New society for the Surrey Hills
The new society will raise the profile of the Surrey Hills AONB (December 2007)
New society for Surrey Hills
A new society will be launched next year to raise the profile of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Surrey Hills Society will be open to all, and will work through local communities, including parish councils, to promote wider interest in the AONB.
The Society will have a broad-ranging programme of events, including walks, lectures, and educational activities.
Its launch in 2008 – the 50th anniversary of the AONB – follows the success of similar AONB societies, including those in the Chilterns, South Downs, Lake District, Cotswolds and Yorkshire Dales.
CPRE Surrey is supporting the launch of the new society. Details from
gail.sperrin@surreycc.gov.uk
telephone: 01372 220651
Water, water everywhere (December 2007)
Each year serves to emphasise the increasing unpredictability of our climate and, in particular, uncertainties about likely levels of rainfall. One year we are faced with drought orders, the next we have catastrophic summer floods, although we were fortunate in Surrey that, at least in 2007, we escaped the worst of the flooding. There is a general consensus that this potentially devastating variance in precipitation is the result of climate change.
How should CPRE address this issue in its work? A starting point is to resist proposals for more and more housing to be built in the South East of England, that part of the UK most vulnerable to water shortages in years of low rainfall. The other side of the coin is that we also have to question proposals to build new housing in areas subject to flood risk. There is increasing evidence that previous assumptions about the likelihood of dramatic floods occurring in particular locations is likely to severely underestimate the severity of future flood events.
CPRE Surrey must also continue to campaign for greater efficiency of water use by householders, businesses, farmers, and, perhaps most importantly of all, by those who supply us with
our water. Water companies need to drastically reduce their leakage rates. We need to encourage much higher standards of water conservation in the housing stock, particularly through metering systems which incorporate little or no overhead costs but have the effect of making consumers fully aware that water is no longer “free”.
Building regulations need to be tightened up. Domestic appliances should be designed to save water. An effective public information programme is urgently required to accompany these initiatives. This is an area where Surrey County Council could take a lead, as urged by CPRE Surrey when we gave evidence to an investigation by their Environment and Economy Select Committee into water availability.
However, water demand management may not prove sufficient in itself to resolve future water balance issues in our county and the wider SE region, particularly if greatly increased numbers of homes are to be accommodated in Surrey and surrounding areas. Therefore, we may have to increase water storage capacities in the South East, but not necessarily through the provision of one or more very large reservoirs.
CPRE South East has recently published a major report setting out a water resource strategy for the region. The report, co-authored by hydrologist Graham Warren and CPRE regional chairman Christine Drury, criticises the government and the water companies for not recognising the new realities of water supply. Too much reliance is placed on building reservoirs that may never fill. New policies are urged which would conserve and recycle the region’s increasingly scarce and erratic water supplies. The report calls for an overhaul of the regulatory body, Ofwat, to make its first priority improving conservation and it says that the South East needs a region-wide strategy transcending water company boundaries.
For a copy of the report please email graham.warren@talk21.com
Tim Murphy
Supporting local farms (December 2007)
Surrey's countryside, and the Surrey Hills in particular, is under growing pressure as farmers face high costs and low returns which result in a combination of economic depression, agricultural crises and high property values. The outcome of this is that farms in Surrey are among the most vulnerable in the UK.
In a recent survey 70% of shoppers said they would buy more local produce if they could identify it. In response to this, the Surrey Hills food brand has been developed. This is a mark of distinction for high quality local produce sold under an origin approved scheme and protected by law. The brand bridges the gap between supply and demand, increasing returns for rural businesses.
A Green Farm Programme is an individual programme whereby every farmer supplying the Surrey Hills Brand has an environmental audit and a work plan to further improve and conserve the landscape and wildlife features on the farm.
By working closely with local retailers, caterers and the tourist industry, farmers are building themselves a new future in Surrey and offering consumers a fresh taste of the countryside. CPRE Surrey is delighted to support this initiative through its work with the Surrey Hills AONB Partnership.
Livingstone’s U-Turn on housing (December 2007)
In a major policy change, the London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, has published a draft Housing Strategy which contradicts his previously stated position of working to ensure that housing needs arising in London are met within London. The new statement sets out Livingstone’s intention to encourage neighbouring areas, including Surrey, to “maximise housing development” in order to meet London’s demand for housing. The demand in question is apparently not limited to affordable housing or the needs of elderly people. CPRE is responding to this significant – and dangerous – U-Turn by the Mayor.
Assembly axed (December 2007)
In its “Sub-National Review of Economic Development” the government is proposing to phase out regional assemblies over the next two years and hand over their planning responsibilities to the regional development agencies.
In the South East that means sweeping new powers for the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) and a new, integrated “regional strategy” linking spatial planning and economic growth. Critics say that this will take decision-making even further away from local authorities and local communities. SEEDA comes under the government’s Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (set up by Gordon Brown to replace the Dept of Trade & Industry), and is accountable to the Secretary of State for Business and to the Regional Minister for the South East. With regional assemblies being brought to an end, it is not yet clear what new mechanisms, if any, will be put in place to allow local authorities to shape regional policy in the future.
The Regional Assembly’s chairman, Cllr Keith Mitchell, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said that the Assembly had “spent eight years successfully building consensus across councils and stakeholders to plan for a sustainable South East, but ministers are now passing that responsibility to unelected quango placemen.”
Tranquillity alert! - Alarm over noisy trains (December 2007)
Being woken at 5am by 120 decibels of noise blasting through the bedroom window is not a normal way to start the day! The effect of being startled awake
at that time is horrendous. The continuation of this disturbance every 15 minutes throughout the day was the beginning of a nightmare for us.
Having lived next to the railway for 24 years, it was the effect of new legislation, combined with the introduction of new trains that shattered our quality of life.
All trains are required at foot crossings to blast their horns. We have a foot crossing 45ft away from our house, and trains had occasionally sounded their horns when approaching the crossing. Nevertheless, the old train horns were much quieter – 68dB. The new ones are 120dB, which is a huge jump. To put it in perspective, it is roughly equivalent to a jet engine. Each 10dB added makes the sound 10 times as loud. So, 90dB is quite loud, but 100dB is 10 times louder again, and 110dB is 100 times louder than that… and so on.
For a long time we tried to cope with the noise. Then, in desperation, we contacted the Environmental Health Department at Guildford Borough Council, and they did a 12hr noise survey and a few months later a 4-day survey. This gave us the proof we needed, that the level of noise was totally unacceptable for anyone to have to live with.
With this evidence, we had a meeting at the council offices with environmental health officers, representatives of Network Rail, and Anne Milton MP, together with Surrey County Council officials and our county and borough councillors. Network Rail continued to quote Health & Safety issues as their reason for not being able to remove the “whistle boards” (the signs that tells the drivers to sound the horn) from next to our house – even though there is good visibility on both sides of the crossing.
In their report environmental health officers came up with a list of options of how the problem might be dealt with. All were down to Network Rail and the train companies, except the final option, which was to divert the footpath. The meeting at the council offices was followed by one at our house with our MP, plus representatives of the local authorities, including our parish council, and CPRE and other environmental groups.
Eventually, after Guildford Borough Council threatened Network Rail with a noise abatement order, Network Rail re-assessed the line and decided that they could remove the whistle boards. However, more than a year passed before the boards were finally taken down – and this was only after we had threatened Network Rail with legal action.
Life is so different now. The white boards have gone and it is wonderful being able to live without the stress of having to deal with such an intrusive noise reverberating through our bodies, house and garden.
Sally Clark
CPRE Surrey has been campaigning for greater tranquillity and less obtrusive noise throughout the year. If you have a problem with train sirens, please do make contact and we will try to see what can be done.
For more stories from the CPRE Surrey December 2007 newsletter ........... more .....
