THE GREAT FOSSIL DEBATE

Dear Residents,

You may remember a previous application submitted to SDC in early 2015 to build a Wood Burning Power Station in Otterpool Lane from a Norfolk company called Iceni Energy 2.. 

Well, It's back. It will be aired at the Civic Centre, Folkestone on the 28th March at 7pm. Do try to attend.

Briefly, if successful, the applicant would be building a power station the size of the Dungeness unit with a minimum building height of 30 metres and a chimney stack height of 70 metres. Being wood burning, the effect on the population in terms of pollution wouldn't be too dissimilar from that of coal. 

So why here? Did SDC need a power source for the proposed 20,000 homes, or an increase in the Shepway population of 41%, with knowledge of it back then?

What's next? Fracking.? When will the entire population of Shepway wake up to the fact that the Civic Centre needs to cleared of the majority of Councillors supporting the ruination of our communities. 

S&DRA.

Here be the details:

Ref:             Y15/0751/SH / RA

Direct Dial:   01303 853538

E-mail:         planning@shepway.gov.uk

Date:           17th March 2017

               

Application Number:	Y15/0751/SH
Location:	Plot 60, Enterprise Way, Link Park, Lympne Kent
Proposal:	Erection of a 45MW combined heat and power (CHP) renewable energy electrical power station, comprising of a boiler house and turbine hall, control buildings, storage facilities, substation, plant (including 70metre stack), hardstandings, car parking, internal roadways, other ancillary buildings and hard and soft landscaping. Accompanied by an Environmental Statement

Please be advised that this application is to be considered by the Planning & Licensing Committee on 28th March 2017 at 7.00 pm in the Council Chambers at the Civic Centre, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone.  The Committee report and recommendation will be available five clear working days before the meeting and may be viewed at www.shepway.gov.uk. Supplementary sheets will be available the day before the meeting.

The Council encourages public speaking at Planning & Licensing Committee meetings and further information on this is set out at the end of this letter. Only one member of the public may speak against the proposal, and one in favour.  You may therefore wish to discuss with your neighbours whether it would be a good idea to elect a spokesperson.  If you are chosen as the person to speak, you will be notified as soon as possible before the meeting. 

The system operates on the basis of "first come, first served" - although priority can be given to people living closest to the application site. Where there is any dispute the final decision will be made by the chairman of the committee.  You will be notified as soon as possible after we have received your form whether or not you will be able to speak. The person who is able to speak can subsequently allow somebody else to speak in their place if they wish.The applicant, a representative of the relevant town or parish council and the ward member can also speak.

I would draw your attention to the fact that anyone wishing to speak must let me know in writing by e-mailing the request to planning@shepway.gov.uk or by sending it to The Head of Planning Services, Shepway District Council, Civic Centre, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone, Kent CT20 2QY by no later than 5.00 pm on the Thursday before the meeting.

You must include the information set out below with your request, failure to do so may jeopardise your chances of being able to speak. You may find it easier to fill out the form provided with the information accompanying this notification.

Application number

Your name and address

A day time phone number or email address so that we can contact you

Whether you wish to speak in support; in objection to; or on the application

For more information about the procedures of Public Speaking, please see below.

Yours sincerely

 

Mr Robert Allan

Senior Planning Officer

PUBLIC SPEAKING AT COMMITTEE MEETINGS

INTRODUCTION

Shepway District Council wants to make sure that the way it reaches its decisions on planning applications is fair and open. It therefore encourages public speaking at the Planning & Licensing Committee. Below are some questions and answers which are designed to help you make the most of this opportunity.

QUESTIONS ABOUT PUBLIC SPEAKING

1. Who can speak at a committee meeting?

As well as members of the committee and council officers, one member of the public against and one in favour, a representative of a town or parish council, Shepway District Council ward members, and the applicant or his/her agent, may speak for up to three minutes each at a meeting. This is also the order in which speakers are taken. No discussion between speakers and the committee or officers is allowed.

2. How can I find out whether an application is to be considered by the committee?

The council deals with more than 1,000 applications every year and the Development Control Service does not have the resources to keep everyone informed about progress on all of them. If you have made written representations on an application you will be notified if it is to be considered by the committee. Most applications are determined by the Planning Manager under delegated powers.  Some applications are complex and take many months to determine and you can contact with the case officer if you wish to find out whether an application will go to a committee meeting.  A list of dates of meetings can be viewed at

http://www.shepway.gov.uk/moderngov/mgCalendarMonthView.aspx?GL=1&bcr=1

3. How and when do I have to let the council know that I want to speak?

If the application is to be reported to a committee meeting you will receive a letter giving you details about a week before the meeting. You will need to give written notice that you would like to speak by 5pm on the Thursday before the meeting using the form below or by providing the information requested on the form.  No late notifications can be accepted.

4. What happens if more than one local resident wants to speak?

If local residents have not chosen someone to speak on their behalf, the system operates on the basis of "first come, first served" - although priority can be given to people living closest to the application site. Where there is any dispute the final decision will be made by the chairman of the committee.  You will be notified as soon as possible after we have received your form whether or not you will be able to speak. The person who is able to speak can subsequently allow somebody else to speak in their place if they wish.

5. What happens at the committee meeting?

Planning applications where someone has given notice that they wish to speak will be considered first. A brief presentation of the application will be given by an officer of the council.  Each speaker will then be invited to address the meeting in turn. Please note that you will not be allowed to distribute any material at the meeting.  If you want to send in more information, it should be sent to the Civic Centre, ideally not later than the day before the meeting and officers will summarise it for the committee.

When the speakers have finished the committee will debate the proposal and reach a conclusion.  If you do not wish to speak or are unable to for some reason the committee will still take all the written views into account.

THE LAWS OF SLANDER

•       These laws are very strict.

•       If in public you say something about a person that is not true, even if you believe it to be true, you may be sued and have to pay compensation.  Therefore, you need to be very careful about any criticism you wish to make of people.

•       Councillors are able to speak more freely and bluntly while in council, committee or subcommittee meetings than members of the public.

•       You, as a member of the public, do not have the same protection.

DATES OF MEETINGS

1.     Meetings of the Planning & Licensing Committee are held in the Council Chamber at the Civic Centre, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone, unless otherwise announced, and start promptly at 7.00pm.

2.     Agendas and reports for meetings will be available five working days before the date of the meeting from the Civic Centre and from the council's website.  Supplementary sheets will be available the day before the meeting and can be viewed at http://www.shepway.gov.uk/moderngov/ieListMeetings.aspx?CommitteeId=118.

• If you would like to speak at one of the Planning & Licensing Committee meetings please fill in the details below and send to:

The Head of Planning Services

Civic Centre, Castle Hill Avenue,

Folkestone

Kent, CT20 2QY

or email planning@shepway.gov.uk.

Please mark your envelope clearly with

DEVELOPMENT CONTROL

Date of Meeting ...................................................................................................................................

Application No. ....................................................................................................................................

Name and address ..............................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................

.............................................................................................................................................................

Your daytime telephone number or other contact point in the event that we need to contact you .............................................................................................................................................................

Are you the applicant/agent/ward member/town or parish council representative/local resident – please delete as appropriate

.............................................................................................................................................................

Name of organisation (if appropriate)

............................................................................................................................................................

Brief details of your proposed comments i.e. in support or objection/other

...........................................................................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................................................................

............................................................................................................................................................

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

 (Please continue on a separate sheet if necessary)

SHEPWAY ELECTORAL DIVISIONS - COUNTY ELECTION, 2017.

Dear Residents,

In response to residents requests, we are posting information on the electoral divisions for the forthcoming County elections. The electoral boundaries have changed from: 

Romney Marsh, Folkestone North East, Folkestone South, Folkestone West, Elham Valley, Hythe in 2013.

 to:

Romney Marsh, Folkestone East, Folkestone West, Cheriton Sandgate and Hythe, Hythe West, Elham Valley in 2017.

Here is the link for the 2017 electoral map. Just click on it and scroll down to view all of the 6 Shepway areas: 

http://www.kent.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/67587/Shepway-District-Council-Divisions.pdf

As soon as we have details of the candidates, we will let you know.

S&DRA

OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE COIN

Dear Residents,

In a recent post by Shepwayvox, Our 6 (Shepway) County Councillor's Expenses and Allowances were highlighted.

With the County Council election on the 4th May, we thought that we would present you with the opposite sides of the coin: Namely Cllr. Martin Whybrow and Cllr. Susan Carey. Both Ward County Councillors, both democratically elected and both receiving an allowance, plus expenses from Kent County Council. Cllr. Whybrow represents the residents of Hythe and Cllr. Carey represents the residents of the Elham Valley.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here we have Cllr. Martin Whybrow. His allowance since 2013 amounts to £47,503. Councillor Whybrow has claimed no expenses.

Cllr. Martin Whybrow is the representative for the Hythe Ward. We think that the residents living in that ward should be immensely proud of Councillor Whybrow. Why? Simply because he stands shoulder to shoulder with his constituents in opposing developments that will bring untold misery to this area. He is a true representative of the people. He has spoken out against the development of the unworkable Lorry park, the Otterpool Park New Town which would obliterate our rural communities, the development of Princes Parade, which would include a huge sports centre and 150 homes; completely out of character for the area and landscape. 

For those of you who are interested, this is the election result from 2013. If you are represented by Cllr. Whybrow, we would openly encourage you to support him, purely on his track record alone. 

Hythe - results

Election Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Martin Edward Whybrow	Green Party	1659	35%	Elected
David Drury Monk	Conservative	1346	28%	Not elected
Georgina Baker	UK Independence Party	1100	23%	Not elected
Paul Anthony Brownscombe	Labour	418	9%	Not elected
Neil Matthews	Liberal Democrat	248	5%	Not elected

Voting Summary

Details	Number
Seats	1
Total votes	4771
Electorate	11943
Number of ballot papers issued	4792
Number of ballot papers rejected	21
Turnout	40%

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here we have Councillor Susan Carey. Her expenses and allowances since 2013 amounts to £117,569. Expenses £12,286 and Allowances £105,283.

 

Cllr. Susan Carey is the representative for the Elham Valley Ward. It is noticeable that Cllr Carey claims over £12,000 expenses as opposed to Cllr. Whybrows' nil amount. Cllr Carey is a supporter of major developments in the area: Otterpool Park New Town: Bringing 12,000 houses to the area to engulf or border  Westenhanger, Newingreen, Lympne, Sellindge, Court at Street and all of the old Folkestone race course. Cllr Carey also supports the building of 150 homes and a huge Sports Centre at Princes Parade. Cllr. Carey is also supporting the building of a Lorry park (3,600 Lorries) at Stanford West, saying it's the least bad option. Based on Cllr Carey's track record and assuming that constituents would rather see a more sympathetic approach to development in the Shepway area, we would openly encourage residents in the Elham Valley Ward to carry out their own investigations into other candidates, irrespective of political allegiances, and vote to preserve our landscape alongside development on a more human scale, encouraging our Council's to develop our towns and villages organically for our local people.

For those of you who are interested, this is the election result from 2013.

Elham Valley - results

Election Candidate	Party	Votes	%
Susan Carey	Conservative	2393	44%	Elected
Nick Jack	UK Independence Party	1861	34%	Not elected
Claire Jeffrey	Labour	799	15%	Not elected
Tom McNiece	Liberal Democrat	398	7%	Not elected

Voting Summary

Details	Number
Seats	1
Total votes	5451
Electorate	15636
Number of ballot papers issued	5477
Number of ballot papers rejected	26
Turnout	35%

As soon as the incoming 2017 candidates are announced, we will post them on our website.

S&DRA is an information sharing, apolitical group, 

We hope you find this information useful when deciding upon a candidate to represent you over the next 4 years.

S&DRA

IS IT TIME FOR A REFERENDUM ?

Dear Residents,

In a conversation last year with Councillor Jenny Hollingsbee we were told that the proposed Otterpool New Town has overwhelming support from the silent majority. We have seen no evidence of this, in fact on a recent poll last December we found that from 151 residents interviewed, only two supported the proposal. We would therefore deduce that Councillor, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities, Jenny Hollingsbee has been given incorrect information from her Leader David Monk or others aligned with the desecration of our communities in an attempt to influence Government to support the expression of Interest in building 12,000 houses that are not needed, or required by LOCAL people.

Well now, we think that this so called 'silent majority' is a figment of our Councillors imagination. We also think that if they did exist, this is how our Councillors would view them.

Is it time for a referendum to ask the question: Do we need a 12,000 dwelling new town on our doorstep for London overspill. Moreover, should our Council be developing the area alongside the Reuben Brothers, whose only interest in all of this is profit for themselves. 

S&DRA.

NOT TO BE READ DURING BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER OR SUPPER.

Dear Residents,

You may have heard that local litter picking has been taking place all over the County this month. It seems that Sellindge has had more than its fair share of litter, or should we say human waste. 

We are posting this letter from Vernon and Anne Morris on our website to highlight the situation that local residents encounter on a daily basis whilst walking or driving through areas adjacent to local roads or laybys. If Vernon and Anne Morris get a reply from our MP, Damian Collins, we will let you know. Fingers (tightly) crossed.

S&DRA

Damian Collins MP

The House of Commons

London SWIA OAA                                                                                            13th March 2017

 

 

Dear Mr. Collins,

 

                                                         Continental Litter

 

On Sunday the 12th March Sellindge Parish Council organised a day to 'Spring Clean the Village' which was very well organised and attended.

 

Three of us volunteered to clear the verges on the A20 between Otterpool Lane and Newingreen.  After 2 hours we had only covered 1/4 mile.  We filled six sacks but were told not to remove anything contaminated ie. urine bottles or needles.  My husband did pick up 30 bottles of urine, but I'm afraid I left all the ones I found.   The point at which I was actually sick was when removing a pair of soiled underpants and our friend picked up a plastic back containing faeces which split open.

 

A lot of the rubbish and urine bottles  is  still down a steep slope into a field or caught in brambles which we were ill equiped to tackle.

 

A further point is the dust and mud which is covering the road and residential properties emanating from the lorries from the Airport Cafe and the site of the 'temporary' lorry park.

 

  What is the long term policy ?

  What is the short term solution?

   Money?  The lorry drivers make the mess.  They should pay for the clear up.

 

Surely it is not up to the residents of the Garden of England to clear up this hazardous waste?

 

We await your reply and better still, action.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

 

 Vernon and Anne Morris

 

VALUE FOR MONEY COUNTY COUNCILLORS.

Dear Residents,

Our friends at Shepwayvox has provided us with a list of County Councillors, who just may provide 'value for money'. We know of one County Councillor that, as far as constituent representation goes, gives less value for money than a chocolate teapot. At the other end of the 'value for money' spectrum, we know of another County Councillor that is worth every penny and more.  

More on that to come. In the meantime, feast your eyes on this:

Kent County Council Councillors Cost Over £6.5 million in Four Years.

Posted on March 12, 2017 // 0 Comments

In the next few weeks you will no doubt receive endless Kent County Council election leaflets from all the Political Parties. 81 Councillors will be elected across 72 electoral divisions on Thursday May 4 th 2017. The previous election took place in 2013.

Kent County Council is currently controlled by the Conservative group and the political composition is:

• 47 Conservative Councillors

• 15 UKIP Councillors

• 12 Labour Councillors

• 7 Liberal Democrat Councillors

• 2 Independents Group

• 1 Independents

Since May 2013 through to Jan 2017 all Kent County Council Cllrs (there have been a few by elections) have cost the Kent Taxpayer £6,632,951.

In Feb 2017 KCC Cllrs voted to raise their share on your Council tax bill by 4% for 2017/18.

So we have put together a chart showing who has earned what over their four years. All councillors receive a basic allowance £12,805. Some elected members receive an additional allowance for any special responsibility that they might have as a member of the council, such as being a Cabinet Member or a committee chairman.

Elected members are allowed to claim travelling expenses & allowances for their official duties at the rates set by HMRC for business travel. Currently these rates are 45p for the first 10,000miles and 25p per mile thereafter.

Just like any other salary all allowances are subject to tax and national insurance and elected members have no other provision to claim from the council, other than mileage.

We have singled out just one KCC member who is a Shepway District Council Cllr as well, as is Cllr Frank McKenna, but he it appears is aginst the Lorry Park, is against Otterpool Park and against building on Princes Parade unlike Cllr Susan Carey. These are her expenses and allowances for the last four years.

We understand that Cllr Carey along is standing for re-election.

Have KCC Cllrs been value for money?  Well that's for you to decide come Thursday May 4th 2017.

Shepwayvox

FOREIGN TRUCKERS CAMPING IN THE UK

Dear Residents,

From the Sunday Times today.

Foreign truckers hog UK laybys to dodge French rest fines

Mark Hookham and Hazel Shearing

March 12 2017, 12:01am, The Sunday Times

Foreign lorry drivers are spending "long weekends" parked in laybys on British roads to get around strict French and Belgian rules on rest periods.

  A foreign lorry driver urinating in a layby near to a channel port.

Increasing numbers of drivers, mainly from eastern Europe, are "camping" for two consecutive nights in their lorries, clogging up laybys and rest areas near the Channel ports in southern England.

Under EU rules, lorry drivers must take a weekly break that averages 45 hours. Both France and Belgium have banned drivers from taking this in their cabs amid fears that poorly paid eastern European truckers are living in their lorries for months at a time, taking jobs from local drivers and causing parking problems.

In Belgium, truckers caught taking their long break in their vehicle can be hit with a £1,500 on-the-spot fine, while in France the haulage company they work for can be fined £26,000.

The UK, however, has no ban on drivers taking their 45-hour break in their lorry, which the Road Haulage Association (RHA) says encourages foreign drivers to spend this long rest period in UK laybys.

"What is happening is that particularly eastern European drivers are effectively camping across western Europe, including in the UK, and taking their long rest break in the cab," said Jack Semple, policy director at the RHA. He suggested that drivers taking long breaks in their cabs should be fined £300.

Last weekend, The Sunday Times identified a Polish-registered lorry pulling a P&O Ferrymasters trailer, which was parked on Friday afternoon in a layby on the A2 near Denton, 10 miles from Dover. It remained in the layby until Sunday morning and at one point the driver was seen urinating by the side of the vehicle.

The lorry, which was delivering goods from Tilbury in Essex to Duffel in Belgium, left the layby around 45 hours after it was first pictured and drove to the Dover ferry terminal.

P&O said the lorry was owned by a subcontractor and that it encouraged its haulage firms to "park in recognised truck stops or depots", adding: "We will be taking up this matter with the haulier."

Katarzyna Szydlowska, co-owner of the lorry firm and the driver's wife, denied he was trying to avoid being fined in France or Belgium. "The driver decided to make his weekend break in UK," she said. "He is not always able to find a proper parking area with a toilet."

Annika Hawthorne runs a cafe in a layby on the A2 and says that each week at least four foreign lorries park for two days. The drivers sometimes used stoves to cook in the back of their lorries and treated the hedge as a lavatory, she said.

Paul Carter, the leader of Kent county council, is calling for the government to build a series of lorry parks, saying the amount of parking is getting worse.

"We've tried to put bollards up in certain lanes where all sorts of stuff goes on — you get prostitutes operating out of white vans and all sorts of things going on," he said.

The Department for Transport said it was "consulting" on the issue adding: "We are keeping our approach under review."

URGENT. REPLY BY SUNDAY MIDNIGHT.

 URGENT. PLEASE REPLY BY SUNDAY MIDNIGHT

Dear Resident,

Here is the web link to 'Freight Action Plan for Kent' which KCC have issued to consult on their plans for the future. I believe that we should all respond to it as individuals and steer the KCC towards a network of smaller lorry parks instead of supporting the one huge disaster at Stanford. You can download the pdf document and a questionnaire document in Word. The consultation closes 12 March.

http://consultations.kent.gov.uk/consult.ti/freightactionplan/consultationHome 

As you will see the Freight Action Plan outlines five key actions:

1.        

• To tackle the problem of overnight lorry parking in Kent 
• To find a long term solution to Operation Stack
• To effectively manage the routeing of HGV traffic to ensure that such movements remain on the strategic road network for as much of its journey as possible
• To take steps to address the problems caused by freight traffic to communities
• To ensure that KCC continues to make effective use of planning and development control powers to reduce the impact of freight traffic.
• 
  

S&DRA

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL.

Dear Residents,

Please take the time to read the article below. Written by David Plumstead, it sets out the battles that we are all facing in this part of East Kent. 

Here it be:

Another Brick in the Wall

If successful, Shepway Council's latest attempt to treat its residents and electorate like mushrooms by holding Tuesday's Cabinet meeting to discuss Otterpool Newtown behind closed doors may yet prove to be a mistake. Of itself an ill-judged decision but also another brick in the wall the Gang of (now) Seven and our sycophantic and self-serving member of Parliament are building around the Lubyanka in Castle Hill Avenue.

But we know what fate ultimately awaits walls erected to keep the public at bay. 

The last wall I had anything to do with was in Berlin. 3mtrs high and made of solid concrete but that took residents on both sides just hours to knock big holes in once the politicians and the despots on the East side had been shown to be made of straw. Remind you of anyone?

So much is being done against the wishes of the electorate and residents of Shepway, now might be a good moment to remind ourselves of the growing list of outrageous, environmentally and socially unsustainable developments being foisted on us by our own despots, namely Alistair Stewart, David Monk, Jeremy Chambers, Susan Priest, Jennifer Hollingsbee, Susan Carey and Damian Collins. Here we go:

1. Otterpool Newtown - saying goodbye to the villages of Sellindge, Lympne, the Racecourse, Newingreen, Westenhanger, Stanford and West Hythe - 2. the M20 Lorry Park, 3. Princes Parade, 4. Shorncliffe Camp, 5. 1150 more plus shops etc etc at Nickolls Quarry and 6. another 8,000+ listed in the Local Development Plan or already approved/started and 7. umpteen disparate small and medium sized developments scattered across the District amounting to another couple of thousand at least.

8. Then there's the grotesque blocks of concrete flats at Fishermans Beach where the new occupants are already lobbying to remove the inshore Fishermen and the Seabrook Sea Anglers and their huts because they are spoiling their view and their nets are ugly. Pots calling kettles black here!

I participated in the proposed Jnc 10a Planning Inquiry ten days ago and learned that within three miles of Sellindge we and the residents of Mersham are faced with a new complex of 1. really huge Warehouses - the biggest in the SE - and 2. yet another lorry park 3. the disappearance of the C12th listed Sevington Church to be buried among the 4. Houses 5. Houses 6. Houses. 

Thousands of them at 7. Cheeseman's Green soon to connect with an even bigger 8. Kingsnorth and bury 9. Aldington. The 1,500 houses of 10. the Finberry development continue all along the SE side of the Ashford ring road with Swans flying on the hoardings on the way to several thousand more at 11. Chilmington Green and 12. a further 950 at Court Lodge 13. 400 at Steeds Lane and 14. 150 at Pounds Lane making a total of 3,000 e & oe.

There are so many I have probably overlooked several and if I have counted any in twice they will make up for the thousands more we haven't been told about. I may not have one foot in the grave but I feel bound to say "I don't believe it!!"

Now Eddie Stobart management flew in by helicopter ten days ago during the Planning Inquiry to inspect the warehouse site rejoicing in the name of  'Stour Park' wouldn't you know it. If that huge international haulage company sets up shop at Jnc 10a it will be a 24/7 operation offering no peace for the occupants of the Pilgrim's Hospice dying immediately on the opposite side of the A20.

    

Officially the words 'Stour' and 'Park' may mean a river and a 'large public garden in a town for recreation' but they are new words in the English Planners', Councillors' and Developers' lexicon, where the definitions, with apologies to the compilers of the Concise OED at the bottom of page 533, need to be extended to include warehouses, industrial and housing estates, sewage pumping stations and roads.

We need to be very  conscious of the use Local Authorities and Developers now make of pleasant words like 'Park', 'Green', 'Lane', 'Court Lodge' and (river) 'Stour' when naming once precious places about to be covered in concrete. Our language is being highjacked from under our noses along with our open spaces.

 

David Plumstead

Shepway Environment and Community Network