SNP Forum / Core Strategy 8th December November 9, 2009

Hello All,

The SNP Forum scheduled for 8th December is no more : (

Instead has been Councillor Richard Cowell, Executive Member for Environment, on behalf of Manchester City Council, invites you to attend the Core Strategy Seminar  : ) !!!

So what is the difference?  Unlike a normal SNP Forum there will be some issues covered such as the Airport and Transport and Economy which aren’t aren’t normally discussed.

With the Core Strategy nearing its final stages Planning Strategy are keen to get your views on the Proposed Options document which can be found on the documents page of this website.  For the first time in this process, the Proposed Options proposed policy ideas in line with submissions from the last round of consultation, Refining Options.

The Event will be run in two sessions, one afternoon and one evening – see booking form below for details.

You get to choice which session to go to and which workshops you’d like to attend out of the following:

Housing, District Centres, Environment, Airport, Transport, Economy and General.

If you would like to attend please fill out the attached form:

Pre-Registration Form

It will be assumed that attendees have already read the document or at the very least chapters relevant to the workshops selected to attend.  SNAG members will be issued with a briefing paper which will summarize the content and the emerging policy.

Core Strategy Consultation October 30, 2009

OK we’re almost there now

Welcome to the Proposed Options Stage the Core Strategy for Manchester.  Consultation opens on Monday the 9th of November until 4th January 2009.

I can tell you that Option B was the most popular option following the refined options stage earlier this year (7% of us preferred B), which should please most of you no end.

As ever I’ll be sending a briefing paper to SNAG members ASAP to give you the low down on how the Proposed Option is shaping up.  Certainly none of the headline Spatial Policies have change, but I am yet to see if there is any devil in the detail; I should think not.

So what’s in the option which will lead to the flourishing of Manchester into a green and pleasant, sustainable 21st century haven of well-being and knowledge based industrial excellence?   I’ve only had a quick flick through so these are but my first impressions:

The usual slugs in the pottage include the preference of economic growth over economic development, airport growth (although there are mentions of high speed rail links) over greenbelt protection and a focus on development of the city centre as opposed to effectual sites for employment in the burbs.

I am picking up heightened levels of climate change related activity compared with the previous incarnation of this strategy but the dedicated climate change info measures just 1 small paragraph here and another one there on my climate change policyometer.  The waste management enthusiasts amongst you may find this rather disappointing.

So what’s coming up roses?  If I take number of pages as a proxy to the level of good policy, housing and design are smelling the sweetest.  Economic growth is of course the compost feeding everything in our great Mancunian City.

Watch this space.

Best Wishes, Tim.

Draft Climate Change Action Plan Structure June 22, 2009

Hello Everyone,

The Green City Team have produced  a draft version of the structure of the Climate Change Action Plan.  When finalised this structure will dictate how the Action Plan will be constructed, who will be involved and what themes will be concentrated on.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know by Thursday morning.  The agenda for this meeting is here.  Again comments by Thursday morning please.

Best Wishes, Tim.

Latest ESBP Update June 4, 2009

Hello Everyone,

The minutes from the last Environmental Strategy Planning Board are now available here.  The was a discussion about Decentralised Energy the paper of which was posted on this site previously.  (please see previous blog post)

I was unable to attend so there can’t be any SNAG centric notes this time I’m afraid.

Here is the agenda for the next meeting; if there is any comment that you’d like me to put forward with regards to the agenda items such as the one below then please send them in on this site, or by e-mail phone see contact page.

And here are Item 3 – Smart Metering Report plus some background information and Item 4 – the Carbon Reduction Commitment Reduction briefing being presented at the next ESPB

Best Wishes as always, Tim.

Core Strategy Update May 29, 2009

Hello,

The Refining Options stage of the Core Strategy consultation closed today.  Please go the SNAG PI web-site (SNAG Planning Issues) for more info and to see the SNAG submission which pulled together your views and comments on the document.

Planning Update April 14, 2009

Please go to the SNAG Pi site for information on the next stage of consulation on the Core Strategy.  This “Refining Options” stage opens today and closes on the 29th May 2009.

Call to Real Action April 7, 2009

The Call to Real Action (C2RA)  is a grass-roots community response to Manchester City Council’s climate change Call to Action document.  It is a report on what we as citizens as well as the Council should be doing to tackle climate change and address the challenges it presents.

Many members of SNAG were involved in the production of the C2RA which was launched last night at Nexus Art Cafe in the Northern Quarter to a full house!

As far a we are aware, we are the only voluntary/community group to have examined and challenged a public authority’s climate change action plan in the whole of the United Kingdom, perhaps even the world.

It is of course a work in progress and the on-line version of the C2RA shall be updated regularly.  So please keep checking back.  We also welcome comments and views and hope that challenges to our work will allow for more thorough and robust climate change action.

On Tuesday the 21st April Transition City Manchester will be holding an open and pubic meeting at the Friends Meeting Housing to discuss what to do next.  Transition is explained on pages 47 – 51 of the C2RA.  Please come along – all are welcome.

C2RA is available here.

Best Wishes, Tim.