Late licences: Greens fight for fair consultation

Under new central government legislation, every pub has the opportunity to apply for a licence to serve alcohol beyond the traditional hours. The Green Party has been issuing letters to people living near to pubs in Nelson ward that have applied for late licences, to ensure residents have the opportunity to comment before the City Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee makes a decision on the application. However, last month it emerged that the council had given incorrect consultation deadlines to residents and councillors for many of the pubs applying for late licenses. The council has since been refusing to accept comments received after the deadline it should have set – even if this deadline was before it informed residents of the late licence application!

Councillor Bob Gledhill said: “The Green Party is not opposed to all late licenses. Staggered closing times might help reduce anti-social behaviour. However, when a pub in a residential area applies for a late licence it is vital that local residents have a real opportunity to influence the decision-making process. It is quite unacceptable that the council has refused to account for the views of many residents in these consultation processes.”

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Tree replacement - Councillor Jessica Goldfinch writes...

Over two years ago, a number of street trees in Muriel Road and Stafford Street were felled by the council. Since then, local residents and the Green Councillors have been lobbying for the trees to be replaced. Despite promises that the replanting would take place in the last two winters, the residents are still waiting for their trees.

We raised the issue at a recent full Council meeting and now have a written assurance that the replanting will take place this winter. I very much hope the council sticks to its promise for these and other areas where replanting is needed. Street trees are important for the local and global environment.

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Park Lane pavement obstruction

Since February, some metal fencing has been obstructing the pavement on Park Lane (close to Unthank Road). The fencing is blocking nearly half the width of the pavement and is proving particularly problematic for people with pushchairs or in wheelchairs.

Councillor Jessica Goldfinch said: "The fencing is there to protect a fragile wall and the council has said that it will be removed once the wall is repaired. This is taking an unacceptably long time. When we raised the issue at a recent City Council meeting, we were informed that a less obstructive form of fencing for the wall would be installed in the meantime and we are pushing for this to happen as soon as possible.

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Greens concerned about Norfolk Employment Growth Study

The Green Party has expressed concern at the Norfolk Employment Growth Study commissioned by local councils. The strategy is based on plans for a large-scale increase in the number of homes and jobs in Norwich and in the city’s population. The Green Party believes that over-heating the city’s economy in this way would harm the environment and the quality of life of local residents.

Councillor Andrew Boswell said: “The concentration of development in the west of Norwich in recent years has massively increased traffic levels in the Earlham Road area. New development needs to be more evenly spread within the country, the county and the city. The ‘Growth Strategy’ would result in urban sprawl across the city’s greenbelt. The main priority for development in Norwich should be affordable housing on brownfield sites.”

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What do you think should be done to make the zebra crossing on Earlham Road (by Park Lane) safer?

nelson@norwichgreenparty.org

Stop Unthank Tesco : campaign update

In March, the City Council Planning Committee unamimously rejected an application by Tesco to build a store on the corner of Unthank Road and Trinity Street. Tesco has now appealed against the decision, and so the Planning Inspectorate will hold a Public Inquiry into the application before making a final decision. The Inquiry is likely to take place for several months.

Good news!

The planning application for a private leisure centre, nursing home and nursery to be built on a quarter of the Hewett School playing fields has been withdrawn. The news came as local residents and Green Councillors were preparing the case against the development for a Public Inquiry. The Green Party welcomes the news and hopes this green space can be used by the local community in general, as well as school students, in the future. New school facilities should be funded by the County Council and the Government - schools should not have to sell off assets to raise cash.

City Councillors have voted unanimously for the council to retain control of its housing stock, despite attempts by the Government to force councils to sell off their housing. The Green Party welcomes the decision as we believe it will be the best way to ensure this affordable housing remains available for future generations. In June, it was announced that 87% of Norwich council tenants and leaseholders responding to a survey favoured the option of stock retention.

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Streetlight relocation problems

Numerous residents living in the Stafford Street area have contacted the Green Party to report that the streetlights on their road have recently been replaced, and their locations changed, without any consultation. Some residents have complained that the relocation has meant they now have a light shining into their bedroom window where there was previously no problem.

Councillor Andrew Boswell said: "I have complained to the County Council that residents and ward councillors were not consultated or even informed before the relocation took place. It also makes no environmental sense to replace functional streetlights unnecessarily. The Green Party is lobbying for the council to pilot fitting solar panels to streetlights to make use of free, renewable energy. Such projects have been initiated by Green Councillors elsewhere in the Country."

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Plastic bottle banks installed – Councillor Adrian Ramsay writes...

Banks for recycling plastic bottles have recently been installed at Sainsbury’s on Queen’s Road and Waitrose in Eaton. The Green Councillors secured funding for the new banks as part of the negotiations for this year’s City Council budget.

Another improvement is that residents with green recycling boxes will soon be able to put tins and cans out for collection.

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Handy tip comes to Nelson

The handy tip will be on Portersfield Road and Stafford Street on Saturday 22 October from 8 to 11am. It provides residents with an opportunity to dispose of bulky items free of charge. For more information, please contact the City Council Environmental Health department on (01603) 212307 or ehealth@norwich.gov.uk

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Earl of Leicester should have been saved

In July, residents living near the Earl of Leicester pub received a letter from the City Council inviting comments on plans for a new block of flats on the site. The Green Party and many local residents lobbied the council to protect the building but council officers said there was nothing they could do as the building was not listed.

Councillor Jessica Goldfinch said: "It was quite wrong that the LibDems defended the disgraceful decision not to tell residents about the option of a Building Preservation Notice. The council should have done all it could to preserve the building. Not only was it an important historic landmark but turning the existing building into flats would have had positive environmental implications due to reducing the need for new building materials."

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Examples of how Green Party Councillors have recently helped Nelson residents:

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Contacting Nelson Greens

The Green Party Councillors continue to take up local issues of concern with the Council. If you have anything you would like us to investigate or any questions please contact us:

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