us. And absolutely everyone’s really good.”

The video is a direct descendant of her viral hit Baby, in which diverse Brighton characters mime the familiar Justin Bieber lyrics over Maria’s vocal.

Music website Cover Me listed Baby’s salt-air visuals among it’s top 10 cover videos of 2010 for its cheeky comment on the ubiquity of the song.

The Brighton Boy video is more sophisticated in conception and execution, but retains Baby’s home-made charm and Maria’s obvious affection for this haven for individuals.

The sunniest of her own compositions, Brighton Boy has a simple, romantic hook, and Maria’s warm, wistful vocal quickly worms its way into the psyche.

Not every shot for the video was planned. “Like the guys on rollerblades; that was something in the moment. And it’s the best sequence”.

Sign up at mariamcateer.com for a free Brighton Boy mp3. The video can be viewed on YouTube

Sixties music lovers kick off the festival season at Le Beat Bespoke Weekender

View the story “Le Beat Bespoke 8 (April 2012)” on Storify

Talk About The Passion: Brighton’s Soul By The Sea Festival

By Nicolas Pierce

Making my way to the outdoor venue for Brighton’s Soul by The Sea passion play, a re-enactment of the last days of Christ on Easter Sunday, it was impossible not to notice that celebrations of the religious dimension of the Easter holidays have become sidelined. Situated some way out along the seafront and past the pier, the commercialised vanity fair of candyfloss and ghost trains which swallowed the majority of the bank holiday tourists, only the committed few (budding journos among their number) were likely to attend.

Although this made me fear that I might be the sole spectator, and a card-carrying atheist one at that, a substantial, eclectic and appreciative crowd quickly gathered. If I was to learn nothing else, I had at least discovered that there is still clearly a demand for religious theatre of this kind. Although it may occasionally pain people like myself to admit it, it is self-evident that there still exists a strong Christian contingent in this country, and despite an undeniable decline it’s destined to remain that way for some time.

Of course, the compelling thing about the Passion play is its history within the popular culture of England. Originating in church ritual, the tradition was revived in the late 19^th century due to growing public interest, and Soul By The Sea certainly keeps up the civic spirit of such events with its cast and crew of local volunteers. With occasionally wooden acting and swallowed lines, this egalitarian production code certainly leant the production an amateurish feel, but I found this surprisingly endearing where a slick professional retelling would have probably put me off. It’s altogether more moving to witness a performance by local, ordinary people who genuinely believe in and care about the story, than it would be to suffer through the glossy but soulless affair that an Andrew Lloyd Webber might make of it.

That’s not to downplay the skill with which director and lead actor James Burke-Dunsmore and Assistant Director Emily Swain marshalled their resources to immerse the audience in the world of ancient Jerusalem. At the beginning, robed women weaved ecstatically through the throng, crying ‘Jesus is coming.’ I resisted the urge to reply that – going by the official start time at least – he was already ten minutes overdue. Later on, at the moment when Christ was forced to carry the instrument of his own death to Golgotha by his Roman executioners, the crowd were encouraged to form a loose procession in his wake towards the opposite end of the venue. Far more so than the Christian folk song that opened proceedings, or the exhortations to worship at the end, the involvement of the crowd in the narrative established the story’s universal currency, regardless of one’s beliefs or background.

Speaking of background, on the website for the event the organisers make a great deal of their efforts to bring together people from a ‘mix of backgrounds and nationalities, including those originally from Europe, the Philippines, Persia and Egypt’. The colour-blind and diverse casting that was on display is certainly something the makers can be proud of, turning the play into a celebration of our recent multicultural heritage at a time when it is regularly and unhelpfully attacked.

Aside from his directorial ability, Burke-Dunsmore also showed that he is a well-schooled veteran of the role of Christ. Although he has trodden the boards in adaptations of everything from Shakespeare to Dickens he has become most familiar as the face of Jesus, having portrayed the Messiah in countless stage versions of his life, as well as to millions via BBC television and radio broadcasts. Hearing him charismatically delivering Christ’s last teachings, one got a sense of the sincere and unapologetic personality he has displayed in recent interviews when asked about the supposed controversies surrounding passion plays.

One of these controversies has been the criticism from some quarters that the scene of the crucifixion itself, complete with a realistically bloodied and beaten Christ, would cause distress to small children. However, although there were certainly a fair few restless infants present, none of them seemed noticeably disturbed by what they were watching. The violence is certainly less than that in a lot of contemporary television, and any tears are likely to be offset by the happy ending. After all, if you think the story ends with Jesus on the cross, you must have nodded off during Sunday school lessons…

Speaking to The Guardian recently about these perennial contentions, Burke-Dunsmore said “”Whenever you turn on the radio there’s some sort of discussion about religion’s place in society. But when I’m standing in a rehearsal room with people teaching each other the teachings of Jesus, there is simply no argument. His words are the rich teaching which we can all live by – it is there to tap from and it is life changing.”

Ultimately, whatever one thinks about the question of Christianity in today’s society, the goodwill and enthusiasm of the Soul by the Sea passion play provided an admirable answer. And without a radio in sight.

From Wales to Ibiza

By Evie Purves

Welsh boy DJ Ali Morgan is set to head back to the party island of Ibiza later this month to get the party started once again.

From 1996 to 2006 he established a name for himself as the notorious DJ Ali Morgan and has played in some of the biggest clubs in Ibiza, even Es Paradis and Eden.

But it’s not just Ibiza; he has played all over the world including Australia, Egypt, London, Miami and Wales and has now got his eyes on the White island once more.

From showing off his DJ talent at store openings in Miami, to dabbling with radio and television in Australia, it seems DJ Ali Morgan has done it all. And he has no intention of slowing down!

Set to rock the party season this summer, Morgan is returning to Ibiza to DJ at Delilah’s in San Antonio, the only Welsh bar in Ibiza.

If you want to see some of DJ Ali Morgan’s tunes check out this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otlqlqnT_Fw&fb_source=message

Or better still, hop on a plane to Ibiza this summer and party with the man himself!

 

Brighton suffering from the Budget blues?

Chancellor fo the Exchequer, George Osborne.
Credit: Mholland

Mention the 2012 Budget to most people, and it’s unlikely to conjure excitement, but at the very least you might expect it to hold a certain morbid fascination. After all, when George Osborne and his colleagues squeeze the country’s spending and tinker with taxation, it’s we who are affected. But judging by the reactions of Brighton residents, it seems that a climate of despondency fostered by a prevailing economic insecurity means most people are not even interested in reading it.

Although many were unaware of the finer (some might say confusing) details of the document, there was a general perception that it is weighted unfairly, penalising the middle-classes and the vulnerable without even delivering the support to businesses that had been promised.

White Cliffs of Dover Collapse

By Evie Purves

Thousands of tonnes of rubble have fallen over 300ft down into English Channel near Crab Bay after a huge section of the white cliffs collapsed.

Freezing conditions and winter weather have thought to have been the main cause of the devastating collapse, after the cliffs were gradually weakened, causing large cracks in the chalk.

A Dover coastguard has confirmed that a full survey will be carried out to discover exactly how much of the cliffs have crumbled away.

Following the extent of the “substantial rock fall”, a spokesman has said “no one was injured” and adds: “It appears that it crumbled from the top at high water so there was no-one down below at the time fall.”

A similar event occurred in January 2011 when several tonnes of rock broke away in St Margaret’s Bay between Dover and Deal.

The spokesman added: “it does serve as a reminder that if people are walking along the cliff-top or underneath, that the cliff can crumble away.”

The National Trust has put up warning signs to alert walkers.

 

Happy International Women’s Day!

By Ruth Hazard

Today is International Women’s Day, a celebration of the social, political and economic achievements of women from around the world. The event takes place on March 8 every year to encourage respect, appreciation and love towards the female kind.

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This year’s theme, ‘Connecting girls, Inspiring futures’, aims to galvanise women from countries as far reaching as Ghana, Pakistan and Bulgaria to come together to create ‘an international network of support’. Lectures, workshops, exhibitions and special events will take place in each nation to address the issues its females face.

To mark the event, we speak to young women from across the globe about the matters affecting their lives…

Leela is 18 years old from Kochi, Kerala in Southern India

I grew up in a village a few miles away from Kochi. My father worked in the rice fields and we didn’t have a lot of money. My mother used to get up very early to walk to get water because there was none in our house. She would make meals by cooking on the fire. She would spend all day washing, cooking and cleaning and sometimes, during the busy season, she worked in the fields too.

In my family I had three brothers. I liked playing with them when I was little because we didn’t have a TV. At night my family all slept together on the floor.

I went to school in the closest town because my mother wanted me to know how to read and write and to talk in English. She never knew how to do any of these things.

When I was 18 I left home to get married and live with my husband in Kochi. It is a good life for me because his father is a businessman and we have more money. My husband is learning at University and will take over the business. I will stay at home and look after the family. His mother is teaching me how to cook and be a good wife.

My marriage was arranged. This is not the same for all Indian girls. At school when we heard that a girl was engaged we asked if it was ‘love’ or ‘arranged’. From the others in my class I would say it is a mix between the two.

I was happy for my parents to choose my husband. I knew they would pick someone hard working and who would be kind. They wanted a good life for me. It has been the same for all my family, we are Hindus and it is what we believe. I never really talked to a man before my husband so I was glad to have my parents to choose.

The most important thing to me is to be a good wife and mother. In the future I want to have a big happy family with my husband. His business works in Mumbai too so I would like to travel there one day.

I do miss my family because I don’t get to see them very much anymore but I am married now and I have a new life.

Mengwen Li is 21 from Ningbo, Zheijang Province in China          

 I had a nice home when I was a child because my parents are accountants so they earn good  salaries. Our house had three bedrooms and we had our own car.

I am an only child because of the one child policy here but I would have liked to have a brother or sister.

My mother and father both went to university to study business and economics. They work really hard and a lot of hours. They were strict parents and I would get in a lot of trouble if I got bad grades in school.

My parents are not friends, they are my parents. I don’t talk to them very much or have many discussions. I think that China is different because here we are taught to respect our parents and do what they tell us to.

I went to University in Ningbo, most children don’t leave home to study. I studied business because my parents thought that it would be the best choice for me. I want to get a good job so I can earn lots of money!

I have been to Shanghai before and to see relatives in another province but I haven’t travelled anywhere else. I would like to go to England or America one day.

My social activities are going on the internet and going to the arcade with my friends. I like video games too. I have never really tried alcohol before, I think that is different in China to other places!

I was engaged for five years but last year I found out he had cheated on me with other girls and he left to go to America.  I was really upset but I do hope I will get married one day. I would like to have a child but not until I’m a lot older and I have had a career.

Anna Selander is 19 from Stockholm, Sweden

I left school last year because I didn’t really like to study. I work as a teacher’s assistant in Stockholm, helping the students with reading. I would like to work as a photographer but it is hard to get a job like that.

My parents divorced when I was three. They are both remarried and I have 8 step brothers and sisters. I don’t like my mum’s new husband very much or his daughters. We always fight when I stay there.

I live in Stockholm because there is always things to do. I go out with my friends a lot and we also like to take trips to the mountains to go skiing.

My boyfriend is older than me [30] and he works as a property developer so I make lots of trips with him. We went to India last year for 3 months and then Aruba. We are planning to take a trip this year, hopefully to Guatemala. I want to see as many places as I can.

Isobel Mack is 21 from Surrey, England

I went to school all over the south of England because we moved a lot. My parents got divorced when I was 12 and it was really difficult for me and my brother when my dad remarried and moved away.

I got a first in my biology degree when I graduated last summer but I haven’t been able to find a job that uses my experience. I was unemployed for four months before I took a job working for an electrical company. I think it’s a difficult time in the employment sector and I really hope something more relevant will come along soon.

I go on holiday almost every year. I’ve travelled around a lot of Europe and I’ve also been to America and Australia. I would like to go backpacking in Asia if I can save up enough money.

I’m not in a relationship at the moment because I think I’m too young to settle down. I don’t really know anyone my age whose married yet, I think most people wait until their thirties to start a family now days.

I think having a career is really important because I don’t want to be dependent on anyone else. I do really want to have children though and I think a lot of women have a really hard time deciding whether or not to give up work. My mum stopped working to raise me and my brother but it meant she never had much of a career. I wouldn’t want that to happen to me.

 Stephanie Collins is 23 from Toronto, Canada

My dad died when I was a child from liver cancer so it was just my mom looking after me and my two brothers. He had been an alcoholic and never really held down a job so we lived on very little. I wore hand-me-downs from neighbours’ kids and ate a lot of tinned food. We didn’t have things most people take granted like a computer or a car. My mom was a Serbian immigrant and this caused me to get hassled a lot at school. I wouldn’t really remember it as a happy childhood.

I went to university on the other side of the country because I wanted to be independent and have my own life. I graduated in English but didn’t really know what to do next. I decided to travel Europe as I spent a semester in England during my degree and really like it there.

After spending a few months in Italy and Spain I took an artist residency in London. I stayed above a gallery where I got to exhibit my work. When the residency ended I didn’t have any job prospects or anywhere to live so I ended up sleeping on friends couches for a few months while trying to scrape together some money to get home. My mum got sick while I was away and I wanted to get back to Toronto.

Back in Canada I had to move home to nurse my Mom. She was really ill and in and out of hospital a lot. I had to take a job working in a bar at night to help pay the medical bills until she died six months later.

I’m now living in downtown Toronto working as a manager at an art gallery. I love my job and finally feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be. I’m living with my boyfriend and although I’m crazy about him I’m not sure I want to get married or have children but never say never, so let’s wait and see…

If you’d like to wish the rest of the world a Happy International Women’s Day then head to youtube or facebook to take part in  Women’s Voices from Around the World.

White Water Women is asking for ladies to submit a brief film clip where they give their name, country and a one-word wish for women. The group will then create a montage of all the clips to be shown on their website and Facebook page.

The film can be taken on your webcam or phone, just select the highest quality format. You can upload it to facebook or as a reply to the organisation’s YouTube video.