Friday, March 29, 2013

Nirvana?

Whilst delighted with the recognition of Thornbury as the fourth best town to live, I was a little uncertain about the reference to Nirvana so I looked in the Cambridge Encyclopaedia. There it is described as: “… the attainment of supreme bliss, tranquillity, and purity, when the fires of desire are extinguished.” Not quite how I would describe Thornbury but perhaps that’s how outsiders see us?

Friday, February 01, 2013

Curtain falls on plans to build new £6m theatre

ACT has conceded that its plans to build a £6 million theatre in Thornbury are not financially viable given a substantial shortfall in operating costs now calculated to be in excess of £250,000 per annum (ACT Press Statement, January 2013). Probably sound judgement in the current economic climate, since I suspect that a large number of Thornbury folk would be less than keen to pay £1 per week per household in order to subsidise theatre performances for visitors from outside the town.

It is nice to see in the press release that:

"............... ACT will continue to operate. We have decided to focus on supporting the Arts in Thornbury and the surrounding area. Over the next few months we will develop our ideas into plans on how to implement this new initiative, possibly by way of ACT becoming a Charitable Foundation that donates to worthy causes, arts related. We expect to continue with a number of events that have proved to be popular, as well as being successful fundraisers."
The report in the Thornbury Gazette omits any reference to this positive outcome - perhaps two pages were one too many for the reporter to read or will the good news be trumpeted in the next issue?

It was good to see ACT suggesting that locals should throw their weight behind fund raising for the Armstrong Hall changing rooms although many of us have been doing just that in recognition of the urgent need to upgrade these facilities. Perhaps ACT might consider a donation from its funds? And finally, I am left wondering how much ACT has spent over the years on professional fees for their many advisers and how this might have been more productively spent. Presumably some accounts have been or will be published somewhere, sometime?

Friday, January 11, 2013

Reclaim the rail line to Thornbury

Congratulations to Councillors Trevor Jones and Brian Hopkinson for supporting reopening of a rail link to Thornbury (Thornbury Gazette, Thursday January 10, 2013; Bristol Observer, Thursday January 10, 2013). They are very wise in advocating that South Gloucestershire Council should pressurise Network Rail to reclaim the line and protect its potential for future use.

Some may say that the costs would be prohibitive: £38 million construction and £3 million per year operating costs. Just hold that thought while considering that the Government's latest proposals for compensating communities living near to power stations would bring about £8 million per year if new nuclear were built at Oldbury.

Future generations looking back from 2050 would not thank us if we were to squander such an opportunity. So let's keep our eyes on whether South Gloucestershire Council acts to protect this infra-stucture that is part of our heritage.

Thursday, January 03, 2013

Community benefit or indecent proposal?

The film 'Indecent Proposal' charts a wife's struggle with her virtue as she eventually agrees to have sex with another man for $1 million. Something similar could be coming to Thornbury very soon if proposals to compensate rural communities for hosting fracking sites, wind turbines and nuclear stations come to fruition.

The Times (30 December 2012) headlines one perspective: 'Bribes to halt wind farm fight'. At the other extreme is a recognition of the benefits that could be enjoyed by such communities. Just how substantial are they?

It is proposed that wind farm developers would pay £5,000 per year per installed megawatt into a fund to be spent on community benefits. Not exactly a revolution because many wind farm developers already give communities around £1,000 per megawatt per year. The key question is whether a fivefold increase would be sufficient to overcome community opposition - my guess is that it would at least introduce a more reasoned debate.

What about nuclear? EdF negotiations at Hinkley Point in Somerset are already well advanced with suggested payments of £8 million per year for 70 years or so into community trusts overseen by West Somerset and Sedgemoor district councils. Once again not a revolution since EdF already adopt the same approach for communities surrounding their plants in France.

What if a similar amount were to be paid in respect of nuclear development at Oldbury? Imagine the impact on our community of being able to spend an extra £8 million per year for 70 years!

Park Farm flood plain?

Having seen that building at Park Farm would be in the centre of a flood plain and taken note of the flooded gateway on a recent letters page in Thornbury Gazette, I decided to pay a site visit at the height of our recent inundation. So 1st January 2013 I walked to the mediaeval (allegedly) fishponds to undertake a visual survey. The result was a view surprisingly free of waterlogging ......