Mixed bag for Belmont in elections
The local elections on May 3 provided some distinctly mixed results for Belmont ward. Two of the three councillors elected, Phil Edwards and Glenda Powell (both Independent), are familiar faces and deserve their success for the work they have put in on behalf of the parish and, of course, elsewhere. Glenda will join Phil on the Belmont Rural parish council. The third councillor elected was Heather Davies (Liberal Democrat).

Beyond that the news becomes rather more ropy. The sixth highest vote (out of a monster list of 14 candidates) went to the British National Party. Far more discouraging is that Belmont had the third worst turnout of voters (23.65%) out of all the forty wards. Only Ross-on-Wye West (23.29%) and St Martins (19.90%) performed more miserably.

Two of the BRpc councillors who decided not to stand for the parish council admitted being "disillusioned" by their experiences. The above figures may well provide part of the reason.

Another Belmont "at last"
Following hard on the refurbishing of the Northolme Community Centre and its imminent opening for business in August, comes news of an even more long-standing project. After literally years and years of negotiations Hfds Council has finally adopted both Abbey View Park (the former landfill) and the triangle of land behind Dorchester Way. The sum paid to acquire the latter, denied planning permission for development and later denied on appeal, is not yet in the public domain but the website will persist in trying to uncover this figure.

See below ("Abbey View Park and the future") for further background to the adoption.

Tesco crossing still a problem
A couple of weeks after it was laid down, the anti-skid surface adjacent to the Tesco pedestrian crossing is already well-smeared with tyre marks in both directions. In fact one set of tyre marks, towards the city, ominously ends beyond the crossing.

This is bad news as well as good. The roughened road may be helping errant drivers to pull up in time but it hasn't addressed the other part of the problem. For some reason or another drivers still appear to come upon this crossing unexpectedly. Solving this may require some crystal-ball gazing. One answer may be to lower the height of the lights so that they radiate their information at an angle closer to eye-level. No doubt this will be impossible because of some regulation that dictates a minimum height for traffic lights.

We've not gone porn
Alert users will have noticed that the hit counter on the home page - absent these several weeks - has reappeared but with the line "Online dating" immediately below the mileometer. Hit counters can be downloaded from the Internet. Some are entirely free (as with the previous one, now said to be under reconstruction), others carry some commercial message which pays for their usage.You can, if you wish, click on the new line and use the computer to find yourself a soulmate. Otherwise simply ignore it.

Sad news re. Mums and Tots
A letter to Belmont Rural PC from Kate Shinonaka, health visitor working with the Mums and Tots Group, thanked BRPC for its support but said the group will no longer be able to meet after December 13.

Abbey View Park and the future
NOTE: This report is extracted from the minutes of the September 4 parish council meeting.For the complete minutes click here
Asked to comment on a suggestion that adoption of Abbey View Park (the former landfill) has taken far too long, Graham Dunhill, Director of Environment, explained that Herefordshire Council, has to ensure that financial and safety risks are reduced to avoid undue expense to council tax payers. One factor, for example, is that emissions from one of the gas monitoring points are above what is considered acceptable.

Also, there are problems in dealing with the site's landowners, who are failing to comply with the original agreement. There is provision for adjudication in a dispute, but appointing an independent adjudicator could prove costly.

As an alternative to adoption the adjacent former pond site to the rear of Dorchester Way could be acquired under a CPO but this could be slow and expensive as a public enquiry might be necessary.

Questions posed (followed by Mr Dunhill's answers):

If gas emissions are higher than acceptable, what are the readings and what is considered acceptable? The borehole close to the edge of the former pond site behind Dorchester Way is currently emitting gas at 6% vs a 1% target. It might be possible to adopt the land at 6% but legal protections would be necessary.

As developer contractors have mowed the landfill before, why can't this be done now? By maintaining the land Herefordshire Council could be deemed to be assuming the legal risks associated with it.

If/when the land becomes available for public use, can it be engineered for active games (ie, could formal sports pitches be installed)? The costs would be high because of the engineering works involved. There is, however, no reason why the land cannot be used for passive recreational use.

How many individuals/organisations are involved with the land? There are currently two main parties: Wilson Bowden (representing several landowners/developers) and John Lewis, who originally held interests in all the land. On the positive side, Wilson Bowden have recently been encouraged to meet Herefordshire Council to discuss grass mowing and appear to be more willing to listen to outstanding issues. It is hoped that by next spring, there will at least be an agreement by interested parties to work together.

If the former pond area to the rear of Dorchester Way is subject to a CPO how long will be process take? Up to two years if there is an objection and a public enquiry is required.

Regarding the land behind Dorchester Way, one resident said he had bought his house because of the open land. He believed there were plans to build a youth club on the site and he would not want this. The planning application provides evidence of need for the CPO. There had never been any intention to erect any buildings but to provide recreational opportunities for families.

Can the land be built on? The landfill areas are shown as public open space in the Unitary Development Plan. No buildings can be erected on former landfills.

Concern was expressed regarding the safety of the boundary to a strip of land, currently maintained by the council to the north of the former landfill, adjacent to the children’s play area. Beyond a barbed wire fence on the boundary of land owned by Barwood House is a very steep slope and children have been accessing the riverbank via this slope. To be investigated.

What can be done to support adoption of the site? Keeping pressure on the landfill owners s clearly useful.

NOTE: Anyone wishing to contact the owners may try the company secretary at Wilson Bowden plc, Wilson Bowden House, Leicester Rd, Ibstock, Leicester LE67 6WB (tel: 01530-260777) or at Sonnic Ltd or Belmont Sand and Gravel (Hereford) Ltd, both at Ockington, Knights Green, Dymock, Glos GL18 2DE (tel 01531-890707)

Good news
Tesco's application to install an enlarged carwash on the Northolme Road - Abbotsmead Road site has been refused. The reasons: "(it) doubles the size of the existing building, will be incongruous with the surroundings and accordingly detrimental to the visual amenity of the area".

Also: "The local planning authority are not satisfied that the information submitted, which is not site-specific" is sufficient to ensure that the noise impact from the proposal will not be detrimental to the amenity of adjacent residential dwellings".

Warning!
Kids have been seen riding mountain bikes on Abbey View Park (nee The Landfill). No harm in that. Kids have however been seen digging into the earth there to build up bumps over which to fly their bikes. This is a very different matter.

Less than one metre below the surface of the earth is a plastic membrane which contains the gas-generating materials with which the landfill area was created. The piles of rock secured with wire mesh surrounding the area are monitoring points where gas emissions are checked. It is in no one's interest to have the membrane pierced.

Parents please talk to your kids about this. Dissuade them from putting us all at risk.

UPDATE. BBC Hereford and Worcester, checking this website, were interested enough in the above to interview Belmont Rural PC chairman, Veronica Robinson, about the problem on Wenesday, September 27. Glancing at the pavilion on Northolme Road, the interviewer asked, "Why not turn it into a pub?" Reactions please.

Quick fire
Within 15 min of a fire starting on Belmont Rural's landfill (now renamed Abbey View Park) on Saturday, July 15, 2006, this website's tireless workers had posted the dramatic scene. See the smoke, see the fire engine, see the residents dressed for a hot summer's day.

Save the hedgehog from plastic death
A Belmont resident writes: "The hedgehog jammed in this plastic container survived, another one similarly jammed didn't. It must have suffered a slow, lingering and painful death, through either dehydration, strangulation or starvation."

"I wrote to company who provide food in the containers and they said that although they were not responsible for the way in which people discarded their rubbish, they had a policy of removing rubbish within a certain radius of their premises, not only their packaging but others too. I commend them for this, however, most of the rubbish is dumped by uncaring people at quite a distance from their outlet.

"But why use packaging which is so dangerous to wildlife? There must be some other packaging that would disintegrate more easily or that would be easier for hedgehogs to escape from.

"Would those of you who care what happens to our wildlife please write to such companies asking for their packaging to be made more environmentally friendly and safer.

"Further information can be obtained from:Fay Vass, British Hedgehog Preservation Society, Hedgehog House, Dhustone, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 3PL. Tel 01584 890 801,or email: bhps@dhustone.fsbusiness.co.uk

For more information about hedgehogs and ways in which you can help them, the Website address is: http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/

PC doesn't get recognition it deserves
Belmont Rural's parish council goes about its work doggedly, uncomplainingly - and without scandal!

That's not the case elsewhere in the British Isles. Proof is provided by a fascinating publication "Clerks and Councils Direct" which circulates to all local authorities and 9500 parish and community councils. Here's a taster of some of the headlines:

• Did duo try to sabotage ex-clerk's new job?
• Police called to parish dispute
• Ex-chairman in accounts scam
• Internet pornography charge councillor resigns
• Two punished on 'strife' council

Belmont Rural may not have cracked the dog mess problem but at least councillors are staying out of the courts

Kickabout/play area proposal
Planning permission has been granted, as part of a Compulsory Purchase Order, to create a public open space incorporating play equipment and a kickabout area on the land behind Nos 10 - 80 Dorchester Way.

Before permission was granted Belmont Rural parish council organised a public parish meeting as a forum for residents to air their views on this subject. Click here to read a report of this event

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