Bronglais Expansion Back on Track After Council Supports Park & Ride

Bronglais Hospital's Front-of-House extension is back on track after Ceredigion Council's Development Control Committee gave the go ahead to the linked Park & Ride scheme on Clarach Road once there's been agreement on minimising how the proposed subdued lighting will affect the local bat population. Despite 40 objections from people keen to save the field due to be used for the scheme, the committee felt that the risk of losing the hospital extension altogether was so great that they voted overwhelmingly to allow planning permission.

Although objectors suggested more suitable sites for the scheme, NHS executives had been making it clear for some time that the funding window is running out and any more delays would be very likely to result in the allocated £34 million going elsewhere as the NHS braces itself for major cuts in the next few years. Members of the Development Control Committee are used to developers pleading urgency in this way but NHS insiders have been becoming increasingly agitated that this threat is for real. There are senior NHS executives in south Wales who would be only too delighted to have the Bronglais money - the biggest capital project in Hywel Dda Trust - re-allocated to their own pet projects. The potentially catastrophic effects of losing the project - closure of the current sub-standard theatres, leading to the loss of A & E and the downgrading of the whole hospital - was a risk the committee were simply not prepared to take. Two years ago several hundred people marched around Aberystwyth campaigning for the hospital's status to be maintained.

Council Highways officers have for some time been looking for Park & Ride sites for both the north and south of Aberystwyth in an attempt to reduce morning queues into the town. Slow-moving traffic is the most carbon-intensive form of car use. The search for a similar site to the south is ongoing.

Other Aberystwyth planning issues decided:

The major extension to the Llety Parc Hotel in Llanbadarn has been put on hold again after the Environment Agency expressed serious concerns about flooding. Planning officers had recommended outright refusal of the application but councillors sympathetic to the locally-run business argued for more time to discuss a way of managing the risk. Council legal officers said that allowing the application without a proper flood risk plan would leave the Council, and maybe individual councillors, liable for damages in the event of a flood.

An innovative extension to Ysgol Plas Crug with strong sustainability credentials, including a turf roof, has been agreed.

Assembly Consulting on Charging for Plastic Bags

Ceredigion's Assembly Member Elin Jones has urged local residents to respond to a consultation launched this week by the One Wales Government on plans to reduce the availability of free single-use plastic bags in Wales .

The Assembly's Environment Minister, Jane Davidson AM, this week announced that she's seeking views on a proposal to introduce a charge for single-use plastic bags in Wales . In particular, the Minister wants views on what types of bags should be included in a scheme and how much retailers should charge for bags.

Elin Jones said:
“Despite positive steps being taken by many supermarkets to cut down on the amount of single-use plastic bags given out in the UK , we still have a long way to go to reduce the environmental impact of these bags – especially since they take hundreds of years to decompose.

“I hope Ceredigion residents will provide their views on these proposals in order to ensure any resulting legislation strikes the most appropriate balance between meeting the needs of consumers and protecting the environment”.

This is an issue that many people in Aberystwyth have campaigned on but, because local councils don't have the power to enforce a policy if this kind, it's proved very difficult to make progress. Only towns like Totnes in Devon, with an unusually large number of independent, green-minded businesses, have succeeded in getting a voluntary town-wide agreement to eradicate free plastic bags. The Assembly, on the other hand, now has the power to use the Climate Change Act 2008 so it's at this level that we're most likely to get some action.

Details of the consultation and how to take part are here:

http://www.adjudicationpanelwales.org.uk/consultations/environmentandcountryside/singleusecarrierbags/;jsessionid=J2hnKJZdrH2G0BGT2T4m9xs0bT2rnsnpg7M2Vb8vC56ZjsK9Sqfl!-1895006922?lang=en&ts=4

Aberystwyth Night Time Economy Project Saved

Aberystwyth Town Council this week saved the town's Night Time Economy Project when it agreed to give the scheme a grant of £14,000. The scheme had been running for the past year and was judged to be very successful at curbing the alcoholic excesses that often cause town residents and the police so much trouble at night. But funding streams had dried up and the project was in danger of folding completely. £14,000 is a very large grant for the Town Council but, judging from complaints regularly received from residents, the cost was felt to be justified as helping to provide the kind of practical help that people living in the town are requesting.

The scheme looks at the night time economy as a whole and works with everyone involved – drinkers, landlords, the university, taxi drivers, the ambulance service and the police - in helping to reduce the harm caused by alcohol to both local residents and drinkers themselves whilst still encouraging the town to be a vibrant place at night. This includes broadening out what’s on offer to include entertainment not involving alcohol.

The scheme can now carry on for another year and, whilst Aberystwyth will remain the focus of its operations, will also be extended to other towns in Ceredigion.

The Hogarth painting above depicts a typical night time scene in Aberystwyth prior to the commencement of the Night Time Economy Project.

Council Leader Losing Authority

The authority of Ceredigion Council Leader Keith Evans was severely dented today when several members of his own ruling Independent/Lib Dem group failed to support him in a whole series of votes.

The first of the votes in today’s Full Council meeting was to overturn the Council Cabinet’s attempt to close Syr John Rhys school in Ponterwyd. With 30 applauding demonstrators in the public gallery, the Council voted against the Independent Leader’s wishes and for a stay of execution for the school in order to review the situation in a year when the effect on the school population of possible new houses in Ponterwyd can be assessed.

There was then a narrow victory for the ruling coalition on exploring partnerships with the private sector to provide future council engineering services. But this was only because members of the group who had spoken against the idea mistakenly abstained when it came to the vote.

Next was a series of votes on the new Council building in Aberystwyth. Councillors voted unanimously that the name of the road leading to the building should be Rhodfa Padarn, in Welsh only, despite the Leader's insistence in Cabinet two weeks ago that it should be a bilingual Rhodfa Rheidol/Rheidol Avenue.

Lastly, more trivially but most symbolically of all, the Council voted against the Leader opening the new building and in favour of the Chair, Ivor Williams, doing it instead. Not even a plea from the Chair himself that Keith Evans should be allowed to conduct the opening could persuade councillors to vote for their Leader.

The sight of both Lib Dems and Independents on Ceredigion Council voting with the opposition Plaid Cymru group against their own Council Leader is highly unusual and marks a dramatic change in attitude amongst several members of the ruling group. It's clear that there's disatisfaction in the ranks with the leadership. With the ruling group and opposition already tightly balanced, it looks as if the days of votes on Ceredigion Council being a foregone conclusion are over.

Dire Warning for Future Council Finances

Ceredigion Councillors have been given a dire warning about the prospects for local government finances in the next few years when the repayment of debts caused by the government bailout of banks will hit the public sector harder than anything in living memory.

A report by Council Officers on a presentation at the recent Welsh Local Government Association Conference quoted the economist Will Hutton when he said,
“There is a problem hanging over British politics so big and so ugly that no party wants to acknowledge it, far less discuss it: how far do we cut spending and how high do we raise taxes?”

The Institute of Fiscal Studies has estimated that public services will lose an estimated £45 billion from 2011-14. Individual Councils could lose £60 million. Councillors were told, “We’re not living in the real world if we claim that all these problems can be solved by greater efficiency. 80% of Local Authority funding is in education and social care. Just cutting the other 20% will not provide the answers”.

Torfaen Council’s Chief Executive has said, “There simply will not be enough money for local authorities to keep doing what they have been doing up until now”. It's thought that 2000 jobs could be lost in the public sector in Wales. The particular problem for Ceredigion is that the formulas for allocating finances are population-centric.

The presentation was watched keenly by councillors of all persuasions. Although Ceredigion Council is currently run by a coalition of Independents and Lib Dems, the serious financial shortfall will have to be managed by whoever is running Ceredigion from 2011. The next Council elections are due in 2012. Plaid Cymru, who are the largest group on the Council and have only two councillors less than the ruling coalition, are strongly fancied to take over then after building up their councillor base for many years.

In looking for ways to tackle the crisis, Rhodri Morgan, Leader of the National Assembly, has (quite rightly in my view) ruled out local government re-organisation, saying that this would be a distraction. Instead, the emphasis is on Councils finding efficiencies of scale by working together.

Bay Hotel Closes

The Bay Hotel on Aberystwyth Prom has closed its doors for the last time after Brains, the Cardiff-based brewers, abruptly shut the place this week. Brains say the reason for the closure is lack of profit but regulars there find this hard to believe.

Some town centre residents, kept awake at night by drinkers returning home, will be glad to see a late-opening pub close. But, despite having a license to open till 4am, the Bay actually had a reputation as the most trouble-free of the town's late night drinking and dancing venues due to its strict door and behaviour policy. The pub, with a capacity of 650, was an institution amongst the town's student population and the real impact of the closure won't be felt until September when students return from their summer holidays.

The building is owned by Ceredigion Council who leased it to Brains. It is now almost certain to be added to the list of Council buildings in the town being sold.

The Save the Bay / Achub y Bae Facebook group can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=Save+the+Bay+&init=q&sid=d2f6c6a54ece5e7271b09b23809d20c4#/group.php?gid=108815069392

Mentro Lluest Open Day

Mentro Lluest, the organic plant nursery and training centre for people with special needs is holding an open day on Saturday 27th June. The centre is on a 3-acre site near the top of Primrose Hill at Waun Fawr, north of Aberystwyth. It's run as a charity and is a centre of excellence for teaching organic growing and environmental sustainability.

http://www.mentrolluest.org/en/about

Aldi Exhibition Announced

An exhibition (I hesitate to call these things a consultation, though that's what it'll probably be billed as) of plans for a new Aldi supermarket and hotel on Aberystwyth's old Quick Save site in Park Avenue has been announced.

The exhibition will be at the Canolfan Morlan on the corner of Queens Road on Wednesday 8th July from 2 - 6pm. Meanwhile a basic version of the plans is on display in the foyer of Aberystwyth Town Hall in Queens Road.

Aldi's labour-saving corporate shelf stacking style can be seen above. Hmmn...

See blog on 17/5/08 for more info.

Welsh Teachers Union opens new HQ in Aberystwyth

The Welsh Teaching Union UCAC officially opened their new offices at the foot of Penglais Hill in Aberystwyth today in front of an invited audience of 60 people.

UCAC - Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru - were previously housed at Pen Roc opposite Aberystwyth Pier. Their new venue, known as Havelock Villa, was once a residential home but had been converted into flats and had severely deteriorated, creating an eyesore on this entranceway to Aberystwyth. UCAC’s tasteful refurbishment has restored the house to its former glory.

UCAC: http://www.athrawon.com/Main/Default.aspx

Something for Ceredigion to be proud of

A snippet from the Euro-election result and something for us to be proud of here - at just 2.72% Ceredigion had the lowest percentage of BNP voters in Wales. I haven't got the figures for the UK but suspect we may well be the lowest, or almost, there as well. Ceredigion also had the second lowest UKIP vote in Wales.

Aberystwyth included in new UN Biosphere

Aberystwyth has been included in the new United Nations 'Biosphere' centred around the Dyfi Valley, it was announced yesterday by Assembly Environment Minister Jane Davidson in Machynlleth.

The Biosffer Dyfi/Dyfi Biosphere ranks alongside a total of 531 sites across 105 different countries including, somewhat improbably, the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, Niagara Falls in Canada and Mount Olympus in Greece.

Biosphere Reserves are areas designated under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme to serve as places for experimenting with and learning about different approaches to environmental sustainability. The communities that live in the area, including their culture and economy, are considered integral to this.

Although not part of the core Biosphere area, Aberystwyth is included as part of the 'Transition Zone' after a consultation exercise last year found widespread support for the idea. The precise benefits of the status are still unclear. However, it will almost certainly result in increased grant funding for projects and developments that make a contribution to environmental sustainability. Over time this could add real substance to the area's green reputation.

A map of the Dyfi Biosphere can be seen here:
http://www.biosfferdyfi.org.uk/u/File/Zonation%20Map%20Biosffer%20Dyfi%20Biosphere%20Dec%202008.pdf

More details here: http://www.biosfferdyfi.org.uk/

Euro-election results - Plaid on top in Ceredigion as Tories win across Wales

Wales Result - top four elected
1/ Ceidwadwyr/Conservative 145,193 (21.2% - up 1.8%)
2/ Llafur/Labour 138,852 (20.3% - down 12.2%)
3/ Plaid Cymru 126,702 (18.5% - up 1.1%)
4/ UKIP 87,585 (12.8% - up 2.3%)
5/ Dem Rhyd/Lib Dems 73,082 (10.7% - up 0.2%)
6/ Gwyrdd/Green 38,160 (5.6% - up 2%)
7/ BNP 37,114 (5.4% - up 2.5%)
8/ Christian Party 13,037 (1.9%)
9/ Socialist Labour 12,402 (1.8%)
10/ No2EU 8,600 (1.3%)
11/ Jury Party 3,793 (0.6%)

The top four parties will send MEPs to Brussels. Our new Euro-MPs are:
Kay Swinburne (Ceidwadwyr/Conservative)
Derek Vaughan (Llafur/Labour)
Jill Evans (Plaid Cymru)
John Bufton (UKIP)

Jill Evans is the only sitting MEP to stay on.

This is the first time the Tories have ever won in Wales and the first time Labour haven't won a Wales-wide election since 1918. It's the first time UKIP have had any representation in Wales at all.

The Ceredigion section of the result went like this (top six only - diolch i blog Penri James):
1/ Plaid Cymru 6,725
2/ Liberal Democrats 3,642
3/ Conservative 2,869
4/ UKIP 1,755
5/ Green 1,481
6/ Labour 1,329

Plaid's big lead here will give them a major boost as a General Election approaches. On this showing, albeit with a relatively small turnout, the Conservatives look to be challenging the Lib Dems for second place. The Greens will be delighted to have beaten Labour.

A press release from Elin Jones, Plaid's AM for Ceredigion, said,

"This is a very strong result for Plaid Cymru in Ceredigion and the party is now in pole position to recapture Ceredigion at the forthcoming General Election – especially since we polled nearly twice the votes the Lib Dems received. Nationally, Plaid Cymru’s vote increased by one per cent and I congratulate Jill Evans on her re-election as MEP. I'm now looking forward to co-operating with Jill so that she can continue her work on a European level on behalf of Ceredigion voters, which includes campaigning against the introduction of electronic tagging, improving the rights of workers, tackling climate change and ensuring a viable future for the fishing industry”.

Nant y Moch Windfarm Plans Launched

A series of public exhibitions will be held later this month to give people in the area a chance to look at proposals for a major new windfarm in the Cambrian Mountains between Talybont and Nant y Moch.

The developers, Airtricity, the renewable energy division of Scottish & Southern Electricity, are hoping to apply for planning permission early next year. Because of the size of the proposals (60-80 turbines), the decision will ultimately be made by the Westminster government's Department of Energy and Climate Change rather than Ceredigion and Powys Councils, as would be the case with a smaller development. However Councils, including local Community Councils, will be consulted.

The developers say the windfarm would provide enough electricity for 65,000 homes, i.e. roughly twice the number of homes in Ceredigion. The proposal is bound to be controversial, not least among environmentalists, who are split down the middle on the windfarms issue.

The exhibitions, with project officials present for questioning, will be at:
Ysgol Syr John Rhys, Ponterwyd, on 16 June 5-8pm
Y Plas, Machynlleth on 17 June 11am-2pm
Ystafell Haearn, Ffwrnais / Iron Room, Furnace, on 17 June 5-8pm
Neuadd Penrhyn-coch, on 18 June 2-8pm
Neuadd Goffa Talybont, 19 June 2-8pm

More details of the plans (from the developers' point of view) can be found at: http://www.nantymochwindfarm.com/home.html

Vote Plaid in Euros urges Monbiot

George Monbiot, one of the UK's most respected environmentalists, has today urged people in Wales to vote for Plaid Cymru and Jill Evans (pictured) in tomorrow's European Elections.

Writing in the Guardian about voting choices for green-minded people, Monbiot, who lives in Machynlleth, says,

"Living in Wales, the choice isn't hard for me. Plaid Cymru, in its present incarnation, is a green, progressive, effective political force. I see little point in splitting the vote between parties with politics like mine, and while the Green candidates appear to be likeable people, they are always going to be playing catch-up here."

Meanwhile, in a further endorsement by the green movement, the lobby group Protecting Animals in Democracy have given Jill Evans, Plaid's sitting Euro MP, top marks in her voting record on animal rights in the European Parliament.

The group says,

"Congratulations and thanks to Jill Evans, PC's MEP in Wales, for scoring a perfect +15 in her votes on animal experimentation. It might be worth considering voting for them in Wales for tactical reasons as the best party with a good chance of winning a seat."

The scores given to all parties are listed here. They were judged on their voting record in the European Parliament using a range of scores between -15 and +15:

Plaid Cymru +15

Greens +15

Labour +7.95

Lib Dems +3.55

UKIP +1.38

SNP -6.5

Conservatives -13.07

George Monbiot article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/jun/03/george-monbiot-european-elections

Protecting Animals in Democracy: http://www.vote4animals.org.uk/euroelection2009.htm