It has been a busy time recently in the council and things are only likely to get more busy!
The town centre is looking very good right now, as anyone who has been past it in recent weeks will have noticed, and I have been assured by the developers that despite the recession, they expect the development to be finished soon and up and trading well in time for Christmas.
The new town centre is more important now than ever. The town centre will bring jobs, it will bring investment and it will bring more visitors into the centre. It will revive the nightlife of the town centre and act as a deterrant to crime. In short, it will be the ideal antidote to all of the set backs that Farnborough has faced as a result of the national economic mess we are in.
In the council's Development and Control meeting on Wednesday I spoke in favour of a motion that will allow the developers to delay their contributions to local leisure and ammenities development under their section 106 obligations. We are still going to insist on the payment of this money but this is exactly the sort of pro-business, common sense measure I am happy to support in the short run to ensure that we get the town centre we have all been waiting for for so long.
The motion passed unanimously.
The next update will not be so long coming!
Showing posts with label Town Centre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Town Centre. Show all posts
Sunday, 16 August 2009
Friday, 17 April 2009
Neighbourhood Watch Returns
Hello again faithful readers!
You might well have been wondering where I have been of late and what I have been up to. Well truth be told it has been a fairly busy few months in Rushmoor Council-
You might well have been wondering where I have been of late and what I have been up to. Well truth be told it has been a fairly busy few months in Rushmoor Council-
- We have been working with St Modwen on the new town centre to make sure that despite the recession that the town centre development will go ahead as planned and to schedule. This has been quite a success- St Modwen have promised us that we will get the cinema, Sainsbury's and store units we are expecting, and on schedule. We are of course still waiting to see who fills them but we are feeling positive.
- We have been working hard with the local beat officers to achieve the ward priorities on cycling, neighbourhood watch expansion and Queen Elizabeth Park (where a new CCTV camera is due to go in soon)
- We have been working on the council budget to ensure that council tax rises are kept to a very minimum- the Westminster government is up to its old tricks of using unfunded mandates to make us pay for more of what they promise, thereby taking more money out of the pockets of council tax payers in Rushmoor- so we are trying to find local economies to compensate
- And a lot more...
For the near future though our top priority will be setting up neighbourhood watches- especially in the Marrowbrook area and the streets off it.
The police have quite a backlog of watches to set up but we are not going to be resting on our laurels and are still striving for 100% ward coverage.
So the chances are, if you live in that area you'll see me on your doorstep again sometime soon!
Friday, 7 November 2008
Starbucks in Farnborough?
Good news for fellow coffee drinkers out there- following a decision of the Development and Control committee on Wednesday we are now due to get a coffee house/cafe in a prominent location right in the heart of Empress Ward.
One area that I have constantly been saying that we need to improve in Farnborough is the appearance of the town when people are arriving in it. One of the worst offenders in this regard is the old HSBC building on the corner of Victoria Road and Farnborough Road.
Listed by Historic Farnborough as one of the worst eyesores in the borough, this building has been standing empty for over a year and is frankly depressing. As the building was designed and built in the 1960s I can only speculate on what substances those involved may have been on at the time when they decided that people might like to live or work in this Soviet style concrete elephant of a building!
Luckily, we have now approved an application for a hotel to revamp (its a pity we couldn't demolish it and start again) and reuse the site. In addition to this they will be building a cafe in the space currently occupied by the concrete stilts that the building is on.
As this area is currently a site for antisocial behaviour and youth drinking I think this is a fantastic idea. It will also provide a much more pleasant spectacle for people driving in to Farnborough and will be great for those of us who like coffee!
We do not yet know who will occupy the cafe but we can only hope it is one of those commercial chains like Starbucks who so annoy the whinging left but who happen to serve good coffee in a nice environment.
Farnborough is taking off!
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Protecting the Character of Farnborough
One issue that has come up time after time on the doorstep over the past few days has been people's fears that Farnborough may end up losing its character through all the development that is taking place at the moment.
It might be worth my declaring an interest at first- I like development: I live in a flat in a building that was only built a few years ago and like it. I also like going out and want to see more bars and restaurants in Farnborough.
That said, I think we all want to avoid becoming just another homogenised town with all the same pubs, restuarants etc. I also think we want to avoid becoming part of the Labour government's "pack 'em in" strategy for the south east.
Some of the developments that are being proposed I am on balance against- there seems to be no corner or space in the vicinity of King George The Fifth playing fields that is not about to be developed into a completely inappropriate building. There are some spaces we can look at building on but its good for the area to have some proper residential housing too.
The closure of The Tumbledown Dick is another cause for concern. It was quite right to close the establishment if it was in breach of health standards but that should be no reason to prevent it re-opening with higher standards- continuing to provide a music scene and some character to our town.
With the new town centre due for completion soon- what kind of shops, bars and restaurants would people like to see open? This is something I will bear in mind if elected in future discussions with developers.
It might be worth my declaring an interest at first- I like development: I live in a flat in a building that was only built a few years ago and like it. I also like going out and want to see more bars and restaurants in Farnborough.
That said, I think we all want to avoid becoming just another homogenised town with all the same pubs, restuarants etc. I also think we want to avoid becoming part of the Labour government's "pack 'em in" strategy for the south east.
Some of the developments that are being proposed I am on balance against- there seems to be no corner or space in the vicinity of King George The Fifth playing fields that is not about to be developed into a completely inappropriate building. There are some spaces we can look at building on but its good for the area to have some proper residential housing too.
The closure of The Tumbledown Dick is another cause for concern. It was quite right to close the establishment if it was in breach of health standards but that should be no reason to prevent it re-opening with higher standards- continuing to provide a music scene and some character to our town.
With the new town centre due for completion soon- what kind of shops, bars and restaurants would people like to see open? This is something I will bear in mind if elected in future discussions with developers.
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Introduction
Hi,
I am happy to say that I am now formally the Conservative Party Candidate for Empress Ward in Farnborough.
I have lived in Farnborough since mid 2006 and work locally. I have also been actively involved in politics for 11 years.
For me the top issues in Farnborough are:
1. Making sure that our town centre is developed in a way that maximises its benefit to residents and local businesses.
It has been a long time coming but I think the new town centre could do wonders for the life and economy of Farnborough.
It would be great to have more facilities and to see the character of our town redeveloped- and to benefit from the new jobs that would bring. We must however be careful to make sure that Farnborough doesn't become just another town. We need to keep what is best about our town whilst embracing change.
2. Ensuring that we look after our green spaces and facilities
Having lived in many towns throughout the UK I can honestly say that Farnborough is very well catered for in terms of parks, green spaces and sports facilities. We do need to make sure that they stay pleasant and accessible to all. It is easy to underestimate the impact that these kind of facilities can have in adding to the good character of the town, reducing anti-social behaviour and benefiting local property prices. Lets keep Farnborough green!
3. Cleaning up our streets
Crime, vandalism and litter are a blight on modern Britain and getting steadily worse under the national current government. Rushmoor is doing well to keep these threats under control and I am determined to do my bit on the council to protect Farnborough from the return of these depressing and disappointing afflictions of modern Britain
4. Traffic and Parking
Always an annoyance. It is tempting to believe that these problems can be solved overnight but so long as car numbers keep increasing we will have a problem. I think it is important to keep a sense of perspective and common sense in government to make sure that we don't do anything to make these matters worse.
5. Value for Money
I work for a major multi-national business and have worked at The Houses of Parliament and have witnessed at first hand how inefficent government can be. Rushmoor is one of the more efficient councils in the UK and I am determined to make sure that we keep getting value for money for our tax pounds.
I will continue to post on these subjects and other subjects of interest as my campaign progresses.
I am happy to say that I am now formally the Conservative Party Candidate for Empress Ward in Farnborough.
I have lived in Farnborough since mid 2006 and work locally. I have also been actively involved in politics for 11 years.
For me the top issues in Farnborough are:
1. Making sure that our town centre is developed in a way that maximises its benefit to residents and local businesses.
It has been a long time coming but I think the new town centre could do wonders for the life and economy of Farnborough.
It would be great to have more facilities and to see the character of our town redeveloped- and to benefit from the new jobs that would bring. We must however be careful to make sure that Farnborough doesn't become just another town. We need to keep what is best about our town whilst embracing change.
2. Ensuring that we look after our green spaces and facilities
Having lived in many towns throughout the UK I can honestly say that Farnborough is very well catered for in terms of parks, green spaces and sports facilities. We do need to make sure that they stay pleasant and accessible to all. It is easy to underestimate the impact that these kind of facilities can have in adding to the good character of the town, reducing anti-social behaviour and benefiting local property prices. Lets keep Farnborough green!
3. Cleaning up our streets
Crime, vandalism and litter are a blight on modern Britain and getting steadily worse under the national current government. Rushmoor is doing well to keep these threats under control and I am determined to do my bit on the council to protect Farnborough from the return of these depressing and disappointing afflictions of modern Britain
4. Traffic and Parking
Always an annoyance. It is tempting to believe that these problems can be solved overnight but so long as car numbers keep increasing we will have a problem. I think it is important to keep a sense of perspective and common sense in government to make sure that we don't do anything to make these matters worse.
5. Value for Money
I work for a major multi-national business and have worked at The Houses of Parliament and have witnessed at first hand how inefficent government can be. Rushmoor is one of the more efficient councils in the UK and I am determined to make sure that we keep getting value for money for our tax pounds.
I will continue to post on these subjects and other subjects of interest as my campaign progresses.
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