Council Round-Up: Biomass Boilers And Cattle Market Concerns

May 22nd 2013

The town council meeting of Tuesday, 21st of May, seemed a much more civilised affair, compared with the the put-downs and the stench of inequality at County Hall on 17th May. However, the first thing up for discussion was a stink of a more literal kind.

Dog fouling

Councillor George Horton was steamed up about dog mess after receiving a number of complaints about it from residents. He reported that the areas around Stewton and the Railway Walk were particularly bad. "It is atrocious," he said.

Councillor Laura Stephenson pointed out that there are a lot of public bins with stickers on them that say people can't put dog dirt in them. "Where are people supposed to put dog mess?" she asked.

Biomass boilers

Alan Dawes came to speak to the council about plans for a pair of biomass boilers which had been submitted for the Beaumont Hotel on Victoria Road, which is near his property. "I'm totally opposed," he said. Mr Dawes explained his worries about the pollutants that these boilers emit, and the fact that the boilers would be right sited right next to a hedge which supports a lot of wildlife. "People don't realise this sort of boiler pollutes the atmosphere more than gas boilers."

Mr Dawes was also critical of the efficiency of these appliances, the potential noise, and the little that is known about this new technology. "I think we should stick to what we know. We're used to breathing clean air in this town," he said.

The town council rejected this planning application, but it will go to ELDC for a final decision.

Flooding concerns

Since a new Mayor has recently been appointed, the council also needed to re-shuffle its committees. The council decided to merge its river Lud and surface water flooding groups into one that has oversight over both types of flooding.

Councillor Eileen Ballard was keen to point out the importance of the threat from surface water flooding. "It isn't all about the river Lud," she said.

Councillor Stephenson said "the Environment Agency only take into account the river, and any surface water they can see at the time."

Something that was also discussed was the number of new developments, and the potential impact these could have on surface water flooding. I think it's time for Ludensians to take photographs and keep evidence. Developers have proposed building around 970 homes off Legbourne Road, and the Fulmar Drive proposals are up for appeal soon. Even if neither of these plans go through, Louth is likely to be the target of a lot of development plans in the near future, due to current East Lindsey planning policy for this district. So creating an accurate map of where surface water flooding has taken place is going to be essential for good planning decisions.

Cattle market

The town council discussed recent news about the cattle market. This was more of a non-announcement really, in that it won't be sold before September, but the site's future is in question.

Councillor Fran Treanor said "what's killing the cattle market is these charges for parking."

"I was pleasantly surprised at the comments and the way forward," Councillor Trevor Marris said of the meeting. However he described the uncertainty over the cattle market's future as "very frightening to most of the businesses in the town centre." He was also concerned about the impartiality of future retail surveys, saying "we need an independent surveyor who works for towns."

Councillor Brian Burnett pointed out "They've got to provide an alternative cattle market as per the charter." That's the 1551 Royal Charter of Edward VI.

Councillor Stephenson raised the issue of refurbishing the cattle market, instead of selling it off.

Councillor Horton, who runs auctions there, said "the one thing the council wants to do is put it to bed . The cattle market is in a bad state of repair." He also expressed concerns about the survey. "I feel the report will be weighted towards what ELDC want to hear."