Latest News - October 2009
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Oct 26th 2009 Water Power Workshop for Peak Communities
Water power could be a renewable energy-source of the future for Peak District communities - and a free workshop is being held to show them how.
Water Power Enterprises, a social enterprise company part-funded by the Co-operative Group, will explain how communities can go about setting up their own small-scale hydro-power scheme.
The workshop is at Bradfield Village Hall on November 19 (Thur) from 11am to 4pm. It will be hosted jointly with the Peak District National Park Authority, East Peak Innovation Partnership and the Friends of the Peak District, who recently completed a two-year study identifying 40 local sites with good potential.
The workshop will provide an overview of these sites - often near old mills which used water-power in centuries past.
It will also present a step-by-step guide to get from the initial idea to choosing a site, obtaining permissions, raising the finance, legal structures for community ownership, a financial model, the construction phase and finally producing ‘green’ electricity.
Andy Tickle, head of planning for Friends of the Peak District, said: “Hydro power was always a key form of energy supply in the Peak District, associated with lead mining, weaving and other industries.
“Now we hope it can be a key source for the future, providing small-scale renewable energy schemes which do not compromise the special qualities of the Peak District National Park.”
The workshop is free to community groups and includes a working sandwich lunch. Places must be booked, giving group name and contact details (phone-number and email address) to Steve Welsh, managing director of Water Power Enterprises, at Lower Mount Farm, Shore, Todmorden, OL14 8SD, steve.welsh@h2ope.co.uk or 07964 106037.
More details: www.h2ope.co.uk
Friends of the Peak District’s hydro study was funded by the Peak District Sustainable Development Fund and East Midlands Communities Renewables Initiative.
Oct 23rd 2009 Photo competition 2009
The winner of this year’s Friends of the Peak District photo competition is Mark Tierney for his photograph “Curbar Bride.”
There were nearly 250 entries in our annual competition, including a brilliant and interesting range of photos from amateur and professional photographers.
The photos were judged by a panel of distinguished professional photographers: Paul Hill, Karen Frenkel and Mike Williams. They said the striking black and white photograph had “a touch of Heathcliff about it, and a gothic, surreal quality.”
The competition was run in conjunction with CPRE South Yorkshire – and Mark won first and joint runner up prizes in the South Yorkshire category too.
School girl Rebecca Walton (15) won the under-18s category with her lively photograph of three pals jumping in the sunshine at Parsonage Farm. Rebecca, from Deepcar, took the photo on her mobile phone. She was delighted to win a year’s free supply of ice cream from local Peak District firm, Bradwell’s Dairy Ice Cream.
Rebecca and Mark both also won a handsome canvas of their winning photos, and a landscape photography masterclass with Karen Frenkel.
With thanks to
You can see Mark’s work at http://tierneyphotography.co.uk/blog/
People and Seasons in the Peak District results
Winner: Curbar Bride by Mark Tierney
Runner up: Cow and Dew Pond by Tez Marsden
Runner up: White Peak Sunrise by Graham Dunn
Commended photos:
- Alport Dale by Stephen Elliott
- Autumn near Hassop by Graham Dunn
- Baslow Edge Mist by Tez Marsden
- Dawn over Mother Cap by Stephen Elliott
- Peak District Canyon by Christopher Rushton
- Sunset over Ladybower by Stephen Elliott
- The Catch by SR Cuthbert
- Winster Morris by Geoff Buxton
- Winter Solstice and the People of the Past by Paul Shaw
You and Your Friends in the Countryside (under 18s category) results
Winner: Parsonage Farm by Rebecca Walton
Runner up: Top That! By Tom Jolley
Oct 6th 2009 Homes for local people
We are welcoming plans for a handful of new homes in the national park - which mean local people can continue to live here.
Lack of housing is a problem in many rural villages, as house prices have rocketed and left people on low incomes unable to afford to stay in the area. We campaign for a living, working countryside with vibrant villages. Its policy on housing is to encourage affordable local homes to be built in suitable locations. All 14 of these proposed new houses will be owned by housing associations who will rent them out to people either living in the villages or neighbouring villages.
In Warslow there are proposals for six semi-detached houses on an disused industrial site. They will be built using local stone and have traditional detailing around the windows and doors, in keeping with the character of the village.
"Most of Warslow is a conservation area, and this site is currently a bit of an eyesore,” says John King, our planning officer. “We welcome these houses which will not only improve the look of the village, but also provide affordable homes for local people.”
Over in Bamford, there are plans for eight new houses on the edge of the village. Although they will be visible from Brentwood Avenue and a nearby footpath, from other view points they will be well-screened by trees and hedges.
"Ideally, we’d like to see any new buildings on brownfield sites, but in Bamford there really aren’t any viable alternatives,” says John. “The houses will be very traditional looking and are close to the village so they won’t significantly harm the views of the valley. There is also some concern amongst residents about access onto Main Road. However if this can be sorted out to the satisfaction of residents and the highways authority, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
