Holiday log cabins refused permission );
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PLANS to build up to seven log cabins on land off Tidmore Lane, Woodcote, have been refused permission.
Marcellus Brown, from Harrow, wanted to set up a holiday site with associated hot tubs, a sewage treatment plant, parking and landscaping.
The two- and three-bedroom cabins were to be mobile structures which would have been built off site.
Mr Brown argued that his scheme should be given the go-ahead because a similar one exists in Ewelme.
But planning officers at South Oxfordshire District Council recommended refusal, saying the cabins would harm the character of the area, affect neighbours’ quality of life and pose a road safety hazard.
THE plethora of Kill the Bill demonstrations that took place from major cities to small towns this weekend show how widespread is opposition to the Tories’ authoritarian policing law.
These protests are not being organised by one central campaign, nor, despite the Labour Party’s official opposition to the Police, Crime, Sentencing & Courts Bill, do they enjoy any significant support from “official” politics.
The autonomous organisation of demonstrations locally makes tactical sense.
The legislation was paused following the huge Parliament Square rallies organised by women following the police violence against the Clapham Common vigil for Sarah Everard in March, itself an illustration of the power of public protest.
MPs have accused Highways England of attempting to subvert Freedom of Information (FOI) laws to “cover up” details of meetings with private companies, including Everton FC, over a road scheme in Liverpool.
Bill Esterson, Labour MP for Sefton Central, and Peter Dowd, Labour MP for Bootle, have joined a group of transport and environment charities – including the Campaign to Protect Rural England – to condemn Highways England for what they described as “a culture of cover-ups” and blocking FOI requests in an attempt to prevent the disclosure of documents.
Internal emails at the roads body show staff felt the release of FOIs could damage its relationships with others.
Internal emails sent between senior Highways England officials and members of the organisation’s Freedom of Information (FOI) team show deliberate attempts to obfuscate the FOI process, according to MPs and campaign groups.
In the emails – released to MPs and seen by
NCE – Highways England officials discuss ways of “closing down the FOI/EIR [environmental information request] route in the future”.
The emails relate to an FOI request submitted by MP for Sefton Central Bill Esterson and campaign group Rimrose Valley Friends (RVF) in relation to the controversial A5036 Port of Liverpool access scheme that would demolish the 3.5km Rimrose Valley Country Park in Merseyside.
Power firm offers better screening of gas plant );
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PLANS to build a miniature power plant in the countryside near Goring are still facing opposition despite the developer making amendments.
Balance Power Projects has offered to put up more screening around the gas-fired facility, which it hopes to build on a 0.42-hectare disused farm field to the west of Wallingford Road.
The company, from Merseyside, has also claimed that the impact on neighbours from lighting, noise, emissions and traffic wouldn’t be as bad as opponents fear.
However, both Goring and South Stoke parish councils are maintaining their objections and are calling for the company’s amended planning application to be refused permission.