I've never done this before but whilst walking my dog this afternoon on the canal I overheard a heated debate between council officials and a volunteer from the local nature reserve. Standing and listening to the arguments on both sides I felt compelled to have look at what all the fuss was about.
Basically a group of local residents have transformed a wasteland into a nature reserve and the council have plans to develop the wider site into recreation facility.
They need 49 more supporters
Blog for the nature reserve here:
http://cromwellbottomwildlife.blogspot.co.uk
petition here
Signed
Done.
I was interested after reading your post, but considerably more dubious after following the links you've provided.
For one thing, I can't figure out who these people are, they describe themselves as a "charitable group" but that's no information provided as to being registered as a charity, nor how they are constituted, how people are appointed to their 'committee' etc. The only contact details are an email address and a mobile phone number.
Without being bothered enough to check, it's not impossible that they're actually breaking the law by describing themselves as a 'charitable group' if they aren't properly constituted as a charity. The blog also talks about their 'charitable work', similar thoughts arise.
There's a guide to the 'nature reserve' (which might not actually be one - they refer to it as a Local Nature Reserve on their blog, but the petition is asking for it to be designated as a Local Nature Reserve, suggesting that it isn't actually one). I can't check the guide without paying to download it. I can also pay to join the group. They refer to the publication as 'not for profit' work, but with no accounts or similar available, I just have to take their word for it?
This might be a great group of people doing genuine good in their community. Equally, it might be a scammer making a few quid from well meaning locals taking mention of 'charitable works' and 'not for profit' at face value. Equally, and this is how it comes across from their website and petition, it might be a small clique of self appointed busy bodies who want things their way and engage with the local authority mainly via personal insults, and haven't got the first clue about the most basic principles of governance or accountability to the community they tell themselves they serve.
For those reasons, I'm oot.
Interesting.
I ride along the canal and have seen that they have erected gates and put no cycling signs up through the nature resrve. The actual area is signposted from the road so I assume that this is a bonafide (sp?) nature reserve and not just some people doing good?
Yes. Definate lack of info there. I'm from the area but had to look up elsewhere to find the place. Sounds like a cleaky group of dog walkers who want it for themselves. No cycling signs that andybrad mentions is very off putting.
Thanks everybody for the comments.
I don't understand enough about the ins and outs but as a local in the area (I live within 400m of the nature reserve) and someone that pays band F council tax I would have expected some engagement from the council re proposals. The petition prob won't change anything but at the very least force some engagement.
For anyone that does live in the area I have looked into the issue in more detail today I have found Calderdale stamped plans talking about:
The development of a hotel next to Cromwell house and a 'centre parks' style resort between said hotel and the pipe works
And
Negotiated access for the public to the watersports centre (my house backs on to this) - The chairman of the centre knew nothing about this until the other week
Interesting stuff!
oxnop..centre parcs by the waterski lake? A bit nearer than Sherwood!
If it's the same developer as casa then they will probaly build it anyway, then seek PP!
as a local in the area (I live within 400m of the nature reserve) and someone that pays band F council tax I would have expected some engagement from the council re proposals.
What's your council tax band got to do with level of engagement you receive? Does your council not engage with council tax payers on an equal basis?
Anyone got any more on who the self styled "charitable group" linked to in the OP are and where they fit in to all this?
rene59 - it has absolutely nothing to do with it but it gets me mad that I pay through the nose, get my bins collected once every 2 weeks, maintain my own road and access to my house, queue for 20 mins to get into the local recycling depot, get a sticker on my uncollected recycle bin for leaving the top on a robinsons cordial bottle (I think I'm going to stop recycling in protest).
On top of those shortcomings (bad value for money) there has been zero formal engagement with locals, I was stood on Sunday listening to the arguments and whilst I was stood there they were handing out free plants for people to complete surveys on what they would like to happen with the local area, whilst I was there 2 of the 4 people surveyed didn't even live in Yorkshire! But yet, ME who lives in the vicinity and pays a stupid amount of council tax can also complete the survey and it will carry the same weight as someone who has come to visit family from Essex and will never come again..... I'm going to drive into lancs and see if I can get involved with any fracking questionnaires the council send out, I quite fancy a fracking site over the border and not near where I live. And hopefully they will accept my responses the same way they would Mrs Brown's who will be living a few hundred metres away.
I don't even know why I care, I quite fancy a centre parks near my house, as family and friends won't actually need to stay in my house when they visit. I also think the nature reserve should be opened up for bikes as will keep the crap riders away from the DH tracks in the woods and knacker my newly built berms.