The Norwich Green

Keep Money for Public Transport and Social Services, say Greens

Green councillors have welcomed news that the ruling Conservative Cabinet at County Hall has dropped proposals to withdraw funding for local voluntary groups and for bus passes for sixth form college students. However, the Greens are unhappy that the Cabinet's budget proposals still include cuts to subsidies for 23 bus routes, cuts to funding for library books and cuts to money for care homes.

Andrew Boswell, Green Party County Councillor, said: "We received many letters from concerned residents about the proposed cuts to college students’ bus passes and to voluntary organisations. I am pleased that these proposed cuts have been dropped, but the Green Party Group thinks the council should not be cutting any money from public transport and social services."

"The County Council is still planning a Northern Distributor Road (NDR), at the cost of around £100m, with £1.2m of consultation fees allocated for it in next year’s budget alone. This road may never be built and yet public money is being spent on it each year. If the council dropped its NDR plans now, it could avoid any cuts to public transport and social services and fund more road safety measures."

Campaign Against Mass Tree Pollarding

Green councillors have been supporting residents in their campaign against plans by the City Council to radically pollard 32 mature trees in Lime Tree Road. An independent arboricultural consultant has published a report arguing that there are more appropriate and less drastic ways of tackling safety problems with the trees than pollarding (which involves cutting a tree back to just a trunk). The alternative measures are crown reduction and removal of weak limbs.

Green Party Councillor Adrian Ramsay said: "Radical pollarding would destroy the appearance of these trees, the local environment and wildlife habitat. The council says it intends to pollard thousands of trees in Norwich. The Green Party and Friends of the Earth are concerned that the work on Lime Tree Road could mark the start of a programme of pollarding trees across the city."

Green Energy Campaign

Councillor Adrian Holmes writes...

Unthank Road Safety Measures

The Norwich Highways Agency Committee has agreed funding for the following road safety measures in Wensum:

• a zebra crossing over Bowthorpe Road, by Cadge Road.
• a right turn lane for cyclists going from Bowthorpe Road into the car-free section of Gipsy Lane.
• traffic calming measures on Waterworks Road.

Councillor Rupert Read, the Green Party's representative on the Highways Agency Committee, commented: "These proposals are welcome. Numerous residents have made requests to us for all these measures. However, the plans may not be implemented for another year. This adds weight to the Green Party's argument that the councils should divert money away from road building and towards road safety measures. With this extra funding, these measures could be put in place much sooner and the councils could also help the many other residents of Wensum ward who have a strong case for traffic calming measures in their area – such as on Hellesdon Road and Jex Road and other necessary measures on Bowthorpe Road."

The Norwich Lanes

Derelict House on Wheatley Road

Numerous residents have raised with the Green Party their concerns about the derelict house on Wheatley Road. Concerns include the rubbish that has often built up on the site. Norwich City Council has recently granted planning permission to Orwell Housing to demolish the house and replace it with two new Housing Association properties. This work is expected to take place later this year.

Uneven Pavements: Winchcomb and Wheatley Roads

Last year the Green councillors successfully lobbied the City Council to carry out much-needed resurfacing work on pavements in the Woodlands Estate. However, parts of Winchcomb and Wheatley Roads were left out and the pavements remain very uneven. Several residents have expressed concerns about the potential for people to trip over. The Green councillors are lobbying the City Council to complete this resurfacing work as soon as possible.

Faulty Streetlights By Aldi

Tom Llewellyn writes...

Thank you to the residents who reported to us the problems of the broken streetlights and uneven pavement in the pathway by Aldi. We raised these issues with the Aldi Area Manager, who has agreed to arrange for the lights to be fixed and the pathway improved in the near future.

Fresh Planning Application for Fourways Garage Site

Fairhurst Estates, the owners of the derelict Fourways Garage site on Dereham Road, have submitted a fresh planning application to the City Council for a wine warehouse on the site. We will keep you informed on the issue through this newsletter. The Green councillors are hoping the site will not be derelict for much longer.

Battery Recycling

Tom Llewellyn writes...

The Green Councillors are frequently asked where in Norwich people can recycle household batteries. Dixons and PC World stores both have boxes where people can leave batteries for recycling on a counter near the door. If you know of any other shops that provide such a facility please inform us. Rechargeable batteries remain the better environmental option but it is useful that battery recycling facilities exist.

Household batteries can also be recycled at the Swanton Road Recycling Centre, as can vehicle batteries. Charities often ask for old mobile phone batteries for recycling.

Recycling Not Incineration, say Greens

At the end of this month Norwich City Council will be adopting its budget for the 2006/07 financial year. Green Party councillors are arguing that improvements to local recycling facilities should be a top spending priority.

Green Party campaigner Tom Llewellyn said: "Because the Green councillors hold the balance of power at City Hall, they have been able to secure some improvements to local recycling facilities. However, Norwich is still a very long way from having a truly comprehensive recycling scheme. For example, we urgently need investment in better recycling facilities for residents of flats and we need far more plastic bottle banks."

Councillor Adrian Ramsay added: "It is essential that we massively improve our recycling rates to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and undermine the County Council's arguments for building an incinerator at Costessey. We were disappointed that LibDem and Labour councillors would not join us in opposing the incinerator plans at the last City Council meeting."

Peter Tatchell: Why I've Joined the Green Party

Human Rights Campaigner to Visit Norwich

Norwich residents will have the opportunity to put questions to human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell when he visits the city on 1st March. During his visit, Peter will take part in two public meetings where he will tell people why he has joined the Green Party and take questions from members of the audience. The public meetings will take place as follows:

Wednesday 1st March
1pm in room 1.28 of Union House at UEA
7:30pm at St. Thomas’ Church Hall, Earlham Road (by Edinburgh Road junction; on 26 and 27 bus routes).

For more details please contact Councillor Bob Gledhill on 621980.