New Chairman
Nick Dunkley has recently been appointed to the position of Branch Chairman. He will soon be actively reviewing many of the branches’ past and present activities and looking at what new campaigns can be mounted to further the protection of the countryside. He will also be writing to branch members asking for their comments on a number of local issues and inviting them to attend the next AGM scheduled for the Autumn.
Treasurer Wanted
After 5 years as a trustee and treasurer of the Bucks Branch
of CPRE, John Hayzelden will not be seeking re-election at the next AGM.
As a result, we are looking for a volunteer to take on this (unpaid) task, which is not onerous and does not require professional accountancy knowledge.
Anyone interested in taking this on should contact us
by e-mail or by letter to CPRE Bucks, PO Box 219 Aylesbury Bucks, HP22 4ED.
CPRE stall at Bucks Show
CPRE Bucks will have a stall at the County Show. Please come see us and say hello.
CPRE Bucks –Updated Statement on HS2 dated 12.07.10.
The previous government proposed a high speed rail link known as High Speed 2 (HS2) from London to Birmingham through the Chilterns. Although the precise route is being reviewed by the new coalition government, its emphasis on the need a direct link to Heathrow means that even more of Buckinghamshire could be affected.
The Buckinghamshire Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England Buckinghamshire (CPRE Bucks) has been closely monitoring the developments and has met with key decision makers, including HS2's Chief Engineer, to raise its concerns. We appreciate and indeed advocate the use of rail travel as a means of reducing the far more environmentally damaging road and air travel. However CPRE has a responsibility to ensure that any proposed project that could damage our countryside be subjected to intense scrutiny.
The potential impact on the Chilterns, most of which is a nationally designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), means rigorous examination of the need for HS2 is required, as well as the highest environmental standards for the route if its construction is proved to be in the national interest. Yet CPRE Bucks covers the whole county and we are also very concerned about HS2's potential impact both on the Green Belt close to London and on the more tranquil areas of the county in the Vale of Aylesbury.
The new proposal for a station in the Green Belt and floodplain by Heathrow is a major concern. Not only would this generate a huge amount of new traffic on roads that are already the busiest and most polluted in the country, but also a new connecting line would plough through much of the first section of countryside west of London. The new government has confirmed that HS2 should still be capable of very high speeds of 250mph, much faster than High Speed Rail on the continent of between 155 and 200mph. Besides using up far more electricity to run trains and producing far more noise, this would significantly restrict routing options. With such high speeds, it would be near impossible to protect the tranquillity of the least developed and most sensitive areas of the county.
We are in close contact with CPRE's National Office, which has called on the new government to review the design parameters for HS2, in particular its top speed. We believe that alternative routes along the M1 corridor ought to be considered, without the constraint of having to be suitable for 250mph trains.
Public consultation has now been put back until early 2011, giving more time for the terms and assumptions behind HS2 to be reconsidered an. CPRE Bucks will monitor developments in conjunction with CPRE's National Office, the Chiltern Society and the Chilterns Conservation Board. We will campaign for the best outcome for Buckinghamshire's countryside and keep our members up to date with developments.
High Speed Rail Announcement
The Government has published its High Speed Rail Command Paper setting out proposed strategy for a high speed rail line from London to the West Midlands, near Birmingham.
There will be announcements by the present Government, Opposition parties, MP’s and prospective parliamentary candidates, local councils, other groups and commentators to consider. The impending General Election is also expected to have an impact on a way the HS2 project develops.
A circular to members has been issued, available here and updates will follow on this website when there are significant events/developments to report.
Annual General Meeting
The AGM for CPRE Bucks was held on 6th February 2010 at the Baptist Church Hall, Princes Risborough. The meeting was well attended and included Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher, Bt., HM Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire and Vice President CPRE Bucks, Shaun Spiers, CPRE Chief Executive, Edward Dawson, Regional Director, CPRE South East. and several Branch Executives. Once the formal part of the meeting was completed, Shaun gave an interesting talk on “A Vision of the Countryside –2026. He outlined the key areas of the CPRE strategy which could be summarised as” the CPRE has been successful at raising the profile for protecting the countryside and resisting inappropriate development. Better farming practices, the efforts of some landowners, particularly conservation charities, and initiatives such as the National Forest and community forests have all helped. But now there is a pervasive pessimism about the ability of the countryside to survive the pressures it faces from built development, climate change and the impacts of globalisation.
Our vision is that by 2026, our centenary year, this pessimism will appear strangely misplaced. Further details of “A Vision of the Countryside-2026” can be found here and the CPRE booklet '2026 A Vision For The Countryside' can be obtained by emailing or writing to:
The Secretary, P.O. Box 219, Aylesbury, HP22 4ED
Pinewood Update
Local villagers have applied for some of the land, which Pinewood studios plans to build upon, to become a Village Green. They can do this under the 2006 Commons Act, which allows anyone to apply for village green status provided the land has been used “without permission, without being stopped or seeing notices which stop them and without being secretive about it, and that between them they have done this for a continuous period of 20 years”.
If successful, this would scupper Pinewood Studios’ plans to build 1400 new homes on the land, which is in the Green Belt. They are expected to appeal both the Council’s refusal of planning permission and the Village Green request.
Having helped the local Parish Councils fight the original application, CPRE are now monitoring the situation carefully.
|
