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The Bradworthy Wind Turbines
Councillor
Christie's Weblog
From your Torridge District Councillor Peter Christie
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17th Aug '08
One of the most interesting committees I sit on is the Harbour Board whose 7 members run the port of Bideford. It met recently and discussed ways to increase revenue with suggestions about a new business extracting sand from the two estuaries and a new Bristol Channel ferry based in the town. My own ideas are about using ships to carry the recyclable material collected all over North Devon. Currently this is taken by road to the central recycling facilities up-country yet it could go by sea - and it isn’t as though it will ever run out! My other point was about Bideford and Appledore securing supply/repair work tied in with the proposed massive wind turbine array in the Bristol Channel. Currently Torridge and North Devon councils are examining this whole idea and although some in North Devon are trying to push the claims of Ilfracombe it is clearly a third rate anchorage/facility when compared with the two Torridge settlements. I understand a 103 page report on the whole scheme has been prepared and is currently being examined by officers of both councils before being presented to members. One cargo that may well be coming in is 50,000 tonnes of china clay waste to be used at Barnstaple as hardcore for the foundations of the new North Devon College planned for the Seven Brethren Bank – clearly very necessary given the ground conditions of the site. I have said before that Bideford port could have a great future – and I hope that every councillor will support it wholeheartedly.
It may only be July but already plans are afoot for a big fireworks display in the town. The idea came up at this month’s town council meeting when Mel Bushell reckoned that East-the-Water residents wanted such a community event – and, on behalf of the East-the-Water Community Association he asked for £1000 funding towards a display. David Ratcliff immediately asked whether the group had raised any money for themselves towards this sum – or were they just coming to us for the cash? The town clerk pointed out that he had suggested they ‘get their act together in terms of fund raising’ – and Andy Powell wondered if they could return in a few months with some evidence of fund raising to show us – but as Clive Bone pointed out, time was of the essence and as East-the-Water was our ‘most deprived area’ we should support the idea. I did suggest that those town councillors who were also district councillors could use their newly allocated £1000 per head funds for supporting community schemes to pay for the fireworks. Unfortunately two of the East-the-Water district councillors, Caroline Church and Brian Lacey, were trustees of the Community Association and had thus left the room whilst this item was discussed – which meant that Steve Clarke, the third East ward councillor, would have seen the whole of his new ‘allowance’ go on this which seemed rather unfair on him. When the vote was taken 4 were in favour of giving the money, 3 were against and 2 abstained – so East-the-Water residents can look forward to a nice display – although the town council did pint out that the event would be open to anyone regardless of where they lived in the town and surrounding area.
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