| Join the Green Party and you'll receive our local quarterly newsletter, as well as invitations to Green Events. You'll be invited to attend meetings, join our discussion list, vote on issues, and contribute to our campaigns and policies for North Devon. |
The Bradworthy Wind Turbines
Councillor
Christie's Weblog
From your Torridge District Councillor Peter Christie
Previous entries
|
6th Sept '09
When one of the new county councillors Alison Boyle attended the monthly town council meeting she was plied with observations about the ‘traffic calming’ measures in Clovelly Road – if you haven’t seen them they are fairly dramatic – and anecdotally one car has already been written off after crashing into them. Councillor David Ratcliffe found it difficult to understand the rationale behind the present works. We were promised ‘pinch points’ and a 7.5 tonne weight limit but instead, in David’s marvellous catch-all phrase, we got ‘a complete botch of a nightmare of traffic calming ideas.’ Steve Clarke reckoned that under the old system the cars parked down Clovelly Road actually acted to slow the traffic whilst David Fulford asked when a pedestrian crossing would be provided outside of Asda? Mention of Asda caused me to ask what had happened to the very large sum they had given to Devon county to carry out the road measures in Clovelly Road as it is pretty obvious very little has been spent on what is there at the moment. Alison Boyle promised to look into this – I did suggest that any remaining money could be spent on improving the Westleigh junction on the Link Road which seems rather more pressing that the seemingly ‘cosmetic’ works in Clovelly Road.
I heard a new expression at the last town council meeting I attended. After hearing all about the various events planned to mark the finish of the national Bicycle Race in the town the Mayor Andy Powell said we were doing it as an attempt to try and promote Bideford’s ‘coffee culture’ i.e. get new visitors coming to the town and using the many cafes we have available. Certainly we have a lot of coffee shops – rather too many if certain existing owners are to be believed – but there aren’t that many in the Quay area and certainly there are none on the Quay itself. When the original flood defence plans were unveiled there was going to be provision for an upmarket restaurant/coffee shop but this never came to fruition. The crowds attracted to the Farmer’s Markets (at least when it is dry) show that so much could be done with the fantastic riverside we have at the heart of our town. Now that the Bicycle Race has again focused interest on this area perhaps we should think of ways of utilising one of our strongest natural attractions.
Last week the town council planning committee looked at one of the odder applications to come our way. Anyone who has been up to the Borough cemetery and taken the road to Littleham will be aware that on the left as you leave the built up area there is an earthwork which surrounds an old and disused reservoir. This has been purchased by Graffiti Print Ltd. who produce printed needlecraft fabrics and exhibition graphics from their current operating base in North Road. They bought the, undeniably strange, property with the intention of converting the two old water tanks into a new printing workshop. I cannot remember anyone coming to us before with such a fascinating proposal – and indeed the planning officers were a bit stumped as to how to classify it finally settling on saying it was similar to a ‘barn conversion’! The firm are proposing to remove the existing embankments and soil above the roofs and paint the existing concrete walls to create their new workspace. The town council committee unanimously approved the idea and thought it a wonderful solution to the problem of what to do with such an unusual derelict structure.
Published and promoted by and on behalf of the North Devon Green Party, of 1 Taw View Terrace, Bishops Tawton, EX32 0AW
PLEASE NOTE: Not all of the material presented on this site is necessarily Green Party Policy or endorsed by The Green Party.