Freshford Village plan 64 Solar Panels in field Ha Ha?

The BANES planning application is 10/03483/FUL for the application by Freshford and Limpley Stoke Community Association (FLiSCA) to supply power to the new Galleries shop from a bank of 64 solar panels located in a field in the green belt and in an AONB. You can't be serious? Yes they can! 
 
 After doing a little research I can understand why the new shop could not have been equipped with solar panels at the time it was built,  the surrounding trees and orientation of the shop rules them out. The Ha Ha in the title of this article is the key to why this proposed project is serious and merits support. The ha ha being a ditch and bank that can be used to conceal the solar panels from being an eyesore. When I first heard of the plan I thought the panels could be hidden by suitable hedging. The ha ha idea is even better and some hedging still needs to be used. The following link provides direct access to the project and provides an argument for its acceptance. Design and Access Statement. (pdf)  To read all documents: Freshford Village Shop Solar Power Project application  

 There are also plans to replace the ageing Freshford Village Memorial Hall. Any new building in the 21st Century should if possible use a sustainable source of energy. Bearing in mind that it surely makes more sense to plan the installation of solar panels to serve both the shop and the new village hall I think that this application should perhaps be revised to provide more energy -as long as it can be totally hidden!

The benefits of using solar power and possible heat pumps to power a village hall can be read about here Great Barton Village Hall. The Great Barton Village Hall project used the services of the Solar Energy Alliance I have uploaded a copy of their PV Information pack which provides an excellent guide to the subject.

Is this application just one step in a slippery slope to widespread development in the green belt as some suggest? I don't think so, but then I'm not an expert on these matters. The planning process and public consultation seems to provide protection from such development and I suppose there is still an appeal process.  What do you think?

Unfortunately, the new Freshford Parish Council website has not been able to provide public access to its minutes for September, October and November 2010.  This has meant that many residents would not have known that the BANES Development committee were due to decide the issue in December last.  Even if one had managed to access the minutes by logging on to their Google account (if they have one) one could quite easily think that the decision could be due to be made in December 2011! 

Development in the green belt is not just a local parish issue. Freshford consists of residents who also live in Wiltshire. In this particular case I think that the decision to permit it, which has been made a couple of days ago is the right one. The issue of the End of Oil is very real and only the unhindered growth in the world population is a greater threat to our sustainability. That is why this project although small in scale is important. However, couldn't these solar panels be erected elsewhere and connected to the grid?  Does it harm us if there is something alien concealed in our countryside, even if only a trespasser can see it?

This might be thought of as a green and pleasant land but unfortunately, a lot of it is not. Roads and other developments supposedly constructed to to meet a greater need, like the proposed high speed train link to Birmingham threaten the very nature of these small islands.  What is truly green and pleasant needs to be protected and fiercely as otherwise people will say this was a green and pleasant land!

Westwood Post Office and Shop

I just thought that I should remind people that the Westwood shop is under new management. A planning application has been submitted, which the Parish Council and residents support, to extend the shop. The extension will mean that the shop will be able to offer more goods and this will also help to keep prices low. The shop belongs to a Cost Cutter network and the benefits are that goods may be priced at supermarket levels.

The shop is open from 8am till 8pm, Monday to Sunday. Freshford residents could easily find these times convenient, particularly at weekends when our local shop closes at midday. There are also many residents who can't use the Freshford shop in the week as they get home too late. Also remember that Sainsbury's supermarket closes at 8pm during the week and 4pm on Sundays.

Update: the planning application has been approved. The shop will be extended into the forecourt area.

The building will look like this - with a pantile roof and stone-rendered walls.  It will be light and airy.  It will be very well insulated and ventilated so that there should be no need for heating or air conditioning. 

Videos of the location of the propsed Freshford village community shop can be viewed here: Shop Location Video Views Although this has been posted before I am posting the link again for ease of access.

I have also noted that the proposed ash tree planting may cause undesirable shade. The Google map used to provide links to the video films quite clearly shows shade and if large trees were to be planted that shade would affect the car park and access land to the children's playground. At present there are no trees adjoining the section of wall.

I can't see any need for the trees because as can be observed from the video films the location of the proposed community shop is not visible from any of the viewpoints unless one was standing at the top of Galleries field (which is private land anyway) or on the footpath by The Glebe. The proposed trees would reduce the sunny aspect close to the Memorial Hall and children's playground and possibly encourage moss and make the ground slippery. Why not have some mixed hedging or smaller trees?

The  Esso Service station on the A36 will still be open during the road closure but will have a very difficult time with the road being closed.  I intend to only buy my fuel there, even if its inconvenient, whilst the A36 is closed.  I will also make sure that I also make a point of doing some shopping there.

We all need to support local services as much as possible -the posible closure of the fuel station is very real. I believe that we can all help to keep it open. Local supermarkets can afford to lose our custom for several weeks but in a time when fuel stations are becoming even fewer we can't afford to lose this one.

Apparently according to B&NES Planning Freshford Village Memorial Hall is not in Freshford. 

 Apparently some councillors at the meeting of the Development Control Committee in Bath yesterday were not able to view my video films of every conceiveable place from which to view the proposed site of our new community shop. Even though a DVD copy of the videos was sent to B&NES Planning.

So I must presume that my evidence, which is undeniable, that the existing Freshford Memorial Hall is not or hardly visible (and the location of the proposed shop) from any location other than almost directly in front of it was not allowed to be viewed by the committee members. And did those that are not in favour of the proposal actually go on a site visit?  If they did I wouldn't have thought they would have worn suitable footware to view the site from the footpaths.

Perhaps I should have emailed the committee members with the link to this website or post them a copy of the videos on DVD.

I shall also post a DVD containing the ten videos to Planning.

I have published my comments on the planning application below:

Although a Wilsthire resident I live closer to Freshford village centre than to Westwood. To save fuel I would prefer to shop in Freshford as it is only a short walk away. The proposed application does provide parking for those who need to do more shopping and who are dropping off or collecting children from the school. This will reduce the congestion along Freshford Lane.  As the proposed shop is located adjoining the Freshford Memorial Hall and is close to a children's playground the shop will foster community relations and reduce the risk to children from traffic. I don't think that the location  of the shop would detract from the appearance of the neighbourhood.

Where ever the proposed village shop needs to be, it does need to be large enough to provide the range of goods that we need and at reasonable prices. The combined shop and post office at Winsley is a good example.

I am concerned that there should always be a range of fresh vegetables available. There is a danger that because there is not much profit on fresh produce this part of the produce for sale will be neglected and disappointed shoppers will just go to Bradford On Avon. 

One of the great things about supermarkets are that it is unusual to not to be able to buy what you need, whatever the time of day. And often, whatever the time of day there are usually bargains.