On 20 Apr 2009 at 8:40am Lewes Resident wrote:
This is just a reminder to anyone who is interested, that there is a meeting tomorrow in the Town hall, arranged by Lewes District Council, and the Lewes Coalition. Unfortunately the Sussex Express did not not print either participating group's press releases.
For the first time, Council Officers, and Councillors will meet with local groups and the public to discuss the planning related issues that have increasingly concerned residents.
This will take place ina 'Question Time' style format, with prearranged questions agreed by both groups, followed by open questions from the floor.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 9:01am Gloria mundi wrote:
So the Coalition is cosying up to the Council then? All the questions had to be sent in a week in advance so 'a considered response could be made'. No point in turning up to see a well rehearsed whitewash of all the Council's planning errors and attempts to pass off the pitiable parking scheme as the work of the devil - er I mean the Tories on ESCC.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 9:12am concerned wrote:
Sometimes it pays to be less cynical; it can be a really lazy and expedient mode. Any progress is usually a sum total of complex small moves and alot of hard work.
I'll be there on Tuesday because I don't believe it to be a set piece. From what I've heard of this 'Coalition' they really do have the needs of Lewes at their heart. I hope the discussion will rise above the particular and concentrate on how we can protect our much loved town.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 9:54am Geoff wrote:
Gloria. I could not be less impressed with our Planning Department.
One of their problems is that they make appalling generalisations about Lewes residents, such as those residentsin the coalition. Forgive me, but it looks like you are in danger of doing the same thing.
I am sure there are people in the coalition who would rather share a room with a heap of horse manure than Lindsay Frost, and I am sure Lindsay Frost feels likewise. But where does that get anyone?
By discouraging people from going to this meeting you are doing the Planners a favour. They can say 'no one cares' and just carry on with their questionable practices, if just a little gang of familiar faces turns up.
Everyone has got to start somewhere, and the Lewes Coalition is doing that. They have created, for the first time, an arena at which officers, and councillors are going to be speaking publicy, ALONGSIDE coalition members who may not necessarily agree with them. For the first time you have the possibility of a debate, instead of a PR excercise. My understanding is that the coalition have been prepared to pull out a number of times, when officers attempted to railroad the nature of this meeting.
Accusing a coalition of nearly all Lewes groups interested in planning, of cosying up with the Council, because they are prepared to share a room with them, is extremely unfair. I hope you go to the meeting, and offer your criticisms after attending, not before.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 10:50am sashimi wrote:
I've been to Coalition meetings and I detect a real shift in the Planning Committee's attitude to the community. I would encourage everyone to turn up to the meeting and make sure that they get the impression they are moving in the right direction. Three members of the Committee dug their heels in and refused to be bamboozled into accepting the officers' reassurances that the Malling Brooks application by Charles Style was safe, sustainable and appropriate - and they carried the day. Let's make sure their new found courage and independence is supported and maintained.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 11:22am Rozzer wrote:
Geoff and Sashimi are right - the Coalition is the first time all the different groups in Lewes have got together, as far as I know, to make sure there is a concerted effort to do something for the town as a whole (apart, of course, from the bonfire societies but that's a different matter). It has come to something, hasn't it, when voluntary groups have to make the running against the councillors - whose job it really is to represent us but who seem only to represent an anonymous 'council'.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 11:23am Rozzer wrote:
By the way Lewes Resident, can you just remind every of the time of the meeting please?
On 20 Apr 2009 at 12:10pm Gloria mundi wrote:
The so called Coalition is just a bunch of DFLs and NIMBYs who want to turn this Town into a museum with pageants of DFLs and NIMBYs dressed as bonfire boys. Tuesday night, I'll be up on the allotment planting my carrots.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 3:36pm Rozzer wrote:
I think you may be wrong there Gloria mundi as there are some Lewes people who care about their town. By the way, are you related to the Sic Transit Gloria Mundi family?
On 20 Apr 2009 at 3:52pm Gloria Mundi wrote:
Rozzer, I'm no relation. But once, along time ago, after an evening I'd prefer to forget I was very, very sick in someone's Transit.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 4:09pm Rozzer wrote:
Very good - come to the meeting. I doubt if there'll be many laughs there.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 6:20pm Me wrote:
Gloria. I am sorry but you are way off the mark. Who do you think is in the Coalition? I can tell you that at least one of the key member is someone who has lived in lewes all their life, and was instrumental in a number of rescues of various Lewes treasures that i am sure you enjoy. The whole point about the coalition is it has stalwart lewesians, newcomers, and many others. thats whi it is caled a coalition. It unites a very disparate group of groups.
I hope you are horribly embarrased because whilst you are pretending to care about the environment in your kindly provided allotment, people that have been keeping a very close eye on the mistakes the planning department have been making, will be doing something about it for your benefit. What evidence do you have that any of the groups involve want to turn Lewes into a museum, and ponce around in bonfire costumes. We are usually moaning on here about DFL's hating fireworks. You make no sense. Talk of DFL'a and all that crap is not helpful, and your gross generalisations, and waffle, not based on any accurate understanding of who the coalition actually is, is part of the problem we all want to be rid of.. You have done exacty what our Councillors do. Made your mind up before you know what the facts are! They haven't even had their meeting yet, but you have decided what it will be like. Are you psychic?
As you can dismiss every civic group in the town, from small residents groups, RAID, Living Streets, Fiends of lewes, Private Individuals etc, we look forward to hearing what you and your carrots will be doing instead to improve Lewes for the future!
On 20 Apr 2009 at 7:04pm SHS wrote:
Planting carrots on the allotment sounds an excellent idea and difficult to beat. Food is essential for life. Planning issues are not and the local planners do not care about local food.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 7:11pm Rozzer wrote:
I don't see what's wrong with Gloria Mundi looking after the carrots while others go to the meeting. We all do what we can and what interests us - at least Gloria Mundi isn't threatening to build a massive estate on a flood plain.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 7:51pm Sic Transit wrote:
It's time someone blew the gaff on Gloria Mundi. She pretends to be a deeply caring Lewesian,anti this that and every bloody other thing when truth is she's a mixed up tart, pro Harvey's but doesn't quite drink her pint, pro bonfire, but hides under the stairs when the banging starts, against development but developing around the midriff, up for turbines, but not in her back garden.
I should know - she dumped me years ago.
See y'all Tuesday.
Sic Transit
On 20 Apr 2009 at 9:24pm me wrote:
I'd like to differentiate myself from Me. I'm me. That's all.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 9:40pm Me 2 wrote:
I love carrots, and I love the fact that people grow them. But just read Glorai Mundanes nasty, accusative,, patronising, and worst of all ignorant post, and you wil understand my point about her carrots. She is lucky to have an allotment, because if Lewes planning department had their way it would be built on, as they tried to build a supermarket and housing on the floodable farming and railway land in the 1980's. Lewes residents prevented that one, not Councillors, or the Planning department. If Gloria is a long term resident, she should know that there were some 'staffing changes' at LDC in the 80's, would know why, and would also know why some of the same people who helped enhance our town then, have re-emerged now.
I'm off to have some carrot cake, and i hope Gloria makes the attempt to go tomorrow, instead of slagging her neighbours off, without having any idea what they are actually doing.
On 20 Apr 2009 at 9:46pm Spinster Of This Parish wrote:
These meetings have become great social events - 100's of caring people united by a common denominator and having an evening of freebie entertainment.
I have heard that Lindsay Frost (Head of Planning Dept) is very concerned about these meetings (which makes my attendance irresistable)!