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| Please feel free to disagree vehemently with any or all of the remarks below. Please e-mail me to express your opinions. Stur in General - Joe Sherwood
Taylor From Joe Sherwood Taylor (4/3/02) Reply from David Bacon (17/3/02)
Clearly yours is a throwaway comment based on little
thought designed to get things going. Maybe you haven't noticed the high
percentage increase of dwellings in Stur since you have lived here & are
not aware of the Local Plan to 2011 where the population of Stur is due to
rise such that the schools already crowded will need radical expansion.
This is in spite of the pinch points in the access to Stur which are great for
keeping down the speed of traffic but also limit the volume of traffic.
The restricted access to Stur is given as the reason that Stur has only a
minor planned expansion in the Local Plan !! The mind boggles if a minor
increase is 640 dwellings on a population of less than 3,000 (as was)
what an average increase would be. What happens to the Market Site is of
vital importance to Stur and deserves some debate; not many towns have an
opportunity to develop such a site so close to the centre of town. What
ends up there is going to be there for a long time so if it's wrong we will
have to live with it for quite a while.
As for your belittlement of eco awareness that doesn't really
warrant comment - we have made a pigs ear of managing our environment - we are
accelerating the demise of our planet with little thought for the effects on
other occupants or future generations. What is for sure is that re the
Market Site anything that does end up there should be constructed with designs
based on sustainable principles and on minimal impact on the environment.
Something we can be proud of not embarrassed by.
Reply from Joe Sherwood Taylor (17/3/02)
Thanks for your email, which I shall add shortly to the web
site. I agree with much that you say, but am wary of schemes that call for
lots of public money to be spent. As for eco-awareness,I believe that little
tends to come of the type of high-minded, if worthy, schemes of the
type mentioned. Its my experience that reforms really only come about by
economic pressure. Anyway, its good to get discussion going about
it, especially when so little seems to be happening.
Reply from David Bacon (18/3/02)
One of the facts not well known is that
sustainable/environmentally friendly design is not necessarily more
expensive than conventional design - the builder who converted a house in
Bruton is now sold on the idea which he had not come across before - his
research was paid for by his "green" client he now has the
knowledge & experience and is determined to apply it. Of course
if you look beyond the initial costs then the economy over the life
of a "sustainable" building wins hands down in savings of
energy,water,waste and pollution. On top of which the cost savings
to the environment are significant. The monetary costs of our lack
of care are beginning to be recognised - flood defences, flood repairs,
the costs of waste and the pollution effects on our health and the costs
involved. We haven't learnt yet and by the time we do it may be too
late.
Reply from Joe Sherwood Taylor (18/3/02)
I applaud the efforts of people like your builder, but
generally they make little impact. Nevertheless, houses are being built
far more efficiently than 20 years ago. Few before then had double
glazing, effective roof insulation or cavity wall imsulation. Change
took place partly because that was what people wanted and partly through
legislation. As for the doom & gloom angle, people are far
too ready to ascribe every slight deviation from the normal as due to
global waming (eg the recent floods). I have been following
environmental arguments since the late '60s (I have been a member of
both Freinds of the Earth & Greenpeace) and most of the gloomy
predictions have simply not materialised.
I'm not quite sure how the market site got us here, and
whether development one way or the other will make much difference to
the environment. I just hate to see the decline in the town and walk
past those sad derelict sites every day.
Reply from Jenny Gooding (17/3/02)
No, not a housing estate. The old market
site should be used for central community facilities e.g. new Hall. covered
facilities for market stalls, a super market if we must. We need to keep
a heart to the town. There is ample new housing at Manston etc. As to
eco centre, that would have been brilliant but we are realistic and realise
that the full monty is not possible but, we are all going to have to come to
terms with the need to think more of the ecology and saving resources etc. so
some sustainable development for whatever goes on the site must be
incorporated. My five pennyworth for what it is worth!
Reply from Joe Sherwood Taylor (17/3/02)
I agree with much that you say, but am wary of schemes that
call for lots of public money to be spent. Anyway, its good to get
discussion going about it, especially when so little seems to be happening.
Reply from Jenny Gooding (18/3/02)
Thanks for your reply. I don't feel that
it is necessarily public money that need be spent. There other ways of
funding projects although I realise that it is hard to raise it.
Nevertheless it can be done if one can find people with the contacts and
"knowhow" to find influential sponsors.
Reply from Sally Gillam (18/3/02)
Have you thought of joining or
supporting any of the hard working
groups of people that are
endeavouring to come up with acceptable
and sustainable solutions for
the market site?
In view of the huge development
around the town that has already taken
place and that is going to take
place a housing estate on the market site
is not appropriate for the
people and the future of Sturminster Newton.
Saturday afternoon opening has
always been a debatable point for the town
- the retailers that find it
viable do so and I think that is all we can ask of
small shop keepers - do you do
all your shopping in Sturminster Newton?
Reply from Joe Sherwood Taylor (18/3/02)
Thankyou for your letter. To some extent I am acting as
'Devils Advocate' although I do believe that something needs to happen
pretty quickly to the market site. I will happily support any group who
contacts me by publicising their work on the Stur website, and yes I do
most of my shopping in Stur.
Reply
from Julie Bennett royston
vasey mentality to
be honest, as a born and bred inbred gob-shite!!!!!!! i take
offence at the mans remarks!!!!
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