Dial D for Democracy and N for no Sundial

A Dawn Redwood

Last night the application for planning permission for the proposed sundial on The Croft in Aldridge was heard by the Planning Committee at Walsall Town Hall. I am pleased from a personal point of view, to report that the application was refused unanimously. The decision was mainly based on The Croft not being a suitable location for the 'artwork'. I am not the only person who was there last night who had to reach for a tissue due to suddenly discovering leaky eyes when the vote had taken place!

Going back to when I first started blogging on this subject it was the democracy aspect  or lack thereof, that really enraged this Mad Old Baggage. Slowly, democracy began to fight back against those who thought they could circumvent it. Firstly  the proposers were told that Planning Permission was required. Secondly, following the application being made, people were finally allowed to comment upon it. There were a large number of objections to the proposal. Finally it all came together last night in the Council Chamber, where the full application was heard, considered, questioned and debated by the Planning Committee. Even if the application had been granted, at least Democracy would have been seen to be done and for that, I am pleased.

There are events that have been uncovered during this episode that are unpalatable and that I have not brought to public attention. These will have to be followed up, as will an application for Village Green Status for the part of The Croft that is not protected. I sincerely hope that Walsall Council will be amenable to this. The Croft means an awful lot to the Aldridge community and it should be protected.

The application was presented by a Planning Officer. Details of the proposal outlined, details of objections outlined and the reasons why it was considered that the objections were not always material when considering planning law given. Two speakers from each side of the divide were allowed. Against the proposal, local historian and author, Sue Satterthwaite and community champion and Charity organiser supreme, Karen Ross MBE, spoke. For the proposal Bob Cooke from the Rotary Club and Vice Chairman of the Aldridge Branch of the British Legion, Mr A Smail spoke. All four did themselves justice for their points of view.

With the kind permission of Sue and Karen, their statements are reproduced below:

Sue:
 "As the site is in a conservation area, the Unitary Development Plan requires that proposals should preserve or enhance. This memorial, in removing grass in favour of metal, resin and stone, clearly does not preserve, so does it enhance?

When the trees are replaced the sundial becomes a non-working ornament. Will this enhance The Croft?

The path on which it is proposed to site the sundial is only used for the purpose of accessing the play area so children will have to pass a memorial which lists 24 military conflicts and wording associated with loss and death. This will fundamentally affect the character of an area used for play.

The leading authority on the subject advises that such structures should not be located close to play areas. It may afford those with an unhealthy interest in children an opportunity to linger. *

There are other sites available. The U D P highlights a significant opportunity to improve leisure and community facilities on council-owned Anchor Meadow and to that end a councillor suggested Anchor Meadow as an alternative but the applicant insists it must be within sight of Aldridge War Memorial. Why? I have been writing on the proud military history of our Borough for 25 years, including 3 books for Walsall Council, and can say with confidence that this memorial has no specific local relevance and does nothing to celebrate our unique military history. Aldridge already has four war-related memorials. Will another enhance the Croft?

The proposed wording is factually and historically inaccurate, contains religious text and the words attributed to schools are in fact quotes from famous people. Who will be legally responsible for obtaining copyright permission and paying necessary fees, the proposer or the Council as landowner? In the absence of a robust evidenced legal agreement it will be the latter."

And Karen: 
"The sundial simply won’t work on the Croft. By law Walsall council has a duty to replace trees in a conservation area. These must be replaced near to the original site.

Clean and Green will shortly be replacing the removed trees adjacent and to the sundial. The trees will block the sun.

What school, organisation or business would wish to be involved in producing a sunless sundial that will harm the Croft and be of no public benefit or provide any enjoyment?

A more meaningful location would be the community centre making it part of the remembrance parade between 2 memorials, rather than taking up space in a children’s play area that would be better served for inclusive play equipment.

At the heart of many objections is the lack of consultation with the community on the project and location. If more community involvement had taken place, Aldridge Blue Brick, used across the world, wouldn’t have been carelessly disregarded.

The officer’s report makes it clear that a verbal agreement between the applicant and the council cannot be relied upon. Without a legal agreement in place the council will be liable for maintenance Costs and should anyone injure themselves …… compensation. "

Following the statements put forward by Mr Cooke and Mr Smail, questions were taken from Councillors and then the proposal opened to debate by the councillors. All those that spoke acknowledged the work that The Rotary Club does for the Aldridge Community, as do I. Aldridge is a better place because of The Rotary Club's support  for the Aldridge Volunteer Gardeners, The Peace Garden and the many other projects they have been involved in. Just because I thought that the sundial proposal had been brought forward in an undemocratic manner and was just plain wrong, does not detract from my appreciation of their many good works and efforts. Simply, what it all boiled down to in the end was that the proposal for the sundial to be sited on The Croft, was wrong. For me the words of Councillor John Rochelle were most poignant. Forgive me for paraphrasing here  but in a nutshell he said that the best memorial for the people named on the War Memorial was for The Croft to be left as it is, recognisable by those who gave their lives when they left the Village for War. 

I do not know if The Rotary Club will appeal. The Planning Officer made it clear that there would be grounds for defending the decision against appeal. If they do I'll let you know!

And now for some good news. I am so very pleased to be able to report that Rosie's Helping Hands has donated a replacement tree for the Croft, to replace one of the diseased ones removed a few years ago. The tree chosen in conjunction with the tree expert at Walsall Council, is a Dawn Redwood.  Rosie's Helping Hands have also donated fully inclusive play equipment in the form of a swing and a roundabout and these will be installed in the play area at The Croft in the near future. This really is such wonderful news for the children of Aldridge and a wonderful legacy for a charity that has done so much to help young people in Aldridge and further afield, in the last 16 years. Play equipment for all abilities and a beautiful tree to shade part of the playground from the harmful effects of the sun.

Sue and Karen along with Len Boulton have all worked incredibly hard on opposing the sundial project, putting in hundreds of hours of their own time, voluntarily, in order to attempt to preserve The Croft in its present state, as a Village Green. On behalf of many people I would like to thank all three of them for their unceasing efforts and also say well done to you all.

I would like to finish this blog with a quote from Karen Ross which is totally appropriate and for which I do hope people take to their hearts.

"With people power sweeping the world it has in a small but  significant way touched Aldridge. This is the turning of the tide for the people of Aldridge, hopefully, encouraging others to challenge those who have no right to exclude residents from a say in what happens in their village.  The people of Aldridge will reclaim the croft, as it is rightly theirs by the status of being a Village Green – a gift to the people of Aldridge."