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And so what is on the collective minds of the good folk of the Wivenhoe Society as we wave goodbye to 2012 and welcome in the New Year?

Local Lists, Planning and the Phillip Road Centre.

Same as it ever was.

Oh - and the Wiv Soc Late Late Post-Christmas Party, taking place at the William Loveless Hall [where else?] closer to Valentine’s Day than the 25th December.

A dozen red roses are already on order.

Ahh - but who for?

Perhaps for the secretive Wiv Sic Newsletter deliverer, who never fails to… deliver.

Yep, the December Wiv Soc Newsletter is out. It’s not exactly yer hyperlocal Heat magazine - and thank the chuffers for that. But it is another detailed read of the ever changing local landscape that Wiv Soc takes a principled interest in.

Let’s start with the Wivenhoe Local List.

This isn’t a collection of local takeaway menus, but a formal submission to Colchester Borough Council outlining buildings of historical importance. Little legal clout is carried by the List. It is however a polite prod in the ribs of the esteemed members of the CBC Planning Committee, should any of the buildings ever come up for planning consideration.

Jane Black pens another thoughtful piece looking at planning issues over recent months. In particular Jane is keen to highlight how developers can seemingly:

“cherry-pick which bits of permitted building they actually carry out.”

Ouch.

This is in reference of course to the bodged attempt by Realise Health Ltd to build a bonkers Health Centre down by the Colne Barrier.

“The new owners, Lexden Restorations, are no longer negotiating with RHL given the opposition to putting the Health Centre on the site. The intention is to ask for a change of use to allow a 50 cover restaurant on the ground floor with offices above.”

Elsewhere and Jane looks at the digester tanks down at the Hythe (approved after revised landscaping proposals - TREES) St John Ambulance Hall (demolition refused) and Pearl Walk (proposal to convert three commercial units to residential use.)

Oh - and the Tendring Local Plan has finally been submitted.

Here lies the paradox of Planning. Any self-respecting local authority (even Tendring) needs a Local Plan to outline agreeable developments. No Local Plan leads to the developers parking their diggers on your green and pleasant land.

But what if y’know - you don’t want to develop…?

This is a question that Essex County Council will soon need to be asking back at the Phillip Road Centre. Jane Black writes another brilliant piece in the Wiv Soc Newsletter, explaining how the ECC owned building is ripe for a Right to Bid project as permitted in the Localism Act.

At a national level and that nice Eric Pickles is keen to empower communities.

Or something.

That nice Eric Pickles is also keen to empower any cash-strapped local authorities that he is slashing the budget from, to offload any assets that they can now no longer afford to keep.

See where the solution lies, Comrades?

You call it Big Society, I / we (and most definitely NOT wearing a day job hat here - phew) call it an opportunity to do it yourself, once the local authority walks away from their responsibility.

Right to Bid is an open book for any community to take control of community assets and put in place a legacy [URGH] for generations to come. Here in Wivenhoe we have some expert help on the ground, combined with the will to make this happen.

The Wiv Soc meeting with Annemarie Naylor, the Head of Assets at Locality (and Greyhound drinker) at The Nottage could be crucial in moving the Phillip Road project forward.

Jane Black concludes:

“Do we collectively have the will to take on the challenge and contribute cash, or, if not cash, help with fundraising and grant scrounging? Self-interest might also be invoked.

Is it better for children to have a youth club than to be hanging around the Co-op? Do we want the site to be given over to yet more houses served by a narrow road off the High Street?”

…or do we want a mixed use community hub, providing desk space during the day and leisure and learning opportunities in the evening?

One to ponder as you scoff the last of the mince pies.

Elsewhere in the Wiv Soc Newsletter and the continued success of the Colne Cleanup is celebrated. Forty folk volunteered for the spring session. Some might even say *shhh* Big Society.

Any mucky pups wanting to wade around the muddy banks of the Colne should have the morning of 17th March free in their 2013 diaries.

The ACE effort in Wivenhoe Scouts and Guides managing to mobilise folk online and offline to obtain a £5,000 Lloyds Banking Group Community Fund is also mentioned.

Wine tasting at The Legion gets a glass half full outlook, as does a call for any tree experts to step forward to help map what can be found on the hyperlocal landscape.

A new Chair is also required come the Wiv Soc AGM on 27th March.

Wiv Soc: Planning and parties.

Perfect.

A multi-media [Ooooh] reminder that tickets for Monsters Rock are now on sale ahead of the World Premier opening run in Wivenhoe: January 23rd - 26th, William Loveless Hall [where else?] with a Saturday matinee for those not wanting to miss Match of the Day.

Expect bad Dad dancing.

Plus SMILES.

A rather wet Christmas morning walk through Wivenhoe Wood. The brolly brigade was looking slightly less than joyous as it filed out of St Mary’s and back up the High Street. Wellies probably weren’t the right etiquette for the morning service.

Hey hoe.

Have wellies, will travel though. All the way across the sodden KGV, tree hopping for shelter along the way.

The plan was to seek sanctuary of a non-religious persuasion underneath the leaves of Wivenhoe Wood.

Wait a minute - leaves, mid-winter?

That Christmas morning hangover hadn’t really thought this one through.

With the Christmas Day Eucharist on BBC1 yet to finish, we found something of a Blair Witch experience in Wivenhoe Wood, and all before before 11am as well.

Blimey.

A tree branch came crashing down just past the lower KGV entrance, and not a single sole in site.

Thoughts turned momentarily to buggering off back to base, defeated by the great outdoors and the everyday experience of Mother Nature falling to her knees as the elements give her yet another kicking.

But with a stomach set to be lined with turkey burgers [TRUE] later in the afternoon, a strong resolve was called for.

Cloud busting became the defining feature for the morning. The hyperlocal cycle suggested something of five minutes on, ten minutes reprieve for the rain.

The Christmas clock must have been stuck. It pissed it down from the great heavens above with every footprint approaching deeper into the wood.

Betcha the roof back at St Mary’s stood steady.

Out towards the fringes of the wood and the VERY muddy banks of the Colne came into view. It was unclear if the tide was moving out back to Brightlingsea or if the upstream source was simply having a manic Christmas Day morning.

And so wet weather with some humidity hanging in the air. Dodging the midges as you try and neck a cheeky mince pie is a new Chirstmas Day morning experience.

We’re all DOOMED. Especially those wearing wellies.

Chin chin.

To the Town Council Office! …on Monday evening, via the bright lights of the West End comes to Wivenhoe. The Christmas lights at the William Loveless Hall [where else?] looked lovely anyway.

And first up on the agenda at the December meeting of Wivenhoe Town Council was another similar West End Comes to Wivenhoe experience, albeit a slightly scaled down and far more sustainable all round experience.

Those decent folk of Transition Town Wivenhoe have asked WTC about the possibility of putting on an outdoor pedal powered cinema at the King George V Playing Field on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

I’m wagering that An American Werewolf in London won’t be on the seasonal schedule as the pedals power the projector.

With WTC now holding the licence for the KGV, permission was required ahead of the plan being put into action. What followed was an incredibly reasonable, open and understanding conversation about the cost involved.

A charge needs to be made as a precedent is being set. WTC isn’t use to *ahem* hiring out its facilities by the hour, if you know what I mean…

The solution?

£10 towards the coffers of WTC and the West End glitz can come to the KGV over the Christmas period.

Hurrah!

Plus a nice touch was the £10 coming out of the pocket of Cllr Neil Lodge before the decent folk of Transition Town Wivenhoe had the chance to go about saving the planet, or whatever decent act they undertake on a Monday evening.

Moving on with the agenda and it was time for the West End Girls and East End Boys of Colchester Borough Council to deliver their monthly reports.

Too many shadows, whispering voices. Faces on posters, too many choices etc.

Cllr Julie Young updated WTC over events regarding the recent Cedric’s bus accident:

“I have received resident’s feedback following the Cedric’s incident. A full investigation has been carried out and no blame is attributable. This has led though to a review of the quality of the Cedric’s busses. There are possible safety concerns over the age.

Moving onto the Philip Road Centre and Essex County Council has allowed the existing user groups to use the facility until at least the end of the summer term of 2013. The Library has looked into moving into the building but has concluded that it does not meet the needs.

Finally the Health Centre. Richard Warner emailed me today. He has not yet been able to fix a date with the owner of the old Cedric’s site.”

Cllr Mark Cory of CBC spoke next:

“The Borough Council has a £2.3m budget to keep the weekly black bin bag collection going. This will compliment the new food collections that are being introduced in the New Year.

The Trees for Years [snappy] scheme is also continuing. WTC can request twenty trees to be planted. Finally I have requested that the salt bins be stocked up towards The Cross.”

Which I’m sure Santa will appreciate as he makes his way around the Broadfields estate seven days from now.

Cllr Cyril Liddy of CBC said:

“The pool of water by Valley Road is now being seen to. Sadly a motorcyclist had an accident here.”

Which led very nicely into a Q from Cllr Kevin Read of WTC:

“Do you now why the Flood Barrier wasn’t closed yesterday?”

*not* linked with Valley Road.

Conversation then turned towards the exact direction of the flow of the water that led to canoes being moored up outside the Rose and Crown. The source seems to have been upstream, rather than downstream. The barrier is there to protect Colchester. Cllr Liddy agreed to make enquiries.

Concluding the If, when, why, what? How much have you got? …theme was Cllr Jon Manning of CBC:

“Planning appears to be not about what the people think - it is all about policy. I urge you to keep the Town Plan up to date. It carries weight.”

The ever-inquisitive Cllr Read continued with his fine line of questions:

“When is the deadline to spend the £2k ward purse for each Councilor. If it is not spent by then, will we lose it?”

Cllr Manning confirmed that April is the cut off, and yep - use it or lose it.

And before County and Borough Councillors left the chamber [You've got a heart of glass or a heart of stone. Just you wait 'til I get you home...] Cllr Bob Needham wanted to place on the record:

“Wivenhoe Town Council facilitated - but did not take part - in the recent meeting held in the Council Chamber regarding the Health Centre. We want to avoid the misconception that we hold any bargaining power.”

Noted.

The remainder of the meeting was a head’s down, minimal debate and make sure that WTC is well positioned for the challenges of 2013.

Cllr Read updated with the Cook’s shipyard situation:

“The car park and the dingy park aren’t quite ready to be handed over. The Wivenhoe Gig Racing Club has made an enquiry about the possible use of the store.”

Cllr Andrea Vaughan asked if any of the Councillors wanted to take the lead on the Wivenhoe Town Plan that is being updated in 2013. Cllr Needham replied that it is the intention that this will be a resident led initiative.

Finance - something wicked this way comes to Wivenhoe…

Cllr Lodge said:

“We have no idea what the budget will be for next year. We should hear by the 19th January. This doesn’t help us when we are expected to set a budget. All the various groups have put their requests in.”

Working on the Blind Man’s Buff theory of Economic planning [imposed] and WTC has drawn up five possible budget scenarios. These have been rated on a scale of 1 - 5. The trick will be to select the most appropriate spending scenario, once the funding levels from higher up the political food chain are known.

An example was given of the amount of money we’re talking about on Scale 1, the highest budget level. The will involve a precept increase of 40.9% per household, which roughly equates to a rise of around £25 per year.

Cllr Lodge cast a cautious figure:

“Think about what you might NOT get. We have got some hard decisions to make.”

Estates covered the repair work to the skateboard park and the completion of the cargo net climbing frame. William Loveless Hall has a leaky roof. Not so much fixing the roof whilst the sun shines, but four quotes have been sourced.

The Community Opportunity Group is considering the possibility of an all-weather surface up at Broad Lane.

It is also better news on the Jubilee / Wildlife Garden [depending on who you talk to...] following the funding withdrawal from Cory Environmental last month. A new plan is about to be re-submitted. This is more environmentally friendly and doesn’t rely upon utilities for the water feature.

The NAP report covered the possibility of changing the parking arrangements up at Vine Parade. ECC has come back saying that the scheme isn’t in the top ten of projects being considered, and therefore is off the agenda for now.

The volunteer led Speed Watch is continuing around the town. Colchester Road and Elmstead Road are both showing positive results. Rectory Road continues to be a concern.

A speedy meeting with much caution, and a little glittery glamour.

Nice Christmas Tree in the corner.

To the Congregational Hall! …on Sunday afternoon for a catch up with the men and monsters that make up the Wivenhoe Pantomime Group - oh, and ladies as well. They’re rather fond of all this gender trading, these Panto folk.

With Christmas almost upon us, the countdown is well underway for the grand opening of Monsters Rock at the William Loveless Hall [where else?] on 23rd January.

Excitement in the grand splendour of the Congregational Hall is building each week, as is the set, costumes and effects. A few hints of the costume basics came out to play on Sunday afternoon.

Which must mean that the Wivenhoe Panto blog teases [Ooooh] must soon have to start to become a little discrete. We have a non-costume clause built into the contract…

This was a full cast rehearsal with a prompt 3pm start. All actors were well in place ahead of the Panto practice curtain call. Last minute scripts were being read. The esteemed Panto Prompter is now pretty much redundant.

And then it was straight into Scene 10, the showstopper.

Start as you mean to carry on…

The cast is now at a stage where entrances and exists can be considered. It all got a little tricky in the tight constraints of the Congregational Hall. Just wait until the production transfers to the prestigious William Loveless Hall opening run.

Producer / Director / Tea Maker supreme Sara Rout was in her absolute element. Every detail has been considered. Wivenhoe has a slightly weird sense of humour. The script doesn’t disappoint.

“What have you done with my wife?”

Now there’s a question for a Sunday afternoon, and one that I wasn’t quite expecting to hear just ahead of Countryfile.

*for the record there’s a brilliant piece of character doubling up put in place. Gotta LOVE those Wivenhoe Panto folk*

The end scene saw a bit of a song and a dance. Whisper it *shhh* Dad dancing made a brief appearance.

And hurrah for that.

It will make the audience participation all the more complete.

Rehearsals will be briefly interrupted with the Pre-Panto Christmas Party coming up. Don’t expect Dad dancing, but those old parlour favourites of Line Learning, Guess the Name of the Panto Song and Pin the Tail on the Panto Villain.

Plus hopefully a brief celebration of all that has been achieved so far.

But that can wait until Wednesday. With Countryfile counting down, it was back to Scene 1 on Sunday and the Britpop inspired opening song.

Not your traditional village pantomime…

Tickets for Monsters Rock are now on sale. They are available from both Post Offices, priced at £6. The show runs from 23rd January until 26th January.

listen to ‘Rehearsals for @WivenhoePanto 2013 - Introducing the Dame #Wivenhoe’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Rehearsals for @WivenhoePanto 2013 - Catching up with the Co-Director #Wivenhoe’ on Audioboo

Another morning, another blog post to bash out all about a hyperlocal publication. Yep - it’s only the Winter 2012 edition of Wivenhoe News.

Hurrah!

Priced at £1 and with FORTY pages to fill / feast upon, Wiveonhoe News once again proves that the international news agenda is worth keeping half an eye upon (sort of…) but it is back in your own hyperlocal patch that really packs a punch.

And they don’t hit harder than:

Just Where and When Will We Get our New Surgery?

Jax Thomas does a brilliant job in managing to sum up what has become a complex situation. The answers to the two questions in the headline are still unknown. But at least the bonkers Plan B seems to have been banished.

Jane Hughes continues her well-researched On the Street Where You Live contribution. The “wooden western fringes” may sound like a Middle America badland, but it’s actually quite beautiful with the houses that border the muddy banks of the Colne.

Volunteers are called for on two fronts on page 7. Wivenhoe Neighbourhood Watch is recruiting, as is Essex Carer’s Support, a new group caring for the carers.

Alison Kent’s Workers of Wivenhoe profiles Mike Downes - and they don’t work harder than the man known as Mr Nottage. A hyperlocal-ish family history can be traced back to over a Century ago. The Nottgae is in safe hands.

Peter Hill reports on the successful £5,000 funding secured by the Guides and Scouts from Lloyds Community Fund to help improve the hall. A mix of the online and offline campaigning - job’s a good ‘un.

listen to ‘Catching up with @wivmovingimage and future plans for Philip Road Centre #Wivenhoe’ on Audioboo

Film gets the page 12 double billing. Both Moving Image and The Nottage Film Club continue to thrive, albeit with some uncertainty over the future of the Philip Road Centre.

A mob of miscreants make up the photo footer on page 12. You’re never quite sure if the cast of Monsters Rock are actually in character or not.

Oh yes they are…

listen to ‘Preparations for @wivenhoepanto 1 #Wivenhoe’ on Audioboo

Once the Wivenhoe Panto has moved out of the Wivenhoe Loveless Hall [where else?] at the end of January, Anything Goes at everyone’s favourite village hall.

Nope: Anything *really does* Go when the good folk of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society start preparations for the March production.

“The clammy mysteries of sex” [cripes] are covered by poetrywivenhoe. Puts a whole new meaning to the phrase a bird in the hand.

French lessons, philosophy breakfasts and Wivenhoe tea towels all get the Wivenhoe Bookshop treatment. Betcha Borders just sell… books.

Talk turns towards the Co-op / EyeCare / Jardine Bermuda Triangle on page 16. Yep - spring planting with Wivenhoe in Bloom. The Valley Road outpost has also seen some action ahead of the snow.

Working parties take place on the first of each month. That nice Mr Henley has kindly agreed to hand over a patch of land close to his chip shop. Deep-fried daffodils ahoy!

Seeds are being sewn by WAGA on page 17. Waxwings are celebrated by Richard Allen. Meanwhile Richard Moulson writes an ACE piece on the history of Wivenhoe Wood.

The View from the High Street takes in Bus Wars and… the Health Centre. One we seem to have too much of, the other not enough.

Hey hoe.

“Interested in brass rubbing?”

…isn’t your usual everyday kinda question, but hey! Why not? If so, Lynne Horner would like to hear from you.

FOUR pages of diary dates follow [phew] which might lead you to wanting a stiff one come the other side. Which is just as well, seeing as though Jardine gets the Watering Holes of Wivenhoe treatment by Sydney Bayley.

Malcolm Smith - the Bicycle Recycler of Wivenhoe - is profiled on page 22. It’s a long way from Paxman’s to the South Pacific, and then back again via the brilliant Re-Cycle charity.

Chapeau!

Obituaries remember Reg Marks and Bill Ellis. Both continue the quite remarkable way in that Wivenhoe News manages to offer an overview of a complete life in half a page, yet still make it appear poignant.

Transition Town Wivenhoe tell us more about the Wildlife Garden, barn dances and chicken shacks. It’s slightly more corporate up on campus with updates covering the Edge Hotel School, the Knowledge Gateway and the 50th anniversary podcasts.

Bernard Jenkin MP covers his own love / hate subjects - the Wivenhoe Surgery and the EU Budget.

Ahh - but which is which, etc…

Meanwhile Cllr Mark Cory of The Cross comments that:

“The community and the politicians are united over the Wivenhoe Surgery.”

It took some time, but yep.

Cllr Julie Young observes:

“The decision to switch sites for the Health Centre came as a huge shock.”

Aye.

Cllr Cyril Liddy offers a useful working guide to the inner mechanisms of Colchester Borough Council. Keen students of the Accounts and Regulatory Committee won’t be disappointed.

The St Mary’s bell ringers herald celebrating Quarter Peal Month. The Tennis Club has an ACE piece about the new clubhouse. The Cricket Club congratulates local lad Ashley Ling, making his way from the third to the first eleven. You know you are in for a pint glass half full scenario when the Football Club updates:

“The first team have made an encouraging start to the season. We are placed just outside the relegation zone.”

BACK OF THE NET.

The recently launched Wivenhoe Gig rowing boat reflects on a successful year, as well as putting forward a plea for funding and possible storage.

Alison Stockmarr at The Minories, Art in the Church and the Four Friends exhibition down at the Wivenhoe Gallery gets the back page arty treatment, dahhhlings.

You could fill an entire international rolling news channel out of the above.

Wivenhoe News is sold at the Co-op, Crossways, the Post Office, Bryans Newsagents and the lovely Wivenhoe Bookshop.

Have you been past Boundary Road recently? You can’t but help notice that the multi-story car park being built up on campus is almost near completion.

Ahh - but what of the promised cycle path between Wivenhoe and the University?

On yer bike, etc.

You may remember that the controversial passing of the planning permission to build the car park was sold on the back of the idea to put in place a bicycle path linking Town and Gown. At best it sent out a mixed message about sustainable [URGH] transport. Slightly more worrying was the way in which the University went about the way of continued expansion.

The deal was very much brokered by Cllr Julie Young of Essex County Council, recognising that inviting a bit of back scratching from the University was the only way that the University and Wivenhoe would ever be connected by bicycle.

The total funding available to Colchester Borough Council via ECC for ALL Highway improvements in the current budget is £1m. Clocking in at a cool quarter of a million pounds, a cycle path was not surprisingly low on the list.

Speaking at the Planning meeting on 24th May, Cllr Young told CBC:

“Wivenhoe wants a cycling link. This is too expensive to deliver. The new budget for Colchester from Essex County Council is £1m. Can I access this for the cycle path? No I can’t.”

By whatever means necessary, etc, which for Wivenhoe to have a cycle path meant the compromise of allowing the University to build a multi-story car park right on the border of the town.

Planning permission was granted unanimously back in May, but on the strict premise that £250,000 was made available via Section 106 funding for the Wivenhoe bicycle path.

Which brings us back to the current Boundary Road situation with a car park almost complete and still no sign of even any initial planning work being undertaken for the Wivenhoe cycle path.

And so what went wrong?

For the record, the University HAS handed over the money to ECC to complete its side of the back scratching bargain. There is a strong argument that work on the car park shouldn’t have been allowed to commence until any cycle path is actually in place. The University is only playing by the rules of the games put in place by the CBC Planning Committee.

To find out what has been happening since that May meeting and the continued absence of any cycle path, FOI’s covering ECC and CBC were filed.

I asked:

“Please can you provide me with all correspondence between Essex County Council / Colchester Borough Council and any public or private partner regarding the proposed cycle path between Wivenhoe and the University of Essex.Please include emails sent or received from council officers, as well as emails sent or received by Borough councillors.

I would also like to see any minutes for meetings about the cycle path. Please make sure that this search includes any correspondence with the University of Essex.”

You can’t directly FOI a private company such as the University. A popular technique is to FOI an accountable body to see what data it holds about the non FOI-able organisation.

As for the outcome?

A huge amount of data had been returned, which to be honest, doesn’t exactly tell us anything conclusive. What emerges though is slight uncertainty, possible confusion and even a perceived lack of will to build the cycle path between Wivenhoe and the University.

It is interesting to observe that the first mention of a possible cycle path dates back to April 2011, and perhaps of even greater interest is that the request comes from the office of the VC:

Rosemary Wilkins, the Cycling Officer at ECC replies that there is a “bit of a wild goose chase” trying to find anything out, and that there is no priority funding.

Fast forward to January 2012 and the cycle path is back on the agenda. Cllr Young asks for an update from ECC.

Rosemary Wilkins replied:

And so good news in that not as much land as originally anticipated is required, with a reduced cost as well. No funding is available at this stage, and so no approach to the landowner has been made.

At the end of January 2012, Rosemary Wilkins once again wrote to Cllr Young with the first hint of the Cycle Lite compromise being mentioned:

The will for the Wivenhoe cycle path seems to be there, if not the funding. It is almost as if all concerned are just waiting for a grand building project in the pipeline from the University in which to balance and offset the project.

Any idea what that could be…?

Which brings us to a meeting between Cllr Young and Andrew Nightingale, the Property Director at the University during February of 2012.

The University is “uneasy” about freeing S106 funds from the proposed car park. The suggestion is to eat into the Knowledge Gateway S06 allowance, a move that many have viewed as robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Ever the diplomat, Cllr Young suggested that opposition to the car park could be “tempered” if the University made all the right sounds about a cycle path.

The first mention of the Cycle Lite figures are uncovered in the FOI data for 16th February 2012. Simon Walker, the Design Engineer at ECC mails Cllr Young:

An interesting aside to the Toucan situation is that all were working at the time under the assumption that the new Health Centre for Wivenhoe would be built opposite the exact same location.

Never assume, Comrades…

Cllr Young liked the suggestion, and attempted to sell the idea to the University:

Not so much Beware the Ides of March, but the following month we get an insight into how the planning process actually works for local government. It isn’t as simple as taking an objective approach. Funding is just as fundamental as common sense it seems.

With a planning application for a possible car park yet to be formally submitted, ECC Highways is already advising the University how to put in place a smooth passage for the proposed scheme:

The email thread switches from Chelmsford to Colchester, with Brad Heffer, the Principal Planning Officer at CBC explaining the current thinking of the University. It seems that a bluff was called, and a rather big one at that:

The response is for CBC to show some teeth and not cave in to any car park demands:

‘Delicate negotiations’ seem to have been in place throughout April 2012, leading to something of a U-turn by the University come the start of May. With the planning app for the car park soon to be considered by CBC, both sides appear to be close to a compromise.

In a letter sent by the Director of Estate Management at the University to the CBC Principle Planning Officer, it is agreed that a payment of £250k will be made, but from the KNOWLEDGE GATEWAY pot of gold.

It is also made quite clear that this WON’T be paid if the car park planning app isn’t passed, plus the payment only becomes due once work actually starts on the proposed cycle path.

Acknowledgement is made that the robbing Peter to pay Paul situation will be made good on the Knowledge Gateway, but with the warning that the economy is buggered and the University may even “revisit” the S106 wonga in the future.

With just two days before the CBC Planning Committee is due to meet, doubts appear to remain over the future expansion of the University by ECC. Rosemary Wilkins poses the question on 22nd May 2012:

The expansion / cost question was well and truly answered by the CBC Planning Committee two days later with the unanimous 12:0 passing of the application for the University to build a multi-story car park on campus.

Paying back Peter and Paul (or is it the other way round?) enters more confusion on 29th June 2012. The Principle Planning Officer at CBC states:

And so with planning permission granted for the multi-story car park funding (from somewhere…) in place for the Wivenhoe cycle path, work now turns towards purchasing the land for the cycle path.

We’re all clear on who’s paying for this, aren’t we.

Aren’t we?

GOSH:

At least the University is sticking to its side of the bargain, paying up front with the cash, before work on the cycle path has even started:

Rosemary Wilkins confirmed the following in an email to me on 5th November:

“The funding has been transferred to ECC and currently we are working to have it added to the capital programme so that we can spend it.

So the next steps will be as follows:

Add the funding to the capital programme within Highways (this should be done at the beginning December).

Complete and agree a project mandate and brief with the delivery team (basically commission Essex Highways to deliver the cycleway).

Agree dates for the final design and construction (currently this is looking more likely at a 2013 delivery for construction due to workload and possible land issues).

Complete the design so that the consultation can begin and land purchased (this may take some time and we will need to identify additional funding sources for the land purchase).”

Which brings us almost full circle with the University pressing for a cycle path via the planners, albeit via a rather convoluted - and particularly clever - route for funding.

Speaking to me at the end of November, new VC Anthony Forster said:

“Clearly one of the important elements will be putting in a cycle path between Wivenhoe and the University – something that we feel very strongly indeed. The University has provided a quarter of a million pounds for that.

We are now lobbying hard to the Council who are responsible for putting the cycle path in place to make sure that this happens as quickly as possible. At our Council meeting on Monday we spent quite a bit of time talking about this. Having provided £250,000, we’re very keen that the cycle path goes in as quickly as possible”

And that pretty much brings us up to date in December 2012. The University has paid the S106 wonga - although from which pot of planning gold is not entirely clear; ECC is in receipt of the money but the usual local gov red tape is slowing down plans for the cycle path.

Meanwhile the University is about to open up the shutters on the new multi-story car park along Boundary Road. Overlooking the fact that a culture of car dependency isn’t exactly being addressed by building a car park, the Wivenhoe cycle path exists in principle, if not in practise.

An integrated transport policy?

Still many gaps to fill…

Plus: Great background reading on CBC Planning via @nickjbarlow.