Points of View
The Fun Walk
As Gazette readers will be aware, the Fun Walk held on 22nd May at Barleylands Farm was our best ever. Hundreds of walkers raised money for 50 local charities and good causes whilst everyone, walker and spectator alike, enjoyed the live music, the BBQ and other refreshments courtesy of The Royal Society of St. George.
This year also saw many more charity stalls using the large barn to raise awareness of their particular causes and to raise further monies.
Thanks are due to the many who have helped to make this event such a success. We are very grateful yet again to EDF Energy for being our key corporate sponsor this year, and to Toomey Motors for supplying the wonderful caps. Kilby and Gayford and GKM Aerospace Ltd also financially contributed.
Meanwhile, Basildon Council and Police helped to ensure the walk went smoothly. We are also very grateful to Barleylands Farm and Beck for all their help, and to all the Marshalls without whom the walk would not have been possible.
Finally, a big thanks you to all those who joined us on the day and helped raise so much money – a lot of local people less fortunate than ourselves will benefit.
Phone Masts
In my last Points of View I suggested more decisions affecting local communities should be made by local people instead of central government. One example of this is the siting of phone masts.
Recent estimates suggest that the new 3G technology will require many more masts than at present. However, despite the fact that the threat of poorly-located masts is causing alarm to many local residents, at present there is a presumption in favour of development inherent in the current planning system, which overrides local, environmental and safety concerns.
I am therefore lobbying in Parliament for all mobile phone masts developments to require full planning permission (which is not the case at the moment) so that local councillors and residents are fully involved in the process and can voice their concerns.
I am also lobbying that councils should be allowed to take health concerns into account particularly when siting is proposed near houses, hospitals and schools (current national planning guidance prohibits this).
We all want to be able to use a mobile phone, but this doesn’t mean masts should be constructed without any regard for the well-being of local people in Billericay and District. It is time for the government to stop ignoring the views of local communities and change the planning rules in favour of local residents.
