Latest from CPRE Derbyshire

25 January 2010
- extract from report to CPRE East Midlands Regional Group

Efforts are continuing to recruit more active members to the committee, including those who could become the new Chair when the present incumbent stands down at the AGM in May 2011. CPRE National Office has supported a campaign that has included advertising in local and national press.

We have circulated all the members within the county branch to ask if they, too, would be willing to become more actively involved, and written to all the people who have contacted the local volunteering network expressing an interest in planning issues.

We held an open evening to talk to potential new recruits and invited them to come to our next committee meeting to meet us.

Having too few active members limits our ability to be as proactive as we would like to be. It means we tend to be reactive to issues brought to our attention by Derbyshire residents. Recently these have included:

• An agricultural development near Ashbourne: a large ‘free range' chicken shed sited in fields away from the farm and opposed by local residents. We added our objections and the application was refused by the Planning Committee, despite being supported by the planning officers. An appeal is likely.

• A large/tall grain silo near Wirksworth. Similar to the above point, this was also refused by the Planning Committee, despite being supported by the planning officers. An appeal is likely in this case as well.

• A new proposal for a wind turbine near Alport - we are waiting for the formal application to be made before we consider responding.

We are currently without a formal president and one of our vice - presidents has indicated her intention to resign at the AGM because of her husband's health.

Although we recognise the benefit that may accrue from having a local ‘celebrity', we also do want those post holders to make a positive contribution to the branch.

Edited by Fiona Cowan
31 January 2011