Peter
Lynn at European Parliament (12 November 2008)
Peter Lynn and Rupert Read in Brussels
Colchester's Peter Lynn travelled to Brussels yesterday at the invitation
of Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas, leader of the England and Wales Green Party.
Peter toured the European Parliament, received briefings from MEPs and their expert
advisers, and took part in a conference on climate justice. The conference also
featured Lord Stern, author of the influential Stern Review on the economics of
climate change, and Gunilla Carlsson, Swedish Development Minister. Peter
was accompanied by fellow Green Party Eastern Region candidate, Cllr Rupert Read
from Norwich, along with the party's top candidates from other regions. The aim
of the day was to prepare the Green candidates to take up office should they be
successful at the European elections that will take place on 4th June 2009. Peter
said, "It is an indication of the commitment of Green Party candidates that we
all made this trip at our own expense. We want to be ready to become MEPs and,
if elected, to be able to make a difference from day one. Our current Green Party
MEPs do a fantastic job and are amongst the most hard-working of all MEPs. We
hope to add to the number of Green MEPs next June, especially here in Eastern
Region." Peter continued, "I am honoured to be the only European Parliament
candidate - of any party - from Colchester. I hope that local people will want
to be represented by someone who knows and understands this part of the region." Birch
and Winstree By-Election (7 November 2008)Nominations closed today for
the Colchester Borough Council by-election for Birch and Winstree Ward, caused
by the death of Mayor Peter Crowe. The Green Party candidate for the by-election,
to be held on 4th December, is Kathy Bamforth. Kathy is head of the learning support
department at a school in Colchester and has lived in the Colchester area for
more than 25 years. We are encouraging all residents of the ward to vote
for Kathy for a more sustainable future. The ward includes Layer-de-la-Haye, Birch,
Layer Marney, Layer Breton, Messing, Inworth, Salcott, Virley, Little Wigborough
and part of Tiptree. Incinerator Objections (28 October 2008)Colchester
and District Green Party has objected strongly against the planning application
for an incinerator at Rivenhall Airfield. Though the site is just over the border
in Braintree District, it is clear that Colchester residents would be badly affected
by the proposed incinerator. The application is for a massive incinerator
that would be able to burn more domestic waste than is currently produced in the
whole of Essex. It would cover a large area of woodland and open fields and would
blot the landscape with a gigantic 35 metre chimney. Human health would be at
risk from the pollutants emitted from the chimney, both through direct contact
and through the effects on local crops and lifestock. These risks are even admitted
by the applicants! To feed the incinerator hundreds of lorries would bring
waste every day from all parts of Essex and possibly even beyond, bringing extra
danger to our roads, causing considerable carbon emissions, and clogging the country
lanes around Rivenhall. And on top of that the whole area would be a massive construction
site, with regular evening and weekend work for at least two years. We
also argued that the application breaches several existing planning policies including
many in the Braintree Local Plan, Essex Waste Plan, East of England Plan and National
Planning Policies. We simply do not need incinerators. Nor should waste
facilities be on this scale. Waste can be processed locally in each district in
Essex, reducing the need for transportation and providing local jobs. More
Recycling Thanks to Greens (20 October 2008) Colchester Borough Council
have today agreed to Green Party requests to extend doorstep recycling to residents
of Belgrave Place. Belgrave Place is a mixed development of houses and flats but
like many "non-standard" areas has been excluded from recycling collections.
This week the houses will be provided with their own green bins and recycling
sacks, while communal recycling bins will soon be installed for the flats. 20mph
Review Urged (11 September 2008) | The
Green Party's Peter Lynn has urged Colchester Borough Council to review the merits
of extending 20mph speed limits in the town's urban areas. The Green Party has
been pushing for some time for 20mph limits to be the default in residential areas,
but to | | no avail. This is despite clear evidence that
such limits reduce accident casualties, particularly amongst children, as well
as encouraging more people to walk or cycle. Last night's Cabinet meeting finally
agreed to carry out a review. |
Council Hypocritical on Tackling
Climate Change (10 September 2008)Colchester Borough Council is being
hypocritical with regard to tackling dangerous climate change. Earlier this year
it adopted a strategy to implement the Local Authority Carbon Management (LACM)
programme. This strategy included a number of projects designed to reduce carbon
emissions from council buildings and council vehicles. Now, tonight's Cabinet
meeting has decided to defer spending on these projects without giving any indication
of when the projects will go ahead. This is despite having £420,000 unallocated
in their budget. The meeting failed to identify how that money should be spent. The
negative impacts of climate change depend upon the cumulated amount of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere, not the level of emissions at any one time. This means
that the sooner the LACM projects start, the greater their beneficial impact will
be. So the projects are better value for money if started sooner. Additionally,
they will save the council money in the longer term through reduced energy bills:
£142,000 per year according to the Council's own estimates. In response
to questioning at the meeting by the Green Party's Peter Lynn, the Portfolio holder
for Resources and Business stated that "LACM will be activated by this council"
and that "we are fully committed to the scheme." If that is true, then they must
get these projects underway as soon as possible. How can the Council expect to
persuade others to reduce carbon emissions if they do not even prioritise putting
their own house in order? Green New Deal Launched (6 September 2008)The
country is currently facing a triple-whammy of financial crisis, climate change
and soaring energy prices. Today at Green Party conference a visionary new scheme
to tackle these problems was launched - the Green
New Deal. The Green New Deal includes a range of costed measures including
public investment in green-collar jobs in areas including renewable energy and
a programme of free insulation for every home in Britain. Between them, these
measures would create jobs, cut fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.
Green Party leader Caroline Lucas said "Just three companies - BP, Centrica,
and Shell - together made £1000 profit every second over the first 6 months of
this year. These corporations are robbing from the poor to give to the rich and
they know it. And it's about time they learned that in a progressive democracy,
there is no place for robber barons. We need a Green New Deal in response." Colchester
Greens at National Conference (5 September 2008)Eight members of Colchester
and District Green Party are attending the National Green Party conference, which
begins today in London. The Colchester members are involved in a number
of fringe meetings as well as presenting policy motions. Cllr. Maria Iacovou is
presenting a motion on Citizens' Income while Cllr. Chris Fox is presenting a
motion to enhance the party's anti-racism policies. Peter Lynn is attending a
meeting of MEPs and European Parliament Candidates to discuss next year's Euro
elections. Church Walk (5 September 2008)The Green Party's Peter
Lynn last night supported local residents at a meeting of Colchester Borough Council
Planning Committee. The residents were concerned about an application to turn
the old Café Appetite site at 17-19 Church Walk into an internet café.
While we do not object in principle to the idea of an internet café, the application
included permission for the sale of alcohol and late opening hours. Additionally,
there was no provision for smokers, causing concern that people would congregate
in the narrow street. The Committee agreed to defer a decision until a revised
application was received with additional information. Need to Reduce Environmental
Impact of Development (2 September 2008)The Green Party is concerned that
the development of the Queen Street area may not come up to the high environmental
standards that were promised by the developers in their bid to win the contract.
The terms agreed last night by the Borough Council's Cabinet to proceed
with commissioning the development specify only "at least 10% renewable energy
sources" and do not specify adherence to the highest standards of sustainable
construction - standards which are being met by many other developments around
the country. We have informed the Council of our concerns and await their response. Bus
Station Latest (1 September 2008)The Green Party's Peter Lynn tonight
reminded Colchester Borough Council's Cabinet of the importance of high quality
public transport, both for residents of the borough and for the vitality of the
town centre. Peter's comments were made during discussion at the Cabinet
meeting of the terms under which development of the Queen Street "Cultural
Quarter" should proceed. Current plans would see the existing bus station
closed no later than 2012, leaving little time to find and develop an alternative
site. Peter implored the Cabinet to ensure that a satisfactory replacement bus
station is in place and functioning before the current bus station is taken out
of commission. Improvements to Hythe Station (29 August 2008)The
next stage of plans to improve Hythe Station has been finalised. Passenger safety
should be improved by the removal of the existing station building and other structures
that provide places to hide. A new attractive entrance will be built, along with
transparent shelters and, in due course, bicycle parking and new bus stops alongside
the station. When the current platform extension programme is completed, it is
hoped that regular trains to and from London will stop at Hythe, providing a much
needed rail service for people who live or work in the Hythe and Greenstead areas. Devon
Example for Essex (4 July 2008)Work is beginning on the Fullabrook Down
wind farm in North Devon, following the Green Party's key role at a Public Inquiry
to decide whether the construction could go ahead. Green Party members carried
out their own research into the local impacts of the turbines and the Government
Inspector agreed that the overall impacts would be beneficial. Hopefully this
will serve as a good precedent that will be followed in Essex, including for the
proposed Earl's Hall wind farm near Clacton. Colchester ArtCafé (28 June
2008)The Green Party is promoting Colchester ArtCafé, a social enterprise
that provides work and life skills training for adults with learning disabilities
and is also a great place to eat tasty home-made food at a very reasonable price.
Vegetarians are well catered for. The ArtCafé is tucked away in Culver
Street East, behind the Natural History Museum. The Dacon Trust, which runs the
ArtCafé, was set up in 1970 and has provided training in horticulture at Great
Tey since the 1980s. Some of the café's ingredients are still grown there.
The trust's current manager, Sally English, was appointed in 2003 and soon realised
that the Great Tey location made it difficult to attract trainees and to bring
the trainees into contact with the public. The new site in Culver Street has been
a revelation, with trainee numbers shooting up and a much broader range of practical
training on offer. The premises opened in April this year, providing both
the café and arts projects for trainees, mainly using recycled materials. Many
of the results are on display or for sale. Next time you're in town, pop in for
a coffee. It's open from 11.30 to 3.15, Monday to Friday. Investment in
Cycling (19 June 2008)The government has recognised the vision of cyclists
in Colchester by awarding the town "Cycling Town" status. This will
bring with it £4.2 million of funding over the next three years for cycling-related
projects. Green Party activists Pam Nelson and Peter Lynn were key players
in putting together the bid for Cycling Town status and in persuading the borough
and county councils to give their crucial support. Today, Pam travelled
to Birmingham with representatives of Colchester Borough Council and Essex County
Council to discuss the town's cycling plans with Cycling England, the body responsible
for administering the Cycling Town scheme. Meanwhile Peter and the other members
of the bid team were at North Station this morning to meet Government Minister
Jim Fitzpatrick MP who announced Colchester's successful bid to the awaiting press.
Cycling Town status has great potential to encourage a shift in Colchester's transport
habits to more sustainable means. Green Party members will remain closely involved
with the project to ensure that it delivers to its promises. Bike Week
(14 June 2008)Colchester Bike Week starts today and Green Party members
are involved in organising and running many of the events that will take place.
Today at the Colchester Young Children's Festival in Castle Park there is a chance
to try riding a range of weird and wonderful bikes including the Goodies' Trandem,
clown bikes, recliner bikes and bikes with trailers. Throughout the week
a series of rides are taking place for people of all ages and abilities - and
there is also a chance to try grass track racing. There is also a more serious
message that, as well as being fun, cycling is a good way to get fit, save money
and reduce carbon emissions. Boost to Recycling (11 June 2008)The
Green Party's Peter Lynn spoke out against Essex County Council's waste strategy
at last night's meeting of Colchester Borough Council's Strategic Overview and
Scrutiny Committee. The meeting was considering the decision of the CBC
portfolio holder to object to the strategy and to move towards withdrawal from
the Private Finance Initiative that would tie all boroughs in Essex into expensive
and counter-productive 25-year contracts to supply waste to private companies.
Peter urged the Committee to support the portfolio holder's decision as this would
pave the way for more effective recycling and would save taxpayers' money. The
committee agreed and decided to confirm the decision. Greens Seek Reassurances
on Air Pollution (22 May 2008)At last night's Cabinet meeting of Colchester
Borough Council, the Green Party's Peter Lynn asked the new administration to
prioritise the reduction of air pollution in the town's two Air Quality Management
Areas (Brook Street and Mersea Road) and to make public their action plan for
doing so. In reply, the leader of the council promised that the Council is committed
to meeting its air quality obligations. We will continue to monitor progress
on this important issue and will do all that we can to push the Council to improve
air quality, especially in these two locations where pollution currently exceeds
legal limits and may cause health problems. Local Election Results (3 May
2008)The local elections on Thursday saw more seats for the Green Party
across England, and a particularly strong vote in the Eastern region. We
celebrated the election of the first ever Green councillor on Cambridge City Council,
Margaret Wright. And the Greens gained three new seats on Norwich City Council,
becoming the second largest party on the council, and taking over from the Lib
Dems as the official opposition. Norwich Greens now hold only two seats fewer
than the ruling Labour group. In Colchester, our vote increased. We took
second place in Castle Ward, we were just 165 votes away from winning in Wivenhoe
and less than 80 votes from second place in New Town Ward. We were hoping to win
seats on the Borough Council this year and were disappointed not to - but we'll
keep on working for a just and sustainable society in every way we can, and of
course we'll keep working to gain representation on the Borough Council. Election
Campaign Launched (3 April 2008)Colchester & District Green Party
today launched their 2008 local election campaign. The launch took place at Café
Appetite in the Town Centre and featured speeches by Caroline
Lucas MEP, the principal speaker of the Green Party of England and Wales,
and Peter Lynn, candidate for Castle ward in Colchester. 
Peter
Lynn and Caroline Lucas MEP in Colchester today Dr. Lucas told local party
members and supporters that the influence of Green Party councillors up and down
the country is increasing rapidly and that she expects Colchester too to soon
have strong Green representatives. Peter Lynn introduced the Green Party
manifesto for Colchester 2008 and explained the party's vision of Colchester as
a vibrant and pleasant town with a good-quality life that is not undermined by
problems of congestion, air pollution, poor maintenance of our surroundings and
poor-quality public transport. A Step Forward for Cycling (31 March 2008)A
consortium of Essex County Council and Colchester Borough Council, in partnership
with several local organisations in Colchester, has today submitted an ambitious
bid for Colchester to receive Cycling Town status. Colchester & District
Green Party, who have been involved in helping to prepare the bid, fully support
the move. Success would result in up to £3 million being spent on cycling infrastructure,
training and promotion over a three year period. This should bring improvements
in health and reductions in congestion and in carbon emissions. Free Insulation
(15 March 2008)Colchester and District Green Party are promoting a new
scheme that entitles older residents to free loft insulation or cavity wall insulation.
Anyone aged over 70 who either owns their home or rents from a private landlord
can apply to have insulation work done for free. The scheme is run by the Borough
Council and applications can be made over the phone. For more details, contact
us. Bad Planning Decisions (13 March 2008)The Green Party have
criticised the decision made last night by Colchester Borough Council's planning
committee to allow the construction of 118 new homes - over three-quarters of
which are flats - on the site of the old Jarmin Road council depot. The Green
Party opposed the planning application on several grounds. Our main objections
were that the infrastructure and access to the site cannot support as many as
118 dwellings and that the 4-storey buildings proposed are out of keeping with
the surroundings. We were also unhappy with the proposals regarding flood-proofing,
cycle parking and cycle access, public transport, and the effects on trees and
verges. We suggested that the developers should pay for a new bus bay that
could serve both the new residents and users of Leisure World, but this was ignored. "No
Demolition" Pledge Now in Writing (13 March 2008)Following yesterday's
promise by the Leader of the Council not to give further consideration to the
demolition of Brook Street homes, we can today confirm that the wording of the
Council's draft Air Quality Action Plan for Brook Street has been changed to reflect
this. The following sentence has been added: '"This option [compulsory purchase
and demolition] was considered... . but after limited consultation with residents
in Brook Street this proposal has been rejected in favour of the positive traffic
management proposals." Greens Win "No Demolition" Pledge
(12 March 2008)
At
tonight's cabinet meeting of Colchester Borough Council, the Green Party's Peter
Lynn asked the Council to promise to rule out demolition as an option for improving
air quality in Brook Street. The response received from cllr. Davidson, the Leader
of the Council, amounted to exactly such a promise. The Council had clearly been
persuaded by the representations made by Peter and Brook Street residents over
the last few days. Residents are relieved that this threat to the future of their
homes has now been removed. Wind Farm Welcomed (1 March 2008) The
Green Party has welcomed the news that permission has been granted for a new wind
farm off the Essex coast, south east of Frinton. The Gunfleet Sands Phase 2 wind
farm will consist of 22 turbines not far from the site of a 30-turbine wind farm
for which permission had already been given. Between them, these two farms
will provide enough power for 120,000 homes at today's levels of consumption and
around 200,000 homes at the consumption levels being predicted for 2020. This
shows that wind energy can make a massive contribution to our energy needs as
well as averting the need to import fuel. Other renewable energy sources
such as tidal and wave power also have enormous potential. The government should
start seriously investing in these. With rapid growth of the renewable energy
sector, coupled with serious energy efficiency measures, we can avert an energy
crisis. But we need governments, both local and national, to have the vision and
commitment to enable this to happen. Council Failing to Reduce Air Pollution
(20 February 2008)Colchester Borough Council have admitted that they are
considering
demolishing houses in Brook Street in order to wriggle out of their obligation
to improve air quality. The Green Party thinks this is outrageous. Levels
of nitrogen dioxide from vehicle emissions in Brook Street have exceeded government
maximums since 1999 and have continued to rise, reaching 150% of the maximum in
2005. Nitrogen dioxide causes breathing difficulties, lung damage and asthma.
Colchester Borough Council has been incredibly complacent in dealing with this.
A report in June 2004 highlighted the need for urgent action in Brook Street.
The council's response was to wait until January 2006 before declaring Brook Street
an Air Quality Management Area and to then take a further eight months to draft
an action plan and another five months consulting on it. The final plan has not
been published. The draft action plan proposed nine direct measures to
improve air quality. Not one of these has been achieved. Progress on these measures
was supposed to be monitored and reported regularly on the council website. Nothing
has appeared. At the same time, the council has ignored its own adopted policy,
the Local Plan, which states clearly that development will not be permitted where
associated vehicle movements are likely to harm local residents by way of air
pollution. Huge numbers of new homes are being built off East Street, East Hill
and Barrack Street, including some now in Brook Street itself. These are hardly
likely to reduce traffic levels in Brook Street. The council must get to
grips with the need to improve air quality by adopting the measures set out in
the draft action plan. These will reduce the number of cars and lorries using
Brook Street. Introduction of a Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) should also be considered.
A LEZ can only be entered by vehicles that meet emissions standards. The council
rejected this in 2006, solely on the grounds of cost. When a council fails
to meet regulations concerning air quality in a residential area, the correct
response is to improve the air quality, not to remove the houses so that it is
no longer a residential area! Colchester Greens off to Berkshire (13 February
2008)Five members of Colchester and District Green Party are attending
Green Party national spring conference, which begins tomorrow in Reading. Over
500 delegates are expected at the conference, which runs until Sunday and features
a range of policy debates, invited speakers, fringe sessions and training sessions. Among
the sessions is a debate on standards in public life, chaired by the Green Party's
Eastern Region lead candidate for the next European Parliament election, Cllr.
Rupert Read, and featuring "the man in the white suit", Martin
Bell. Greens Reveal Empty Homes Scandal (7 February 2008)New
housing developments are sprouting like mushrooms throughout Colchester, but 2,200
homes lie empty according to the council's own figures. This is the fifth highest
number out of 48 local authorities in the Eastern region. The true number is likely
to be even higher as new properties are not counted until they have been empty
for six months and old ones are excluded if they have become unfit for habitation.
The number of empty homes brought back into use last year was a paltry 36. The
Green Party would give priority to the maintenance and improvement of existing
properties before considering any new build. Refurbishing empty homes would
emit less carbon than building new homes and would also preserve green spaces
and enhance local communities. We would press for a dedicated empty homes officer
as part of a comprehensive empty homes strategy. Colchester is facing huge
pressure to build new housing, both in green belt areas around the edges of town
and on many small sites within the town. Some of these sites are much-loved green
and open spaces which, once lost, can never be replaced. We want to make best
use of what we already have, before thinking about losing more land to housing
that few can afford. As Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas says, "Before losing
more open space, squandering energy and plundering the countryside for building
materials, we need to bring every empty home and other vacant buildings into use."
Tesco Criticised over Green Claims (6 February 2008)The East Anglian
Daily Times today reported the Green Party's criticism of Tesco's home delivery
service. Tesco have been promoting the service as a green alternative to driving
to the supermarket. But it has come to light that Wivenhoe customers are having
their orders driven from Tesco's Clacton store - a 30 mile round trip - when their
nearest store is less than two miles away at the Hythe. Customers should
not be misled about the environmental credentials of this service. We recognise
that home delivery services are much valued by many customers, but they should
be given clear information about where the goods are coming from. Farmer's
Market Deserves Support (6 February 2008)The Green Party are encouraging
Wivenhoe residents to support the monthly farmers market in the town. The market
takes places in the William Loveless Hall on the third Saturday of every month
from 9am to noon, but is threatened with closure unless stall holders receive
more custom. The next market is on 16th February. Barn Dance Date
Announced (4 February 2008)Colchester and District Green Party will be
holding a fund-raising barn dance on Saturday 29th March at the Cardinal Bourne
Hall in Priory Street at 8pm. Everyone is welcome. Entry is £4 and people are
asked to bring their own food, drink, plates and glasses. Don't Remove
Standards for Car Parking (31 January 2008)The government is proposing
to scrap the rules which impose maximum limits on the amount of car parking provided
with new developments. Instead, it will be entirely up to planning authorities
to decide how much parking is appropriate. The Green Party generally welcomes
any move to give more decision-making power to local authorities, but we feel
that the national maximum limits have served a very useful purpose since they
were introduced in 2001. They have stimulated investment in sustainable
transport links to new developments, particularly retail and leisure facilities.
Many facilities built in the 1980s and 1990s can only be accessed by car. Such
an approach is no longer accepted. This welcome change has been stimulated by
the current planning policy. We want the national car parking standards to be
retained. Without them, we are less likely to be successful in expanding sustainable
transport or in providing better access to facilities. If you agree, please respond
to the government consultation at http://tinyurl.com/yo93ty.
More Action Needed on Flooding (28 January 2008)
Green
Party spokesperson Peter Lynn has criticised the interim report of the Pitt Review,
the government review of the lessons to be learnt from last year's major floods.
The review was supposed to consider how to minimise the risks of future floods
but instead has concentrated almost entirely on how to improve emergency responses
to a flood. Of the report's 15 recommendations, 13 deal with emergency responses
and the other two are about monitoring water levels and risks. Not one of the
recommendations deal with steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of flooding!
Surely we should be trying to prevent floods, not just thinking about how to mop
up afterwards? This would save a lot of distress and would be more cost-effective.
To prevent flood risks accelerating we must preserve flood plains so that they
can act as natural "sponges". We must minimise development in these
sensitive areas. And we must take seriously the need to minimise climate change
by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At a time when we have just seen
floods and flood alerts in the Colne and Stour valleys, as well as across the
country, we really think that people want to see firmer action from the government.
An End to Plastic Bags? (23 January 2008)Colchester and District
Green Party are supporting the motion being put to Colchester Borough Council
to end the use of plastic bags in the council's own outlets, including museums
and the visitor information centre. However, we think that the move being
proposed does not go far enough. We would like to see the council introducing
a strategy to move towards the complete elimination of disposable plastic bags
from Colchester, beginning by offering retailers incentives to reduce their reliance
on disposable bags. Our approach is supported by Colchester Retailers' Association.
Transition Towns (22 January 2008)A well-attended Green Drinks
session in the Forester's Arms last night featured a talk by David Simpson on
Transition Towns.
Green Drinks takes place on the 21st of every month. It is a simple concept
that involves people interested in green issues meeting up for a beer! The next
Green Drinks will be on 21st February at the Odd One Out in Mersea Road and will
feature a talk by Chris Southall
on green urban living. News Archives
| 
