News
Save Serpentine Community Farm
Wed, 15 November 2017
Volunteers at Serpentine Community Farm in Buxton are asking supporters to sign a petition to save the site and get the farm a long-term lease from High Peak Borough Council.
Over the last three years, volunteers have brought a disused and derelict Council plant nursery in the heart of Buxton back to life. They already demonstrate good horticultural practice, develop skills and confidence, offer a therapeutic setting for people of all ages and abilities, grow produce, provide education and training, and organise events accessible for all.
They feel they can do more if they have a secure footing in the form of a long-term lease on the current site and original stone-built workshops and stores. Serpentine Community Farm could extend its activities, enriching individual and community life. Instead, a plan formulated by the High Peak Borough Council Executive Team to raise cash from residential development of the site jeopardises all the work and effort of the volunteers.
Vote for Funding for Whistlewood Common
Wed, 15 November 2017
Whistlewood Common, a not-for-profit, community-owned woodland in Melbourne, Derbyshire, is looking for your votes to help get funding for an access track to allow people with disabilities to access and enjoy the woodland.
The site is designed along permaculture principles (a sustainable design framework) so that it will work for people, for wildlife and be a welcoming space for people of all ages and backgrounds. Young and old alike love the site as somewhere they can feel relaxed and close to nature. Whistlewood Common holds events, runs workshops and provides educational opportunities that help people understand how to live more sustainably. Their rural ten acre site encourages an appreciation of nature and the outdoors, by being part of it, not just an outside observer. The site also hosts events that bring the community closer to make it a better place to live and help them face future challenges.
The group has applied for an Aviva grant to install an access pathway that will allow the project to be more inclusive and welcome more visitors.
Help With Research Into How the Public Engages With Renewable Energy
Wed, 15 November 2017
A student at the University of Birmingham is researching how the public engage with renewable energy. The research seeks to explore how people are investing in Community Energy and purchasing 'green' renewable energy tariffs at home. To find out more and complete the survey, visit http://bit.ly/2gNy7Kd
Nottinghamshire County Council Calling for Improvements to Rail Travel
Wed, 15 November 2017
Nottinghamshire County Council has called for the Government to take action to improve rail travel in Nottinghamshire. These calls are in response to a consultation by the Department of Transport to help shape long-term improvements to the East Midlands rail franchise, one of the four franchises which serve Nottinghamshire.
The Council has already funded £200,000 towards an initial feasibility study into the reopening of the Shirebrook-Ollerton line for passengers. This line is already used as a freight line and a test track, and already connects to the existing passenger railway on the Robin Hood line between Nottingham and Worksop. Improvements to rail links in this part of Nottinghamshire could help boost the local economy by creating better access to jobs and local tourism sites.
Councillors also reiterated their disappointment in the Government’s decision to cancel the electrification of the Midland Main Line. Councillor John Cottee, committee chairman for the Community and Place Committee said: “We think this is a short-sighted approach as the proposed replacement bi-mode trains – designed to run on both existing lines and electric lines - represent a poor replacement and are not environmentally friendly. The Government's decision to cancel electrification of the MML, while continuing to fund the £30 billion Crossrail two project in London, is particularly unfair to this region.”
For more information visit http://bit.ly/2zREjs6
Frack Free Notts Calls on Council to Reject Seismic Surveys on Council Land
Fri, 3 November 2017
Frack Free Notts is calling on Nottinghamshire’s county councillors say no to all requests for seismic surveys on county council-owned land. It is asking others living in the county to do the same by writing to their councillor.
The call from the groups comes following a delay to a decision, a statement against the proposal from the local Labour Party group, and a decision by the council to determine each seismic survey decision on a site-by-site basis. Frack Free Notts believes it is now unclear what the process for decision making is and if the public will have access to each proposal in sufficient time to comment.
Anyone wishing to support the campaign can download a template letter on the group’s website and send it to their local councillor by 16th November: http://bit.ly/2gYAlKG