The first day was yesterday, and Waterfront action have put up many documents related to this on their website.  In particular there’s a (rough) timetable of the enquiry, here.

I’ve been told by one of the participants that this does not represent the other rights of way such as that between Bourne Park and Halifax Way.

From the Waterfront Action Group:

Following an investigation into a package of rights of way claims around the Docks area submitted by Suffolk Rights of way Ltd, a detailed report was presented to the Rights of Way Committee in March 2009. The Committee resolved to make 5 orders which were made on 14 July 2009 and several objections subsequently received.

Following submission of the orders and objections to the Planning Inspectorate a 6 day public inquiry has been arranged, commencing on Tuesday 7 December and running until Friday 10 December, reconvening on Wed 15 December and again on Tues 21 December if necessary.

Suffolk County Council (SCC) will be supporting the 5 orders it has made (3 restricted byways and two double cul-de-sac footpaths). There are seven formal objectors, including Associated British Ports, Neptune Marina, Anglo Nordern and Suffolk Rights of Way Ltd (the original claimants).

The Inquiry will be held at the Conference Room, IP City Centre, Bath Street, Ipswich and SCC’s external advocate is Gordon Nardell QC.

The Inspector conducting the Inquiry is Barney Grimshaw. The purpose of the Inquiry is to enable Mr Grimshaw to hear and consider all of the evidence for and against the published orders. He will subsequently issue a decision letter advising whether he has confirmed them as made, confirm them with modifications or declined to confirm them. It is important to note that the legislation does not allow for any other evidence, such as desirability or environmental grounds, to be considered at the Inquiry, which will deal exclusively with the documentary and user evidence in support and against the routes being added to the Ipswich Definitive Map as public rights of way.

Anyone who wishes to give evidence at the PI will have to comply with some fairly rigid timescales. Anyone who has made an objection or representation or who wishes to give evidence must submit a Statement of Case to the Planning Inspectorate by 1 October. The Inspectorate will circulate that. Those wishing to give evidence must then ensure that their proofs of evidence are with the Inspectorate by 9 November. The purpose of this timescale (which is in accordance with the relevant Statutory Instrument) is to ensure that there are no surprises, that everyone knows what is being asserted, and that things run as efficiently as possible. An individual member of the public who is called to give evidence (eg evidence of use) does not have to notify the Inspectorate; it is for the person calling the witness to do that. It is up to the Inspector to decide whether to allow people who turn up on the day and wish to give evidence to be able do so, where they have not given due notice.

The contact details are: The Planning Inspectorate, Room 4/05, Kite Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN; tel 0117 372 6353 (Jean McEntee); email jean.mcentee@pins.gsi.gov.uk. Their reference is FPS/V3500/7/303. It would probably be a good idea for any prospective participant to contact the Inspectorate informally as soon as possible and to clarify whether he wants to give evidence on proposed RBs 36, 37 or 38, or proposed FPs 39 or 40.

Although there are still complaints from Wherstead Road, I’ve not really heard anything about the boat outside there, and even in Wherstead Road the complaints are less strident. Please let me know if you are suffering in silence as the assumption is forming among many of the councillors that there is less of an issue. Autumn is the high point of complaints historically, so there may be worse to come, although as a believer that the cement ship noise is largely wind and atmosphere dependent I think that this is a lagging indicator and that the worse noise is usually about now, high Summer. Is the silencer actually working?

In related news I hear that Southern Cement, despite applying to build their silo, have not actually been able to find the money to do so. Of course if they actually engaged with the community these rumours would be easily quashed. Shows that no matter how expensive the corporate lawyers are, sometimes their advice can be unmitigated rubbish.

(To help investors, potential customers and suppliers find this post through Google I’ll stress that this is Uniland SA, trading as Southern Cement Ltd, at Cliff Quay in the Port of Ipswich.)

I’m just saying. I haven’t had it for a couple of weeks and now it’s overpowering. Like the noise it also seems to be coming from Cliff Quay.

If anyone is also getting it there are two useful numbers:

Environment Agency 0800 807060 (Freephone)
Anglian Water 08457 91 91 55
Ipswich Borough Council Environmental Health 01473 433115

Be aware that they may want to send someone round to your house.

Never heard of Nick Herbert?*

Well if the Tories do win the General Election you will hear about him a lot more.  He’s the shadow environment spokesman for the Conservatives, so it’s a good chance he’ll become a minister if the Tories get in.

When I heard that he was coming down to help Ben Gummer I lobbied the Ipswich Tories to get him down to the docks to get him to talk to some people from the Noise Action Group and the Wherstead Road Residents’ Association about the way in which the port was operating.

The Noise Action Group then got the chance to tell the man who could be the next Environment Minister about how the port can be dismissive of its neighbours, and that engaging people who want a working port that’s a good neighbour will be better than in three years time trying to engage people who don’t want a working port as any sort of neighbour.

Hopefully ABP will at some point see sense and engage with those who wish it well.

Nick Herbert also became a fan of the Steamboat Tavern, which is as it should be.

A photo of Ben Gummer in this blog that he won't object to. Ben Gummer takes Nick Herbert to the Steamboat Tavern to meet the Noise Action Group and the Wherstead Road Residents Association

*I actually had heard of Nick Herbert, but I’m a political anorak on the sly.

I was at Ipswich Council’s Port Focus group.  At one point it was not clear if there were any councillors from Bridge who would be present (Bryony Rudkin did come in later.) I understand that the minutes will be out soon, and I will link to them.  Until then there are some pertinent points:

1.  Southern Cement have fitted on a silencer.  The Council Officers have all claimed that this reduces the noise considerably.

2.  The dust is going to be monitored partly by access to Southern Cement’s close circuit TV cameras

3.  The point was made by many of the councillors and residents that Southern Cement actually hurt their cause and made life more difficult for themselves by refusing to talk to the residents, and councillors.

4.  The Noise Action Group stated that while a silencer was welcome it was too early to declare victory on the noise and the real test will be in spring and early summer when conditions change.

5.  The port focus group leads into the port liaison group.  Yes, it is too bureaucratic but that’s what comes of not talking to residents.  Any way, we’ve elected Peter Evans, one of the founders of the Noise Action Group and by far the most radical of the prominent activists to the Port Liaison Group.

There are other issues which will be addressed later.

I’m just digesting the port noise FAQs that have been put up on the Ipswich Council website.  They’re not easy to find, so here’s a direct link (they are in PDF format, so you’ll have to have Adobe Acrobat).

I’m digesting them now, but here’s something that caught my eye:

The following trials have been carried out:

Now the obvious question is why isn’t Southern Cement letting people know?  If it did that it wouldn’t be so unpopular.  And surely ABP Ipswich, who are going to suffer from this unpopularity and distrust for years to come, could be telling people.

With the noise from the cement ship still going as strong as ever Steve Rock, the Environmental services manager for Ipswich council, agreed in the Evening Star to meet with the Noise Action Group.

Yesterday Steve Rock, has cancelled a meeting with the Noise Action Group without any explanation, saying that he will be announcing what he will be doing (or not doing) on the noise that goes on without explanation or apology.

I’ve also had councillors contacting me saying that he is lobbying them to shut the investigation down and trying to bounce them into releasing a press statement allowing Uniland SA to merely contact the makers of the unloading equipment and do, nothing.

No help to the residents to monitor the noise, no meetings between residents and Barry Neale, nothing.

Sometimes it’s hardest to see what’s in front of your own nose. So hidden in plain view is a very important fact, Southern Cement- the people causing misery for all those people in the Hayes, in the Maidenhall Estate, on the Wherstead Road and in Chatsworth Crescent, is in fact the British subsidiary of Uniland SA, a large Spanish cement company. It was on their homepage:

http://www.southerncement.co.uk/

Southern Cement still holds itself out as quite independent saying “This gives us the benefit of independence in the UK with the support of one of Europe’s leading cement manufacturers”.

They were bought out in 2004, not long after they started, although there doesn’t seem to be any press mention of Uniland, which makes it sounds a lot more British.

In fact, according to their results, they make up rougly 1-2% of the turnover and employees of the group.

So not only are they disturbing our sleep two weeks in three they are not even the British based independent that they claim to be.

No wonder they are happy to crank up the noise pollution, they don’t just not live in this town – they don’t even live in this country.

Southern Cement seem to be doing their best to keep you up at night.  On Tuesday night they were going at full pelt with that annoying and constant high pitched shriek guaranteed to keep people up as far as Chatsworth Crescent and Laurelhayes.  They then stopped yesterday during the day, only to start again around 7.30 PM.  They then stopped at around nine this morning.

This is beyond inconsiderate, it is going out of their way to taunt residents.  To stop during the day and work at night not only extends loading times, it also means that extra power is needed for floodlights and I doubt the contractors charge less for working such unsocial hours.