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Landmark Ruling Heralds SEA Change for Regional Planning ?

Extract from “Region home goals at risk” by  Susanna Gillman in Planning, 29 May 2009

A landmark ruling that the East of England Plan failed to comply with environmental law could affect other regional plans, the barrister leading the case has argued. Hertfordshire County and St Albans District Councils’ challenge (Planning, 22 May, p1) was the first on the application of strategic environmental assessment (SEA) rules in England to be successful. High Court judge Mr Justice Mitting ruled that the government flouted SEA regulations by failing to consider alternatives to building thousands of homes in the Hertfordshire green belt. He has ordered communities secretary Hazel Blears to re-examine policies for 12,000 additional homes at Hemel Hempstead and a further 10,000 at Welwyn Garden City and Hatfield.

Landmark Chambers’ David Elvin QC, who represented Hertfordshire in last week’s case, said the government lacked rigour in applying the regulations “Because SEA is working its way through the system on plans due for adoption, these issues will continue to present themselves,” he said. “The ruling could have implications for other regional plans. The South East Plan has just been adopted and may prompt challenges.”

A judicial review of the South West regional spatial strategy has recently been threatened on housing numbers, although it is not clear whether this would be contested on similar grounds (Planning, 15 May, p2).

The DCLG said it is considering whether to appeal. A spokesman said: “We are determined to deliver the housing that is desperately needed in the region.” However, the prospect of further expense may deter it. The DCLG has to foot a legal bill including 80 per cent of Hertfordshire’s costs – likely to exceed £50,000 – and £15,000 of St Albans’ estimated £28,000 costs. Tory MP for Welwyn and Hatfield Grant Shapps said the ruling is “an important step towards holding the government to account for failing to consider the effect of top-down housing targets”.

See also : www.unece.org/env/eia/sea_protocol.htm

The “Outsider” Sometimes Wins

Today’s Aintree Grand National win for race horse Mon Mome – ridden by Liam Treadwell and trained by Venetia Williams – at odds of 100-1 should be a reminder to us all that the “outsider” sometimes wins the big prize, not only against the odds, but well ahead of the race.

Congratulations to the team behind today’s outsider win….and a “Harvey Smith” to any sulky punters who failed to cheer !

Need for “SEA” Change amongst Sustainability & Environmental Activists

Now that the United States President and his First Lady have declared themselves “Activists”, the activist is once again a respectable member of society; and it is from this respectable position that I want to reflect on the relationship between sustainability and environmental activists.

On the radio recently – I think in the context of Severn Barrage Saga – the Chairman of the UK Commission for Sustainable Development (who support a barrage), Sir Jonathon Porritt, distinguished himself from “environmental activist” organisations like the Royal Society for the Protection of the Birds (who oppose a barrage), as, primarily, a “sustainability” activist.

For my own part, I have noticed a great many “sustainability suits” – many of them stuffed ! – in recent years and, I would suggest, quite a number of these work for and with the good Sir Jonathon, although I would not include him amongst them.

The fact is that those of us who are genuinely concerned about the future of the planet – and who are acting locally, as well as thinking globally – need to be both sustainability and environmental activists. A good starting point for this is some understanding of Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment or SEA.

New EPONA Website

My area regeneration and equestrian business EPONA will be launching a new website towards the end of March. In the meantime, emails can be sent to consult@crookbarrow.com  Other contact details remain the same

Riding & Road Safety

I published the following post some 2 years ago @ http://janetmackinnon.blogspot.com  As someone recently posted a comment which thanked me for writing it, I’ve decided to republish my thoughts on this important issue :

My intolerance to bureaucracy is on a par with some people’s reaction to foods which strongly disagree with them. Nevertheless, I do wonder whether a “road safety” test should be made compulsory for unsupervised horse riders ie those unaccompanied by a qualified person, such as a riding instructor.

I should point out that I have arrived at this point of view over several years, and from different perspectives. In addition to having been a qualified car driver for 27 years, although I do not use a motor vehicle just now, I am a pedestrian, cyclist and horse rider. I am also professionally involved in planning and transport related areas, and a sometime environmental activist, concerned with, amongst many other things, road safety issues. Some years ago I passed the British Horse Society’s Riding and Road Safety Test (on my second attempt), and organised the test on behalf of other horse riders : an increasingly bureaucratic experience.

In the meantime, there are more cars and other vehicles on the road, especially in semi-rural areas, and the standard of driving has probably declined, and this not exclusively, by any means, amongst young people. Like most horse-riders, I have had my share of near misses and have friends who have not been so lucky. Yet is has to be said that some of the same horse people who complain about conditions on the road – and in some cases will no longer ride out on it – are precisely the kind of driver you would not like to meet on a horse iethey drive too fast for the road conditions and sometimes inattentively.

Equally, most horse riders have not undertaken any formal road safety training, let alone their BHS Test, and this is all too visible in an increasing amount of “bad” riding on the road. Indeed, in many cases, it is fortunate that horses have more sense than their riders. So, all in all, perhaps it is time for compulsory testing.

Please see www.bhs.org.uk for information about the British Horse Society’s Riding and Road Safety Test.

An Olympic-sized Saving : End of the Road for Thames Gateway Bridge

Transport for London scraps plans for six-lane road bridge

London Mayor Boris Johnson scraps scheme amid strong opposition from environmental campaigners

• John Vidal and Dan Milmo
• From The Guardian, Thursday November 6 2008 11.48 GMT

One proposed design for the six-lane east London crossing

Boris Johnson, the London mayor, has shelved £3.5bn of transport schemes in the capital, including the Thames Gateway bridge, as part of multibillion-pound cost cuts.

Johnson said today the move ended the “deception” of his predecessor, Ken Livingstone, who had ordered officials to draw up plans for the Thames Gateway project amid strong opposition from environmental campaigners.

“I am stopping the deception of keeping hopes alive when there is no funding for these schemes,” said Johnson….

What did the Scottish Bankers say to the English Banker ?

Ex-bank chiefs in resignations call

Two former bank chiefs have sent a letter to HBOS calling for its chairman and chief executive to resign. Sir Peter Burt and Sir George Mathewson, former chief executives of the Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank of Scotland respectively, oppose the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB.

Sir George said they had sent the letter to chairman of HBOS, Sir Dennis Stevenson.

In it they say that Sir Dennis and HBOS chief executive Andy Hornby should resign – and that Sir George should become the new chairman of the bank and Sir Peter Burt should be its chief executive.

Speaking from his Perthshire home Sir George said: “It is a lengthy, detailed letter. We do not believe the alternatives to the Lloyds takeover of HBOS have been properly explored.

“And, that this deal was conceived in response to a particular problem and then the world changed a week later. As such that deal is no longer the proper deal for the shareholders of HBOS or anybody else.”

HBOS is the subject of a £12 billion merger with Lloyds TSB.

Lloyds TSB has said that its acquisition of HBOS would save it at least £1.5 billion a year.

But the SNP has been critical of the takeover and believe many Scottish jobs could be lost.

The former bankers want to keep HBOS an “independent bank” and believe that the merger was no longer required after the Government’s bank bailout.

Two former bank chiefs have sent a letter to HBOS calling for its chairman and chief executive to resign.

Sir Peter Burt and Sir George Mathewson, former chief executives of the Bank of Scotland and Royal Bank of Scotland respectively, oppose the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB.

Sir George said they had sent the letter to chairman of HBOS, Sir Dennis Stevenson.

In it they say that Sir Dennis and HBOS chief executive Andy Hornby should resign – and that Sir George should become the new chairman of the bank and Sir Peter Burt should be its chief executive.

Speaking from his Perthshire home Sir George said: “It is a lengthy, detailed letter. We do not believe the alternatives to the Lloyds takeover of HBOS have been properly explored.

“And, that this deal was conceived in response to a particular problem and then the world changed a week later. As such that deal is no longer the proper deal for the shareholders of HBOS or anybody else.”

HBOS is the subject of a £12 billion merger with Lloyds TSB.

Lloyds TSB has said that its acquisition of HBOS would save it at least £1.5 billion a year.

But the SNP has been critical of the takeover and believe many Scottish jobs could be lost.

The former bankers want to keep HBOS an “independent bank” and believe that the merger was no longer required after the Government’s bank bailout…..

© 2008 The Press Association Limited

Appropriate “Horse” Management Works

Several years ago, a horsewoman (and qualified vet, although she no longer practiced) mentioned a so-called animal communicator and healer, called Margrit Coates. Although we shared important common interests, I found the former veterinary lady difficult to get along with, and she probably felt similarly disposed to me. However, I’m very grateful for the information she provided.

So with the Margrit Coates book, Connecting with Horses (Rider 2008), I agree with much of this, but somehow find it difficult to connect with (particularly all the therapy-speak !) Nevertheless, I would still recommend the book to fellow equestrians, not least because it points out that so-called “natural horsemanship” techniques can be just as detrimental – without the right experience, temperament and character in the human trainer – as conventional schooling methods in the wrong hands.

However, it is the following extract (ammended slightly by me) from the Margrit Coates book (from the final section entitled “Hands and Hooves in Partnership”) that I really did connect with :

“Brothers Om and Jai share a struggle for survival with Raju, the mule who earns a living for their family in India. Several years ago the brothers’ father died and left behind a sick wife, seven children and the mule. At the time, Om and Jai were around seven and five years old, and their mother had no option other than to send her sons to work, and their only hope was Raju. They started working in a brick kiln and Raju worked as a family member, co-operating in their need as a true and faithful friend.

The Brooke (http://www.thebrooke.org) mobile veterinary team and community animal health workers were working in the area, and 4 years ago Dr Shabir, the vet in charge, came in to contact with the brothers and their mule. He noticed these 2 boys as very polite and sensitive owners, always keen to know about the Brooke’s treatments and welfare messages. According to Dr Shabir, “Raju is about 15 years old now and his condition is good – he is fit for work. I wonder how these small boys keep their animal in good health in such adverse circumstances”….

…”Both brothers are so caring about their animal that they immediately take Raju to the Brooke team whenever any problem arises. Jai said, “How could we neglect Raju ? He is our only hope in the absence of our father. He gives us support to live and feeds us. Without his help we could not find a way out of our crisis period”. Dr Shabir reports, “I am thankful to these young innocent children that I have never needed to attend an emergency for Raju because they give priority to prevention of problems”…

A hardworking family indeed !  Please also see my Horse Work Blog @ http://horsework.wordpress.com

Know the Difference between Objectivity (or, indeed, Reality) and Aspiration

Another post from late 2006 (see also http://janetmackinnon.blogspot.com)

Know the Difference between Objectivity and Aspiration

I often wonder why organisations and individuals willingly submit themselves to being mercilessly ripped off. My guess is that their abililty to distinguish objectivity and aspiration is temporarily, and in some cases permanently, suspended. The phrase “willing suspension of disbelief” comes to mind.

 To explore my theory, I’m going to use two “case studies” : the Private Finance Initiative (PFI); and horse purchase.

The word “aspirational” first properly entered my psyche when I had an unplanned meeting with a senior army officer – unplanned because he’d planned to be elsewhere but bad weather prevented this – regarding a project in which the army took an interest. This gentleman’s use of the word “aspirational” had a particular resonance for me on two counts. Firstly, it was clear that aspiration was a core value for him, personally and professionally, and, secondly, I intimated that my own proposals (and person !) might be insufficiently aspirational.

A few years passed and I had occasion to “revisit” the same army establishment, which in the meantime had recieved substantial investment under a PFI scheme. In my opinion, this scheme had all the hallmarks of a typical PFI project. There had indeed been substantial capital investment ie new construction. However, this had brought with it new and equally substantial operating costs. Various new initiatives were now being contemplated to cover these costs, and additional funds sought for further capital works.

This kind of situation is familiar to (?) the majority of local health trusts who have embarked upon major new hospital (re)construction using the PFI in recent years. The Worcestershire Royal Hospital, a new facility on the outskirts of the city of Worcester, is a classic example of what can go wrong.

PFI is now widely regarded as a “bad deal” for the public sector, and particularly for the National Health Service. It was conceived under the previous Conservative administration to “get around” public spending constraints. However, under New Labour it has been a key component of “the building boom” on which the wider ecomony is now so dependent. We have a construction industry which is hungry for more PFI projects, regardless of whether these are in the best interests of potential “clients” for such projects, or the general tax payer.

Yet PFI has fulfilled the aspirations of the public sector for new infrastructure, and the new hospitals, schools etc that have sprung up, notwithstanding their frequently poor design (for purpose), are hailed as one of the great successes of aspirational New Labour.

The zeitgeist of the present time is aspirational, and there is a Mephistopheles around every corner, or so it seems, with whom to enter into a Faustian pact.

Horse purchase is another case in point. There is nothing new in the tendency for new (or newer) comers to horse purchase to acquire animals which are too energetic and/or big for them, and to find that the ongoing resources (time, money etc) required to maintain a horse are more burdensome than the capital outlay. The horse world, like that of PFI, also has a plentiful supply of professionals to complicate matters, and – although some do provide a genuine good service – many “trade” on the aspirations of their clients, sometimes with serious consequences.

So my message to potential horsebuyers and procurers of other major capital projects is know the difference between objectivity (including objectives) and aspirations, it may save you alot of money (and possibly your life). Also know that – as someone once said – “there are as many certified charlatans as uncertified ones” out there to part fools from their money.