Matlock & District Carbon Neutral Forum

Disscusion Document

2007-01-31T10:19:00.000Z

This is a discussion document please click the link to download it on to your desktop.

http://www2.sendthisfile.com/d.jsp?t=2biOnHrZBepvtxUClIpmYJLN

This download has a two fold purpose...

To ask the question "where do the concerned people who turned up at the Madcnf go from here?"
And to trial the down load facility that I have had set up. Hopfully if it works I can use it too download PDFs and other document types.

Please download and any comments can they go in the forum, this would be much appreciated.

Phil

Matlock Masterplan, an Inconvenient Truth

2007-01-31T09:35:00.000Z

Sorry for the short notice but just to let you know there is a meeting at the Whitworth centre at 7.30 tonight (Wed 31 Jan) relating to the Matlock Masterplan.

Also...

Laura has arranged a public public showing of An Inconvenient Truth, the Al Gore film about Climate Change, at the Fishpond pub, Matlock Bath on Thursday 8 Feb, at 8pm. This is something she feels could bring us altogether again and highlight the interest people
have in dealing with Climate Change locally. It has been a personal financial
risk as the permit is quite pricey, so please could you show your support and come allong along if you can and spread the word. Bring a friend, car share, cycle or catch the bus just get there if you can.

Planning Aplications

2006-12-11T17:37:00.000Z

The following minutes have been produced by Sustainable Youlgraves chairman and planning officer, John Youatt john@youatt.co.uk regarding the planning aplications meeting that took place on Monday 6th November.

Note of meeting addressed by Hugh Ellis, national planning officer for FoE. Planning applications for RENEWABLE ENERGY (RE) http://www.foe.co.uk/

Hugh took us through the many layers of policy relevant to planning applications for renewable energy installations, e.g.

wind turbines; solar panels; pv tiles; methane tanks; water turbines/wheels

He said that there are paragraphs or policies that support renewable energy at most levels except some local authorities that are out of date. If they are out of date, higher level policies will be given weight. The levels are

National sustainability policy; planning policy statement (PPS) 1 – general policies; PPS 22 renewable energy; the forthcoming update to PPS 1, specifically on climate change and renewables; regional spatial strategy; local plans/local development frameworks and SPGs (supplementary guidance.) See TCPA/FoE discussion document.

ANY RE PLANNING APPLICATION SHOULD REFER TO ALL HELPFUL POLICIES.

FoE has published a draft PPS 26 on climate change together with 20 other green organisations, including the Council for National Parks (CNP) and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) (and its local branch, the Friends of the Peak District FPD is in tune with it.)

All LPAs and NPAs (local planning authorities) must give weight to the update of PPS 1 when it becomes Govt policy, even if their own plans have not “caught up”.

There is also a Climate Change Bill that might take small RE schemes outside planning control.

I added that any LPA or NPA can publish an emergency SPG – supplementary planning guidance. The PDNPA has done so http://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/ . But it doesn’t seem to have enabled many approvals, until the Members approved a 6kW turbine against officers’ advice recently. Hooray.

And the CPRE Yorkshire branch (CPRE PDSY) has recommended approval of three big turbines just outside the park. And FPD is working with us on water power.

Conclusions

Hugh and I believe no one should be shy of developing a scheme or project now. By the time it reaches the planning committee, policies will support it and /or it will be permitted development.
Ask your Local Planning Authority to rush through an SPG adopting climate change policies. Tell your LPA it is too late to wait for the current local planning framework to be completed.

The Matlock Masterplan

2006-12-05T08:52:00.000Z

The Matlock Masterplan. ........ Feedback on the Masterplan is required by 21 December. I think it would be great if members of the Forum could comment on any issues we see as important and submit them from the Forum.
Words need to be matched by action and we can try to influence DDDC to incorporate more renewables, or things like rainwater harvesting, into the plans. It is important that we respond really and come up with some sensible, rational suggestions.
Please come to the Boat House pub on Dale Rd on the A6, just on the way out of Matlock at 8pm on Wednesday 13 December to contribute. This will be a nice way to meet others, share ideas and discuss any thing else that needs to be discussed eg any planning issues/problems or ideas for next year, perhaps we can look at ideas for an energy fair too.
Any comments if you cannot make it to lozcol@lineone.net (bring your Masterplan copy with you!)

Meeting: Wed 29 Nov

2006-11-14T09:04:00.002Z

Date: Wed 29 Nov

Time: 6-8 pm

Place: Council Chamber, County Offices, Bank Rd, Matlock

Who: Cllr Ray Russell, Leader of Chesterfield Borough Council talks about
steps Chesterfield Council has taken to reduce their carbon emisssions and
thereby limit their carbon footprint. We must all learn from each other.
With warnings from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change and publication
of the Stern Report last week, there is no time to lose - we must all be
acting with urgency and implementing policies which will bring about cuts
in carbon emissions.

Welcome to everyone and in particular those who have a key role to play in
forming council policy at town, district and county level.

The following link takes you to the Stern Report if you wish to have a read:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm

Or you the following link is useful as a summary:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stern_report

Climate chaos rally, London, 4 November 2006

2006-11-13T12:37:00.000Z

An early rise for myself and Ben (aged 12) to catch the bus from Matlock to meet the coach leaving Derby at 8.15. The Derby coach was organised by Peter Robinson who co-ordinates Derby Campaign Against Climate Chaos (email: peterfrobinson@ntlworld.com, tel: 07876595993) On the coach I showed him our recent media coverage (p2 Matlock Mercury 2/11/06 and Derbyshire Times, double page feature about Sustainable Youlgrave and the CNF 2/11/06) and we shared ideas. The Derby group meets monthly with speakers and they recently had a fundraising event. Perhaps this is something we could think about? It is great to spend time with like-minded people and we are all so passionate about climate change!
The journey to London went without any hiccups, the sun shone and the sky was clear blue. We arrived and quickly reached the US Embassy to listen to a variety of speakers ranging from the Bishop of Liverpool to Caroline Lucas (MEP) to Zac Goldsmith (The Ecologist). One after the other they all spoke passionately about climate change issues, each coming at it from a slightly different angle. It was George Monbiot though, who outshone the others. There were banners and placards to take for the march to Trafalgar Square and a samba band to lead us. The pace was slow, (there were 20,000 of us after all) so we missed David Attenborough which was disappointing but there were other speakers. The Square was packed but there was a big screen to watch K T Tunstall and Razorlight entertain us on stage. In the Square I bumped into the Derbyshire area networker for Greenpeace who had been part of the team which had just closed one of the chimneys of the power station at Didcot. See the Greenpeace website for an interesting interview between one of the protesters at the top of the tower and Tony Blair who happened at the time to be in a local television studio!
Anyway, all in all an excellent and worthwhile day out (brilliant posters, now on Ben's wall) and thanks very much to Peter for arranging the Derby coach. Perhaps for next year's rally we could take a coach from this area?

Laura Stevens, Matlock

Forthcoming Events

2006-10-30T18:16:00.000Z

I am letting you know of 2 forthcoming events (2nd awaits confirmation of
room so more of that later!) and hope that you will be able to make use
of them and support the push for renewables by attending one
or other or both. Please spread the word!

1. Climate Clinic - workshop on putting together your planning application.
Expert advice on putting together planning applications for renewables on
Monday 6 November 5.45 to 6.45 in the Imperial Rooms, Matlock. If you are
thinking about renewables for your house/business now or in the future then
you will find it very useful. Apologies for the early start and short time
span.

2. Speaker Wed 29 Nov 6pm

Laura

200 Hits

2006-10-23T18:34:00.000+01:00

"We didn't move out of the Stone Age because we ran out of stones. We won't move out of the oil age because we have run out of oil" quote from the book "How We Can Save The Planet" by Mayer Hillman

This book is the lay persons guide to Climate Change, with a detailed yet easy to understand introduction to the problem and how to do something about it. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to know the issues and I would also recommend it to those who think they know the issues. It is full of eye opening facts and has lots of tips showing us how to seriously reduce our carbon requirements. Not just as individuals but as a community and thats why I felt I should recommend it to the members of the forum.

Try and get hold of a copy its an absolute must read, I am even willing to lend out my copy.

Any way rather than duplicate the contents of the book Ive attached some links to this post so that you can find out some more information

Phil

http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-We-Can-Save-Planet/dp/0141016922

http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article-6-129-2460.jsp

http://www.livingstreets.org.uk/news_and_info/feature_articles.php?id=279

http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,823111,00.html

Information

2006-10-10T17:43:00.000+01:00

An evening will be held shortly on putting together a planning application for renewable energy.This should be before the end of October but, sorry , date still to be announced. Very useful if you wish to have something installed now, soon, or in the future.
Councillor Russel from Chesterfield Borough Council will be talking about how Chesterfield is taking steps to reduce carbon emissions. He is bringing an officer to cover technical details. Date : Wednesday 29 November, 6pm, venue to be announced but probably a room in County Hall.

Early in the new year we wish to hold an Energy Fair, hopefully on a Saturday in County Hall again. People will be able to quiz the experts and see for themselves what the market has to offer. This will require several people to organise. If you would like to help or have suggestions to make, either leave them in the forum or please feel free to contact Laura on 584971 or lozcol@lineone.net

100 Hits

2006-10-02T00:25:00.000+01:00

100 Hits

We have reached one hundred hits, thats 100 in 1 week so to celebrate I've hunted down the Greenpeace video that Laura was unable to show at the meeting on the 18th.

I hope you all enjoy it, its very informative, a sort of "beginners guide" to Carbon Neutral...I must point out that its 17 mins long but well worth watching.

I will seek out more video clips and publish them each Sunday, this will hopefully keep the site interesting and maybe give you something to discuss in the forum.

For now, enjoy.

Phil

2006-09-28T09:31:00.000+01:00

If anyone has any ideas about other sites which can be linked to ours let us know,we have started a website thread in the forum .

I have been contacted by Lesley Fields from the Derbyshire Times who has heard about the forum and would like to do a double paged feature! She will be contacting me next Tues and will want photos so if anyone wishes to speak to her or has something specific which could be in a picture or discussed, please mention it. Bye! Laura
Email: lozcol@lineone.net

2006-09-23T23:49:00.000+01:00

Weblog Launch

19/09/06

Firstly, thanks to everyone who came to our first meeting on Monday and helped to make it a success. It was great to see so many people intrested and willing to get involved and we really hope that we can move forward and build upon this foundation.

Secondly, if you're reading this then you are aware that we now have our very own weblog or "blog" to use the correct name. We have created this "blog" for the purpose of allowing all of you to take an active part in how things develop from here on in. The most exciting part of the site will be the web based forum which is attached to this page and will allow you to have your say. I hope it becomes a wealthy knowledge base, built from all of your shared ideas and experiences, as well as a collection of any handy tips on things to do and things to avoid doing.

The main "blog" page will host specific information from the meetings, including contact information,website links etc. It will also be a place for finding out about future events and meetings. I must point out that this information will also be circulated by other means including an email based newsletter.

For now this concludes our first post and we hope to follow it up with a second post that includes some specific information from Mondays meeting, in the meantime the above clip may be familiar to those who attended on Monday, for those who didn't, I think it makes its point quite coherently and is well worth a veiwing.