In Gote Lane.....
Sunday, 25 October 2015
Saturday, 18 July 2015
Café Ringmer cashmob
Today I failed to turn up to my own cashmob. We haven't done a cashmob for quite a while, dueto me being too busy to organise them, but we did a special for the opening of the Ringmer Café. Several mobbers made it and the photos below are proof of enjoyment. The panini was, I am told, excellent. I still haven't tried the Turkish breakfast, so I may have to carry out an individual cashmob during the week.
All the pics are indoors; I'm told it was too hot to sit outside. But an awning is planned.
The reason for my absence was that I developed double vision on Friday. By the time I'd decided to do something about it, it was too late to see a GP so they insisted that I had to go to casualty (Friday night!!!!!). And I was banned from driving. So I got the bus in and spent a pleasant evening in casualty with lots of other people (no irony intended there - it was actually not unpleasant); got thoroughly tested and they eliminated all the worst possibilities, and I just caught the last bus back. They said I had to attend the eye hospital on Saturday morning. The doctor gave me pages of notes, which the eye hospital doctors couldn't read. (The irony of that: doctors not being able to read other doctors' writing.....) So while my noble mobbers were tucking into Café breakfasts, I was having anaesthetic poured into my eyes prior to them being pressure tested. Lots more tests followed, and the upshot is they say it's a muscle problem, treatable and curable. But I have to wait for a summons to see a specialist. Thanks to everybody who has given me their best wishes - much appreciated.
And if I'm not driving anywhere in the next few weeks, I may have time to organise some more cashmobs.
Edited 20 July 2015 to add bottom two pictures.
All the pics are indoors; I'm told it was too hot to sit outside. But an awning is planned.
The reason for my absence was that I developed double vision on Friday. By the time I'd decided to do something about it, it was too late to see a GP so they insisted that I had to go to casualty (Friday night!!!!!). And I was banned from driving. So I got the bus in and spent a pleasant evening in casualty with lots of other people (no irony intended there - it was actually not unpleasant); got thoroughly tested and they eliminated all the worst possibilities, and I just caught the last bus back. They said I had to attend the eye hospital on Saturday morning. The doctor gave me pages of notes, which the eye hospital doctors couldn't read. (The irony of that: doctors not being able to read other doctors' writing.....) So while my noble mobbers were tucking into Café breakfasts, I was having anaesthetic poured into my eyes prior to them being pressure tested. Lots more tests followed, and the upshot is they say it's a muscle problem, treatable and curable. But I have to wait for a summons to see a specialist. Thanks to everybody who has given me their best wishes - much appreciated.
And if I'm not driving anywhere in the next few weeks, I may have time to organise some more cashmobs.
Edited 20 July 2015 to add bottom two pictures.
Monday, 13 July 2015
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
What I've been reading: Feb 2015
Blogging has been non existent lately, due to having too much else to do, but I have been reading. And here is a selection:
Fracking
Government fiddling with fracking law – tap water at risk.
Confirmed: California Aquifers Contaminated With Billions Of Gallons of Fracking Wastewater
Fracking Is Not Right for Today's Families or Tomorrow's Environment
Food
World’s Largest Indoor Farm is 100 Times More Productive (than what, you might ask. It turns out the answer is "than traditional methods".)
Pollution
Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health
TTIP
US-EU trade deal - the Guardian briefing - if you don't know about TTIP, you really should. Some say it's all about free trade, others that it is about corporate dominance. I'm more with the latter than the former.
Energy
With this attack on community energy the big six win out over 'big society': George Monbiot
Government green lights record-breaking Dogger Bank offshore wind farm
Fracking
Government fiddling with fracking law – tap water at risk.
Confirmed: California Aquifers Contaminated With Billions Of Gallons of Fracking Wastewater
Fracking Is Not Right for Today's Families or Tomorrow's Environment
Food
World’s Largest Indoor Farm is 100 Times More Productive (than what, you might ask. It turns out the answer is "than traditional methods".)
Pollution
Plastics in the Ocean Affecting Human Health
TTIP
US-EU trade deal - the Guardian briefing - if you don't know about TTIP, you really should. Some say it's all about free trade, others that it is about corporate dominance. I'm more with the latter than the former.
Energy
With this attack on community energy the big six win out over 'big society': George Monbiot
Government green lights record-breaking Dogger Bank offshore wind farm
Wednesday, 7 January 2015
A Community Land Trust for Ringmer
There is a Community Land Trust (CLT) in the offing in Ringmer. A CLT is “established for the express purpose of furthering the social, economic and environmental interests of a local community by acquiring and managing land and other assets” (from the definition provided by the national CLT network). CLTs have a formidable historical and global pedigree. In this country they are part of the thinking of visionaries like Octavia Hill and John Ruskin, and they have taken various forms over the last century and a half. They are also exist all over the world, with many examples in the United States, Canada and India as well as the UK
The idea of a CLT in Ringmer emerged during the setting up of the Neighbourhood Plan, and the suggested body could be an important part of the mechanism that protects Ringmer's interests in the future. The UK's population is set to continue to rise to about 77 million by 2050. The south east is the place most people want to be, and it is unlikely that either formal or informal changes in infrastructure will see pressure on the south east ease in the next three or four decades. So I expect the population of Ringmer to rise, which means more houses and more facilities in the same space that we have now. The CLT promises to be part of the way in which we ensure that this process is managed as sustainably as possible. (The above is the view of this blog, not necessarily of those who piloted the Neighbourhood Plan or of those who are promoting the CLT. A debt is owed to John Kay and to many others for the work they have done on both these entities so far.)
The current form of a CLT is determined by the Housing and Regeneration Act of 2008 as quoted above. The CLT acts as a lock on any land or other asset that it owns. The main issues are explained very well in the Key Features section of the Wikipedia article on Community Land Trusts. Any increase in value remains the property of the Trust, and, although the Trust can have members, there is no profit, no sharing of dividend, no way for individuals to make money from it.
Most CLTs deal in affordable (whatever that means)* or intermediate value housing. There are a number of technical problems about this, for which various solutions can be found. As I understand it, this is a typical scenario:
The CLT acquires land on which a house can be built. The land is priced at a very low level. The house is built, at normal cost. It goes on the market at a price that recoups the cost of building, but does not add anything for the price of the land. It can be made available for purchase by a local resident. Criteria can be determined for who counts as local. A key problem is to make sure that the new owner does not simply sell the house on at a profit. There are various mechanisms for ensuring that this does not happen. (An increase in the sale price of the house is permissible, and in fact necessary, otherwise the owner will not find anywhere else affordable to move to. But the Trust seeks to avoid a profit being made on the land that the house stands on.)
An alternative is that the house becomes an asset of a local housing association, which is able to rent it out to local people, again according to predetermined criteria. The Trust never takes any responsibility for managing such facilities. Its responsibility is solely with the land on which the facility is based.
Trusts can hold land for other purposes. One Trust has reinvested its profits in a nursery and a water mill. Another has a local pub set up on its land. (link) Three possible avenues have been suggested for Ringmer. One is affordable housing. One is to expand the cemetery, which will run out of space sooner rather than later. A third is to hold land that can be managed as a nature reserve, and might be positioned so as to prevent expansion of housing beyond certain boundaries.
Anybody can form a CLT. It does not even need the involvement of local government at either district or parish level, although it will undoubtedly benefit from that. Membership of the Trust can be according to agreed criteria. Living, and possibly working, locally is the usual requirement, but even the word “local” has to be defined. Membership may involve payment of a small fee. Once the Trust has been set up, it is the membership who decide for what purpose the land will be used, what amenities will be available, who counts as local, and so on. The Trust will have no employees, and will be, in the jargon, extremely risk averse with whatever assets it holds. To work it needs wide community involvement, and it needs people with skills to run it - chair, organiser, negotiator, housing, legal, planning, budgeting, community connections.
For further news, watch this space. Anyone who is interested in pursuing it should get in touch with the Parish Council.
*Affordable is defined by the government as up to 80% of market price. Which in many places is anything but affordable.
The idea of a CLT in Ringmer emerged during the setting up of the Neighbourhood Plan, and the suggested body could be an important part of the mechanism that protects Ringmer's interests in the future. The UK's population is set to continue to rise to about 77 million by 2050. The south east is the place most people want to be, and it is unlikely that either formal or informal changes in infrastructure will see pressure on the south east ease in the next three or four decades. So I expect the population of Ringmer to rise, which means more houses and more facilities in the same space that we have now. The CLT promises to be part of the way in which we ensure that this process is managed as sustainably as possible. (The above is the view of this blog, not necessarily of those who piloted the Neighbourhood Plan or of those who are promoting the CLT. A debt is owed to John Kay and to many others for the work they have done on both these entities so far.)
The current form of a CLT is determined by the Housing and Regeneration Act of 2008 as quoted above. The CLT acts as a lock on any land or other asset that it owns. The main issues are explained very well in the Key Features section of the Wikipedia article on Community Land Trusts. Any increase in value remains the property of the Trust, and, although the Trust can have members, there is no profit, no sharing of dividend, no way for individuals to make money from it.
Most CLTs deal in affordable (whatever that means)* or intermediate value housing. There are a number of technical problems about this, for which various solutions can be found. As I understand it, this is a typical scenario:
The CLT acquires land on which a house can be built. The land is priced at a very low level. The house is built, at normal cost. It goes on the market at a price that recoups the cost of building, but does not add anything for the price of the land. It can be made available for purchase by a local resident. Criteria can be determined for who counts as local. A key problem is to make sure that the new owner does not simply sell the house on at a profit. There are various mechanisms for ensuring that this does not happen. (An increase in the sale price of the house is permissible, and in fact necessary, otherwise the owner will not find anywhere else affordable to move to. But the Trust seeks to avoid a profit being made on the land that the house stands on.)
An alternative is that the house becomes an asset of a local housing association, which is able to rent it out to local people, again according to predetermined criteria. The Trust never takes any responsibility for managing such facilities. Its responsibility is solely with the land on which the facility is based.
Trusts can hold land for other purposes. One Trust has reinvested its profits in a nursery and a water mill. Another has a local pub set up on its land. (link) Three possible avenues have been suggested for Ringmer. One is affordable housing. One is to expand the cemetery, which will run out of space sooner rather than later. A third is to hold land that can be managed as a nature reserve, and might be positioned so as to prevent expansion of housing beyond certain boundaries.
Anybody can form a CLT. It does not even need the involvement of local government at either district or parish level, although it will undoubtedly benefit from that. Membership of the Trust can be according to agreed criteria. Living, and possibly working, locally is the usual requirement, but even the word “local” has to be defined. Membership may involve payment of a small fee. Once the Trust has been set up, it is the membership who decide for what purpose the land will be used, what amenities will be available, who counts as local, and so on. The Trust will have no employees, and will be, in the jargon, extremely risk averse with whatever assets it holds. To work it needs wide community involvement, and it needs people with skills to run it - chair, organiser, negotiator, housing, legal, planning, budgeting, community connections.
For further news, watch this space. Anyone who is interested in pursuing it should get in touch with the Parish Council.
*Affordable is defined by the government as up to 80% of market price. Which in many places is anything but affordable.
Wednesday, 23 July 2014
Tim The Gardener
This beast belongs to Tim The Gardener, a local business. Very local - he lives just round the corner from me. We like encouraging local businesses. Web address above, phone number: 07827 746344
Cows and salad
I am re-evaluating my relationship with cows. Don't get me wrong. They are very friendly creatures. As long as I'm not in the same field as they are. We moo happily to each other as I go out for country walks. One of the nice things about living here is that it's a two minute walk to get to the “country”, or at least a field with a cow in it.
It's more about eating cows. I like beef, no question. There are one or two beef recipes on this blog. And there's nothing nicer than a proper Cornish pasty with the beef and veg sealed raw in the pastry and slow cooked to perfection. I have known for a long time that the environmental cost of a cow is proportionately more than the cost of the same amount of meat from a pig or a chicken, but I have reconciled myself to that by thinking of all the other savings I make.
But a new report shows just how big the difference is. “Land, irrigation water, greenhouse gas, and reactive nitrogen burdens of meat, eggs, and dairy production in the United States” measures the relative burdens of beef cattle, dairy, poultry, pork and eggs. (There is a potted version here.) Dairy, poultry, pork and eggs all have roughly similar impacts. Beef takes 28 times as much land, 11 times as much water, produces 5 times as much greenhouse gas, and 6 times as much reactive nitrogen as each of those other forms. That is a heck of an impact. For me that means less beef is going to be an important future choice. (I assume that the differential between beef and dairy cows is not that dairy cows consume less, but that you get a lot more milk from the lifetime of a dairy cow than you get beef from the lifetime of a beef cow. But I haven't studied the research report in enough detail to get any more information about that.)
At the same time, we hear that the fabled Mediterranean diet is good for the brain. Research confirms Mediterranean diet is good for the mind: “The first systematic review of related research confirms a positive impact on cognitive function, but an inconsistent effect on mild cognitive impairment.” This is not a single piece of research but a research review, so the conclusion is quite robust. So I guess it's less beef, more olive oil and veg. One of the interesting things about the Mediterranean diet is that they seem to be unable to separate out whether any parts of it are more effective than other parts. It may be that the combinations of different foods matter. So, oil and salad, here I come. I'm not sure I could take all that fish though.
It's more about eating cows. I like beef, no question. There are one or two beef recipes on this blog. And there's nothing nicer than a proper Cornish pasty with the beef and veg sealed raw in the pastry and slow cooked to perfection. I have known for a long time that the environmental cost of a cow is proportionately more than the cost of the same amount of meat from a pig or a chicken, but I have reconciled myself to that by thinking of all the other savings I make.
But a new report shows just how big the difference is. “Land, irrigation water, greenhouse gas, and reactive nitrogen burdens of meat, eggs, and dairy production in the United States” measures the relative burdens of beef cattle, dairy, poultry, pork and eggs. (There is a potted version here.) Dairy, poultry, pork and eggs all have roughly similar impacts. Beef takes 28 times as much land, 11 times as much water, produces 5 times as much greenhouse gas, and 6 times as much reactive nitrogen as each of those other forms. That is a heck of an impact. For me that means less beef is going to be an important future choice. (I assume that the differential between beef and dairy cows is not that dairy cows consume less, but that you get a lot more milk from the lifetime of a dairy cow than you get beef from the lifetime of a beef cow. But I haven't studied the research report in enough detail to get any more information about that.)
At the same time, we hear that the fabled Mediterranean diet is good for the brain. Research confirms Mediterranean diet is good for the mind: “The first systematic review of related research confirms a positive impact on cognitive function, but an inconsistent effect on mild cognitive impairment.” This is not a single piece of research but a research review, so the conclusion is quite robust. So I guess it's less beef, more olive oil and veg. One of the interesting things about the Mediterranean diet is that they seem to be unable to separate out whether any parts of it are more effective than other parts. It may be that the combinations of different foods matter. So, oil and salad, here I come. I'm not sure I could take all that fish though.
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