SEEFoE Meeting, 4th December 2007

Agenda for SEEFoE Meeting of 4th December 2007, 7:30pm

1. Apologies for absence
2. Minutes of last meeting
3. Proposed housing development (Marie)
4. Big Ask
5. Southend Airport
6. Renaissance Southend
7. WEN Earth Day celebrations
8. Pi Project
9. Forthcoming Events
   • 08/12 12pm - National Climate March: http://www.campaigncc.org/
   • 16/01 6pm - Food and Climate Change
     Cecil Sharpe House, 2 Regents Pk Rd, London NW1 7AY
   • 19/01 11am - FoE Regional Gathering
     Conway Hall, London WC1R 4RL
     
10. Next meeting
11. AOB

Minutes

1. Apologies for absence:
   Kim Power, Eileen Peck, Michael Downer
   Present:
   Denis Walker (DW), Peter Walker (PW), Sarah Fuller (SF), Michael Woolcott (MW), Jon Fuller (JF).
2. Minutes of last meeting:
   Proposed DW, seconded PW.
3. Proposed housing development (Marie):
   Marie (who put it in the agenda) not here to talk about it. There is a housing development planned in Hadleigh, and lots of locals are unhappy about it. DW gave her the number of environment action line so she can get advice.
4. Big Ask:
   There has been a major development. The bill is to go to the house of Lords before the Commons, so the timetable of action has changed. Therefore we need to bully the Lords. At the stall in Grays we got 92 cards. Howard Whitehead (network developer for the region) suggested we hold on to the cards until the bill goes back to the commons so we can try and get Andrew MacKinlay to back our plan rather than the whips. We want him to vote against the government as FoE think he might. He is one of the 60 or so MPs FoE are targeting. The Tories also want annual targets- but the government do not. Lib Dems are calling for an 80% cut by 2050, and annual targets. Stall in Southend didn’t happen for logistical reasons. DW did a school visit to Deanes with Irene Willis (dressed as a polar bear, and break dancing). Was actually fair trade day. School wanted companies, but couldn’t get enough of them. Run by the enterprising education partnership ltd. Got starbucks and a chocolate company in. Not really educational. Anglian water. Castle point environmental health- again nothing to do with fair trade, decibel measuring device and getting kids to scream. Old couple selling fair trade geobars etc. Energy saving trust with bulbs. Christian aid as well. They mainly focused on climate change. Got a certificate. MW food miles vs fair trade. SF said it was about sensible decisions, e.g. you can’t buy local grown coffee.
5. Southend Airport:
   DW got phone call, was sent letter from Southend airport- planning to do major work to the airport very quickly. Refit passenger terminal Easter 2008. Open 4 star hotel by spring 2009, new control tower spring 2009, and a new railway station on Liverpool street line. DW will slow down journey between London and Southend. Btw ken isn’t looking to steal our trains. Tfl wants to take all the commuter lines back into public ownership. DW- we should formulate a strategy. They said they’d be happy to meet us, we should take them up on the offer. Even if we just tell them we disapprove. PW how many planes will they be running in addition to the current number? DW tie in to alternative renaissance Southend. JF public are generally not in favour of this. Also whole industry should go carbon neutral. Apparently quite difficult to deal with. Shrewd operators. DW want to write official response. JF message in local press saying we’re opposed, majority of public are against (72%, Green peace website), could run public meeting. DW thinks it might be worth doing- also will raise our profile.
6. Renaissance Southend:
   DW has e-mailed them to get meeting in January- will phone them. Need to think of qs and points to make. Revise plan/remind ourselves what’s in it. JF do that a couple of nights before the meeting. SF Renaissance bSildon. Golf course. Landfill, lorry movements. DW get as much information about Basildon as possible, so we can clout Renaissance Souhtend with it.
7. WEN Earth Day celebrations:
   Next year- April time. Porters for adults on the Saturday, Sunday will be childrens event in Hadleigh or two tree island. Any volunteers. JF, said that she hasn’t had much luck over the past few years. Needs publicisty. We should support her.
8. Pi Project:
   DW got postcard about a Community art project. Its based on a Circle with the pier as a radius. Alexandra yacht club involved. Want people to stand on land. Will go right outside DWs house. 15 min period on 12th April, between 7.45 and 8pm with a torch on. DW quite silly but nice. Get community involved. Raise profile. Circle is our logo. Looking for community groups to get involved. All day event. Want top 10 bands in Southend (4ft Pimp involved). http://www.pi-project.co.uk. JF wants us all to power lights from bike dynamos. They are providing torches. SF are they LED lights. JF maybe all of ours should be charged by solar power. MW bad that helicopter to take photos. DW BBC Essex and college involved already. We want to raise profile. DW has educational solar energy kit.
9. Forthcoming Events:
   • 08/12 12pm - National Climate March: http://www.campaigncc.org/
   • 16/01 6pm - Food and Climate Change
     Cecil Sharpe House, 2 Regents Pk Rd, London NW1 7AY
   • 19/01 11am - FoE Regional Gathering
     Conway Hall, London WC1R 4RL
     
10. Next meeting:
    8th January, 7.30pm, 62 East Street as usual
11. AOB:
    DW went to meeting for marine reserves campaign- about preserving the sea. FoE priorities not in sea stuff at all. Marinet- Marine network of local groups. We joined after conference. Campaign talked about at conference, DW web master. Marine bill- draft expected in Spring. Law by end of 2008? Looking pretty weak at the moment. Talking in terms of 100 marine reserves, but not enough protection. Option of setting up a few highly protected areas- idea isn’t going to do much. Only considering territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles off coast. Essentially not going to achieve anything- completely misses cod. Need 30% of UK water up to 200 nautical miles, plus continental shelf off north Scotland. No fishing, no dredging. Been proved to work in the US. Hiuge increases in fishing potential. Protects fish in spawning areas. Overspill can be fished- fishing the line. Around border. Good for fishermen, good for species. Still in planning stage. This month coming up with proposals. Team of lobbyists starts next month. A couple of activism co-ordinators for local groups and other organisations, RSPB, WWF and Greenpeace etc. Marinet- we ask for what the science demands. Royal commission have already said it needs to be minimum of 30%. HYPERLINK "http://www.marinereserves.org.uk" www.marinereserves.org.uk will open in the near future. More FoE leaflets/brochures.
    Meeting closed: 20.45