| Communal Bins in the Terrace and Square |
| Written by Richard Vahrman |
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Communal Bins Environment Committee Feedback. (Latest: see a pdf copy of the leaflet that has just been sent round) For those who could not attend the Environment Committee Meeting on Thursday - and a big thank you to those who were able to do so. Those attending must wonder why we ( and the Councillors themselves) have to put up with such extended Committee proceedings on many 'Petition' matters where the Councillors should be able to first elicit responses from the officers and then bring them to Committee in a grouped, orderly and time saving manner. It was surprising, for example, that all the responses to Petitions were made only by the Chair with no input by the rest of the Committee. My interpretation of what transpired ( that being the way to put it until the official Minutes are published !) is as follows :- The Committee did not accept the CityClean proposal. Instead it passed two amendments tabled by the Labour and Green Party members which in effect rejected that proposal - and did so with unanimous votes. Those amendments did four things 1. Formed a Group of the Councillors representing the 10 affected Wards. [I think 26 of which 11 are Greens and 2 Lib Dems.] 2. The main purpose of that Group being to pursue the question of proper Consultation 3. That special attention be paid to Recycling ( including the doubt that Communal Bins actually reduce it) 4. That some kind of Gobbledygook clause be added to the main Amendment so that, if justified by some form of analysis, the Policy & Resources Committee be asked to vote some money. That being passed to the Chief Financial Officer for consideration. I am not too happy about Point4 as it could be seen as authorising the money for the bins before there has been any consultation - something which seems premature and the thin edge of the wedge we thought we had blunted ! The special Conservation Group formed for Communal Bins considerations will meet to discuss that clause in particular and develop a response.. My Verdict. 1. The placement of any more Bins has been effectively postponed until a Consultation process has been devised and then carried out with all affected residents - probably through their Ward Councillors but hopefully with more input from Planning / Conservation, the Highways Authority. and the representative Amenity / Conservation Societies. 2. It did seem that the 'messages' to the Councillors about assessments / Conservation Areas / Listed Buildings had got through, aided by a detailed letter from Paul Elgood. From the wording of key comments made by Councillors it was apparent that they has 'adopted' some of those messages or, perhaps, had already come to similar conclusions for themselves. However the full impact of those messages will only become apparent as the Councillors Group starts its deliberations. And the messages are repeated again and again and again ....... until they are incorporated into the to be agreed Consultation process. At the moment I think that the need to launch a huge Petition to the full Council has been postponed - to be revived only if things go awry. This will not be a primrose path but at least the way forward has been well seeded with thorns for CityClean Tom Chavasse Previously Urgent Message from Tom Chavasse to all Friends of Brunswick Square and Terrace. Your help is URGENTLY needed. Please see below. Background The Report for the Environment Committee's consideration on 13th September has now been published. It is a disgrace and asks for consent to rollout some 600 Bins onto the Highway without any Consultation whatsoever (without even Traffic Order Consultation). It can be seen here with appendix 1 showing the map of the area under discussion BUT NOT the proposed locations of the bins here (the agenda for the whole meeting is here where the discussion takes place under Item 55.) It is written in the worst type of 'Officer Speak'. It does not include the map of the proposed locations - which CityClean have hidden- though that for our Ward has been seen and it is horrendous. The full locations map has been described as looking like a Nazi invasion plan document ! The Report's attempts to establish that there has been adequate Consultation are ridiculous and baseless for such a massive extension. There would be no opportunity for community or Association input for Conservation Areas or Listed Buildings. It will affect 28,000 properties - and all their occupants, most of whom have no idea whatsoever of what is proposed. It has an added and unusual Risk Assessment that predicts some local opposition - which is set against the wonderful results to date and the predicted benefits and thus is deemed inconsequential. Ho Ho. What the FBST has done. We have joined with The Kemp Town Society (Sussex Sq. & Lewes Crescent), the Montpelier and Clifton Hill Association (351 Listed Buildings), Palmeria & Adelaide and The Regency Society to form an inner Group (all Conservation Advisory Committee(CAG) affiliates) and all the Chairpersons have made the strongest collective Representation that they can to every Councillor in relation to Conservation Areas and Listed Buildings. This calls for a halt to the proposal pending a proper Consultation process and giving specific recommendations as to how that process should be carried out - using examples from elsewhere. The Group has also initiated approaches to a powerful Pan Europe external Conservation Institution [ICOMOS UK] and to English Heritage for additional advice - and has let that be known to the Councillors. FBST and FOPA have tabled Questions to be asked at the 13th Sept Mtg.- chosen to expose particular aspects and to provide the basis for the then allowed supplementary question. The Petition is still running but cannot be lodged at this Mtg. (protocol requiring it first to be accepted by the full Council !).
The meeting starts at 5pm in the Hove Town Hall. The Questions get asked early on and then there will be a 'wait' until they get to Item 55. Noises in the gallery at the right moments will help. Avoiding being evicted being subtle but important. What we are aiming for is, at the least a general Council Consultation,as a middle road (our best expectation) proper Conservation Area / Listed Buildings Consultation ( to the above mentioned Group's recommendations) at the very best rejection. Whatever happens the battle wiith CityClean will not be over. It is no good, by the way, badgering our Ward Councillors. They have so far done all that they can. The Group and the FBST in particular hopes to see many of you there. This is the most important issue that has arisen since the FBST was formed. Tom Chavasse Previously To all recipients (Brunswick Terrace members with Email) We need many more signatures from Terrace postcode residents (and any visitors - visitors are allowed to sign and are good for expressing the appreciation of our Heritage Conservation Area). They also boost the overall numbers. Currently we have only 5 for Nos.1-6, only 2 for 7-19, 11 for 20-32 and only 1 for 33-42 ( slum end ??!!) Compared with 85 and rising from the Square. The attachment is a Petition copy which can be printed and then used. It has narrow margins at 2cms each side (set by Page Set Up before printing ) . Please add the vertical lines as i cannot do that this way of production ! I hope it comes out okay To pass on the information of number of signatures obtained by 8am 24th August ( the next important interim counting point) please Email me under subject 'CBs not spam'. Then by 3rd September let me have the actual signature sheet at 36 Brunswick Square Your help will be very much appreciated - I have to assume that, like the great majority in the Square,you do not want these horribly out of character and unsightly,noisy, smelly, wind moving, parking place taking, withdrawal of collection service etc Bins along the Terrace of Grade I Listed Buildings. Which we paint and pay Council Tax for others to admire and where the Council should respect their special designated status etc. Click here for petition copy |
| Last Updated on Thursday, 28 August 2008 09:51 |