Maggie

The Oswestry 2020 people are a bit cross, at the last meeting it was discussed and most people there did not want development around Old Oswestry. It isn't legitimate to quote something which hasn't been published yet, or even minutes from the meeting, and I suspect that the final version, if it is based on what people have said they want, won't say that, but who can tell!

Well, since we started this thread the idea of fracking has become a hot potato. But still everyone persists in calling all these new methods to extract energy from underground 'Fracking'. There is an interesting statement from Owen Paterson in the Shropshire Star today http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2013/08/24/shropshire-should-welcome-fracking-says-mp-owen-paterson/ and this week John Vidal wrote an informative piece about Hydraulic Fracking (to give it its proper title) for The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/aug/19/fracks-figures-big-questions-hydraulic-fracturing Does anyone know what is happening at the 3 exploration areas around here?

Friday 23rd was the deadline for people to comment on Shropshire Council's SamDev Revised Options, so the Petition to ask them to rethink plan to release land for housing at the Hillfort was duly delivered to the council in Shirehall at 3 pm. 5620 signatures in total were collected from the online petition and the hard copies which were around Oswestry and Gobowen and were presented to Cllr Mal Price, the portfolio holder for Planning. Thanks to everyone who signed. We certainly showed that lots of people feel strongly that this land should not be developed, and that we could provide a lot of very good reasons why not. We hope that the Planners and the Council will now look very carefully at these plans and are sure they will give proper consideration to our concerns. (see photo in 'Gallery')

Thanks Robmit. re social housing, you can't tell me that 'Hillfort View' will be affordable housing. It will enable developers to add a premium to the prices and to market to more affluent, and to those most likely to commute out of the area for work. Final deadline for the SamDev consultation is tomorrow. We are taking the petition print-out across to Shire Hall tomorrow afternoon. Please, if you haven't signed it yet, then do! We are almost at 4000 people and it would be great to reach that target by tomorrow. Lots of 'Names' are supporting us, the latest today is Mary Beard. http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/request-that-shropshire-council-withdraw-proposals-to-build-houses-alongside-old-oswestry-iron-age-hillfort The comments on the petition are very interesting too. It is obvious that Old Oswestry has a place close to lots of hearts.

If anyone is considering writing in to Shropshire Council, then this document, just posted by Oswestryi, is important. They obtained it from English Heritage via a Freedom of Information request. This is the Heritage Impact Assesment produced for the developers. https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/164832/response/412426/attach/3/Oswestry%20Old%20Hill%20Fort%20Part%202.pdf I am going to print it out and keep it because it is a very good, very full, description of Old Oswestry, besides everything else! However, it is strong on views towards Oswestry Hillfort, and how the houses will impact on that. Highly relevant to Gobowen I'd have thought. There is also an illustration of what the developments might look like from the hillfort.

Breakfast time. I will be the gabbling idiot who doesn't make sense. The Independant phoned today as well, and are doing a piece about it.

Listen to John Waine on Shropshire Radio this afternoon, talking about the hillfort developments. https://soundcloud.com/thebestofoswestry/old-oswestry-hillfort-bbc Apparently I'm on tomorrow, Oh dear.

Wow, the Old Oswestry Facebook page is bustling with comments and information, loads of likes. The petition in hard copy will be going out to shops and outlets in the Oswestry area very shortly.

There is a new, campaigning facebook page for Old Oswestry, started this evening. https://www.facebook.com/OldOswestryHillfort There is a petition to stop development on the page which, if you wish, you can sign. The direct link is here. http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/shropshire-council-withdraw-proposals-to-build-houses-alongside-old-oswestry-iron-age-hillfort?utm_campaign=share_button_mobile&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=share_petition

Old Oswestry Hillfort lies on the boundary between the parishes of Gobowen and Oswestry town. It is now under threat from proposals for housing development within the boundary of Oswestry town, but close under the ramparts. This will have considerably effects on the landscape setting, and views to and from this important Iron Age structure. The Os21 website has brought together all the information in one place, http://www.oswestry21.com/?p=8959&cpage=1#comment-15520 You can see that there are proposals for lots of new housing replacing Old Port Farm an its barns an outbuildings, and for a new housing estate tucked between Jasmine Gardens and the back of the Coppy wood. Despite lots of local people and archaeologists arguing against these developments in the first round of the SamDev process, here it is again for the next round of the Sam Dev consultation, so we all now need to respond yet again I'm afraid. There is an online questionnaire, or you can email planning.policy@shropshire.gov.uk, or post a response to Strategic Planning at Shire Hall. The deadline is 23rd August. The link to the information and questionnaire is http://shropshire.gov.uk/planningpolicy.nsf/open/EF8FDBEED394ED40802579BC004265C2

And it might be a good idea to point young people towards the 'Star people' Award, where they can get funding to set up a social enterprise business in the area.

The same goes for dog owners who are letting their dogs cool off in rivers an canals. Know your spot and know the dangers.

....and what about his poor old dog that was snatched away and then put down. How frightening was that! I cannot believe the autocratic way this has been performed. Why didn't anyone talk to the neighbours first about what was maybe needed? Don't RSPCA realise that there is a mutual relationship between owners and pets, usually based on love and respect on both sides. It's all well and good to sweep in with guns blazing when intentional cruelty occurs, but in many cases what is needed is support and help for the owners and animals, not this sort of shocking event. It's all one sided.

Here's a (very) PT job, advertised on Shrops Council site: Library assistant in Gobowen Library. closing date 28th July. http://shropshire.gov.uk/vacancies.nsf/(viewAll)/773600E21CA1D10780257BAC0036AB9D

Was the clue in the Tardis telephone box? Evening all

There are other people too, who have, or are, thinking about projects; I am concerned at CCS running this because in the past they have had little to do with our area and are not up to speed with our unique and distinctive needs, I know that in the past (and currently) I have got my support for funding searches and project development via AVOW in Wrexham, which is much closer for courses etc. and understands declining post industrial villages. http://avow.org/ There is a lot of useful info on their site,

Well said! I have wondered for a while how 'democratic' decisions are now a lot of people are excluded from commenting or knowing about things (e.g. planning applications!).

Nickie, where are you? In Shrewbury?

The next round of consultation for the Sam Dev process is now open on Shrops Council's website, and I recommend everyone who cares about their area to have a look at their local section. This is the document which designates areas for future housing and development up to 2026 and, because of the perceived housing pressures, things like the previous development boundaries, and presumptions not to build on open countryside have been thrown out. This consultation is open until August 23rd, and really, if you don't speak up now you haven't got any grounds to grumble when they start building houses somewhere you feel is inappropriate. This is the main page http://shropshire.gov.uk/planningpolicy.nsf/open/9F75B1E4E30A1E3B80257922004CC8EE and detailed stuff about our area is here http://shropshire.gov.uk/planningpolicy.nsf/open/EF8FDBEED394ED40802579BC004265C2 Good luck! (there is an awful lot of detail and tables to plough through, covering things that affect us, such as Simple Simon's route to Oswestry (apparently costed at £2million), and plans to build close to Old Oswestry Hillfort.)

Hey what's happened to Andy? and Nickie, we were wanting to set up a group of Star people from our area for support etc., any word on that?

This thing in the Guardian is actually about Coal Bed methane, not fracking, although it confuses the two. But it does document some of the CBM polution problems from Australia, and indicates that other areas in britain where exploration licences have been awarded are getting worried, so why aren't we discussing this issue here? http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jun/28/fracking-dash-gas-rural-england (CO, this is wider than just St Martins, is it possible to move the thread to Coffee Lounge?)

I didn't think it was nice or justified.