Maggie

Well the last round of the SamDev consultation was on the 'soundness' of the process, and national planning law states that the council must consult and respond during the process... So guess what was one of the serious points made was? yep failure to listen to expert opinions, and failure to respond, or acknowledge other responses to SC plans, which will all go before the Planning Inspector, I think the council have forgotten who they act for, it is NOT central government and arguably unworkable national policies, they are meant to represent US.

It is very like what has happened with the hillfort in that respect. SC ignoring what the majority of local people want, and what S&G Parish Council say, in favour of what they can get away with up here. Follow he money!

Local Trust have been talking to BT, who are now offering support to Big Local areas. This can be in the form of organised labour offered from local BT, training (e.g. in Social Media), business support and small grants. All the details are here.. http://www.localtrust.org.uk/?new=bt-offers-to-big-local-areas Local Trust look like they will act as middle men to help organise this in locla areas. Do we have any ideas.... (e.g. Simple's cycle route project)

Are you tweeting too?

Don't forget there is a meeting about 'fracking' in North Shropshire this Thursday, in the Hermon in Oswestry at 7.30. and there is a campaigning facebook page been set up too, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Frack-Free-North-Shropshire/616884318399368?fref=nf

Welcome Bridget, and I am sure you will get a lot of help from the folk who read Community Online.

There are 3 historical applications for drilling in our area, all of which have lapsed, but could all be subject to a renewal reapplication. DUDDLESTON GAS DRILLING Here is the current application, or rather, I assume, renewal of the previous planning application. there is no info from Dart about the plans, but there are the written responses from Natural England and the Environment Agency. This is due to be determined on the 23rd April.(although next North Area Planning Commitee is on 6th May). A report in the Shropshire Star suggests that this is a pre application to determine whether an Environmental Impact Assessment would be needed, and that the full application will be submitted in May. http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2014/04/15/gas-drilling-in-shropshire-takes-a-step-closer/ http://planningpa.shropshire.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=relatedCases&keyVal=N31TJ9TD01O00 and this is the previous application,from 2010, to retrieve a coal core, which contains maps and diagrams of their plans. http://planningpa.shropshire.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=KYYTOBTD06Z00 NEW MARTON This is the original application, to obtain a coal core,, from 2009 http://planningpa.shropshire.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=KNFRFPTD07200 BABBINSWOOD This is the original appllcation from 2009, to obtain a coal core. http://planningpa.shropshire.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=KMELQ3TD06Z00 Dart now own exploration rights to all 3 sites.

I have commented on this piece from the Shropshire Star today about Dart's renewal of its planning application at Duddleston. Note that there is now a Frack-free North Shropshire group, see this from the Shrops Star article if you are interested. I am beginning to get fed up with the umbrella 'Frack' for several very different methods. Green Party member and Oswestry town councillor Duncan Kerr said Frack-Free North Shropshire had been formed to fight the proposals and would be holding public meetings at Dudleston Heath Village Hall on April 22 at 7.30pm and Hermon Chapel on Chapel Street, Oswestry, on April 24 at 7.30pm. http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2014/04/17/owen-paterson-backs-shropshire-gas-drilling-plans/#comments

Ooooh look, there are Amazon adverts on here. Does that mean the user numbers have reached some kind of significant level?

Looks like Dart are going to start drilling at the Duddleston site, they are talking to Shropshire Council about whether they need an EIA first.... but planning permission has lapsed, don't they need planning permission first? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-26818700

Shropshire Council Site Allocations and Management of Development (SAMDev) Plan Pre-Submission Draft (Final Plan) 17 March – 28 April 2014 The final consultation is now open. You can make representations only on the 'Soundness' of the process. I.e. not dispute the allocations and areas to be developed. Soundness means whether the process has followed the legal rules, is Justified, Effective and Consistent with national policy. The definitions of what these mean are here http://new.shropshire.gov.uk/media1/1019/guidance-notes-on-making-representations.pdf All the documents are here http://new.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/site-allocations-and-management-of-development-samdev-plan/ You can write in, but the council seem to favour electronic responses, they will acknowledge emails, and have a form that you can submit here, http://new.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/site-allocations-and-management-of-development-samdev-plan/ This is a huge document, which will fundamentally affect how Shropshire develops in future, particularly where the areas are which will have new housing and why. Until Shropshire has this signed off by the Planning Inspectorate we are all subject to rogue developers applying for green belt land which does not fit into any strategic plans, as a simple way of increasing value of that land (i.e. landbanking). Have a look at this article in the Shropshire Star, and the discussion following it in the 'Comments'. http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2014/03/17/anger-at-15000-shropshire-homes-backlog/

ST MARTINS PARISH COUNCIL NOTICE UNDER LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT, 1972 (Section 87(2)) VACANCY FOR A COUNCILLOR PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN A casual vacancy has occurred in the office of Councillor for the Parish of St Martins following the resignation on 13th March 2014 of Councillor Will Lander Rule 5(2) of The Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) (England and Wales) Rules, 2006 now applies. The rule allows TEN ELECTORS for the parish in which the casual vacancy has arisen to request the Returning Officer to hold an election to fill the vacancy. That request must be made within FOURTEEN DAYS, calculated in accordance with the rules of the date of this notice. The fourteen-day period ends on Friday 4th April 2014. If a request to hold an election is not received during the permitted time? Rule 5(5) of the above Rules will apply. The Parish Council must, as soon as practicable after the expiry of the fourteen-day period, co-opt a person to fill the vacancy. The Returning Officer’s address is: Electoral Services, Shropshire Council, The Shirehall, Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY2 6ND The telephone number for further guidance is 0345 678 9015. This notice is dated 17th March 2014 Sue Crow, Clerk; 3 Fernhill Close, Gobowen, Oswestry, SY11 3PW Tel 01691 655385 (from Shrops Council website)

Well yes, I do know geology, which is why I started looking at this in the first place, several years ago when the planning permissions were submitted for local test drills (which have now been taken over by Dart, 2 have lapsed, one is close to it's lapse date), i.e. before all the fuss about fracking, which, by the way, is a different thing to CBM extraction and is exploiting different rock type in different areas. There are lots of ex-miners living in our area, and the extent of the coal seams and where there are still big resources left at depth are common knowledge. On the other hand, the Bowland shales underly the coal measures, and sit on top of the deltaic Millstone grits (Cefn-y-Fedw Sandstones round here) which lap up over the underlying rocks to the south. The Bowland Shales come to the surface just about to the south of Wrexham (and so obviously will have degassed close to surface). Map Here https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/226874/BGS_DECC_BowlandShaleGasReport_MAIN_REPORT.pdf The coal seams formed later in a series of subsiding basinsoverlapping the underlying shales and sandstones. (hence the ability to accumulate a thick sequence of coals and shales and why there are no gas shales under the local coal measures). Shales need to be broken up (fracked) to release the gasses. Gas will seep out of coals naturally once pressure is reduced, so can be collected more' easily'. Here is a recent report which suggests that the shale gas reserves are greater than first thought. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26440101 . It will be interesting to see what they find with the exploratory drill in Farndon, as I suspect this will decide whether they will exploit the planning permission sites in St Martins and Babbinswood. It would appear from what was said by the representative of Shrops Council, on a previous post, that they may not need plannng permission for a scaled down exploratory drill. We watch with interest.

If Dart decide to do exploration drills in our area this blog about what has happened very quickly near Farndon indicates what it will be like. All the gear associated with one drill, plus heavy traffic, plus demonstrators and security have an impact. This makes for quite an interesting read. http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2014/03/515923.html

At Shropshire Council's cabinet meeting today John Waine spoke on behalf of the almost 9000 people who have signed the petition, and an amendment was accepted into the SamDev Plan, with the 2 developments closest to Old Oswestry taken out, leaving the Whittington Road development only. This is of course a success for the campaign, but a partial success and HOOOH will continue to fight against the Whittington Road development. Meanwhile there is a Seminar about Old Oswestry being held in the Memorial Hall in Oswestry this Saturday morning. It is fully booked, but the displays will be available for anyone to come in and see, and discuss, in the afternoon. HOOOH Statement to the SAMDEV meeting with Shropshire Council Cabinet at Shirehall on 19th Feb 2014: We are grateful, on behalf of the campaign to protect Old Oswestry Hillfort, for the opportunity to make a summary statement on the SAMDev revised preferred sites OSW002, 003 and 004 by Old Oswestry Hillfort and to the Leader of the council for supporting our position from the very start of the campaign. Let me begin by reviewing what we are discussing here. Dr Rachel Pope, Director of Fieldwork and Senior Lecturer in European Prehistory at Liverpool University recently told Oswestry Town Council that “Old Oswestry Hillfort is second in importance only to Maiden Castle in Dorset”; English Heritage describe it as “One of the greatest archaeological monuments of the nation”. Shropshire Council too recognises its status. In the prospectus for the planned Oswestry Innovation Park, the council, in its bid to attract investors, pays its own tribute, namely – and I quote - “Key attractions include the world-famous Iron Age fort.” And so it is. CRITICISM English Heritage has recently updated its position, in the light of new and compelling evidence, now objecting to all three proposals. Of great concern is their most recent statement and, I quote, “Throughout the process the scheme promoters have, in our view, not taken on board the significance we, and many others attach to the hillfort and its setting.” It would seem there is little to no confidence that the promoters have given due weight to this world famous Old Oswestry Hillfort, its significance and its on-going value for Oswestry. English Heritage go on to say, “In our view, inappropriate development will be damaging to future potential for access and tourism initiatives in the area.”; Dr Benjamin Edwards of Manchester Metropolitan University was commissioned to produce an industry-standard Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment Report (LVIA). He states: “The quality and sensitivity of the Old Oswestry landscape was described as high due to the statutory designation and national significance of the hillfort. The magnitude of change to the landscape was described as large. As a result, the significance of the landscape impact is described as major. In landscape terms, the nature of these effects is termed direct and permanent.”; He, along with RESCUE (the British Archaeological Trust) and The Prehistoric Society, have criticised the promoter’s Heritage Impact Assessment stating that they “did not follow appropriate guidance or established methodology, either in its execution, or in arriving at a conclusion of minimal landscape and visual impact.”; This is not to mention Oxford North report in which nearly 50% of the trial trenches were never dug! Clearly, strategic planning decisions or allocations should not be based on such flawed reports. MANDATE Lastly, we come to the elected members of the town itself, Oswestry Town Council, who have listened objectively to the evidence presented to them including the Heritage Statement prepared by Dr George Nash and our own group’s Statement of 17 Objections. They have clearly stated their decision to take the guidance of English Heritage in the matter whilst asking Shropshire Council to review its figures for housing allocations and focus more on brownfield and in-town dwellings. Most importantly, our town council has recognised the seriousness of basing any planning policy on inadequate, incomplete and non-compliant reports. To play fast and loose with one of Shropshire’s and the country’s most important archaeological monuments would be unwise. This is why they have formally requested an independent review of all the archaeological reports from whatever source as critical before this particular allocation is considered. Opposition to these proposals comes from every quarter - local, national, international, academic, parish & town councils, organisations such as CPRE, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and The Ramblers including over 8000 petition signatories. There is simply no Community Mandate for these proposals whatsoever. REQUEST We understand the pressures that Shropshire Council are under with regards to housing, but we humbly request and propose that Shropshire Council fully respect the views of Oswestry's residents and acknowledge the latest, up to date, industry standard, professional guidance confirming the damage such proposals would bring to this national ancient monument. Just as OSW063 and 021 were set aside because of substantial harm to the monument and the views of the community, so should these three proposals, which are much closer to the hillfort, be set aside, to protect and promote this ancient jewel of Shropshire, not devalue and damage it. We would appreciate the council's comments on the key points as stated.

There is an ongoing discussion on Oswestry Eye Blog Site. http://www.oswestryi.com/?p=1287#comment-10478 Just one comment from me... Why are we not discussing the hillfort on this forum, why leave it to the Oswestry one? People are reading all these posts but not joining in. I am wondering why not. Any ideas?

On Sunday Feb 2nd it is Imbolc, an old Celtic Festival to welcome the return of the sun, celebrated with snowdrops and candles. It is also known as Candlemas and St Brigids Day. At dawn the sun will rise from above the Wrekin from Old Oswestry so I am going up there to watch this.if anyone wants to join me. Sunrise is at 7.50, meet up at the entrance at 7,30.

Latest press release fro HoooH is in the Shropshire Star, with council response, here: http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2014/01/20/oswestry-hillfort-campaigners-criticise-planners/ Time is rapidly running out on the SamDev process, we still don't know what Oswestry Town Council's response is, this is something that will feed into the final document..After consideration by Cabinet (19th February) and the Council (27th February), the Council will publish the version of the Plan that it wishes to submit in March to the Secretary of State for independent examination of its soundness. Again, to follow HOOOH's campaign look at the Facebook Page which is kept up to date with links and comments. https://www.facebook.com/OldOswestryHillfort and the petition is still open if you haven't yet commented. http://www.change.org/petitions/request-that-shropshire-council-withdraw-proposals-to-build-houses-alongside-old-oswestry-iron-age-hillfort It is worth reading, 5774 online (plus all those who have signed the hard copies around Oswestry)

We are up to 8000 signatures against the development of the fields around Old Oswestry Hillfort yet still the council persist. There is a useful article in Heritage Action today, and scroll down to the comments to see WHY Shropshire Council have to persist. This is an important UK wide problem and unfortunately Shropshire Council and the Hillfort are at the forefront. ' NPPF (National Planning Policiy Framework) apparently states that if councils do not have a 5 year land supply then any policy they have set down will be overruled by the NPPF’s presumption if favour of development. Shropshire currently has a small short fall which means its Core Strategy policies cannot stand. ' .......... ' All this is contributing/underlining the Old Oswestry situation. The NPPF basically opens the door to developers. If they do not get what they want they can threaten councils with judicial reviews which will then mean huge financial penalties at public expense. Since communities all over Shropshire are in uproar over what is happening to them (E.g. Shifnal now earmarked for 1600 houses way beyond what the community agreed with Shropshire Council), you may understand how Shropshire Council’s hands are now tied.' There is also a development in West Felton which is being forced through by developers using this NPPF presumption for development. The article suggests that people should write to their MPs and to the Planning minister. In the next few days there is likely to be a flurry of comments in the national press so look out for that. We have already appeared in the Observer and the Times, see the Facebook page for Old Oswestry for the links.

I'll put a poster up in Os Museum.

Any idea what this talk will be about? He has written about drovers...?