Friday 8 November 2013

Council Meeting - Cuts and Planning Issues

Plans for the new school seem to have become bogged down again at the County Council level. However, there was an interesting bit of history mentioned as they untangle who originally owned what. The community centre was originally owned by Breconshire Council, and the Council Chambers, which was also the Library, was owned by Hay UDC (Urban District Council). Breconshire Council built the present library in the 1970s.
There was a sense of regret that the old Hay council hadn't hung on to the car park - because if they had, the town would get all the revenue from it, rather than the County Council!

The County Council are also failing to reply to Hay Council about the public toilets - Nigel the town clerk sent a letter on 19th Sept and hasn't had an answer yet. He has, however, had to declare an interest on the part of Hay council in taking over the toilets and running them. If he hadn't done that, they would be closed now. As it is, they will remain open until 31st December. The County Council say it costs £26,000 a year to keep a toilet block open (but somehow it could be done for £10,000, which makes one wonder why they aren't doing it for less). Gareth has been talking to Talgarth Council, to see it Hay and Talgarth could combine forces and have a cleaning contract for the toilets between them. It would be cheaper if done for more toilet blocks - (but isn't that what a County Council is for - doing the things that town councils can't do well on their own?).
The Craft Centre was built by the Welsh Development Agency, and the toilets there could be said to be part of the car park provision, so there is an argument there for keeping them open.
Nigel Birch suggested a protest against the closures in which a group of old ladies would drop their knickers in the car park! And at the end of the meeting Ellie Spencer suggested a new campaign - Save Hay's Important Toilets!
The County Councillor responsible for all this, by the way, is Barry Thomas.
Gareth pointed out that the furore over the toilets is only the tip of the iceberg. Closing them will save the County Council only 1% of the amount they need to cut.

On to planning matters, and as part of the G4 mobile phone network being rolled out across Wales a mobile phone mast has been applied for along the A470. Councillors weren't optimistic about objecting to it - after all, it didn't make any difference last time.
Hay Council has also been contacted by Clyro and Painscastle councils about the application for a wind turbine on Cold Blow, (a very apt name!). Again, the Hay councillors didn't want to get involved, especially as the wind turbine will not be visible from Hay. (I've seen the planning application map, and the turbine is tucked away just about as far from anything as it can possibly be). There is already a Facebook page for a group called Say No to Clyro Turbine.
At the new houses in de Breos Court, the softwood frames of the windows are already rotting, and there has been an application from one of the houses to replace them with PVC frames. Alan Powell said it would make no visual difference to the properties (he would know, as a carpenter).
Work on the Cheesemarket will be going on until February, but the scaffolding will be coming down for the Food Fair at the end of this month.

And finally, something far more enjoyable! Someone wants to donate a vintage fire appliance to Hay, as it originally came from Hay Fire Station! It was the hand pumped, horse drawn one, and needs restoration. Alan Powell is going to have a look at it, and it was thought it would be a great addition to the town's resources, and possibly the local Vintage Society would be interested in becoming involved.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

It would be a great shame if the replaced the wooden window frames with plastic ones. Alan Powell is incorrect by saying there would be no visible difference. The wooden sills should have been better made in the first place. Plastic windows don't last very long and once their life is up you cannot recycle the plastic. Plastic windows are a blight across the land. They may keep your home dry (and unbreathable) but they are ugly and ruin the look of old properties.

Breath of Fresh Air said...

What with his previous comment in your last Council Meeting post it would seem that Nigel Birch isn't taking his Council duties very seriously. It's time he was replaced by someone who does.

Anonymous said...

The scaffolding around the Cheesemarket will not be coming down for the food festival,the Herras fence panelled compound will be taken down only.

Anonymous said...

Regarding the toilet closure myself and a number of other hay residents are up for 'shit in'....... by the Town Clock and the Craft Centre - if we count as old ladies?
Deb Clark

Iconoclast said...

I agree with B of Fresh A - Nigel Birch is one of the more reactionary of the dinosaurs. He was overheard in the co-op, gloating over the resignation of 2 female councillors not long ago, saying "only one more to get rid of ..."

Well, it's time HE was that one!

Anonymous said...

Appalling.

Ellie Spencer said...

2012 Election: Nigel Birch 303; Ellie Spencer 338. I've got 35 more friends that you, Nigel, so ner-ner-ne-ner-ner. :-)

Anonymous said...

Amazing to hear negative things about Nigel Birch. He may indeed be a dinosaur, but he has more integrity in one finger than most of those "new" councillors put together, who are only in it for their own agendas like Hay Together (who couldn't get any votes, btw)... At least we know he cares about Hay, not just about his interests...
As for the councillors who resigned, reminds me of little children throwing tantrums chucking toys out of their prams :)

Burton Paul said...

The closing down of the toilets could potentially negatively affect Hay tourism. The Hay town council has challenged this closure restriction of funding to Powys CC, and the residents need to write to Powys themselves as well to challenge this. Hay is a significant tourist spot, and public toilets are an important element to the comfort and welcome of visitors. What Powys doesnt seem to appreciate is that the main car park is their greatest parking revenue in Powys, therefore, they need to help generate tourism, as this will help them generate revenue... simple math. Makes me wonder how they actually think...

Chris said...

Hi Eigon,

Re the Clyro wind turbine: it is not "tucked away just about as far from anything as it can possibly be". It will be 84 metres high - over 1.5 times the height of Nelson's Column and almost the height of Big Ben - the height of a 28 storey building at Cold Blow on Clyro Hill. It will be visible over a huge area from the Black Mountains, Hay and the Wye Valley (even visible from the Castle) over to Rhosgoch, Painscastle and Ireland Moor.

I suggest you take a look at planning document 2688348 (showing the Zone of Theoretical Visibility) available from Powys Planning website via this link:
http://planning.powys.gov.uk/portal/servlets/ApplicationSearchServlet?PKID=124800

If you are concerned about this commercial wind turbine development pop along to this website:
http://no2clyrohillwindturbine.com

Also let your family, friends and colleagues know. Closing date for objections is 22 November - just a few off.

Eigon said...

Thanks, Chris - I have seen the planning document, and I'm still in favour of wind turbines. Do you know where your electricity comes from, and who has to live next to whatever power station it is?

Anonymous said...

There were no representatives from Hay Together, or Plan B for that matter who stood for Council which probably explains why they didn't get any votes at the election.

I don't think Nigel Birch knows the meaning of the word integrity, judging my his remarks in the Co-op recently.

Anonymous said...

I thought John Kramer put up for council and he is Hay together.

Eigon said...

He's one of the organisers of Hay Together now - the organisation was only at the very early stages when he last stood for the Council, having been on the Council already, and when he was not elected, he turned his efforts to Hay Together instead.

Anonymous said...

We can only hope that Hay Together does not go against things that Hay Council wants to press on with. I am a long term person from Hay and I really find these people who have only moved here over the last few years are a very destructive influence on the town. Most of them have sold houses in expensive towns and moved to cheaply aquired properties here and then they think they are better in all ways than the old locals.

Eigon said...

I'd like to know where these "cheaply acquired properties" are! Houses in the Hay area are quite expensive!

Anonymous said...

The most destructive influence in Hay is old locals who can't stand anyone they didn't grow up with.