The Burton Joyce Residents' Association exists to protect, preserve and enhance the lovely riverside area in and around Burton Joyce in Nottinghamshire, UK. It is open to anyone who shares our objectives.
We at BJ ONLINE thank the BJRA for their cooperation in posting these reports ( verbatim ) We compliment and praise the application of the Association and their individual members for the work over the past few years. As a community we are indeed indebted to their unselfish and determined efforts to protect and ensure that our attractive and beautiful countryside and habitat, is protected from commercial despoliation
Nottinghamshire County Council relating to the County Structure Plan, one from the East Midlands Regional Assembly being the Draft Regional Plan which sets out plans for the region until 2026, and one from Gedling Borough Council concerning a planning application for 25 houses off Lambley Lane.
We have studied all these documents, and shall be making comments as appropriate to the purposes of our organisation. Anyone can comment on these consultations. Members who prefer to make their comments through the Association are invited to send their comments to the Chair at least a week before the cut-off date for comments.
Sand and Gravel Mining
Yet more gravel extraction is sometimes promoted with the argument that afterwards, there will be enhanced opportunities for water activities, nature conservation areas and promises of public access. The reality is often very different. Very few of the water areas between Nottingham and Newark created as a result of gravel extraction in the past are available to the public. Just Colwick lakes and Netherfield ponds are accessible, all the rest are private. Some areas of water have been well restored and are well looked after as private fishing lakes, boating lakes or areas for nature conservation. Some have just been left to decay or recover on their own.
Today, after gravel extraction, the companies are supposed to restore the site as agreed as part of the planning permission granted. But can we rely on these companies to honour such agreements?
Gunthorpe Lakes is an example of a neglected site. Extraction was finished here in 1978, since then no restoration has taken place. The responsibility for restoration has now passed to the landowner, Severn Trent Water, and although the County Council had made orders requiring action to be taken to restore the area by certain dates, nothing has happened.
BJRA for Annual Report 2008/09
Our work has continued throughout the year as we keep a watchful eye on activities and potential developments on our riverside area.
The Nottinghamshire Replacement Minerals Plan.
This plan came to an end in December 2008 but as Nottinghamshire County Council has not yet developed a new plan to take its place, it applied to the Secretary of State to “save” - i.e. to retain - some aspects of the expired plan including policy M6.6, the Gunthorpe allocation that extends from Burton Joyce to Gunthorpe. Much time has been taken up this year with leading objections to the proposal to retain this allocation but in December the Secretary of State gave the County Council permission to “save” all the policies they requested, including the Gunthorpeallocation.
Nottinghamshire County Council - Minerals and Waste Development Framework.
We had expected the next stage of consultation to take place sometime in 2008 but yet again the timetable has slipped for the development of this framework, which will replace the now defunct Minerals Plan, and there have been no developments this year. Laterthis year we expect to be busy as the next stage of public consultations for the Waste Framework is now scheduled to begin in August and for the Minerals Framework in October. The timetable for future stages of the framework drags on until adoption of the new framework in 2012, which will then replace the currentWaste and Minerals Plans.
Flood protection.
Our efforts, in conjunction with the Undefended Villages Partnership, to get mitigation for the additional flooding risks posed to villages downstream of Nottingham that will result from the Nottingham Flood Alleviation Scheme have been successful. Aswell as installing a pump near St Helens Crescent, which was agreed earlier in response to the village flooding experience in 2000, we are pleased that the Environment Agency has now agreed to install a flood embankment alongside the existing railway embankment to provide further protection for houses in thevillage that are most vulnerable to additional flooding from the river Trent that will result from the Nottingham FAS. Some properties in villages further downstream are also getting some flood protection measures. Persistence and working together with other organisations has been important to success here.
In January, I was invited to give oral evidence to the Government’s Select Committee on Flooding and found myself flying the flag for flood protection for rural areas generally throughout the country in the wake of the previous year’s summer floods and thethreat that all available flood protection funding was going to be diverted to urban areas where larger populations were at risk
Local Government Ombudsman complaint.
In October 2006, we made a complaint on behalf of members to the Local Government Ombudsman alleging maladministration by Nottinghamshire County Council in respect of the Minerals Plan. In December 2008 we received an initial letter of response from an investigator in the Ombudsman’s office and were disappointed to find thatour complaint has received very little attention. We raised 5 issues; of these, one had been addressed and rejected, two had been partially addressed but two had not been addressed at all. Having taken more than two years to do so little, the investigator asked for our response within a little over two weeks. In January 2009, we submitted our response and in March received afurther response in which the LGO’s investigator made it clear that she does not intend to look into most of the issues we raised
Trent Valley RiverPark.
We are concerned that an unrepresentative quango, led by the East Midlands Development Agency, has plans to develop the whole of the riverside between Nottingham and Gunthorpe. Such plans are drawn up without any consultation with local residents or their representatives often in the guise of “improving the environment and leisure opportunities”. We shall continue to keep a watchful eye out for any developments that might be proposed that could impact on our lovely and currently peaceful riverside area.
Last year we learned that the Nottingham Centre for Biological Records had de-listed one of the Sites of Interest to Nature Conservation (SINC, now renamed as Local Nature Areas) on our riverside. On inquiring about this de-listing, it emerged that this was done on the basis of a quick survey of riverside flora and the sitecould be re-instated on the listings if a more detailed survey showed that relevant flora still existed in the area. So this year we are undertaking a botanical survey of the former SINC area on the Burton Meadows loop
Consultations.
We have continued to read many consultation documents and have submitted comments where appropriate. We have commented on:
Further consultations on the proposals for restoration of the old gravel works at Gunthorpe and Bulcote by Severn Trent Water.
Two consultations on the Environmental Impact Statement on the Burton Joyce flood embankment proposals by the Environment Agency.
East Midlands Regional Plan, specifically on proposals to delete much of the Green Belt around NottinghamInformation.We have continued to display news updates on our website (www.bjra.org.uk) to enable everyone in the village to have access to up-to-date news.
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