Why shouldn’t ‘less well off’ live in Campden too?

on 07 May 2012. Posted in General News

DEVELOPERS behind controversial plans to build 18 new homes in Chipping Campden have defended the application after it was resubmitted to Cotswold District Council (CDC).

Planners threw out the proposals to build nine affordable and nine private dwellings on land next to Badger's Field in March, over concerns they would have a negative impact on the character of the area.

District councillors spoke out against the application, including Councillor Sue Jepson who said the application was "one of the most contentious within Chipping Campden for many years."

But applicant Longborough Developments says the plans, which include a supplementary burial ground, a nature area for St James' Primary School and a public open space, are just what the town needs.

Martin Graham, director of the firm, said: "There are over 300 families waiting for affordable housing in Campden and there has been none built for a decade.

"I don't see why young people should not live in a nice part of Campden. Plenty of the objectors live in nice areas. Why shouldn't they share them with people who are less well off?

"In any situation there's going to be a discussion about whether it is the right site and will it damage the environment.

"Not one of the CDC conservationists said they was anything wrong with the site. They've got to weigh up the harm of building there with the advantages of providing nine houses for people who cannot afford the £300,000 standard price for a house in Campden."

Coun Jepson said the new application had "nothing different"

to the original application submitted in December last year.

The application has attracted objections from the local community with more than 100 letters sent to CDC and three petitions.

Typhoon Behind Mysterious Boom

on 12 April 2012. Posted in General News

A loud bang which sparked a deluge of calls to emergency services across a large part of England was a sonic boom from a Typhoon aircraft, the MoD said.

Mystified residents across the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset and Wiltshire reported hearing a loud boom at about 18:10 BST.

The MoD revealed it was from a Typhoon responding to an emergency call. A Coventry resident said: "I thought somebody had thrown a brick through the window."

The Ministry of Defence initially said it was investigating what was behind a loud noise in Oxfordshire but a spokesman later confirmed it was from one of two RAF Typhoons that had been launched following an emergency call from a helicopter.
Flood of calls

The MoD said the Typhoons were scrambled after the small civilian helicopter had emitted an emergency signal. It said the aircraft were already on their way to the helicopter by the time the helicopter pilot realised he was transmitting on the wrong frequency and switched to the correct one.

"It was doing really tight, slow circles and it suddenly put on full power and the noise was unbelievable." Terry Organ Bath

Before the MoD explained the cause, a number of organisations said they were investigating the origin of the sound. Among them were Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, which received a flood of calls, and the British Geological Survey.

There were reports of the noise being heard in Bath, Swindon, Coventry, Rugby and Oxford. Some of those who heard it said the sound lasted a few seconds.

Tom Sykes, from Highworth, Wiltshire, said: "I was sat at my desk doing some work and it felt like someone had put up a massive base speaker at my feet. "I'm sure that they didn't move up in the air but they felt like they were with the vibration. I thought the window had come in."

Terry Organ, from Oldfield Park, Bath, said he saw the Typhoon. "I thought (the sound) was a commercial airliner and then I thought 'no way'," he said. "We watched for a while and then we saw this aircraft appear and it was a Typhoon but it was flying amazingly slow and we thought it was going to come down.

'Shook the building'

"It was doing really tight, slow circles and it suddenly put on full power and the noise was unbelievable, it was really blasting it out, and then it moved a bit further on and it did another slow turn.

"My impression was that it was struggling to stay up but then he put on full power again and you just couldn't hear anything.

"The noise was terrific, I imagine you could hear it for miles."

Another person who reported hearing the boom, who gave his name as Dave, from Warwick, described the sound as "like sitting on a hard shoulder and a big lorry going past."

"It shook the building and the windows popped," he added.

It is the second time this year that a sonic boom has been created by a Typhoon aircraft.

In January, the MoD confirmed that a loud noise heard by people across the north of England was caused by an RAF fighter jet breaking the sound barrier.

Are you in West Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset or Wiltshire? Did you hear a loud bang? Send your comments and experiences using the form below.

Life-saver Courtney to be a torchbearer

on 07 April 2012. Posted in General News

A CHIPPING Campden School pupil who dramatically rescued her mother from a burning house has been named as a torch bearer when the Olympic Torch Relay comes to the Cotswolds.

Courtney Taylor, aged 13, is one of the inspirational people chosen to carry the torch between Broadway and Campden on Sunday, July 1, on its journey to London.

The heroic year eight pupil was nominated by her mother, whose life she saved during a house fire which broke out at their home in Moreton in February 2008.

Despite being only nine years old at the time, brave Courtney raised the alarm and awoke her mother when she heard glass breaking downstairs just after 4am.

The entire ground floor was already engulfed in flames forcing Courtney and her mother to flee the fire by jumping from an upstairs window.

Courtney, who lives in Broadwell, near Moreton, said she feels privileged to have been chosen.

"Although I am a bit nervous I feel extremely excited as this will be an amazing opportunity," she said. "It's a once-in-a-life time opportunity."

Headteacher Annette France said: "We're very pleased and proud to be hosting the torch here and very proud with the link with the Cotswold Olimpicks and its 400th anniversary.

"The icing on the cake is that Courtney, one of our students, has been asked to be a torch bearer for some part of the journey.

It's fantastic."

An average of 115 torchbearers a day will carry the flame during its 8,000-mile journey around the UK before it arrives at the Olympic Stadium on Friday, July 27, at the Olympic opening ceremony.

People can find out where to cheer them on, with street-by-street details of the route, by visiting london 2012.com/olympictorch- relay-map.

Why shouldn’t ‘less well off’ live in Campden too?

Typhoon Behind Mysterious Boom

Life-saver Courtney to be a torchbearer

More Articles...

Community

Visitors

Travel

News

2012

Contact