Response to Mendip District Council's "Time to Plan" regarding Shepton Mallet

[Rod]

This is our response to Mendip - we have not yet had any reply, so
have decided to publicise it more widely.. ;)..

"TRANSITION SHEPTON
Time to Plan – Shepton Mallet"

"These are our comments based on reading your Core Strategy Draft plan
for consultation.
Also,two of our members, Rod Skinner and Chantal Alison, visited your
display in your offices on Wednesday evening, 23/03/11 and talked to
other members of the public who were present, noting their particular
concerns.

We note that you state [in the Core Strategy Draft plan for
consultation with appropriate reference numbers]:

5.18 'Despite its heritage and attractive appearance, the town’s image
remains poor.'
5.19 'Shepton Mallet’s town centre is the smallest in the district and
it has been in decline for many years.' 5.21 'Land to the south of
the town represents the most suitable location to accommodate this
growth with the only major constraint, drainage, needing to be
addressed through the delivery of a comprehensive sustainable drainage
system.'

Concerns we heard from other members of the public were:
1. Newcomers to the town using it only as a 'dormitory'
2. Lack of support for local High St and Town St shops
3. New homes increasing flooding risks
4. New homes causing water supply pressure problems
5. New homes causing loss of biodiversity.

Our Transition Vision addresses all these concerns. By being a pioneer
in this, we would be giving Shepton the distinctive character it
deserves and vastly improving its image.

Houses should last for at least 100 years. Therefore there is no point
in allowing developers to build new houses to the current minimum
standards; they should be built to the highest possible standards so
far developed, getting to at least carbon neutral, perhaps even carbon
negative. In practical terms this would mean Code 6 of the Code for
Sustainable Homes or Carbonlite Gold Standard of the Sustainable
Building Association (AECB). We would argue that these could be
classified as Affordable Homes because their running costs would be so
low.
Drainage is a major issue addressed by these higher standards. Any
hard surfaces must use porous paving, allowing water to soak into the
ground instead of running off. Rain falling on roofs is collected to
be used for flushing toilets and washing clothes, reducing the amount
of mains water needed. Green spaces, including extra allotments,
should be linked into wildlife corridors.
We consider the drainage problem to actually be an opportunity to be
built into the Green Infrastructure Strategy. The River Sheppey would
run into a new lake, probably in the Charlton area, thus holding back
heavy rainfall. From here it would be piped to a small hydro-electric
station, probably at Bowlish. In the past the River Sheppey used to
power more than 30 mills, so this would indicate considerable
potential for electricity generation. A wind turbine could be built on
Barren Down. At night with low electricity demand, water could be
pumped in reverse to refill the lake, ready for peak demand in the
morning.
Any potential on the South side of town for a similar scheme should be
investigated.

Concern 1 could be addressed by estate agents presenting newcomers
with a booklet about Shepton, including contact details for community
organisations, sports clubs, local shops and businesses.

Concern 2 was addressed by Transition Shepton when it suggested a
local currency (“Shepton Pound”) that could only be used in local
shops and businesses, generating benefits to Shepton each time it
circulated. Currently wages earned by Shepton people usually go
straight to the head offices of national or global businesses as soon
as they are spent. Local currencies have been successful in places
such as Totnes, Stroud and Lewes. If it had more support, we believe
it could also be a success in Shepton.

We would welcome an opportunity to discuss further any of the ideas
suggested here."