Model Boat Mayhem

Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: RMH on April 09, 2008, 06:59:43 pm

Title: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: RMH on April 09, 2008, 06:59:43 pm: Hi all,

You may or may not have heard about the government plans to create "eco towns". Weston on the Green near Bicester is an active airfield and has been the home of the Oxford gliding club for more than 50 years. It is also used for sport parachuting and is I believe the RAF’s oldest airfield and is used by them for military parachute training.

The airfield is part of a large area now on the shortlist for being redeveloped as one of the ten proposed so called eco-towns and having only just recently taken up the sport of gliding I am somewhat disappointed to feel I may have to give it up through the ill-concieved ideas of the government.

I am of course concerned that we, the Oxford gliding club, may lose our airfield to a housing development but that is not the only reason why I ask you to sign the e-petition set up against it. If an eco town were built on that site it would totally overwhelm the already crowded A34 and M40. Personally, I doubt whether the eco concept will really be thought through properly and whether one can convince the residents to use public transport instead of having two cars per household (and even if they do, whether the existing public transport in the area can actually cope with the increased demand). Further good reasons for signing the petition are given on the website itself.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/WestonOtmoor/ (http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/WestonOtmoor/)

It would be great if you could sign this petition and ask as many of your friends and family as possible to do so as well, otherwise the Oxford Gliding Club, one of the oldest clubs in the country and supporting an eco sport(!), will probably cease to exist.

Thanks

Richie

Topic name changed. Admin.
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Post by: Colin H on April 09, 2008, 09:57:13 pm: A pleasure did my para training there.

Colin H.
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Post by: Peterm on April 10, 2008, 08:39:52 am: I did as well, many, many years ago. Will support. Pete M
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: DickyD on April 10, 2008, 09:04:11 am: Signed O0
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: cos918 on April 10, 2008, 10:49:22 am: hi I have signed as i live just down the road and the A34 and M40 are bad enough.
john
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: toesupwa on April 10, 2008, 03:35:49 pm: So where do all the people that would of lived at this development now live?

Do you have an alternative location in mind for this new town or are you just saying 'not in my back yard'?

Unfortunatly, with an increasing population, you need to build houses so they have a roof over their head... and those houses have to go somewhere.
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: Colin H on April 10, 2008, 04:47:23 pm: These ECO towns were supposed to be the governments answer to `global warming`.

First. I don't like the phrase `global warming`. I prefer climate change which implies a natural not man made problem.

Second. A group of well respected scientists have just reported that due to a current change in the Pacific `global warming` is at an end and the new problem is WAIT FOR IT `GLOBAL COOLING`.

Just who are we to believe if the top scientists cannot agree.

Yours Colin H.
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: cos918 on April 10, 2008, 05:21:33 pm: Quote from: toesupwa on April 10, 2008, 03:35:49 pm
So where do all the people that would of lived at this development now live?

Do you have an alternative location in mind for this new town or are you just saying 'not in my back yard'?

Unfortunatly, with an increasing population, you need to build houses so they have a roof over their head... and those houses have to go somewhere.
while i agree we need more house ,proper planing is required.
It not a case of not in my back yard it more of a case can the back yard take it.
The proposed new build is for 15 000 new home + schools/shops etc. OK there may be 300 new jobs genrated via shops etc. So the other 30 000+ people will have to work out side this town. Now lets get in the real world public transport doesn't work so people will have cars. Thats 15 000 to 20 000 car for this town. If every one made one journey a day thats + 30 000 to 40 000 extra cars Journeys on the A34/M40. If you don't know the A34/M40 well let me tell you it grid lock at rush hour and very busy at all other main times.

What would be a better idea is 5 to 10 new homes in all villages 50 to 100 new homes in all town 300 to 500 in city. This way there strain on infrastructure would be spread out allowing transport to cope.

john
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: toesupwa on April 10, 2008, 09:55:53 pm: Yes cos918
I do know that A34 / M40 area quite well and can imagine what the extra traffic will do to the area.

I lived in Birmingham for some 40+ years and worked as a community Architect on several high profile projects, both regeneration of Brown field sites and new build on greenfield sites. When a new 'estate' is planned a process has to be gone through to see if the surrounding infrastructure can cope with the extra strain the new development will put on it. If it can cope, then it remains as is.. if it cant, before any development takes place, the local infrastructure has be be upgraded to a standard where it can cope.

I agree that there are probably better solutions, such as building on brown field sites within city boundaries, but unfortunatley, with the increasing population, a housing solution has to be found.. and in this case its more economically viable to build all the new houses in one place rather than dotted around the country.

When i left the housing industry, there was talk of some 100,000 houses needed in the next ten years due to the population increase... so you can expect more of these 'eco towns' springing up across the country.

Have a look at some of the recent (private venture) 'eco towns' such as Poundbury (near Dorchester) http://www.poundbury.info/ to see the quality of such developments.
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: bobdoc on April 10, 2008, 10:51:34 pm: If an eco town propsal has no rail link, it is neither eco nor green

Bobdoc
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: kiteman1 on April 11, 2008, 11:21:51 am: In reply to Cos918 I would venture to suggest that we should start building new towns in areas which aren't congested. I think, therefore, that we should start with the Prime Minister's constituency and when that is full continue with the Chancellor's. We can always push the lifestyle and quality of air in the North, not to mention free University and prescription charges. I shouldn't think there will be any congestion problems in the far north and the inhabitants can always come to England for a holiday..........as long as they remember to return afterwards..........

Now look what you've started me on............... >>:-( >>:-( {-) {-)
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: sheerline on April 11, 2008, 01:41:12 pm: I have always questioned this 'growing population' thing. This country is overcrowded, no doubt about that but why oh why do we keep growing when surely the answer to pollution and housing and of course 'overcrowding' means we should be looking to reduce the number of people rather than keep filling in the gaps with more roads and houses.
Why does it always have to be growth, why can't it be stability or reduction. With the correct incentives and more stringent immigration controls, surely the population could be 'managed' and held ,within limits at a manageable level and the existing housing stock renewed or replaced as a rolling programme.
I flew back in the dark from Germany early one morning recently and flying over Germany and France at 35000 ft, I could see towns dotted around and lit up in the usual orange display we are accustomed to seeing but when we crossed the channel, there was the south east of England looking for all the world like a giant funfair... the place was a solid blaze of light which indicated to me a very large denstity of population in this area. How much more do you want to cramm into your backyard?
Surely the main answer is quality of life which I am sure most people will agree is not conducive with overcrowding and massive housing developments. Remember, we are in the hands of politicians here and there is always some kind of future plan or hidden agenda which we mere mortals will never be privvy to, but will find out about a few years down the road when we get slapped in the face with the final realisation of WHY they did something.
Be afraid... be VERY afraid! :-\
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: Roger in France on April 11, 2008, 07:08:48 pm: I cannot agree with all your post Sheerline, but I can confirm that living in a country like France with approximately the same population as the UK but twice the land area makes for a much more comfortable experience.

I should also add for those who will say how crowded Paris is, that Paris is about as much like the rest of France as London is about as much like the rest of the UK.

Roger in France.
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: kiteman1 on April 11, 2008, 07:13:00 pm: How I agree with Sheerline's posting. Both my kids emigrated to Australia some years ago and are raising families over there in the sort of non-pressured lifestyle which reminds me of England about fifty years ago. That was in the days when there was a structure to life here and we weren't overrun by entrants with non-existent or questionable skills.

The criteria for entry to Aus. was by need of particular skills and a points system which has been altered according to Australia's needs at the time. The result being that immigration and population growth was increased gradually and people were assimilated in a sensible way. When we were there a few years ago there were loads of different Nationaliities rubbing along together in an orderly and peaceful manner.

Contrast this with here where there is uncontrolled growth leading to a downward wages pressure for the unskilled and a steep degeneration of the quality of life in the big connurbations, coupled with a lack of housing prospects for thousands. All this so that politicians can try and grab the vote of otherwise disenfranchised people.

Many skilled people have left this country for pastures new leading to a skills shortage here and the loss of our ability as a country to hold its own in today's high - tech world.

So much for diisingenuous politicians, multiculturalism and the emasculation of the indigenous population in favour of others who have no right to preach their brand of politics, religion and insults at us.

No wonder there are packs of kids running round all over the place with knives and guns, not to mention drug-pushers.

Perhaps it will take a senior politician's death to affect a seed change for the better in this country.

No. I am not a racist but I am really cheesed off with being pushed around by people I wouldn't want to waste my time with....... :(
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: jviewing on April 11, 2008, 10:16:19 pm: Signed O0
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: sheerline on April 12, 2008, 09:44:00 am: Hello Roger in France, I know my posting is a somewhat over simplistic.. it's very much a generalisation but its a known fact that if you overload your boat, it will eventually roll over and everyone will suffer. I am not well versed in the workings of government, like most people I only see the effects of their tinkerings and crazy notions. We really do have to draw a line somewhere, how we go about it is the difficult part. I will leave the subject here as I don't want to detract from the original posting.
Chris
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: RMH on April 14, 2008, 05:49:05 pm: Hi All,

Firstly I would like to thank all of you who have signed the petition every signature helps our case.

To reply to a few comments that have been made

This is not a case of Nimbyism I do understand the need for new housing but we are not talking about a housing estate here but a whole new town which would be built on a greenfield site. I have looked at the Poundberry website which states that 2,250 homes are planned for, a mere village compared to the 15,000 houses planned for at Weston Otmoor. The A34/M40 junction will not be able to cope with the extra traffic generated by 30,000+ residents regardless of whatever improvements may be made to the roads. Sheerline is spot on about this country being overcrowded we already have one of the highest population densities on the planet and we simply do not have room for more. If only the politicians could be made to see this!

As well as the traffic problems my concern over the building of this town is of course the loss of my gliding club's airfield. There are hundreds of disused airfields throughout the country that could be built on so why pick on an active one. Several of you on this forum are probably keen golfers how would you feel if the government decided to turn your golf courses into housing estates?

Thanks again to all who have given their support

Richie
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: botchit on April 18, 2008, 08:51:00 pm: Regarding an unwanted eco town near Bicester. It tickles me how these planners work. Here in Birkenhead we have an abundance of land at the present which, can only be described as derelict.With this in mind the local government put in for a number of eco homes to be built on this land and other areas like it. They were told no. Its between two established train stations the main bus depot would be nearly next door,access to both Mersey tunnels plus motorway .A lrge shopping area and a number of hyper market s on the doorstep, not to mention the ferry.Also schools that are being closed due to fall in population Bidston hill and two parks for recreation with a great coastline. The main area in question as some ex seamen may know runs from the Morpeth dock to the West float, including the river streets . Business is on the up hundreds of other developments yet we still have room for an eco village and are told no. Others dont want or need one but it is forced upon them.Summer madness or ulterior motives the people effected never find out till the end.
Regards Botchit and best wishes in the fight against insanity of planners
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: polaris on April 19, 2008, 01:03:32 pm: Signed.
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: Ghost in the shell on May 10, 2009, 11:28:41 pm: i would have signed if i knew about it.

simple answer to global warming...

DITCH OIL COAL AND GAS POWER STATIONS

AND

GO NUCLEAR
Pound for pound, (kilo for kilo) you get more energy out of Uranium than you do from fossil fuels
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: TCC on May 11, 2009, 01:32:55 am: Quote from: Ghost in the shell on May 10, 2009, 11:28:41 pm
i would have signed if i knew about it.

simple answer to global warming...

DITCH OIL COAL AND GAS POWER STATIONS

AND

GO NUCLEAR
Pound for pound, (kilo for kilo) you get more energy out of Uranium than you do from fossil fuels
Only if we can bury the waste under your home, fair?
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: nhp651 on May 11, 2009, 08:02:30 am: It tickles me how these planners work. Here in Birkenhead we have an abundance of land at the present which, can only be described as derelict.

I seem to remmember that when this present government came to power, one of the promises that they made in their manifesto was to develope "BROWN" sites and NOT green sites.

Another promise down the pan >>:-( >>:-( >>:-(
Title: Re: A PLEA FOR YOUR SUPPORT - Weston on the Green, Bicester, "eco town!"
Post by: Ghost in the shell on May 11, 2009, 11:12:09 pm: its an old airbase, so technically brownsite.

buring nuclear waste under a house, perfectly safe, thats standard disposal proceedure,