PETTICOAT LANE - PLEASE PROTEST

My parish colleague in Newport, Jackie Hawkins, wants people to send in objections to a proposed footpath diversion of Petticoat Lane, which will allow Sainsbury's supermarket to extend. She tells me,

"This is a beautiful walk enjoyed by many people, as well as being a medieval footpath and very much a part of the history of not just Newport but the Island. Indeed it has been included in the Historic Environment Action Plan, which will form a part of the new Island Plan. It is also seen by Rights of Way as a portal into the countryside.

Petticoat Lane in recent years has already seen many changes detrimental to its character; any more changes and it will be beyond recognition.

Sainsburys would like to make the lane 87 metres longer. They try to justify this by reducing the steepness, but the vast majority of the people who regulary use the lane (many elderly. who live nearby) would rather it is left as it is, with the trees and the sound of birds singing. In fact it wouldn't be a lane any longer, it would be nothing more than a pavement no matter what planting they do. The way Sainsburys will maintain their planting is only for visual benefit and not for the benefit of the many species of birds that live in the lane at the present time. And this at a time when we are seeing a decline in what use to be very common birds such as sparrows, starlings and thrushes - all of which are regulary seen here.

Any divertedfootpath will run alongside the proposed extended Foxes Road. So what is now a safe and clean place away from traffic for children, older people and dog walkers to walk along will become dirty, smelly and noisy.

I urge anyone who cares about any of the issues that I have outlined, or any other that may be of concern to you that may be reasons why Sainsburys should not be granted this diversion order, to please write to Alex Russell, Isle of Wight Council, Rights of Way Officer, The Ventnor Costal Centre. Dudley Road, Ventnor. PO38 1EJ. Email - alex.russell@iow.gov.uk We have 28 days to send in our comments - closing date 16th January.

I would very much appreciate it if people would send me a copy of their comments at hawkinsjackie27@googlemail.com. I am also happy to talk to anyone who would like to ring me for more details on this application (Tel 530378).

If there are enough objections then this should result in a public enquiry, which would be held here on the Island and everyone who has written a letter would get the opportunity to speak if they so wished."

I heartily endorse Jackie's plea. This is a beautiful part of our County town that should not be allowed to be destroyed by the expansion plans of a major supermarket.

BY-ELECTION LESSONS

Yesterday the IW Councillor vacancy for Newchurch ward - caused by the death of Brian Mosdell - was won by the LibDem candidate with a slim 12 vote majority over the Tory candidate. This is the first by-election since 2000 that the local Tory by-election machine hasn't won. The last time the LibDems won a by-election was in 2000 in Brading.

What Brading 2000 and yesterday had in common was no Labour candidate. Ever since 2000 Labour has always stood a candidate. However, we decided not to put up a candidate this time as this is a ward we don't normally contest and we wanted to see how it went without us.

Back in the 1990s Labour standing at by-elections made little impact on the LibDem vote - it clearly does now. The result of this by-election is very interesting - and it will give all three main parties on the Island food for thought.........

MERRY XMAS AND A PEACEFUL NEW YEAR

To all my readers - my very best wishes for an enjoyable Christmas and hopes for a peaceful new year.

SENSE PREVAILS

Further to my post on 14 November last night Newport Parish Council, on my proposal, REVERSED its decision to take out a lease on a property in Quay Street.

I was against it last month and this time the vote was 10 votes to NIL, with 4 abstentions. On a named vote those councillors in favour of reversal were - the original 5 against taking the lease (me, Coburn, Craven, Hawkins and Smart) plus Flambard, Foster, Reid, Swan and Wilmott. The abstentions were all councillors in favour of the lease - Whittaker, Jones-Evans, Humber and Page. Ball and Downer sent apologies.

At last sense prevailed. We had spent the intervening month grounding the financial implications of a lease in reality and listening to our communities. Even then some seem very happy to spend public money on a building before this new parish council has actually done anything.

Now we can recommence trying to be meaningful............

MAKING A FINE MESS

Last Tuesday I made the trek to Brook for the latest edition of the travelling Cabinet. Seaview last month (which I missed unusually), Brook this month, who knows where next month.........can't they pick a summer's evening for these excursions ?

Once again the Cabinet felt it appropriate to pack the Agenda with EIGHT important decisions for a meeting with just 10 members of the public present.

Just a list of the items on the Agenda will give you a flavour of how important this meeting was for Island Council Tax papers - Revised Revenue Budget and Capital Programme 2008/09; Budget Strategy and Capital Programme 2009/10; 14-19 Education Strategy Plan; Strategic Council Accomodation Rationalisation; latest Island Plan document; ICT Services; Quarterly Performance Reports; Change of Procurement Route for Cowes Pathfinder School........

The papers for the meeting were like a phone directory, which doesn't half task anyone who wants to challenge them about the decisions - like me. Perhaps that is why I am invariably the only opposition councillor at these meetings. I asked quite a number of questions about the current and future Budgets, and Performance, but as usual to little avail.

One thing is very clear - this Council is getting itself into a total mess.

ECO WHAT ?

Suspicious person that I am I have attended the last two Board meetings of the Island's Strategic Partnership (ISP), the most recent being last Wednesday. At each I was the only person not invited, though they are supposed to be public meetings. The press don't get along either.

What is it you may ask ? Well it is a gathering of the 'great and good' in the public and voluntary sector - mainly unelected- who are tasked with "developing and making real the island’s Sustainable Community Strategy, called Eco Island" (Constitution).

And how are they getting on with this task ?

Well in the hour or so I was able to stay - 10 minutes having being lost due to the usual late start - the distinct impression I got was 'not very well'. Lots of missed targets it seems (where they are actually being reported), with potential financial consequences for the Island in terms of additional government funding.

Still they are going to be under the glare of the Scrutiny Committee in the future, so that's alright then. But how would some of the unelected Board members react to real scrutiny......