Carbon-ara or pizza? (Henry MacColl)
As the date for the review of my refused planning application for a pizzeria at Parkgate approaches (15th March), I find myself trying to make sense of the policies that have conspired to create this situation.
In my mind it seemed what I was asking permission to do was a relatively simple thing, born of a rather sociable idea. To build an authentic
Italian pizzeria where people could enjoy traditional food in a warm family atmosphere. People think they know Italian food but few have sampled the genuine experience and celebration.
Little did I realise that the plans I made, sat around the kitchen table with my family, would flounder on an inexplicable, one-sided and biased series of policies.
Maybe it is a collective guilt of a local authority and government that has based an economic strategy primarily and almost entirely on carbon producing and polluting industries.
No-one in the local authority batted an eyelid about the effects of constructing or operating the new gas plant at Sullom Voe, yet building a six-table restaurant midway between Brae and Voe is an environmental issue.
It seems as if our council has become very generic, controlled by a government and bureaucrats only able to conceive of policies that have less and less relevance the further north one travels from the central belt of Scotland.
One cannot help but feel the policies that have led to this situation belong somewhere else and have very little to do with the people and place that they purport to serve.
All I can really hope is that the committee that will ultimately decide the fate of my application has the ability and courage to listen to the people they represent.
It seems that we live in a world where people tend to only ever pass comment when they have something negative to say, so I am genuinely touched and grateful to the 57 people who took the time and trouble to write to the planning department in support of the application, the 2,500 people who have made positive comments on social media and the 600+ signatories of an online petition.
I really do thank all the people who have been supportive and encouraging. Here is hoping for a positive outcome.
Henry Francesco MacColl
Parkgate,
Brae.
John Tulloch
Here is a classical example of rules imposed by some combination of our three regulating/interfering bureaucracies – Holyrood, Westminster and Brussels – leading to ridiculous consequences in our local context.
Mr McColl writes: “….our council ..(is)…controlled by a government and bureaucrats only able to conceive of policies that have less and less relevance the further north one travels from the central belt of Scotland.
One cannot help but feel the policies that have led to this situation belong somewhere else and have very little to do with the people and place that they purport to serve.”
Fortunately, there’s a way out of this one but councillors will be faced with overruling their planning officials or looking as stupid as they do, thanks to these silly regulations.
They will be wise to overrule.
David Spence
What I find quite disturbing is the perpetual brainwashing to the masses that transportation seems to be solely responsible for creating all the ‘ green houses gases ‘ in the atmosphere, when in reality, transportation only accounts for 5% of the pollution caused by human activity.
The real culprit, to which has never been criticized for, is a combination of Industry and Agriculture. At the same time, as a consequence of transportation being the perceived culprit to green house gases, the industry is coming out with hybrid cars, electric cars and fuel efficient cars while all along industry and agriculture at untouched in terms of their performance in reducing pollutants.
Come on SIC let Henry have his Cafe, compared to many other forms of pollution, taking a trip to a cafe to get good quality food, pales into insignificance compared to other sources of pollution which still pollute and remain silent because it is economically viable.
Ian Tinkler
Here is classic example of EU, SNP, Green lunatic posturing. Fukishima reactor accident, number of radiation related deaths, none. German government, under green pressure, closes down present and future nuclear generation, leaving a shortfall in generating capacity (just as SG/SNP have mandated/requested) for Scotland. The, ensuing shortage of capacity is filled by commissioning 10 plus lignite (very dirty brown coal) burning power stations. Lignite ten times more polluting and produces eight to ten times the CO2 emissions of burning natural gas (fracked or otherwise). (all figures from memory so may be slight inaccuracy)
Deaths from radiation, nuclear power stations (last 25 years) nil, deaths from gaseous atmospheric pollution excess of 6 million (yearly). EU blatantly outside committed CO2 by approx 2bn tonnes and SIC planners turn down a Italian pizzeria due to green issues (people will have to drive to it!!!!), only in SNP Scotland could this happen. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/07/brown-coal-wins-a-reprieve-in-germanys-transition-to-a-green-future
Bill Adams
Are you saying then , Ian, that there have been zero fatalities resulting from the Chernobyl accident ?
Really ?
iantinkler
Bill Adams, the Chernobyl accident,was 26 April 1986, if you read my comment, I stated “nuclear power stations (last 25 years) nil” .That should not be too much for you, you do the maths,. As a matter of actual fact, estimated radiation deaths (W.H,O) ,Chernobyl, “As of mid-2005, fewer than 50 deaths had been directly attributed to radiation”. (World Health organisation)
Over the last 25 years, atmospheric pollution, waste burning, smoke, coal and particulates, 150million plus have died, again (W.H.O). (World Health organisation)
Now do you see what I mean about Green Lunatics? More people actually die in wind turbine accidents than nuclea!!!
Reference http://www.who.int/en/
Summary of Wind Turbine Accident data to 31 December 2015
https://www.google.ca/search?as_q=Deaths+Wind+farm+Accidents&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&lr=&cr=&as_qdr=all&as_sitesearch=&as_occt=any&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=
Haydn Gear
985,000 deaths from Chernobyl disaster and numbers continuing to rise as cancer continues to increase. In west and north Wales contaminated land still affects livestock, especially sheep. Throughout other parts of the world evidence of fall out is in evidence eg- mud in the Ganges. Ian, how can you possibly remain blind to the risks that such a future possible disaster could wreak on the planet? Maybe the extinction of life on Earth is nearer than we think. Just one gigantic explosion and it’s goodnight folks.
Ali Inkster
I take it you have links to back up these claims? I would be very interested to read the evidence to support this.
iantinkler
Haydn Gear, “985,000 deaths from Chernobyl disaster”. O dear, clown the cookoo land of “The Green” and ignorant. For someone who claims a scientific qualification, Haydn you astonish me. Please look at the real science, not the Green idiocy.
http://www-ns.iaea.org/meetings/rw-summaries/chernobyl_forum.asp
https://www.euronuclear.org/events/pime/pime2006/presentations/Balonov.pdf
http://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/chernobyl/en/
http://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/chernobyl.html
Haydn, you claim, “Wales contaminated land still affects livestock, especially sheep”, I am sure they only glow in the dark for sexual purposes, but we do not want to elaborate on that!! Lol!
Haydn Gear
It has been revealed through the FOI act that there have been radiation leaks at Faslane. Interesting that it had been kept secret. Any get out comments Ian.? After all, it is your forte !!
iantinkler
“Any get out comments Ian?” Haydn, the dose was as small as to be regarded as insignificant with respect to background radiation (not even recordable outside base). A few simple facts for you Haydn, not a single recorded case of radiation injury (ionising) in RN and dockworkers ever at Faslane (50years plus and that’s thousands of men and women). No Welsh sheep are not under any restriction due to Chernobyl, all restriction lifted years ago. When they were the radiation dose limiting sales was dose, 0.1 millisieverts per 8kg of meat consumed. 8kg regarded as average eaten per year. Average dose per annum normal background is 0ver 10 times that! Extra average additional annual dose for flight crew is 2.19 mSv (millisieverts), (flying high greater cosmic dose) that is regarded as absolutely safe over 20 times the dose in restricted sheep. The maximum permitted dose in one year for a radiation worker under US Federal Law is 50 mSv (millisieverts). You do the Maths Haydn, I expect the physics is well beyond you! (500 times Welsh sheep dose assuming you eat 8kg per year). As I said Green lunatics and the ignorant.>
Evelyn Morrison
The Chernobyl nuclear accident was partly caused by human error. The so called green energy from wind turbines is causing extremely serious environmental and health damage worldwide – the difference is this destruction is not caused by accident.
iantinkler
The simple and facts that matter, Since Chernobyl, no deaths at all from Radiation reactor accidents the West (Civil and Military). Over the last 25 years, atmospheric pollution, waste burning, smoke, coal and particulates, 150million plus have died, again (W.H.O). (World Health organisation). Literally 10s of thousands of lives saved, suffering reduced and lives prolonged by radiation medicine. Only Greenpeace, The Green Party, assorted ignorant people and H G seem to have a problem here.
Haydn Gear
Evelyn, I am sure that that you know the expression “to err is human”. That being so, is there not good reason to fear that devastating destruction could be unleashed on a world that is destabilised and possibly prone to the actions of mankind both intentionally and accidentally? I don’t think the lunatic Greens , as Ian so blithely calls them, are too keen to risk the preferred continued existence of life on Earth . Can anyone be sure that nuclear disasters will never happen or are the anti Greens the ones who are living in cloud cuckoo land? As for the stupid swipe made about radiation in Wales (by Ian not you) I was not aware that playground fun and childish humour were par for the course.Such nonsense really does lower the tone to that of Dandy and Beano.Of course, he may now be close to the Eagle stage. !!
iantinkler
No sense of fun Haydn, like your sense of factual correctness and accuracy, non existent. All restriction on sheep sales and movement in Wales were lifted in 2012. 985,000 deaths from Chernobyl disaster, never happened, just a lie from a notorious scaremonger.. The mud of the Ganges is not poisonous, well not from radiation, industrial pollutants perhaps. As usual you are making things up, like your science qualifications you do not have. Now if you can not be accurate at least be honest! Dandy and Beano and Eagle are fun, they make no pretence of being honest or factual, I for one enjoyed them and still have a sense of humour ( if a little childish), Baaarrr, Baaaarrr, humbug!!.lol
iantinkler
Haydn, actually, back to Welsh lamb, if you ate 8*10*50 kg (4000 Kg) in a year( Federal Limit USA @ 0.1 millisieverts per 8kg of meat) of Welsh lamb, radiation would be the least of your problems!!
I still love the Eagle, Dan Dare, is the greatest. Have however, now graduated, into Playboy, Private Eye and Welsh Sheep monthly, all are worth a squint (more to my taste since I grew tp).
PS,
I spent many years in my Service days running round The Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons, Llantony and The Usk Valley. Shetland Sheep are far better, not so fat, just so much leaner.
Haydn Gear
Ian , glad to hear that you are satisfied with Shetland lamb. When I was last in Lerwick I enjoyed a meal which included some of the home reared meat but, without being partisan, it lacked the more subtle flavours of Welsh lamb. Maybe I was just unlucky but when I had another lamb lunch on the following Sunday, the same absence of that particularly tasty flavour of Welsh lamb was still in evidence.The fact is, Welsh lamb enjoys a world wide market as does New Zealand lamb. As for being fatty I can only conclude that your experience of Welsh lamb is severely limited.On a worldwide basis it is the most sought after. Of course, it could be that you are right and the rest of the world’s population are wrong! That would figure. I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed trotting around the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains. No doubt Pen-y -Fan was a breeze to you even though it sometimes catches out SAS trainees. By the way the correct spelling is Llanthony not Llantony. In conclusion, now that you’ve grown up ( so you say! )in addition to Private Eye may I suggest you give The Oldie a try– only £4-25 and worth every penny (seriously).Since you are always bursting at the seams with jokes and wicked humour it will give you hours of rib tickling fun and even useful information. Enjoy.
Haydn Gear
PS to Ian Tinkler. Glad to hear that you have set foot in the Usk valley ( one of the best salmon rivers in Britain) and explored the Beacons and Black Mountains. You in turn may be interested to know that on my very first visit to Shetland ,I rented a chalet in Twatt (near Clousta) owned by the Nicolson family. Bixter was, of course, just down the road. The chalet in question was painted red. I wonder if it still is .
iantinkler
Very small world Haydn, more or less learn to river fish (trout) on the Usk. Stayed in the Granary, Abercynrig, Llanfrynach. Then owned by a Major Lloyd. Spent very many summers there. RNR used a base in the Black Mountains for training, not many hills there I have not fallen over or off. Nothing quite like coincidence.