Interesting news that affects the
built environment, heritage, environment and more. Local,
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3rd Way
The Third Way
Highways and planning experts
have come up with a new design for Taunton's proposed Inner
Relief Road in a move aimed at ensuring the town's economic
future as a shopping, business and cultural centre... Read More
Taunton Deane To Adopt Local Plan
Taunton Deane Borough Council
has now adopted the Taunton Deane Local Plan with effect from
the 19th November 2004. This key document aims to provide for
the social and economic needs of present and future
generations in the most sustainable way possible. The Plan
proposes sites for new housing, industry, offices, shopping,
leisure developments and related transport measures up to the
year 2011. Read More
Major Archive Saved For Somerset
The Lottery has awarded a grant
of £383,500 to Somerset County Council to allow the purchase
of the family and estate papers of the Sanford family of
Nynehead near Wellington. Read More
Local Environmental Quality: litter
For many people litter is the
most important issue of the local environmental quality
agenda, as it is the most widespread of blight of our public
spaces. It is costing councils half a billion pounds annually
to clear it up. Part IV of the Environmental Protection Act
1990 sets out the powers and duties relating to litter. This
web page provides news and publications on local environment
quality. It includes information on chewing gum, dog fouling,
and other litter-related issues. Read More
Taunton at the Centre of Sustainable
Development
Somerset College of Arts and
Technology, Taunton, welcomed the first stage of the Genesis
project, a pioneering regional sustainable construction centre
for education and learning... Read More
Vivary & Wellington Awarded
Green Flag Status
Building on the Anti-social
Behaviour Action Plan, TOGETHER is a campaign designed for
front-line workers in the anti-social behaviour field, and the
general public. It works with both groups to promote a shift
in culture – from one where anti-social behaviour is
tolerated, to one where it is tackled. Read More
Restoration Man launches English Country
Crafts Report
Crafts in the English
Countryside: Towards a Future draws on the knowledge and
expertise of many leading authorities on the traditional rural
crafts. Griff Rhys Jones said... Read More
Conserving Taunton Deane's Wildlife Heritage
Open spaces such as Wellsprings
and Creechbarrow Hill are great places for local wildlife,
moreover three open spaces, which follow watercourses in
Taunton (Blackbrook Open space, Killams, and Glasses Mead)
form part of the South Taunton Streams Local Nature Reserve.
Taunton Deane Borough Council manages many of these open
spaces to ensure that they are continually enhanced and
protected. Read More
The State Can't Keep Treating Citizens as if
They Do Not Matter
The Government says it wants
citizens to get involved. But with more people belonging to
the RSPB than all political parties put together, the Design
Council in partnership with ippr (Institute for Public Policy
Research) has been asking: ‘How does the state treat people
when they do get involved and how can design make a difference
to citizenship? Read More
DEVELOPMENT CONTROL STATISTICS: ENGLAND
2003/04
There were 675 thousand
planning applications received by planning authorities in
2003/04, the highest number since 1988/89. Householder
developments accounted for 54 per cent of... Read More
Transport Stats' 2004 Report
Regional Transport Statistics
contains tables bringing together a wide range of GB transport
statistics, which are available at Government Office Region
and country level. Our webmaster summarizes major points about
the South West and it's an interesting set of numbers... Read More
Engage the Community for a
Successful Market Town
Market towns will thrive if
they learn from a report published today, according to Richard
Wakeford, chief executive of the Countryside Agency -
particularly if the whole community is involved. Read
More
Most new homes are ‘mediocre’ claims audit
from CABE
Sedgemoor District Council in
partnership with British Waterways, Bridgwater Agriculture
Society, the Prince Philip Mounted games and others, have won
£6,000 of government and European monies under the LEADER+
programme, to help stage the extravaganza. Read More
New Logo and Website
for Taunton Town Centre
Town Centre community values
informative and pictorial web site that enables residents,
visitors and businesses to discover more about Taunton Town
Centre. And as it just happens that the design for both these
projects was by our own sponsor ADK Ltd. Read More
UK's first architecture gallery
The V&A and RIBA will open a
new Architecture Gallery at the V&A, the UK’s first permanent
architecture gallery. The gallery will feature highlights from
their world-class collections of drawings, models, photographs
and architectural fragments as well as important loans. Read More
Energy Planning
More turbines urged for south-west England
Energy minister Mike O’Brien
has insisted that planning authorities in south-west England
need to make greater provision for windfarms. His comments
came when he spoke a regional conference on renewable energy
held in Plymouth. Read More
New design rules create homes with built-in
flexibility
Better quality housing designed
to adapt to changing household needs is the aim of a review of
building controls announced by the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister... Read More
Scientific advisors review mobile
phone masts
Government scientific advisers
have urged an independent review of the planning regime for
mobile telephone masts. That call has come from the National
Radiological Protection Board (NPRB), which has just carried
out a review on mobile phones and health, an update of the
report produced in 2000 by professor William Stewart. Read More
Raising the Standard of Public
Conveniences In Taunton
Improving the quality of public
conveniences throughout Taunton Deane is a priority for the
Council and an issue that has been under review since early
last year, when it was proposed that the number of
Council-owned public conveniences should be rationalised in
order to enhance the service standards. The latest report is a
continuation of the initial recommendations and sets out the
opportunities to begin to implement this move to fewer but
better quality facilities. Read More
'Good Old Days' prompts WWII input from
locals
My Hunt sent us an email about
one of our mystery photographs
we had in our 'Good Old Days'
gallery and as he knew quite a bit we replied to his email
asking if he wouldn't mind us using his contributions on our
website and if he was from Taunton. His reply was short but
had a sense of history and a request for your input. Read More
Copyright 2005 Taunton & District Civic
Society. All
rights reserved
Highways and planning experts
have come up with a new design for Taunton's proposed Inner
Relief Road in a move aimed at ensuring the town's economic
future as a shopping, business and cultural centre... 
