From the Council:

Stockport Council is encouraging residents and businesses throughout the borough to save money whilst reducing their carbon footprint. The CarbON-CarbOFF initiative has been launched to help everyone in Stockport reduce the amount of carbon they produce, save money by being more energy efficient and become more environmentally friendly. One of the simplest ways to reduce carbon emissions, as well as save money on energy bills, is to get loft and cavity wall insulation. To help all Stockport residents do this, the CarbON-CarbOFF initiative sees the Council team up with the Greater Manchester Energy Saving Trust advice centre to offer loft or cavity wall insulation for a discounted price of £99 – each can cost up to £400. To find out more, residents and businesses can contact the local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512 012 or email eeac@manchester.gov.uk and quote “CabOFF.”

As well as installing cavity wall insulation, other simple measures can also make a difference. If every household in Stockport switched off their appliances, £4,100,000 and 15,000 tonnes of CO2 could be saved in one year. By turning their thermostat down by one degree, the savings would be £4,700,000 and 25,000 tonnes of CO2. And by washing laundry at 30C we would save £1,030,000 and 4,300 tonnes of CO2. For more information on how to reduce carbon emission visit www.stockport.gov.uk/carboff.

For a few weeks we’ve had on-off smells around the north west corner of Gatley (Altrincham Road, Lorna Grove, Dingle Grove, Frances Avenue, Green Walk and other roads in that area).

Before last September when we had those smells, it was always a problem at Longley Lane tip with the green waste. They then built an enclosed building for the green waste on the other side of the site, with odour suppresant, which looked to have cracked the problem.

Pam has been investigating these new odour issues, and the people at Longley Lane tip have been saying that they check for odours daily and as far as they’re aware there haven’t been any.

We’ve now been pointed to a large quantity of agricultural waste dumped earlier in August which may be responsible for the problem.

As the Manchester Evening News reported back on 12th August

A huge pile of agricultural waste dumped in a field is being blamed for a smell blighting large parts of south Manchester.

The unpleasant odour has been noticed in Flixton, Urmston, Didsbury, Altrincham and Stockport since it was first reported in Sale on Tuesday.

By yesterday the smell had reached as far as Heaton Mersey, Stockport. At first investigators suspected a farmer spreading liquid fertiliser or manure.

But last night Environment Agency officials found a huge 30 cubic metre pile of agricultural waste dumped in a field in Carrington near Sale.

Pam and I will continue to monitor the situation, so please let us know if there are more bad smells.

Pam King and I are continuing to look into the smells coming from Longley Lane tip in the last few weeks.

We thought the problem had been cracked last year when a new building was put up to hold green waste, along with odour suppresant sprays.

Right now Viridor Waste, the company that runs the site, are not admitting to any odour problems at any time - well, from my back garden I can spot the problems.

We’ll continue working with the Council and Viridor Waste to solve the issue.

From Stockport Council:

Stockport Council and The Friends of Abney Hall have secured a £10,000 grant from the Big Lottery Fund ‘Awards for All’, to enhance Abney Hall Park.

Some of the exciting improvements to be made over the next year will include new picnic benches, a board walk, interpretation board, new educational material, new ponds and a ‘dipping platform’.

Floating islands will be added to the park’s larger pond to improve vegetation and provide a safe habitat for birds, amphibians and other pond life. Accessibility will also be improved, with some of the park’s paths being resurfaced.

The park’s existing orchard will be expanded with more fruit trees and soft fruit bushes added.

Councillor John Smith, Executive Member for Leisure, at Stockport Council, said: “This is fantastic news and is thanks, in no small part, to the hard work of dedicated members of the community. We look forward to working closely with the Friends of Group throughout the next year to further improve the park for even more people’s enjoyment.”

Jean Goulden from The Friends of Abney Hall, added: “We are delighted to have secured the grant. Abney Hall Park is a great local asset, with unique wildlife and habitat. All of the improvements are aimed at developing the biodiversity, as well as increasing what the park has to offer for the benefit of park users.”

Abney Hall Park was designated a Local Nature Reserve in 2006 and is a Site of Biological Importance, which recognises the importance of the park for wildlife. 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and this project will help towards further improving the natural biodiversity within Abney Hall Park.

For more information visit www.stockport.gov.uk/parks or call 0161 474 4560.

Stockport Council provides over 600 different services to local people and maintains and improves over 150 parks and play areas. For more information visit the Stockport Boost website www.stockport.gov.uk/boost.

We had the good news last night that the Council is in the process of developing a way to tackle fly-posting faster than at present.

Right now fly-posting is dealt with by Planning enforcement (unless it’s on Council property).  Unfortunately, though understandably, it’s low on their priority list with many other enforcement cases to deal with.

The plan is to move the responsibility for sorting out fly-posting to the Area Conditions Officer.   The details are still being worked out, but hopefully the result will be less fly-posting which gets removed faster when it does appear.

Pam’s been down to Broadway following concern from residents after the flooding last Thursday.  It sounds like there’s an issue with the culvert that runs down Wilmslow Road past Broadway and it’s getting worse.

We’re very keen to get this sorted.  The grids are being cleared on Broadway as I write and Pam and I have been, and will continue to be, in touch with Solutions SK and the Council to ensure whatever work needs to be done, is done.

Last night at Cheadle Area Committee we spent some time discussing similar issues relating to a culvert along Ladybridge Road in Cheadle Hulme, which has been an issue for several years and resulting in disagreements between the council and United Utilities as to who’s responsible.  We’re keen to get that one resolved and make sure Broadway gets sorted out a lot quicker.

View Broadway in a larger map

The afternoon of Thursday 12th August saw a week’s rain fall in an hour across south Manchester.

In some places the drains simply couldn’t cope with that volume of rain falling in such a small period, and we saw some flooding and road closures in that afternoon.

The road passing under the railway bridge in Bramhall, which was under a metre of water at one point.  Station Road, by Cheadle Hulme station, was also under several inches of water.

Plenty of people had all sorts of problems getting home on the Thursday evening, some telling me a 10 minute journey turned into a 90 minute slog.

At around 4.30pm that day I was driving back from Cheadle Hulme to Gatley.  I got through before the roads were closed.  I stopped in Cheadle and saw that parts of the Massie Street car park were under a couple of inches of water, with a couple of the shops having water leaking in through the back door.

At the Wilmslow Road end of the High Street there was more water, with both road and pavement covered.

If your property was affected by flooding, the National Flood Forum has  a wealth of advice on what you should do next.

One warning: flooding is often followed by cowboy builders trying to take advantage, telling houseowners that they need various (often expensive) pieces of work to be done.  Be very careful and check the facts - don’t get taken for a ride.

Locally across Stockport councillors were kept informed of the key problems and council workers were out doing everything they could to improve the situation.

From what I saw, it seems to me that the water drained away pretty quickly after the rain stopped.  Certainly by Friday morning I didn’t see much water still around.

I’m interested to know of any places where that didn’t happen and where we still had water causing problems by the Friday morning.

A couple of weeks ago, following a complaint fom a local dentists, I asked the Council to look at the drains in the (now closed for over a year) toilet block in Massie Street car park.   There was an unpleasant smell in the area that needed sorting.

I’ve now been told that the problem has been sorted, with the Council’s drainage team flushing through the dry drains with water and disinfectant - good news.

From the Council:

Stockport has been awarded nine Green Flag Awards and one Green Pennant Award for 2010-11, in recognition of the high standard of its parks and open spaces.

Three parks were entered for the first time and all were successful: Diamond Jubilee Park, North Reddish Park and Shaw Health Park.

The following parks retained their Green Flags: Adswood Park, Brinnington Park, Hallam Gardens, Heaton Norris Park, Oak Meadow and Reddish Vale Country Park.

This brings the total number of sites that are at Green Flag standard across the borough to 20. To be eligible for a Green Flag Award, sites must be freely accessible to the public and meet strict criteria including being safe and secure, clean and well maintained, support conservation and heritage and encourage strong community involvement.

Meanwhile Gatley Carrs was successfully submitted for the Green Pennant Award. The Green Pennant Award recognises high quality green spaces that are managed by voluntary and community groups, in this case Gatley Carrs Conservation Group. For more information on Stockport’s parks visit www.stockport.gov.uk/parks or call 0161 217 6111.

Gatley Carrs - the village’s hidden gem of a nature reserve - has received a Green Pennant award. Mark Hunter, Pam King, Mayor Hazel Lees and I went along for the award ceremony and somehow managed to dodge the rain.

Congratulations to everyone at the Gatley Carrs Conservation Group who’s hard work has turned this former builders’ rubble tip into such a lovely place.

View Gatley Carrs in a larger map

Pam King and I have been working for some time to improve the condition of the alleyway running from Gatley station past Brentwood Drive down to Gatley Road.

First we had fence panels leaning out dangerously - which the Council quickly removed when we let them know (the panels aren’t owned by the Council).

Since then there have been the resulting gaps in the fence and rubbish dumped onto the property behind the fence - not great!

Pam and I have been pursuing a couple of different routes to get the landowner to resolve the situation, via planning enforcement and the area conditions officer.

I’m glad to say that, after inspecting the site, the Council’s Planning Enforcement team have issued the owner of Summerfield Court with a notice to sort out the problem by 31st August:

1. Remove all litter and waste items deposited on the land;
2. Remove from the land all broken fence panels and
3. Replace the broken fence panels with those of a match in height of the existing fence panels.

These NOTES concern a single issue, one that you have probably never heard of - the proposed new EU regulation on reducing CO2 emissions from light commercial vehicles (vans). It’s a matter with which I am closely involved, and it highlights just how difficult it is to get governments to match their visionary words about the future with practical action here and now.

Chris Davies MEP

VANS – THE BATTLE TO RAISE STANDARDS

Even when you think you must be on a sure-fire winner a combination of commercial vested interests and short-sighted politicians can line up to defeat you. But in this case we’re not beaten yet!

The European Commission has proposed a regulation intended to reduce CO2 emissions from new vans and light commercial vehicles by 33% (to 135gCO2/km by 2020). I strongly support this. I’m confident that affordable technology exists to make it possible.

The protests from the vehicle manufacturers began as soon as the draft was published. They claim that they can’t do better than a 20% reduction over the next decade except at disproportionate cost.

Cynics might point out that these same manufacturers opposed measures requiring lead free petrol, catalytic converters, compulsory seat belts, rules for recycling end-of-life vehicles, and reductions in CO2 emissions from passenger cars, yet they comfortably met (or are meeting) the standards once introduced.

With such a track record you might think that the words “Cry Wolf!” would come to mind but alas not. The French and German governments have listened to the manufacturers and are challenging the Commission proposals. Major business organisations like the CBI, Confindustria and Business Europe are also calling for them to be diluted. The European Commission faces a tough fight.

The next round takes place in the European Parliament. The transport and industry committees have already voted, bowing in the direction of the vehicle makers, but it is my environment committee that leads on the issue and we don’t vote till mid-September. The result looks too close to call.

In charge of steering the legislation through the Parliament is North East Conservative MEP Martin Callanan (the rapporteur). His proposals were drawn up before the formation of the UK coalition government and describe the Commission’s 2020 target as “too ambitious.” To be fair, he is helpfully calling for the compulsory introduction of speed limiters on commercial vehicles, set at below 70 mph. (The manufacturers tend to install engines that are much more powerful than they need be; compulsory speed limiters will remove the incentive for this practice, reducing CO2 emissions at a stroke).

When we debated the subject in committee, German voices from the right were loud in attacking the Commission targets, but then found the tables turned when their most senior colleague broke ranks, declared that he was tired of the motor industry always opposing measures of this kind, and said that he knew perfectly well that the changes could be made. (He has been under pressure from colleagues since then to change his mind but I spoke to him last week and he told me that he was sticking to his position, so that should help break the ranks of the opposition).

The Commission’s plans have been taking a kicking. Part of the problem stems from its failure to present the proposals in a way best calculated to win political support.

The economic depression has forced the issue of global warming off the agenda of most politicians just at present; they are much more likely to want to defend jobs than insist that industry reduces CO2 emissions. But what has been missing from the discussion so far is that reducing CO2 and increasing fuel efficiency are one and the same thing. The Commission’s proposals will raise the fuel efficiency of vehicles by 33%. This will make them cheaper to operate and save scarce resources. Any increase in the purchase price should be offset within a couple of years by reductions in fuel costs.

Instead of gloom and more gloom, the Commisssion’s proposals should be regarded as ‘Win, Win, Win.’

This was the approach I took in the committee debate. I argued that far from the measures being a burden on industry they would prove a real benefit to it. They would reduce transport costs for business, promote competitiveness, and encourage innovation amongst vehicle manufacturers without which they will be lucky to survive the coming competitive threat from China.
Governments have been happy to sign up to the so-called EU2020 strategy which seeks to promote all of these things, yet the moment a measure is proposed that will give their words some practical effect they abandon the visionary approach and fall back into defensive mode.

I’ve been lending a helping hand to the Commission and doing some work to try and win backing for the proposals. I’ve managed to secure endorsements from the European Small Business Alliance and from the UK’s Federation of Small Businesses. In the run up to the votes in the European Parliament I shall use these to try and win support from MEPs and overturn the argument that the ‘pro-business’ position is to oppose the measures.

Meanwhile, in the Council of Ministers, the position of the UK government is likely to be crucial. Should it choose to do so, it could prevent the Commission proposals from being overturned. But as yet the coalition government hasn’t got an official position.

As Climate Change Secretary, Chris Huhne will have to represent the UK when the EU environment ministers meet, and I am told he is taking the same line as myself. But within government it is the Department for Transport that leads on the issue, and that is Conservative led. Civil servants there might be sympathetic but, as we have seen, the Conservative position in the European Parliament is less so. I have yet to hear what view is taken by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, but I hope that Business Secretary Vince Cable can be encouraged to throw his weight behind the Commission position.

So that’s where we are as politics moves towards its summer hibernation. It’s frustrating that ‘the vision thing’ is so lacking, but there’s all to play for.

Chris Davies MEP

P.S. I’ve just read that the European Investment Bank has loaned £450m to Ford’s to help it develop a new petrol engine that will produce the same power as current models but will use 20% less fuel – enabling it to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% without downsizing or the use of any of the many technical improvements available on the market. Excellent. But is this the same Ford’s whose representatives told me in my office last week that the Commission’s proposals for 2020 van targets were simple not credible?!

(Chris Davies is the Liberal Democrat MEP for the North West of England)

A while back, Pam and I were chasing up on getting the fly-posting at the corner of Longley Lane and Altrincham Road in Gatley cleared away.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the side of the road with the problem (the north west corner of the junction) is in Manchester, so we just had to pass it over and keep our fingers crossed.

But, credit where it’s due, they’ve got it sorted and everything’s been removed. If only we could get the old, rusting metal bench on the corner sorted too.

From this Friday, 9th July, a hosepipe ban will be in force across the North West (with a few exceptions for some parts of Cumbria).

We won’t be able to use hosepipes or sprinklers, whether for the garden, washing the car or whatever else.

This is, we’re told, in response to the dryest first six months of the year since records began.

Here’s a 3 minute You Tube video from United Utilities putting their case and explaining the ban.

United Utilities are saying that there’s likely to be a hosepipe ban across the North West, including Greater Manchester, unless we get significant rainfall in the next week or so.

Apparently, the first six months of this year have seen the region’s lowest rainfall for over 70 years and the reservoirs are running low.  Some of this shortfall can be made up by diverting water from lakes and rivers, but we’re being told we need to be using less water too.

We’ve had a bit of a rash of advertising signs going up on lamp posts and railings recently.  The Council are aware of it and one of the culprits - Pink Limos - have been spoken to.

If you spot any others, please let Pam or myself know (along with the location).  It’s not legal and makes the villages look messy.

Pam and I always try to keep an eye on graffiti and other street issues around the ward - and it helps even more when people let us know about problems, so please do.

This morning I reported some trees that are overhanging the section of Kingsway on the new cycle route 558 (on the Gatley side, between Foxland Road and Cheadle Royal).  Some are low enough to be a real nuisance for cyclists and pedestrians, so I’ve asked for those to be cut back.

I’ve also asked for another of our regular clean-ups of graffiti on the underpasses beneath the Cheadle Royal roundabout (which, by the way, present a great route to Bruntwood Park by foot or bicycle).

Our council’s Area Conditions Officer, Julie Henshall, has been looking into the mass of signs at the junction of Longley Lane and Altrincham Road on the edge of Gatley.

Unfortunately, that side of the road is in Manchester, not Stockport, so our council officers have no power to act.  It has been passed onto Manchester Council and we can only hope they act.

A few months back I asked the Council to chase United Utilities and get some of their electricity substations cleaned up, as I detailed here.

I was very pleased to hear from the Area Conditions Officer for our area, Julie Henshall, that United Utilities have agreed to tidy up the Frances Street substation in the next 28 days.

We’ve made some progress elsewhere too.  The rubbish on the Foxland Road substation was cleared up; but I still want to see the grass and bushes by the Gatley Station substation better tended on an ongoing basis.

Gatley Carrs Conservation Group invites you to a walk & talk on the nature reserve conducted by Mr P. Wolstenholme (RSPB).

Monday 17th May, assemble in car park at the end of Brookside Road (behind the Horse and Farrier) at 6.30pm.  Duration 1-2 hours.

Everyone welcome.

Coming back home this evening, I noticed the Council have removed the tree stumps outside 20 Torkington Road, 32 Torkington Road and 3 Springfield Road in Gatley (hopefully the one by 6 Barcheston in Cheadle’s also been removed, but I didn’t see it this evening).

This is work Pam King and I decided to fund from our ward budget - to remove the four stumps - which were partially blocking the pavement - and repair the pavement costs around £2,500 (a little over 10% of our budget for the year).

Thanks to Peter Pollard and his team at Stockport Council for doing the work.

Stockport residents can now recycle even more materials at over a hundred different recycling sites across the borough.

Stockport Council has enhanced recycling facilities at supermarkets and local shops to make recycling more materials even easier for residents. Cardboard, newspapers and magazines, drinks cartons, phone books, plastic bottles, glass, cans, aerosols and aluminium foil can now all be recycled at these recycling sites.

The improvements have been made to bring the recycling sites into line with the Council’s household recycling service. Residents can now recycle the same materials at home or when they do their weekly shop making recycling even more convenient. Some residents may notice that the large red skips for recycling plastic bottles have also been removed and now plastic bottles can be recycled in the same containers as glass, cans, aerosols and aluminium foil.

It’s important that residents remember that we cannot take any other types of plastic. Plastic bottles are made from a high-grade plastic and are more easily recycled into new products. Items such as yoghurt pots, carrier bags and plastic food trays are made from lower grade plastic and if they are put into the recycling containers, this may mean that all the recycling is rejected at the factory and could end up in landfill.

For more information about recycling contact the Council’s Environmental Services team on 0161 217 611 or visit www.stockport.gov.uk/waste.

I’ve reported an odd case of fly-tipping at Gatley Station. Several elderly, and heavy, bits of machinery were dumped on the path running alongside the station car park down to Gatley Road, with a further piece dumped through one of the missing fence panels on the path past Brentwood Drive (the second is onto private land, so probably not a great deal the council can do).

I’ve also reported graffiti on the path between Belmont Road and South Park Road that passes under the railway line. In this case, the graffiti is - I think - on Network Rail property so it may be more troublesome to get it removed.

For anyone wanting a nice walk in the sunshine, Gatley Carrs is looking great.  Just been down there with the Cubs on one of the action days.  The bird boxes we made in Cubs are being erected (one’s already in use after less than an hour!).

Many thanks to the Gatley Carrs Conservation Group  forhosting us.

Area Committees are this week considering a Lib Dem proposal to help with street cleaning.

Some roads are so full of cars that they almost never get a proper clean, no matter how often sweepers are sent round.

Under this plan, the Council might say, for example, that a road will be  cleaned on the first Tuesday of each month.  Leaflets would be delivered to remind residents and signs put up on lampposts.

A traffic order would be in place, making it illegal for vehicles to park on the road for that day (or perhaps just for a couple of hours).  Tickets could be handed out if needed.

The road would then be cleaned at that time (possibly it could be co-ordinated with gully cleaning too).

This seems to me like a sensible approach for the relatively small number of roads where it’s currently a real problem.

Coming to Cheadle Area Committee next Tuesday is a proposal Pam King and I have been working on for a little while - to use our local budget to remove some of the tree stumps that are currently obstructing and damaging the pavements.

These come from trees planted decades ago, when presumably no-one realised what would happen after years of growth.

The proposal is to remove the stumps (two on Torkington Road in Gatley, one on Springfield Road, Gatley and one on Barcheston Road, Cheadle), and to tarmac properly over the area.

The cost of doing this for the four stumps is estimated at £2,500.

A new phase of the Stockport Boost campaign is being launched this month and will show how the Council helps local residents with over 600 value-for-money services.

Over the next few months the Council will be letting residents know about the broad range of services they provide and how they can get in touch to make the most of what’s on offer.

Stockport people are helping by putting their faces to some of the key services that make Stockport a good place to live. Improving parks, play areas, roads and footpaths, supporting businesses, young people, the vulnerable and older people, are just some of the services that residents will be promoting across the borough.

Look out for more information on the Council website, on posters and in the local media. To find out more visit: www.stockport.gov.uk/stockportboost.

Stockport Council will be showing its support for Earth Hour by switching off the Town Hall’s exterior lights for one hour.

Earth Hour 2010 will be held on Saturday 27th March, between 8.30pm and 9.30pm. It has been organised by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) who are asking households and businesses all over the world to turn off all non-essential lights and appliances during this hour to raise awareness of climate change.

In support of this, Stockport Council will be turning off the external spotlights on the Town Hall and is also asking its employees and residents to take part in the initiative by switching off their lights at home for one hour.

The Council is also supporting the 10:10 campaign this year which aims to get organisations and individuals to reduce their carbon foot print by 10% in 2010.

For further information about the Earth Hour initiative go to http://earthhour.wwf.org.uk/

For more information about the 10:10 campaign visit www.1010uk.org

Just reported graffiti in Gatley Rec on the skateboard park, the old toilet block and some of the furniture in the playground.

Good news - the swings have been put back in Gatley Rec too.

OK, I’ll try not to get too excited about a sign, but it’s one I asked for way back in September or October and it’s taken a while (some problem with the wrong fittings first time around, I think).

Anyway, it’s now here - a sign asking people not to walk their dogs inside the Scholes Field running track.

The track, used by Manchester Harriers and Athletics Club, was fenced to stop people on quad bikes tearing up the track.  But there’s still a problem with dog walkers and dog mess (especially as dogs are often let off the lead).

I don’t think anyone wants kids in the long jump sandpit landing on dog mess, or sliding on it on the football pitch in the centre of the running track.

I’m sure most dog walkers will take note of the sign; but bringing in the wardens is an option if it remains a problem.

I’ve reported drums dumped in Brookfield Park, near the swimming baths, which may have led to a blue liquid leaking into the brook.

If anyone comes across something leaking into a watercourse (river, stream, etc.), please let the environment agency know right away.

The Environment Agency has a duty to investigate any potential pollution incident in any watercourse. The EA incident hotline number is 0800 80 70 60.

Thanks to Andrew Taylor for letting me know about the incident.

Update: The pollution in Micker Brook actually came from premises in Hazel Grove and travelled down from there.  The drums  appear to be unrelated to the pollution.

Our Area Conditions Officer, Julie, has confirmed to me that the most recent batch of tyres dumped on Gatley Hill will be cleared away shortly.

We want to identify the culprits behind this illegal dumping, so please get in touch if you’ve any information.

Something in the national news to give us some hope in Cheadle & Gatley: the BBC reports an insect is being released which kills knotweek.

A tiny Japanese insect that could help the fight against an aggressive superweed has been given the go-ahead for a trial release in England.

Since Japanese knotweed was introduced to the UK it has rapidly spread, and the plant currently costs over £150m a year to control and clear.

But scientists say a natural predator in the weed’s native home of Japan could also help to control it here.

Wildlife Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said: “These tiny insects, which naturally prey on Japanese Knotweed, will help free local authorities and industry from the huge cost of treating and killing this devastating plant.”

Knotweed is currently holding up (and inflating the price) for adopting Ashfield Road and putting proper parking restrictions in place, and it’s an ongoing issue elsewhere in Gatley and Cheadle.

Because it grows so vigorously, from a piece as small as a fingernail, and can push through concrete, clearing it away is time consuming and expensive.

For quite a while the fence alongside the alleyway from Gatley Station to Gatley Road (passing the end of Brentwood Drive) has been falling into disrepair.  At the Gatley Road end, a couple of panels have been missing for ages; at the station end a couple of panels were bending inwards.

I’ve been trying to get it sorted out for a while.  The sticking point seems to be the ownership of the fences.  They’re the responsibility of the landowner to sort out, but we didn’t know who the owner was and it’s hardly fair to saddle taxpayers with the cost.

A couple of days ago, I was told by the Council that they’d tracked down the owners via a land search.  That means the Council can serve 14 days notice for problems to be sorted - if not, the Council do the work and charge the owner, recovering the costs through the courts if necessary.

But then I was told the fence had partially collapsed.  I went over to look and saw two panels had fallen into the path and were mostly blocking it.

On this one, the Council’s Rights of Way people were very helpful.  Within a few hours, the fence panels had been removed from the path, making the alley passable again.  We still need to get the landowner to sort it out properly

I’ve had reports of an increased problem with dog mess on Greenbank Road, Gatley - probably not helped by the road being used as parking for the vetinary surgery on the corner.

Dog mess is a difficult problem to solve, but we need to do our best to keep on top of it.  It isn’t acceptable for owners to let their dogs foul in private gardens, or not to cleanup after them.

Enforcement normally comes down to getting the dog wardens to visit the area more regularly, hopefully warn a few people or even hand out fines, and get the message across.

I’ve ask the Council to get the dog wardens visiting Greenbank Road more often and I’ll be chasing this up.

For this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight Stockport Council is asking all employees to join in with ‘The Big Swap’.

For two whole weeks the Council will be asking staff to swap their usual products for Fairtrade products. This could mean swapping their usual bananas for Fairtrade bananas, their usual cotton socks for Fairtrade cotton socks, and their usual cuppa for a Fairtrade cuppa.

This means that every time you go shopping, you can use your wallet to make a stand. The Fairtrade Foundation is hoping that over one million swaps will be made over the course of the fortnight.

For more information on how you can help please visit the The Big Swap.

Regular readers will know that I’ve put a fair amount of time into sorting out the flooding/pooling issues around Cheadle & Gatley since my election in September.  I think it’s going pretty well.

Over the last few months, several serious and, in some cases, longstanding problems have been fixed including Gatley Green, Longley Lane, Styal Road (by Church Road), outside Hewitt’s on Gatley Road and opposite the exit to Gatley Medical Centre  on Old Hall Road.

I’ve been targetting those places where there’s a problem first (i.e. not just blocked grids, but blocked grids causing regular problems with pooling or flooding).

I’ve now been assured that the following, all of which I raised with the Council, are either already cleared (in one or two cases) or will be cleared soon:

• Bottom of West Drive, Gatley
• Corner of Oakwood Avenue and Gatley Road, by railway bridge
• Outside 40 Altrincham Road
• Opposite BP garage on Stockport Road, Cheadle
• Between Oak Road and Manchester Road on Stockport Road, Cheadle
• Bottom of Schools Hill, Cheadle

The corner of Kingsway and Gatley Road is also being looked at.  This has been cleared more than once in the recent past and keeps on coming back, suggesting there’s a more serious problem that needs attention.

This is from Chris Davies’ regular email about what’s going on in Brussels and the European Union.

LIB DEM NOTES FROM BRUSSELS

12 February 2010

 The EU is looking pretty chaotic and ramshackle at the moment, but I am writing this having just come from an exciting exchange and historic vote in the European Parliament so I’m not feeling too bad.

Before I explain more let me just say that if any Liberal Democrat supporters will have time to help during the General Election campaign, and are not living in one of our target seats, please do read the last item of these ‘Notes’.

Chris Davies MEP

A LITTLE MOMENT OF HISTORY

The issue was the so-called SWIFT agreement between the EU governments and the USA.  (If this sounds dull stay with me for another paragraph or two).

Initially made on a ‘temporary’ basis, it has given the American authorities access to the confidential bank records of millions of European citizens.  Allegedly it helps identify transactions that might suggest terrorist sources of funding.  But it’s outrageously one-sided – the Americans have been able to see our details but not the other way around.   Critics of the agreement say that it does not provide proper protection for personal privacy, has done nothing in practice to combat terrorism, and that the information can be accessed anyway if selectively requested, just not on a general basis.  

The lobbying to persuade MEPs to support it has been intense, with letters from Hillary Clinton and pleas from the Commission and the Council, although not all governments (Sweden for example) agree with it. 

The Council, represented by Spain at present, got off to a bad start a month ago when they forgot that the new Lisbon Treaty gives the European Parliament a veto right over international treaties and failed to get the documents prepared in time.  They have been struggling to regain authority ever since.

Last Thursday the huge semi-circular Parliament chamber in Strasbourg was packed for the lunchtime votes.  Fourth on the list was a single recommendation to reject the agreement tabled by my Dutch Liberal (VVD) colleague, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, who has been in charge of the brief.  

The President (Speaker) invited the leader of the right-of-centre group, Joseph Daul, to move a motion of postponement.  Daul stood up and argued that the Council had promised speedy action to address the concerns so we should cooperate by giving them more time.  One half of the chamber applauded vigorously while the other half stayed quiet.  The sound effect seemed to split the room in two.  I noticed a few British Labour MEPs toeing the British government line by making clapping motions amidst their silent colleagues, but not many. 

The leader of the British Tories, Timothy Kirkhope, got up to second the postponement, and the House again responded with claps on one side and silence on the other.

Jeanine got to her feet three spaces along the row from me and opposed the motion.  Her party is to the right-of-centre but not on this issue.  The Council had broken its promises time and again, she said, had shown no good faith, and had done nothing to address concerns about individual privacy.  She finished with a killer sentence (I paraphrase):  “We all know that if the President of the United States were to submit an agreement of this kind to Congress, one that gave details of American citizens to Europeans but not the other way around, it would be rejected OUT OF HAND.”  This time our side of the House erupted with applause, and it was the turn of the right-of-centre to stay silent.

Cecilia Malmstrom rose from the European Commission bench.  I have known her since my first day in the Parliament when she was elected as a young Swedish Liberal alongside me in 1999.  As an MEP she was a great champion for issues of liberty.  When Liberals joined the new right-of-centre government in Sweden three years ago she was appointed European Minister, and a couple of days ago she was confirmed as the new Swedish Commissioner, so she has worn all three EU hats.  She informed the House of the official Commission position of support for the postponement.

The leader of the Socialists and Democrats, Martin Schulz, stood up on a point of order.  “Is this REALLY a point of order?” queried the President.  “I just wanted to ask the Commissioner,” said Martin innocently, “how her personal position had changed since a few weeks ago when she stood here as a Swedish Minister and opposed the agreement?”  The House burst into laughter.  A huge grin spread over Cecilia’s face.  She didn’t get up but just gestured to the President, “how can I answer that?!” 

The motion to postpone was put to a vote.  The result came up on the giant display screen: lost by 15.  The Liberal and Left burst into cheers.

The President took the main vote.  With the ‘compromise’ now off the agenda MEPs voted by a big majority, 378 to 196, to reject the agreement. 

The European Parliament had stood up for individual rights and for the first time ever had rejected an international treaty.  Around me there was great excitement, and half the House rose to applaud Jeanine in a standing ovation.

If you haven’t heard much about what would normally have been expected to be a major news story there is a simple explanation.  The Parliament was meeting in Strasbourg, while every journalist covering European affairs was in Brussels to follow the meeting of Prime Ministers as they considered the fate of Greece and the euro.

But behind the scenes, the governments of Europe know now that they can no longer take the European Parliament for granted.  Adoption of the Lisbon Treaty has moved the goalposts.

SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS

Votes in Parliament have allowed me not to spend too much time contemplating the depressing bigger European picture.  There are the problems of Greek indebtedness and the need to protect the euro - highlighting the fundamental dilemma of having a common currency without a common fiscal strategy. 

Then there is petty squabbling between EU prime ministers and presidents (we have SO many office holders all competing for attention), illustrated most of all in Copenhagen and greatly weakening the EU’s negotiating position on climate change, but now shown up by the summit planned for Madrid that seems to have nothing on the agenda and that has been spurned by Barack Obama. 

Meanwhile, the Lisbon Agenda was supposed to drive our economies forward, but hasn’t, while the Lisbon Treaty was supposed to make the EU more coherent, but isn’t.  The economies of a host of European countries (including Britain’s) are in a mess, no-one is sure how to drive forward the so-called ‘green’ economy, we don’t know to handle China, and our ability to meet our targets and deliver on promises seems very poor indeed.

Oh well, nothing is perfect! 

 
THE UKIP VIEW

Nigel Farage, leader of the UKIP MEPs, made his own contribution to Europe’s future last Tuesday, just before the vote to confirm the new European Commission in office.

“I have a dream,” he told the House (I paraphrase heavily!).  “In my dream the people of many communist dictatorships overthrow their rulers and join a great liberal democracy called the European Union.” 

At this point he was interrupted when nine tenths of the House burst into loud and sustained and ironic applause.  We all know Nigel and the way he denounces the EU at every opportunity; this was too good an opportunity to miss.  He stood with a smile on his face, enjoying the moment, waiting for the sound eventually to die down.

“And then I woke up,” he said.  “And the dream had become a real life nightmare.  And the people found themselves living in a European Union that was just as dictatorial as the Soviet Union.   And the only way they could restore their rights was to resort to violence.”

Ah Nigel, always so positive.  If only he dreamed more.

FISHY TALES

On a truly positive note I am pleased to report that the European Parliament has called for the international trade in blue fin tuna (BFT) to be banned.

BFT is the most expensive fish in the world, and each one can be sold for tens of thousands of euros, mostly to serve the Japanese sushi market.  With so much money at stake it should be no surprise that organised crime and the mafia are involved in the trade, and that restrictions on catches have been blatantly ignored.  Stocks of the Mediterranean fish are now critically endangered.

Proposals to ban the international trade are hotly contested, with governments around the Mediterranean mostly bowing to the short term desires of fishermen to keep catching in defiance of the scientific advice.  The same sentiments are reflected amongst MEPs, so although in this case the Parliament has no say over the final negotiations it was hugely encouraging to see MEPs back the call for a ban by a large majority.  Encouraging, that is, not only for the survival of blue fin tuna but also for the prospect of securing ambitious reforms to the common fisheries policy in a process that will start later this year.

Maybe people are getting the message at last.  If there are no fish left, there will be no jobs for fishermen.  

LATEST ON THE CLIMATE

There’s lots of snow about yet the satellite records show that the world had its warmest January since these surveys began 32 years ago.  Personally I am very conscious that there is scepticism about the science behind climate change, and this makes it more difficult to take the political decisions necessary to combat it.  I made this point to the new Climate Commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, when she met me earlier this week together with the other party’s environment spokesmen.  I was surprised that she was surprised, but apparently Denmark is the only place in Europe where public concern has not been affected by recent attacks on the climate scientists and they accept (rightly) that the fundamentals science behind global warming has not been challenged one iota. 

I’ve had two small triumphs this month.  First, the European Parliament approved an amendment I had tabled regarding climate policy after Copenhagen.  It called for the EU to increase its target for 2020 CO₂ reductions to “more than“ 20% - without specifying by exactly how much.  It proved to be a compromise that united the House, and as I had only thought of writing it during an idle moment the previous weekend I was quietly pleased.

Secondly, the Commission and the Council finally approved detailed plans for the selection of carbon capture and storage demonstration projects and for use of the 300 million carbon allowances of (worth maybe €6 billion) that will provide essential subsidy.  Longstanding readers of these ‘Notes’ will know that I introduced this financing mechanism, and although the final decision was not mine I did my share of lobbying and regard myself still as a midwife to the process.

A NEW BEGINNING

MEPs finally gave their support to the appointment of a new European Commission in a vote on February 10, so maybe we will now start to see some initiatives being taken after a long hiatus.  The 5-year term of the previous Commission formally came to a close at the end of October, but with the Lisbon Treaty expected then to come into force on 1 December various procedural devices were deployed to extend its life to avoid confusion.  Not surprisingly, the ‘time expired’ Commissioners were not very active.

During January, the new Commissioners-designate, nominated by their respective Prime Ministers, each had to face a 3-hour public hearing and questioning by the MEPs covering the brief to which they had been allocated by the Commission President.  It’s not a perfect process – too many MEPs like hearing the sound of their own voice instead of asking pertinent questions – but it forces the new Commissioners to learn their briefs and it’s a great deal more rigorous than anything a British government minister has to undergo.

I took part in the examination of the Commissioners-designate for Environment, Climate Action, Fisheries, and Health, and because I am a team leader on environment and health issues for the European Liberal Democrats they had all been to see me beforehand so that I could explore more issues with them privately.  At the end of each hearing the MEPs involved contributed to a formal letter that indicated whether we thought they were up to the job or not.  Legally the European Parliament can only sack the entire Commission, not pick off Commissioners one by one, but parliament’s grow organically and experience and precedent has changed the rules. 

Some of the individuals we interviewed were excellent, and most were highly competent (including all of mine), but one - the Bulgarian nominee with the humanitarian aid brief - left MEPs deeply unimpressed.  “Incompetent, possibly corrupt, and arrogant with it,” was one description I heard, while another colleague told me “she was only put up for the job because she is married to the man who bankrolls the Bulgarian mafia!”

It was made clear to the Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, that if her name was on the list the Commission as a whole would not gain approval.  Private words were spoken, she withdrew her nomination.  The Parliament had shown its teeth and drawn blood, and we felt good at having done so.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister nominated instead another woman who has been a Vice President of the World Bank for the past decade.  She sailed through her hearing with an impressive command of her subject.  So the country now has a good representative in the Commission, but imagine what the debate in the Bulgarian press must have been like throughout this period!  

At least we have been able to follow the discussion about the appointment of the British Commissioner, Baroness Cathy Ashton, who has taken over the new job of High Representative for Foreign Affairs.  On the whole I think the UK media has treated her quite gently, because the MEPs I have spoken to were not impressed with her performance at her hearing.  They thought her unimpressive, lacking in knowledge, and without the strength and conviction necessary in a person supposed to be involved in shaping, expressing and negotiating EU policy on the world stage. 

I wish her well.  She has been dropped into a role for which she has had no experience and she has to be allowed time to demonstrate her abilities.  But for the sake of all those who want the EU to have a positive role in world affairs I do hope she is able to do so.

Keep in touch with Chris:

Website: http://www.chrisdaviesmep.org.uk

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/chris.davies.mep

Blog: http://chrisdaviesmep.blogspot.com

Email: chris@chrisdaviesmep.org.uk

Green minded Solutions SK, a Stockport Council wholly owned company are converting waste oil from secondary school kitchens to bio-fuel.

With the help of their suppliers Solutions SK have arranged for the used oil to be taken from the kitchens and used as bio-fuel by local company Green2Go. The oil is used by Green2Go to fuel generating systems that provide heat and power to public buildings.

The use of this fuel delivers an 80% reduction in carbon emissions compared to an equivalent amount of energy from the National Grid. Waste oil will therefore make a valuable contribution to reducing carbon emissions.

Thanks to those who reported the graffiti on the Scholes Field pavillion to me - I’ve passed it onto the Council.

A word of thanks to our Council Area Conditions Officers too: over the last year or so I think we’ve seen a real decline in graffiti around Cheadle & Gatley, and it comes down to quick action when it appears.  Some graffiti is easier to clean off (or paint over) than other bits, but I think it’s a battle we’re winning.

www.cheadlecivicsociety.org

The Cheadle Civic Society has launched a major new web site to coincide with the bicentenary of Cheadle Green in 2010, as well as celebrate the history of Cheadle over the past 1000 years.

The new site features an assortment of rare archive photographs of Cheadle Green and the surrounding area and reveals many different aspects of Cheadle life from the past.

Cheadle Green is the only official village green in the borough of Stockport and came into being following a special Act of Parliament in 1810. This stipulated that no housing or commercial activity could take place on the land which ad­joined the junction of the main roads between Cheadle and Manchester and Cheadle and Stockport, and ever since, this area has remained a greatly appreci­ated and unspoilt oasis for Cheadle’s many residents and workers.

Over the years, the Green has barely changed, apart from a series of wooden stumps being placed in the ground in 1874 to act as a boundary and stop “undesirables” having any access to the area. The only other major change took place in the late 1950s, when Cheadle Hall, built at the back of the Green in 1756, was knocked down, and a pond was built over the land which remained.

As one of the most important village greens in the North-West, plans are already in place to improve and renovate the Green during 2010 and also to hold a cele­bratory festival during the summer.

A history of the Green is just one of the many aspects of Cheadle life which is featured in the Cheadle Civic Society’s new web site, which effectively chroni­cles the evolution of Cheadle from 1000AD onwards. Other notable features in­clude a multimedia story of the famous Premier Cafe, a very stylish and ex­tremely popular art deco cafe and bakery which was located on Cheadle High Street during the middle years of the 20th Century. There’s also an illustrated history of Cheadle’s many listed buildings, as well as a revealing gallery of both amateur and professionally taken photographs of Cheadle life from the time of toll roads and horse-drawn buses of the 1890s to the hustle and bustle and mod­ern architecture of the present day.

“We believe that by putting so much of our extensive archive onto the Internet, we are enabling many local people to learn much more about the history of Cheadle and how it has evolved,” says Andrew Taylor, Chairman of the Cheadle Civic Society.

The Society now plan to significantly develop the web site in the future by add­ing more archive photographs, ephemera, film and video footage and invite any­one who has their own relevant archive material to donate them to the project. To contact the society, send an e-mail to info@cheadlecivicsociety.org

Thanks to everyone who contacted me about the tyres dumped by the stream at the top of Gatley Hill.

I’m told they’ve now been removed (though I haven’t had a chance to get up and take a look myself - all my trtrips to Gatley Hill are after dark at this time of year).

If anyone has any information about who dumped the tyres there, I’d be very grateful - please get in touch,

Two or three people have told me that there’s more dog mess than usual in the small park at the ends of Sevenoaks, Leyland and Saville Roads in Gatley.

Most dog owners are responsible these days and clean up after their pets, so its disappointing when a minority don’t.  Since this area is commonly used as a play area for young children living nearby it’s of particular concern.

I’ve asked the Council to increse dog warden patrols in that area, and I urge all dog owners to be considerate and put dog mess in the bin at the side of the field.

Since the snow started falling before Christmas I’ve been trying to keep people up to date with what’s happening in Stockport with gritting of roads and pavements, schools opening and refuse collections.  I’ve had lots of comments from a wide range of people - many concerned that the Council isn’t doing enough to grit the roads and pavements they use.

I’ve also been seeing what’s happening elsewhere - it’s clear that the same sorts of comments are being made about pretty much every council in the country.

I’m quite sure that improvements can be made.  In Stockport I think there are ways we can improve the service to people on hilly residential roads (like Kendal Drive, Airedale Close  and Eskdale in my ward).  I also think we need to look at doing more to clear pavements in key areas - not only by shops but also near doctors’ surgeries, for example.  Along with Cllr Pam King and other councillors, we’ll be looking to make sure the Council learns those lessons.

But some of the complaints made against Stockport, and many other councils, do seem unfair to me, and I’ll try to explain why.

Gritting policies

Every council has a similar approach to gritting.  They have a list of priority routes (main roads, trunk roads, bus routes) that probably make up between 30% and 45% of the total road network.  Those get gritted first.

If those are done, and if there’s time, councils will then work down the list to minor roads, residential streets and cycle lanes.

In most cases, councils don’t get down to the lowest priority residential streets.  The main roads have to be gritted regularly (often twice a night in the worst conditions),, and they have to be gritted at the right time too.  It’s no use gritting in rain - the salt just gets washed away - and gritting too early will see the salt blown off the road before any snow arrives.

True, councils could buy more gritters, more salt and draft in more people.  That’s fine as long as we’re willing to pay higher council tax to fund it all - everything has a cost.  We’d also need to accept that other services would suffer.  If more of the people who normally collect our refuse are clearing snow, we’re going to have even less refuse collection.

Gritting isn’t a perfect solution

Gritting isn’t a perfect solution that magically clears snow and ice - as we all know.  Gritting works best on busy roads - passing traffic grinds the salt into the snow and ice, making it much more effective.  On quiet roads and pavements, just scattering salt may not do much at all.  (You’ll notice that clearing pavements normally involves shovelling the snow and ice away and then gritting the bare pavement to stop it reforming).

Pavements

Councils have no legal duty to clear snow and ice from pavements.  That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done (and Stockport has done it a lot in the town and district centres, along with some local centres).  But it does mean that clearing pavements comes after clearing the priority routes - which the Council does have a legal obligation to do as best it can.

In some other countries, householders are legally obliged to clear the pavement in front of their house if they’re able to.  In this country, nonsense in the media about the risks of being sued has scared a lot of decent people from doing even that.  Perhaps as a country we need to be looking at how we, as residents, can do more.

Steep slopes and grit bins

Where residential streets are on steep slopes, Stockport provides grit bins and has tried to refill them as often as it can (although clearing those priority routes takes precedence).

The system isn’t perfect.  There are places that, I would say, need grit bins but haven’t got them.  In others, bins are empty as the grit disappears as soon as it’s put in.

At least one council has put the locations of its grit bins on the Internet so people can find their nearest.  I’ve also heard suggestions of locking grit bins and having local volunteers in charge of them, to stop all the grit being pinched for private use - not sure how that would work in practice though.

I don’t think there are any obvious solutions, but I’m sure we can do better.

Running out of salt

Even just gritting priority routes, the country is now, we’re told, running out of salt.  The Government has ordered everyone to use less.  Hopefully this is an exceptional year and it’ll be another three decades before the next freeze like it, but we can’t be sure.

Had all the councils across the country started off gritting lots of residential roads and pavements, would we have run out of salt by now?  I don’t know, but we should bear it in mind.

Conclusion

I feel Stockport Council’s done pretty well.  The priority routes have been kept clear throughout the cold period.  Additional gritting has been done where possible.  Pavements have been cleared in the town, district and some local centres. Though disrupted, we’ve had more refuse collections than many other local councils and pretty much all our schools are now open.

But there is (in my opinion) room for improvement, especially  in clearing steep residential roads and pavements - though some of that may be a community effort rather than something we just leave to the Council.

The Met Office has issued the following warning for the Cheshire area for Wednesday 13th January:

“There is a moderate risk of a severe weather event affecting parts of Northern Ireland, southern and central England and North Wales.

A band of snow will move slowly northeastwards overnight and into Wednesday, gradually easing through the day. Accumulations of 1-3cm are likely in many places, perhaps with 5cm locally. The strong east to southeast wind is also likely to lead to drifting of snow.

Issued at: 1109 Tue 12 Jan”

Click here for Stockport schools open/closed  on Monday 11th January

Stockport school open/closed status for 7th and 8th January, copied from Stockport Council website. Updated 7.29pm

As well as the schools listed above all Continuing Education Adult Centres are closed for the remainder of the week. There are no rehearsals for Senior Wind Band or the Stockport Youth Orchestra on Friday night or Stockport Schools’ Brass Bands (Saturday morning) this week.

The Education Service for the Sensory Impaired is open on Thursday and Friday this week.

The status of Stockport Children’s Centres and Edgeley Play Centre on Friday 8th January are as follows;

• Abacus – Open
• Belmont / Lancs Hill – Closed
• Brinnington – Closed
• Bredbury Green and Goyt Valley – Closed
• Bredbury, Romiley & Woodley – Open 9am – 3pm
• Cheadle & Gatley – Open
• Edgeley & Cheadle Heath – Open
• Edgeley Play Centre – Open
• Heatons – Open
• Hazel Grove – Open
• Ladybridge Park – Open
• Marple – Open
• Offerton – Closed
• Reddish Vale – Closed
• Reddish North – Open
• Stockport Central – Closed

This web page will be updated as more information comes through regarding school closures.

I’m back home after a couple of hours driving around Cheadle & Gatley to see how conditions are.  I made a point of visiting residential roads and spoke to quite a few people on the way.

Summary

• All the main roads are clear and, with light traffic, perfectly fine to drive down.  That includes Gatley Road, Altrincham Road, Park Road, Styal Road, Church Road, Kingsway, Cheadle High Street, Stockport Road, Manchester Road, Wilmslow Road, Delemere Road, Silverdale Road and Schools Hill.
• The bus services are running, with some delays.
• Metrolink in Manchester is running a slightly reduced service.
• At least some train services are running, but check before travelling.
• The pavements are mostly fine to walk on, with the snow still being powerdery (or cleared away in village centres).  Some, like Old Hall Road in Gatley, are getting a bit slippery so walk in the road.
• Nearly all the residential roads I visited (and it was quite a lot) are passable with care in a car.  The onlyserious  problems are on smaller residential roads with significant hills, such as Airedale Close in Cheadle.
• I’m really pleased to see that snow has been cleared from several of the hillier resedential roads including the hills on Kendal Drive, Rydal Close, Grasmere Road and Keswick Avenue.
• Refuse collections are going ahead on the larger roads, but not on smaller  residential roads.
• Recycling collections have been cancelled for today.

In a bit more detail

The roads I’ve driven or walked along today include in Cheadle:

Richmond Hill Road, Wensley Road, Marchbank Drive, Wensleydale Avenue, Airedale Close, Aysgarth Avenue, Oak Road, Oakfield Avenue, Brookfield Road, Broadway, Barcheston Road, Daylesford Road, Schools Hill, Grange Park Road, Brackenwood Drive, Mary Street, Lime Grove, Hall Street, Church Street,

In Gatley:

Firs Road, Linksway, Elm Road, Cedar Road, Burnside Road, Beech Avenue, Brookdale Road, Dingle Grove, Lorna Grove, Old Hall Road, Pendlebury Road, Frances Avenue, Springfield Road, Foxland Road, Delemere Road,Appleby Road, Gainford Avenue, Borrowdale Road, Ennerdale Drive, Kendal Drive, Eskdale, Langdale Close, Cartmel Close and St Anns Road North.

I’m happy the Council has cleared all the main roads and is doing a good job on the pavements in central areas.  I’m very pleased that many (though not all) of the steeper slopes on residential roads have been cleared.

All the grit bins I’ve checked have been empty, which is a concern I’ll be speaking to the Council about.  There are a few roads with significant slopes which could do with special attention too.

GMPTE Public Transport Information Alert

Please note this information was posted on GMPTE’s website at 0830.
6 January 2010

Severe weather update (0830)

GMPTE is advising passengers to expect further disruptions to bus and tram services today due to the ongoing severe weather conditions.

Passengers should allow extra time for journeys and use main roads to access bus services.
A list of current known service information is available below. Passengers are also advised to check www.stagecoachbus.com and www.firstgroup.com for service updates.

All Metrolink services are running to Piccadilly every 12 minutes. Passengers are advised to check www.metrolink.co.uk for the latest service information.

Rail passengers are advised to check www.nationalrail.co.uk for service updates before travelling.

For the latest advice from Greater Manchester Police, log on to www.gmp.police.uk.

Three easy ways to recycle your Christmas tree:

1.  Leave it next to your green garden waste bin on your next collection day.  The tree will be composted and used as a soil improver on farms across the North West.
2. Take your tree to be shredded at Bruntwood Park, Cheadle any day up to 21st January (8.30am to 3.30pm).  This service is also available at Alexandra Park, Bramhall Park, Etherow Country Park and North Reddish Park.
3. Take your tree to one of the household waste recycle centres (local tips) and recycle it in the green waste section.

Having spent perhaps more time than most out and about in the last two days, I thought I’d share what I’ve seen around our area in the way that Stockport’s responded to the snow (which, as I write, is falling heavily again).

Please use the comments to share your experiences too.

I was out at around 9am on Monday morning.  At that time the roads weren’t all completely clear, but none that I drove on was especially slippery and all were easily passable.  I spent the day driving and walking around Gatley, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall and Woodfood and found much the same story.

By late morning all the major and minor roads were pretty clear and people were being sensible on the residential roads.

I was also pleased to see refuse and recycling collections, along with public transport, going ahead pretty much as normal.

Grit boxes were being refilled (this morning I passed the lorry refilling the one by Gatley car park).

Some people have expressed concern about the amount of salt being spread on the  roads.  Others have seen the salt being spread.

Of course, one real question we politicians have to ask is how much money we want to devote to dealing with this bad weather, which may hit us once every year or two.  The Council can invest in more gritters and the like, but that means cutting something else or raising taxes - neither of which we take lightly, to say the least.

Again, I’d be interested to know whether people feel Stockport’s got the balance right, or whether the Council should be investing more in dealing with the bad weather.

See also my other posts on this issue, plus the comments made on each:

Snow, travel and services on 6th Jan

What gritting was done on the night of 23rd December in Stockport?

Stockport’s been gritting over the weekend before Christmas

How’s Stockport done on gritting (26th Dec)

Ice in Stockport - now we need to tackle the cul-de-sacs

Stockport ice and gritting update, 4th Jan

Another one where I don’t know the details, but I’ll be interested to find out.

Greater Manchester has been designated the UK’s first Low Carbon Economic Area (LCEA) for the Built Environment the Government announced today. Ministers have been working with environment and economic chiefs in the city region to be named as the UK’s fourth LCEA.

The announcement means that over the next five years Greater Manchester will become a world leader on this agenda and enjoy a range of additional benefits linked to jobs and investment, sharing its expertise throughout the UK and beyond. The Low Carbon Economic Area in Greater Manchester will:

· save 6 million tones of carbon

· create an additional £650 million to the economy

· support 34,800 jobs.

Last week I attended a workshop on how Stockport can play its part in tackling climate change.  The challenge is to reduce our carbon footprint (as the fairly innacurate jargon goes).  This one focussed on buildings, development and power generation, with transport being considered elsewhere.It was a workshop to get ideas and opinions so no firm decisions were made, but it was interesting and encouraging to see what’s already been done.

For example, we looked at whether we should have wind turbines.  The answer a definite maybe (I’m not convinced).  Wind maps show which parts of the borough have higher wind speed, which turns out to be the eastern edge bordering onto the Peaks.

More encouragingly, we looked at district heating systems.  Traditionally we all have our own boilers which use electricity to heat up water.  That turns out to be pretty bad for the environment.  The idea is to use a local heating station, probably gas powered, to heat up water and then pipe it around an area.  Individual houses and businesses could throw out their boilers and get metered hot water, hopefully costing them about the same or less.

The problem with district heating is that you need a certain number of customers to make it economically viable, but the customers want to see it works properly before they sign up.  That’s where the Council could potentially help.  This system looks likely to be suitable for the Town Centre businesses initially - don’t expect to be throwing out your home boiler any time soon.

We also looked at biomass (essentially wood chippings harvested in the Borough and transported to local businesses with biomass boilers).  Also, with three rivers running through Stockport, hydro-electric power could play a small but useful part.

On housing, new regulations mean that the buildings being build over the next few decades should be very good (though there was some disagreement over how much wriggle-room the less scrupulous developers had).

The real issue is the old housing stock - the vast majority of which will still be around in 2050.  Getting this properly insulated - cavity wall, loft and double glazing - is the biggest challenge.  That’s especially tricky when most of it is privately owned.

Hopefully a mix of subsidies, improvement schemes and planning controls can improve the situation over the next few years.

Yesterday I went on a walkbout around Gatley (not the whole village - there’s only so much you can cover in 90 minutes!).  It was with our new Area Conditions Officer Julie Henshall and Richard Daniels, also from Environmental Services at Stockport Council - I’m grateful to both of them for coming out with me.

Here are some of the things we identified for action:

• Bags of rubbish dumped by station car park - Environmental Services will be tracing the owners.
• Poor state of land around electricity substation -vegetation needs tidying.  It should be United Utilities’ responsibility.
• Concrete bollard by station underpass broken, needs repair
• Poor state of path along the back of the station car park - always gets muddy.
• Litter is starting to build up around Gatley Station again, so we need Network Rail to clear up inside the railings and the Council to clear up on the verges.
• The alleyway running down from the Station car park past the end of Brentwood Drive to Gatley Road is in poor condition.  The fence leans out dangerously in places and whole fence panels are missing in others.  Vegetation grows over the top of the path in several places, blocking light from some of the streetlamps. There’s also some graffiti on the panels and the lampposts.
• Although not too bad at the moment, we identified the area where the motorway slip road comes onto the South Park Road Estate as often troubled with litter, graffiti and overgrown vegetation.
• On Kingsway southbound where the motorway slip road meets the A34 there’s obviously been an accident, probably with a car coming through a bush on the slip and hitting the fence by the A34.  The bush is broken and the metal fence is, at one point ripped out of the ground.
• Along the east side of Kingsway north of Gatley Road there’s quite a bit of litter on banks, verges and parking bays.
• We took a look at litter around Kingsway High School.  Environmental Services do go into the school to do assemblies around littering and have been known to hand out £75 penalty notices when the warnings remain ignored.
• The state of the electricity substation at the end of Foxland Road (by Springfield) is poor, with litter strewn around the front area.  The Council will chase up United Utilities to get it cleaned.
• There’s a lot of litter on Network Rail land around the railway bridge at the end of Foxland Road, plus overgrown brambles on the north side.
• More litter along the path from Foxland to Hawthorn, which I’ve asked the Council to sort out.
• The streetlight outside the entrance to Gatley Primary’s nursery school is faulty.
• Some graffiti on signs at the Gatley Green entrance to the Recreation Ground (I was very pleased to see graffiti on the skateboard ramps and old pavillion has been cleaned off).
• Detritus on the land at the back of the Tatton needs to get cleaned away.
• Brown wheelie bin someone left in front of the Tatton to be cleared away.

I was very pleased indeed to see the grids and gullies being properly cleaned along Styal Road - between Church Road and West Drive in Gatley.

Some background on this.  Pam King and I identified, with help from local residents, that some of the grids and gullies haven’t been cleaned out in years.  They’re checked at least once a year, but for some reason not cleaned.

There are often good reasons for not cleaning out a grid.  For example, if a vehicle is parked over it or it’s jammed.  We couldn’t see why those should apply on Styal Road though.

Rod Camblin at the Council offered to look into it, starting with Styal Road, and as we saw today, he’s come up with the goods.   The grids were cleared out and a couple of issues identified for further attention.

I’m told this shouldn’t be a one-off either.  We should see the machine back every few weeks and I’m hoping the Council can tackle Gatley Road next.

We’ve achieved quite a lot in the last few months tackling this issue:

• Grids on Old Hall Road, Cambridge Road, Belmonth Road, Leyland Avenue, Norwood Road and Dunmore Road were cleared over the summer - getting rid of the large puddle opposite the exit to Gatley Medican Centre.
•  The problem causing large puddles outside Hewitts, by the junction of Church Road and Gatley Road, has been fixed.
• The grid on Longley Lane has been unblocked, getting rid of the large pool of water that covered half the road after heavy rain.
• Structural work around Gatley Green looks to have sorted out the regular flooding outside the Co-op, by the Prince of Wales and near the War Memorial.
• Work to fix the flooding issue on Silverdale Road, near the High Grove pub, is scheduled for the next week or so.

There’s more to do - and these things do take time.  In Cheadle there’s the pool at the bottom of Schools Hill and at the corner of Kingsway and Gatley Road.  In Gatley there’s the water under the railway bridge and at the bottom of Oakwood Avenue.  There are a few others around too.

But there’s a lot to be positive about.  Thanks to Rod and his team at the Council, things are really started to move.

Thank you to the thirty-odd people who came to our consultation meeting about traffic in the schools hill area on Tuesday evening.  I felt it was a useful meeting: I think everyone had their say and a lot of issues were raised.

The issues mentioned include

• Long queues on Schools Hill for traffic turning onto Cheadle Road at the start and end of school.
• Heavy traffic and parking problems with children being taken to Ladybarn School.
• Speeding on Cheadle Road, Wilmslow Road, Schools Hill and Daylesford Road
• Poor visibility turning from Daylesford Road onto Schools Hill
• Water pooling at the bottom of Schools Hill
• A variety of issues relating to the heavy traffic and the Kingsway junction issues.

Sorry if I’ve missed anything - the list is from memory.  Special thanks to Steve Fox from the Council for ably assisting (Steve not only came along for the evening, he also did all the leaflets I delivered and booked the room).

Stockport Council is celebrating a double achievement after scooping two Green Apple Environment Awards for promoting sustainable travel through the Active Stockport campaign and the highly successful Environment Fair, held this summer.

The awards were presented at a prestigious ceremony held at the House of Commons on Tuesday 17th November. Launched in 2008 the Active Stockport campaign aims to encourage residents to use sustainable modes of travel in order to reduce congestion, improve air quality and improve health and wellbeing.

Meanwhile the Council’s Environment Fair was led by Environmental Services, Sustainability, Regeneration and Housing Strategy to celebrate World Environment Day. Stalls were set up to provide information and giveaways about recycling, composting, saving water, energy efficiency and Fair Trade.

It was the first time an event like this had been held in Stockport Town Centre. For more information about Environmental Services, phone 0161 217 6111 or email stockportdirect@stockport.gov.uk

I’ve spent time over the last couple of days working with Council officers to get all the Christmas lights up and working in Gatley.

The street-lighting people have been out fixing stars down Church Road and (from my check last night) all of them seem to be working - let me know if not.

The christmas tree by the bowling green on Altrincham Road is all set up, of course.  The one on Gatley Green is still in its netting.  It hasn’t been forgotten!  It just takes time to get round all the trees in the Borough and it’ll be done early next week.

I’m also reminding the Council that they need to connect up the lights in Walter Stansby Memorial Park.

Who checks that restaurants prepare food safely, take action against off-licences selling alcohol to children and act against shops using dodgy scales to con customers?  That would be the Council’s Environmental Health and Trading Standards section, who presented their annual report to our Cheadle Area Committee on Tuesday.

You can read the report in full on pages 64 to 75 of the agenda (PDF, 2MB).

Some of the work the teams undertake include;

• Investigating reports of food poisoning and infectious diseases
• Delivering a wide range of CIEH (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health) approved training courses in food and health & safety
• Provision of a Pest control service
• Offering a Graffiti removal service
• Administering fixed penalty notices from issue up to and including court action
• Monitoring farms and small holdings to ensure they keep records of the transfer of animals and check that animals are transported humanely
• Investigating and advising on problems with drainage
• Ensuring public safety by licensing and carrying out checks on private hire vehicles, taxis and their drivers
• Licensing all premises requiring a licence to operate, such as those selling alcohol, gambling and lotteries
• Licensing pet shops, boarding kennels, riding schools, dog breeders and owners of dangerous wild animals
• Providing advice and information on fair trading, consumer rights and trading standards legislation to the public and business
• Enforcing the law on counterfeiting, trade marks and copyright
• Enforcing the law on weights and measures, pricing, overloaded vehicles and hallmarking
• Investigating complaints about dangerous products and conduct regular inspections and surveys
•  Investigating complaints about the sale of clocked or unroadworthy vehicles

Amongst many other activites, the environmental health and trading standards people gave awards like the Curry Chef  Competition and the Fair Play Charter (the second to the retail motor trade).

They also tackle pest control, and have seen reports of rats drop  significantly in the last two years.  They issued 14 Fixed Penalty Notices to dog owners who failed to remove their pets’ faece, and provide free dog bags to all Stockport residents via libraries and information centres.

They’ve been looking at the wall around the old cemetary in Gatley, and provided burial space for Muslim burials at Mill Lane Cemetary in Cheadle.

They deal with noisy pubs (something they suggest may have been made worse by the smoking ban - more people congregate outside our pubs now).

They’ve promoted and run Pub Watch, starting in Four Heatons and learning the lessons for the more recent schemes in Gatley, Edgeley, Bramhall and Cheadle.

The service has developed a rapid response approach to rogue traders, and have been pro-active in  holding “rogue trader days” in conjunction with police.

On alcohol sales to children, a survey suggests that the number of young people saying they’re able to purchase alcohol has fallen 23% in the last two years.  The team send out young people to make test purchases: vendors should refuse to sell them alcohol.  In Cheadle, two warnings were given to businesses.

There’s lots more in the report, so why not take a look.

On Monday night I spotted the streetlamp I’d reported a few weeks back - on the path between Belmont Road and South Park Road - still wasn’t working.  Turns out it was marked as fixed by the Council, so now they’ll take another look.

This morning I was out delivering more leaflets, including invitations to our public meeting next Tuesday evening to discuss traffic problems at the junction of Schools Hill and Wilmslow Road in Cheadle.

I delivered to Lynton Road, and parts of Gatley Road, Wilmslow Road, Schools Hill, Park Lodge Close, Valley Road and Valley Close.

On the way I spotted a few issues that I’ve reported to the Council

• Litter at the top of Schools Hill, on the side road that approached South View Gardens.
• Litter around the Wilmslow Road entrance to Brookfield Park.
• Graffiti on the Virgin Media box outside 224 Kingsway.
• Paving stone sticking up outside 232 Kingsway
• Branches across footpath, outside Turnfield House, by Turnfield Road.
• Graffiti on underpass beneath Cheadle Royal roundabout (the one over the A34).

I also delivered a letter to residents of Depleach Road - Pam and I are hoping we can find a good solution to their parking issues.

Two “in-progress” issues we mentioned in our latest Keeping in Touch leaflet are now being sorted, both on Oak Road.

At the junction with Stockport Road, the dip (which turns into a big puddle in wet weather - and I’ve almost forgotten there’s any other kind) is now fixed.

The area of land between the two sets of Honeycombe Cottages is being tidied up by the owner, after I asked the Council to track him down.

I was really pleased to see that, the morning after all that torrential rain, there was almost no standing water in front of the Gatley Green Co-op.

The recent work has obviously done the trick - for now at least.  As I noted a few days ago, there’s no shortage of other blocked grids to be tackling, but it’s good to see progress being made.

I’ve been taking a look this morning at flooding outside the High Grove pub on Silverdale Road in Gatley.

Something’s caused the water level to rise in the woodland between the road and Cheadle Royal.  The high water is pouring across the pavement, onto the road and down the hill to settle by the pub and the parade of shops.

It’s not clear at the moment what the problem is.  It could be a blocked culvert or something else.   I’ve spoken to someone from the Cheadle Royal team who’s investigating to see if it’s their issue, and I’ve contacted the Council officers to look at it from SMBC’s side too.

Two Stockport parks are among the first in the country to be recognised as Accredited Country Parks by Natural England. Mersey Vale Nature Park and Reddish Vale Country Park are among the first four parks across the country to be given this accreditation from Natural England.

In order to achieve accreditation, parks must meet a range of strict criteria for essential services and facilities, high quality signage and disabled access. Parks must be at least ten hectares in size, free to enter and have a daily staff presence in order to put themselves forward. 

Just a quick plug for Manchester Harriers and Athletics Club, providing opportunities for young and old from across the south Manchester area and based at Scholes Field in Gatley with the shiny new pavillion.

Yesterday was one of the regular cross-country days, giving opportunities to hundreds of young people to catch the athletics bug.

Recognising the parking issues that these once-a-month occasions cause, the Harriers were yesterday handing out advice to parents on where to park: suggesting Gatley Hill and Foxland Road in addition to Beech Avenue and the new enlarged car park by the pavillion.

This morning I dropped by Frances Street in Cheadle (living on Frances Avenue, we used to exchange wrongly-delivered mail with them on a fairly regular basis, though that seems to be have improved recently).

I was looking at the electricity substation on the road,  with peeling paint on the doors, a leak on the roof and overgrowing foliage along the side,

My initial assumption was that it’s owned by Electricity Northwest Ltd and maintained by United Utilities, but a resident who’s looked into it has got a more confusing message.

Looks like I’ll be doing some digging on this one - it hasn’t been touched in years.

Dodging the rain around lunchtime, I managed to get about half of the South Park Road Estate delivered with our latest newspaper.

I chatted to a few people on the way round and thought an update on a few issues was in order.

• there’s been a residents’ consultation on parking restrictions in Coniston, Brentwood and Brogden.  I don’t know the results yet - should find out soon.  Some residents are concerned that the options offered didn’t go far enough to deal with the problems - something I’m looking into.
• Mark Hunter and I have both been in touch with the police about improving enforcement of the “no entry except for access” rule.  I think it’s fair to say that the police remain cautious about committing manpower to this and there’s still work to be done.
• I’ve been contacted about the “Ahead Only” sign on the road surface of South Park Road, just past Mardale Drive.  The concern is that it’s not very useful having it there.  I’m not sure, to be honest, but as it’s now down, I don’t think we could justify spending money painting it out.
• I’ve reported a dodgy bit of pavement by the kerbstone outside 172 Kingsway.
• I was very glad to see the trees at the entrance to Brogden Drive have now been full removed - an issue Pam and I raised with the Council at the end of July.

I’m running a series of posts to summarise over 400 pages of documents in way that helps those who live and work in Stockport Borough understand the issues we’re facing, the options we have and the Council proposals in how the Borough develops over the next 17 years.

This is the third post.  You can read my overview plus my piece on  the Accessibility Appraisal paper.  This one covers the Core Strategy DPD Preferred Options Consultation, which you can read in full, and comment on, here.

This time I’m trying to condense 140 pages into a few hundred words - wish me luck.

What issues is the strategy trying to tackle?

Although both the population of Stockport Borough and the amount of traffic has fallen slightly in the last few years, we don’t expect that to continue.   The Government is asking Stockport to provide 450 new dwellings (houses or flats) every year - that’s over 7,000 by 2026.

At the same time Stockport, like everywhere, has issues to tackle with how things are now.   We’re the third most polarised borough in the country with pockets of deprivation and much more affluent areas.  Our main roads are congested. Stockport Town Centre isn’t all it could be.  Lots of people live in the Borough and travel out for work, with lots more living outside and travelling in.  And, in common with most other areas, we have an aging population and a lack of affordable housing.

The general approach

So we expect to have thousands of new flats and houses, which means (over time), more shops, offices, schools, sport, leisure, culture and health facilities and cemetaries.  Where should they all go?

This was the subject of a previous consultation.  Different options were looked at and the conclusion was, in the main, to strengthen existing centres.  By far the most development is planned for Stockport Town Centre.  Another big chunk goes into the District Centres and the Large Local Centres, with a smaller amount elsewhere.

Stockport has 8 District Centres: Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Bramhall, Edgeley, Hazel Grove, Marple, Reddish and Romiley.  It has 10 Large Local Centres: Gatley, Heald Green, Moor Top, Heaton Moor, Shaw Road/Heaton Moor Road, Heaton Chapel, Davenport, Great Moor, North Reddish and Marple Bridge.

Housing

There’s more to this than just building lots of houses and flats.  How big should they be?  How expensive?  Where should they go?

The proposal in this strategy paper is

• a 50/50 split between houses and flats overall, with most flats going in the Town Centre (which will end up with a much higher population) and most houses going around the District and Large Local Centres.
• The majority of the flats to have two bedrooms.
• 40% of new housing to be affordable for those on lower incomes.
• 80% of new housing to be in existing buildings and previously developed land.
• More social rented housing for Bramhall, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Edgeley, Davenport, Marple, Romiley and the Heatons.
• If Woodford Aerodrome becomes vacant, using it wholly or partially for housing is one of several options.
• Stockport currently has no formal Gypsy and Traveller pitches.  Following Government guidance, we are expected to create 35, plus another ten travelling showpeople pitches.  This should increase to 57 pitches in total by 2026 and they should be be in urban areas with good access to services.
• 50% of the new dwellings to be in the Central Housing Area, with up to 2,000 in the Town Centre (the Central Housing Area is the Town Centre plus some areas around it).
• A further 35% of new dwellings to be within walking distance of District and Large Local centres.
• 15% of dwellings to be built elsewhere.

Reducing the size of some struggling centres

Even in the recession, most of our District and Local Centres are doing OK, including Cheadle, Gatley, Bramhall and Heald Green.  Walk around them and you won’t see many empty units.

Some are suffering more, including Hazel Grove and Edgeley.  For these, one option is to reduce the size of the centres - for example, by turning retail units at the edges of the centres into residential properties.

For all centres, the paper also offers the option of limiting the number of hot food and fast food outlets either within a centre altogether or near to schools and play areas.

Cemetaries

It may not be something most of us give much thought to, but Stockport’s cemetaries will be full in 10-15 years.  Should we create new cemetaries (if so, where?) or re-use existing ones.

Strengthen District and Local Centres

The overall strategy is to maintain and enhance the Town Centre along with existing District and Local Centres.

Here, I confess, I don’t think the document is very clear (and, in one case, makes a fairly blatant mistake).  The section in question is 7.135 on page 70.  It refers to changes in planning policies.

The paper proposes  controlling the scale, clustering and mix of uses in Centres to meet local needs and enhance the viability of the Centres.  Great in principle, and fine if there are lots of retailers and developers with different schemes.  The problem comes when the commercial environment isn’t quite so strong.

You might want to have a retail outlet in a particular place, but if no retailers want to open there, your real choice might be something else (a take-away, for example) or nothing. It could well be that nothing - an empty unit - is the best choice in some cases, but we should be aware of the issue.

With that in mind, I’m not clear exactly what the paper’s proposing.

Outside Local and District Centres, the paper proposes that we permit a change of use from service to non-service (e.g. offices or residential) unless there’s a good reason not to, as part of the strategy to strengthen the Centres.

In Large Local Centres, the paper says we should restrict the size of new shops and leisure units (where not re-using an existing building) to a maximum of  500 square metres (and 250 square metres in other Local Centres).  For District Centres, the much higher limit of 25,000 square metres is proposed.  (I think incorrect wording results in this paragraph actually saying the opposite of this).

There’s also a sentence which, I think, suggests that a new small convenience store would not be permitted if other local retailers already provide the same services.

Requiring that new convenience shops meeting local needs (up to max 250 square metres) will only be allowed where there are no alternative sustainably accessible facilities.

Again, it not necessarily a problem; but I don’t understand why we’d want to single out convenience shops.  If we’re going to protect that one type of shop from competition, why not protect newsagents, cafes or hairdressers?

Building business

The plan identifies the need to build strong business centres around Stockport, and argues that this should be primarily achieved by enhancing and promoting the Town Centre for new office development.  That fits in with the principle of enhancing the Town Centre overall, and concentrates more traffic flows into the centre (which is the location best served by public transport and car parking).

In particular, the strategy is to attract ICT, digital, creative and new media companies into offices around the A6 south of the M60 - especially in the civic quarter.

There’s also strong office provision in some our District and Local Centres: Bramhall, Cheadle, Cheadle Hulme, Hazel Grove, Stepping Hill and Gatley.  These should be supported.

Heavier industry should have direct access to main access routes (e.g. motorways) without having to go through residential areas.  The Bredbury Industrial Area is given as an example of a location that fits the bill.

The report says that there’s no specific need to find new areas of employment close to deprived areas: either they are there already, or there are good public transport links from those areas to the Town Centre.

Sport, green spaces and leisure

Stockport has an oversupply of senior sports pitches (compared to the Government recommendation for how many we should have) but slightly too few mini soccer facilities.

The report also identifies a shortfall of leisure facilities in the Town Centre, Hazel Grove, Reddish, Romiley and Edgeley, with too few sports halls (relative to the population) in the north and north east of the Borough.

There’s a discussion about our green spaces, both “formal open space” - parks and similar - and other green spaces.

Should we continue the current strategy of retaining a semi-rural character for our river valleys; or should we use that space to meet more formal needs, for example by building sports pitches there?

Overall, though the Cheadle area (Cheadle, Gatley, Heald Green and the northern part of Cheadle Hulme) was identified as having more than enough formal open space (again, compared to Government recommendations), the Borough as a whole falls 105 hectares short.  The Heatons also do well for green space, with Victoria, Tame Valley and Werneth needing improvement.

The plan rejects giving absolute protection to current green space.  It gives the example of the Cheadle Committee area, where there’s lots of formal green space and a shortage of affordable housing.  It suggests the option to swap some should be left open.

Transport

The strategy paper advocates more people living, working and playing in Stockport Town Centre along with our District and Local Centres.  If that’s going to be successful, we need to be able to get to and from those places.

Issues identified include:

• a lack of orbital train links from Stockport to Manchester Airport and Tameside
• a lack of train links between Stockport and some District Centres (Marple, Cheadle) and a general weakness in public transport between Marple and Stockport
• congestion across many of the Borough’s main roads

It notes that there are plans currently in place to improve transport provision, including SEMMMS, aiming to deliver the extended A555 Relief Road by 2016 and rail improvements scheduled to start from 2014.

Other reports and plans are noted including the 2009-2015 Stockport Cycling Strategy,  the Greater Manchester Integration Transport Strategy (GMITS) and the South Pennines Integrated Transport Strategy (SPITS).

Beyond those (which I won’t cover here, but will do at some stage if I have the time), the paper comes up with a selection of ideas that fall some way short of firm proposals:

• we need to shift from single-occupancy car use to more car sharing, cycling,  walking and public transport.
• promote flexible working and home working
• introduce more 20mph zones in residential areas
• improve the network of walking and cycling routes, both direct (normally on-road) and off-road for recreational and less confident cyclists.

Disclaimer

In this post I’ve attempted to summarise Stockport Council’s Core Strategy Development Plan Document (DPD) consultation paper.  This is my own work; it is not an official Council or Liberal Democrat summary and I’d be frankly amazed if there weren’t significant omissions and mistakes.   Nothing in this summary should be taken as indicating either my or the Liberal Democrats’ support for, or agreement with, the strategy paper.

Most of the things I get involved with are pretty immediate.  Problems that need fixing as soon as possible, or at most issues like the Kingsway filter that might take a couple of years to sort out.

So thinking about how I see Stockport developing up to 2026 requires a bit of a shift in focus.

That’s the idea behind Stockport Council’s Core Strategy.  Some progress has been made on this and the latest stage is now open for consultation until 25th November.

The issues aren’t simple.

Like everywhere else in the country, Stockport needs to provide new housing (at least 450 dwellings a year - nearly 8,000 by 2026.  That’s a whole Cheadle & Gatley and a bit more besides (we have about 6,500 dwellings in the ward).

What should the mix of housing be?  Where should it be located?  How many flats?  How much social housing?

How do we build the economic future of the borough, providing jobs, education and training for current and future residents?

What needs to be done to attract more people into the Town Centre along with our local and district centres (Cheadle is a district centre, Gatley is a local centre).  How do we ensure not only vibrant retail centres but also the best access for all to leisure, culture, education, health, open space and other community facilities.

How do we protect our open spaces, greenbelt land and heritage?

Stockport is already congested, so how can we get everyone moving even with thousands of extra homes?  What mix of buses, trains, facilities for cyclists and pedestrians and, of course, private car travel is right?

For the next month, you can visit the Council’s consultation portal, read the documents, register online and submit comments.  You can also submit your comments by email to planning.policy@stockport.gov.uk.

The actual consultation documents are fairly involved - together there’s several hundred pages.

So, to get more people involved, I’m currently reading and summarising the different documents - hopefully in a way that draws out the key questions and issues.

First there’s the Accessibility Appraisal.  That document sets the scene - it’s more about defining the issues than coming up with solutions.  It looks at how easy or difficult it is for people to get to where they want to go - to access schools, shops, jobs, leisure and healthcare, for example.

Next is the Core Strategy Consulation, which looks forward over the next 17 years with proposals covering housing, jobs, green spaces, sport and leisure, transport and more.

The other three papers, which I haven’t summarised yet are:

• Core Strategy DPD: Preferred Options - Habitats Regulations Assessment Screening Report
• Core Strategy DPD: Preferred Options - Sustainability Appraisal Screening Report
• Core Strategy DPD: Preferred Options - Sustainability Appraisal Screening Report Annexes

One of the joys of Autumn is the leaves falling from the trees.  Who didn’t enjoy, as a child, walking through the piles of golden leaves?

Unfortunately, the piles of leaves are fine for a few days and then have a habit of turning to slippery mush, so the Council puts a lot of effort into clearing them away - quite a task.

Yesterday morning, a team was in action on Old Hall Road, Gatley.  Leaves were swept up, put into sacks and taken away.  I counted at least ten sacks full of fallen leaves and saw the nice clean pavements.

Good to see the work being done.

Here are a few things this week that I’ve achieved:

• The Council’s Pothole Moles have been out and about, so more of the tens of potholes I’ve been reporting are now repaired.
• The streetlight overlooking the car park on Gatley Hill is now working again.
• Work is in progress to remove the tree stumps on Brogden Drive, Gatley - an issue Pam and I raised at the end of July.
• Also on the South Park Road Estate, the promised traffic count has taken place.
• Street lamp repaired on Gatley Road, by the bus stop near Delamere Road.
• The signpost on Brookside Rec, on the path from Brookside Road, was loose and dangerous - now it’s fixed.

Meanwhile, I reported five broken streetlights on Shiers Drive, Cheadle yesterday evening.

Along with the other ward councillors, I’ve a meeting with the developers of the Tatton site this afternoon, where I’ll be hoping to find out more about what they’ve got in mind - I’ll report back on that as far as I’m able.

The number of faulty streetlights around Stockport is a lot lower than it was two or three years ago.  (To be honest, I hadn’t really notice, but then like most people I only really notice the broken lights, the working ones are just there).

That’s down to two actions the Council has taken.

First, there’s been an area-by-area replacement of all the bulbs and checking of the streetlights.  The idea is to replace the bulbs as they get old but before they fail.  Cheadle and Gatley was done last year, so should be up again in a couple of years time.

Second, the crews now go out in the evening looking for broken lamps and, if they can, fixing them on the spot.

The result: more of our street lights are working without it costing taxpayers more money.

Good news first - the failed green light I reported two days ago has been fixed.

Some other issues I took a look at this morning:

• There’s a section of the wall on the Gatley Hill side of Styal Road where a few bricks are missing, opposite 22 Styal Road.
• Although the trees growing in the woods and overhanging Styal Road near Church Road have been cut back - so you don’t hit your head as you walk along - there are still some that obscure the traffic lights, making it a very dark walk at this time of year.
• There’s some foliage growing out over the pavement from the railway, where Gatley Road passes under the railway bridge (Network Rail should cut this back).

This was introduced at the Cheadle Area Committee last night (and all the other area committees over the week).

I’ll just quote from the Stockport website.

Have you a ‘Big Idea’ about how your local area can be improved?

What would make your community flourish and do well? If you had the power, how would you make this happen?

However  big or small your idea might be Stockport Council wants to hear from you.

For your ‘Big Idea’ to be successful it has to improve your local area in one of the following ways:

• Improve your local economy.
• Improve the local environment.
• Encourage people to get more involved in society.
• Encourage people to get involved in the decisions that affect their lives.

Councillor Sue Derbyshire, Executive Member for Communities, said: “We really want to hear what residents think could be done to improve their neighbourhood and I encourage people to send us their ‘Big Ideas’. I look forward to reviewing these ideas and making as many improvements as possible.”

To submit your ‘Big Idea’ for your local area, visit the Council’s website www.stockport.gov.uk/haveyoursay

Alternatively, send your idea, to FREEPOST CE/CorpPol/ EM, Stockport Town Hall, Edward Street, SK1 3XE.

More information on the Council site.

Mornings like this I can live without!

On the Council side, I’ve reported a faulty green light on the traffic lights by the newsagents on Gatley Road, been working on how to crack the parking issues on Oakfield Avenue in Cheadle, chased up the poor condition of the alleyway from Gatley Station past Brentwood Drive to Gatley Road and had a long chat about the Tatton.

Work was an accountancy morning, so less fun.  Now off to have some lunch.

A little while ago, the request for planning permission to turn the former Threshers at 5 Stonepail Road into an Indian take-away was rejected by Stockport Council.

The reason given was:

The proposed change of use to a hot food takeaway would lead to an increase in activity at and from the site until late in the evening and would increase the overall level of late night activity in the area above that generated by the existing adjacent hot food takeaway uses at 7 and 9 Stonepail Road. This would lead to noise, disturbance and nuisance which would be detrimental to the amenity of residential properties on Stonepail Road and Greenbank Avenue, contrary to Policies CDH1, CDH1.1 and SE1.1 of the Stockport Unitary Development Plan Review.

I was informed today that a company called Royal Wines has applied for a licence to sell alcohol at 5 Stonepail Road, suggesting that it is being considered as an off-licence (which isn’t a change of purpose so wouldn’t require planning permission).

Should you wish, you have until 22^nd October 2009 to submit your comments on this application to sell alcohol from retail premises (ref 559596). You can send your comments directly to the licensing people at the Council or, alternatively, send them to me and I’ll pass them on.

I took an hour out yesterday afternoon to cycle around west Gatley.  Starting out across the Carrs (where the top meadow has now been mown and work is being planned for the ponds), I headed along Lorna Grove and Dingle Grove, Altrincham Road, Park Road, Mount Grove, Cranston Grove, Malvern Avenue, Brookdale Road, Stonepail Close, Greenbank Avenue, Styal Road, around Baxter Park, then onto Windsor Avenue, Willcott Road, Clifton Drive, Barngate Road and Newby Drive.

OK, I’ll confess it was partly because I enjoy cycling around the local villages, but there was a point to it all.  In addition to speaking to a few people, I was once again on the trail of those nasty potholes and dodgy pavements.

So here are some I’ll be reporting to the Council shortly:

• Pothole on Park Road by the junction with Cranston Drive
• Pothole on Windsor Avenue near the junction with Park Road
• Dropped paving stone near 5 Brookdale Road
• Pothole just down from 4 Stonepail Close
• Several paving stones dangerously sticking up on Highcrest Avenue: outside numbers 16/18, 12/14, 8/10, 4/6.
• Pavement in poor condition by tree outside numbers 35/37 Halstead Grove
• Dropped paving stone outside 46 Halstead Grove
• Pothole by manhole cover on Church Road outside A&I supplies (by Gatley Green).

There - wasn’t that exciting?  If there’s a street issue that you spot, like potholes, dodgy pavements, overgrowing foliage or broken streetlamps, let me know.

Another Cheadle Village Partnership item.

We were updated on the latest plans for Christmas displays in Cheadle & Gatley.

In addition to Christmas lights, there will be a large Christmas tree on Cheadle Green, another in Church gardens and trees available for shop fronts.  Gatley will have three large trees.

I have to say I think this is the right way to go.  In Gatley. local residents wanted to try a sustainable tree.  Instead of getting big cut trees each year, the idea was to grow a Christmas tree on Gatley Green that we could use every year.

Unfortunately, there were problems with trees dying and, whilst the latest one does seem to be doing OK, it just hasn’t grown to be very big.

So now seems to be a good time to say that it was worth a go, but just hasn’t worked so back to Plan A.

In Cheadle, the recurring issue of Christmas lights for Massie Street was discussed.  The problem seems to be one of health & safety with concerns that the street lamps can’t carry the lights.  I won’t claim to understand this one, but that seems to be the answer at the moment.

It was also noted that a new streetlamp costs £5,000.

Another item from the Cheadle Village Partnership meeting.

There’s a small area you probably know near to the White Hart pub in Cheadle.  By Gatley Road, there’s a nice flagged area with a few benches and the flagstones were stolen a while ago.

Since 2005, this area has actually been privately owned and maintained by the owners of North House (the building directly behind it).  It is not currently maintained or owned by the Council.

There was some discussion at the meeting of whether the Council should take over maintance again.   This is something I’ll be looking into.

Yesterday I spent an hour on the meadowland area of Gatley Carrs.

The hay baling machine had broken so we went along to gather the mown hay the old fashioned way - with rakes and pitchforks (though the Stockport Council truck was a little more modern).

Thanks to everyone who came along to help.  A reminder of how many people spent their entire lives, 12 hours a day, six days a week, just a century or so ago.

A full list of police officers in our area, along with how to contact them, can be found on AboutMyArea.

One of the items on yesterday’s Cheadle Village Partnership was crime.  Unfortunately, there was no police representative present but we discussed anti-social behaviour, vandalism and suspicions of more serious criminal behaviour in the Oak Road area.

The police are aware of these issues and we as councillors will continue working with them to target the problems.

The issue of housing was raised, and the suspicion some people have that people with drugs problems and other issues are deliberately being moved into the area.

The truth on housing is less exciting.  Following changes in the law a few years ago, social housing has to be allocated based on a points system and local authorities have far less flexibility and discretion over allocating housing.

If you have concerns about crime or anti-social behaviour in Cheadle or Gatley, please let me know.

I attended the meeting of the Acorn, Ash and Chestnut Avenues Residents Association at Cheadle Library yesterday evening.

Among discussions of anti-social behaviour (not too much at the moment, thankfully) and dog mess there were a couple I’d like to mention in more detail.

Young people in the area are currently being consulted over whether they’d like to see a games facility of some sort on the park - over near the allotments.

Everyone’s talking about a MUGA - Multi-User Games Area.  I didn’t know what a MUGA was, but now I know - it’s one of those areas with a hard surface, fencing around the outside and lines/nets/facilities for things like football and basketball - all designed to be hard-wearing and long-lasting.

To go ahead, young people in the area will be involved in both deciding what happens and applying for a large chunk of the money.  The idea is that, rather than dropping something from on high, young people get what they want and have a sense of ownership.

The experience we have from elsewhere  - including other sites around Stockport Borough, is that it leads to facilities that are better used and less vandalised.

Another issue that came up is street signs, which are both confusing and misleading as you enter the avenues.  The suggestion has been made to position street signs on the side of houses (one is already).  This will be looked at.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 13th October, 6.30pm in the Community Room at Cheadle Library.  All residents of Acorn, Ash and Chestnut Avenues in Cheadle are welcome to attend.   The Association is also looking for more people interested to sit on the committee - not too time-consuming.

On the car park side of the footpath between Cambridge Road and Gatley Station car park, the concrete bollard is badly damaged - sheared off at the base.  I’ve reported it to the Council, asking them to fix it if it’s down to them or let me know if it’s Network Rail.

I’ve been chasing up the Council about mowing the paths on Gatley Carrs - something that’s been delayed this year.

The latest news - from today - is that the Carrs should be mown next week.  It seems mowing equipment was stolen, putting things back a bit.

Just a few of the things I’ve been up to in the last few days:

• The graffiti on the pavement at the top of Ashfield Road (near Cheddle Lodge) and on the junction box on Ashfield Road/Whitegates reported for cleaning.
• Fallen tree branches partially blocking the alleyway running from Wilmslow Road past Danesbury Rise and Whitegates to Ashfield Road reported for removal.
• On Old Hall Road, Gatley, foliage at the corner of the old cemetary overhanging the pavement has been reported to be cut back.
• Council chased on mowing the grass on Gatley Carrs and the field behind Gatley Hill House.
• Reported problem paving stone outside 16 Appleby Road, Gatley
• I’ve asked Council officers to look at double yellow lines both at the junction of Stonepail Road/Church Road in Gatley and on Wilmslow Road, Cheadle around the entrance to Whitegates (the home) and Grange Park Road.
• I’ve the Council to report back to me on litter clearing in Scholes Field, so we can work towards getting it done better (not sure whether more bins are what’s needed yet).

I was really pleased that all the hard work over the last couple of years to get the library end of Ashfield Road adopted by the Council has paid off.  Once the Council legally owns the road, it can put in proper parking bays and restrictions and police them sensibly.

The legal process still has a little way to go: a last month for objections will be up on 16th October, after which everything hopefully starts moving.

I’ve also reported graffiti on Ashfield Road to the Council: the two bits of spray painting on the pavement up by Cheddle Lodge and the graffiti on the green junction box near the junction with Whitegates Road.

Opposite 124 Brookfield Road, Cheadle is a path leading to a recreation ground.  About 2m from the road is a “Warning” sign.  It’s currently dangerous - the post is I’ve loose and the sign could easily topple over and injure someone.  I’m told a motorbike collided with it a few weeks ago.

I’ve asked for the sign to be made safe.

Residents on Longley Lane, Orchard Gardens and Rosewood Gardens in Gatley have been promised their new blue and brown bins, but they haven’t arrived.

I’m chasing it up with the Council and hope to get the bins soon.

I’ve also reported three faulty street-lamps on Rosewood Gardens and a blocked drain on Longley Lane.

I noticed today that the rubbish bin in the Gatley Rec playground is full to overflowing and there’s a good deal of litter scattered all over the grass (even though the bin just outside the playground isn’t nearly full).

The bin by the skate park is also full.

I’ve reported the bins and litter to the Council for clearing.

Ever had anyone tell you a council, government or even a company was completely perfect?  That they did everything right and there was no room for improvement?

If so, I’m sure you didn’t believe them.

Stockport Council is rightly rated as a Four Star “Excellent” council - one of the best in the country.

And part of being excellent is that you know you aren’t perfect and you strive to improve even further.

I’ve got my own thoughts on some places those improvements can be made.  I’ve been disappointed at the time it’s taking to sort out some of our blocked drains and tree stumps, for example.

If elected as a councillor, I’m committed to working constructively with other councillors and officers to  make those improvements.  You won’t see me sniping feebly from the sidelines - I’ll be in there, making it happen.

After I reported the trees in front of the car park by the Gatley Green Co-op, I had a nice call from a guy at the Council to confirm exactly which ones I meant.  It was the big trees hanging low over the pavement as you walk from Gatley Glass to the Co-op.  These should now be pruned back.

I’ve just reported rubbish in need of clearing near the entrance to Sycamore Walk in Cheadle (just by the gate into Oakside Close).  There’s a broken mirror in addition to numerous beer cans etc. on the road and in the bushes.

Would be nice if people didn’t dump beer cans and mirrors there in the first place, of course.

It’s amazing how much faster I can get around Cheadle and Gatley on my bike compared to driving - especially when I’m making lots of stops.

Anyway, dashed around this morning before the rain and, amongst other things, have now reported the following:

1. Pothole in centre Springfield Road, Gatley at the junction with Lawson Avenue.

2. Pothole in centre of Coniston Road, Gatley outside nos. 12 & 14.

3. Pothole outside 2 Wensley Road, Cheadle by manhole cover.

4. Pothole on Greenvale Drive, Cheadle 5 metres from the Gatley Road junction

5. Pothole in centre of Beech Avenue, Gatley outside no. 65.

6. The plants between the Methodist Church and Massie Street car park at the end of Ashfield Crescent, Cheadle could do with a bit of tidying, assuming it’s Council land.

7. Where Valley Road meets Cheadle Road in Cheadle, a bush is growing over the “Valley Road” road sign.

8. In Gatley, the trees by the Gatley Green car park have low branches people are having to duck under.
9. At a couple of points on the footpath from Wilsmlow Road to Ashfield Road, Cheadle (on the section between Ashfield Road and Whitegates Road) trees from gardens are growing over the path, blocking out light and being a hazard at head height.

I was pleased to see the section of Oakwood Avenue running alongside the railway line is much cleaner following our request for the Council and Network Rail to clear it up a few days ago.  How long it stays that way is another matter…

So I take the kids down to Gatley Carrs for their task day yesterday (the rain wasn’t too bad and looked like it might even stop).

Over to the pond and I was asked to have a stab at hacking down some himalayan balsam - a plant with nice flowers, but it grows to six feet tall in no time at all and blocks out everything else.

Having laid to it with a spade, I was making good progress when it seems I disturbed some wasps.  Not good.   Several stings later Ihad to retire from the field of battle to nurse my wounds.

Not my most impressive contribution (last year’s flower planting and path laying seemed a lot more productive) - let’s hope I can do better next time.

Come along to Gatley Carrs on Sunday at 10.30am for a Conservative Group task day.  Even if you can just spare half an hour, your help will be valuable.

Meet in the car park at the end of Brookside Road.

I spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon with Pam King and Mark Hunter, walking around Gatley and Cheadle.

I showed Mark the small lake that appears outside the Gatley Green Co-op whenever we have hard rain (it was meant to be sorted some time ago, we’re on the case).  We took a look at the clock-tower junction and the Tatton site.

Then in Cheadle we saw the Warwick Mall - the covered shopping parade that runs between Massie Street car park and Cheadle High Street.  I still don’t understand why the Tories failed to support Brian’s efforts to save it.

Onto looking at parking problems - we spent a good deal of time in Ashfield Road, then Oak Road.  Pam told us about the efforts to get improved parking restrictions at the library end of Ashfield (apparently it’s unadopted - the Council doesn’t own the road - and that’s caused complications and made the whole thing take a long time).

We were able to look at a few other places too, before time ran out.  The old Somerfield site is getting more and more frustrating - Tesco have had planning permission to put in their store there for months and I’ve no idea why they’ve chosen to hold off doing the work.

Here’s the email I’ve sent to Streetscene:

Hi,

I’d like to report three separate issues with the footpath running from the corner of Foxland Road and Springfield Road down to Hawthorn Road.

1. The litter bin by the railway bridge (at the Foxland Road end) is full to overflowing with litter scattered all around it.  Please can it be emptied.

2. There’s a lot of litter along the length of the path in need of cleaning up.  Please can it be cleaned.

3. Parts of the path are narrowed by growth of vegitation, especially stinging nettles.  Please can they be cut back down the length of the path.

Thanks,

Iain

I’ll be chasing them up in a few days if nothing’s done.