Newsletter Number Ten. August - September 2006

The SoS Newsletters are produced to keep the communities of Aston Ingham, Aston Crews, Gorsley, Kilcot and Linton informed about the status of the 2 x 56 metre (183ft) Wind-Turbines, each the height of Nelson’s column which Green Amps propose to erect at Withymoor Farm, (grid reference SO:674. 241). We also aim to provide some general information about wind turbines and renewable energy.

The Continuing Story.
Despite Nick Brown’s apparent failure to submit up to date accounts to Companies House, Green Amps seems to have raised its head again. The Forester, 25th August reports that Mr Brown, whose plans had been delayed after a dispute with his bank, has raised the necessary funds by selling part of his business to an American buyer and is now set to proceed with his planning applications. SoS will be monitoring his progress and will report the filing of any planning applications that concern this area.

It is nearly 12 months since Nick Brown called a meeting at Gorsley Village Hall and he still continues to cause anxiety and distress within the local community. Given the news on Green Amps financial problems and the track record of Mr Brown and his various companies, there is much to suggest that, should he succeed in putting up any turbines, he is likely to then turn his attention to other more profitable schemes leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces.

Meanwhile the recent storms caused severe damage to a wind turbine in Siddick, Cumbria resulting in two of the blades breaking away (Daily Mail July 24th). Fortunately no one was injured in this incident but again we question the safety of turbines, particularly as those proposed by Green Amps are as yet untested.

Widening Our Area of Interest
Since our last Newsletter we have met with members of Aston Ingham Parish Council and the Herefordshire Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) to identify current issues that may be of relevance to SoS’s broader and developing objective of, maintaining the essentially rural nature of our communities. With this in mind, the following areas of concern have surfaced so far,

The volume, speed and weight of traffic on some of our rural roads.
Levels of litter and fly-tipping.
The growth of roadside clutter (mainly signs.)
Recognising the significant contribution made by hedgerows and veteran trees to our country-side.

SoS would like to make a positive contribution to one or two issues such as these which our communities believe are important to maintain the essentially rural character of our country-side. Many members of our community are already active in some of these areas with, for example, tireless efforts to collect litter by individuals and organisations such as the W. I. in Aston Ingham. We would like to focus our efforts on those issues that are of concern to you so, if you feel strongly about any of the above suggestions or, want to suggest a different area that you feel we should focus on then please let us know. You can do this by telephone, letter or by leaving a comment on our blog site. Contact details are at the end of this Newsletter. Below is a short article on recent developments that might help us address concerns over traffic, if that is to be one of the areas we look at.

Quiet Lanes
The Department for Transport issued new Regulations on 8 August 2006 which allow local councils to designate ‘Quiet Lanes’ which are defined as: ‘minor rural roads appropriate for shared use by walkers, cyclists, horse riders and other vehicles. The aim of Quiet Lanes is to maintain the character of minor rural roads by seeking to contain rising traffic growth….There are three key elements to a Quiet Lanes scheme: community involvement to encourage a change in user behaviour; area-wide direction signing to discourage through traffic; and a Quiet Lane entry and exit signs to remind drivers that they are entering or leaving a Quiet Lane, a place where they may expect people to be using the whole of the road space for a range of activities.’ The aim is to establish a coherent network of Quiet Lanes for their non-motorised. If traffic calming and traffic management measures are required they should be ‘in keeping with the local environment’.

Might this be an area that SoS could become involved with in suggesting the routes for a network of Quiet Lanes, liaising with the Parish Councils and the County Council and generally helping to co-ordinate activity in this area? Let us know what you think. Our contact details are at the end of this Newsletter.

Renewable Energy Stop Press
The Alternatives investigated by SoS member Chris Tormey.
I promised to inform you about another exciting Solar Panel Company but because the water here has a Clark hardness figure of 8 the company advocates the use of Fernox softening in the water. As the system is plumbed directly into the hot water cylinder I am not happy with this solution because the hot water from the taps will then contain Fernox additives. The only alternative is to change the hot water cylinder to have two coils, one for the hot water and the other for the central heating, increasing the cost and defeating the object of keeping it simple. So, I am looking at three other companies; Powertech Solar Ltd who provide a similar system in their Thermix Plumbing Conversion kit which utilises magnetic water softening so retaining the existing hot water cylinder, they also supply an Air Source Heat Pump range so removing the need for Ground Loops or Boreholes. Worcester, now part of the Bosch Group, who supply the Greenstore Ground Source Heat Pump and Solar Collector in a combined system and, HeatKing Ltd (in conjunction with its sister company Marstair Ltd) which supplies an Air Source Heat Pump system which may be installed indoors or outdoors depending on the system demand. I will report on these in the next issue of the Newsletter.

Calor Gas Village of the Year
We very much enjoyed the opportunity to meet with representatives of the many groups who took part in the Aston Ingham entry to the 2006 Calor Gas Village of the Year Competition. Christine Jones did sterling work in organising us all and we would like to thank her for all her efforts. Perhaps we will have a winning entry in 2007.

The Action Group leading the SoS campaign is chaired by Jane Bradney (01989 750862). Other members are Chris Tormey (01989 720861), Lesley Rackley (01989 720358).
If you are interested in supporting any of the issues raised in this Newsletter or would like to join the group please ring Jane Bradney on 01989 750862. Alternatively visit our blog www.southherefordshiresos.blogspot.com