Author: Sonja Francis

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Counmcil is seeking views on its draft planning enforcement policy which sets out how we they will provide a planning enforcement service and what you can expect from them.
The council states: “The basis of the service as outlined in the policy, stems from a thorough best value review of planning enforcement and the forestry service. It sets out standards of service which we shall measure and report back to Councillors.”

You can view a copy of the document at your local library or on SODC’s website: [http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/environment/planning/planning-enforcement-and-appeals/].

The consultation is over the next six weeks and written comments must be in by Monday, October 9. Email: planning@southoxon.gov.uk or write to the Council offices at Crowmarsh (address on website)

Comments will be fed back to the task groups that considered the review of planning enforcement and forestry, before they are considered by Cabinet.

If you have any questions over this consultation please contact Alison Muceku, tel 01491 823756 or email alison.muceku@southoxon.gov.uk

SAVE-a-flush devices to help reduce water use in homes and public buildings across the county, are being made available.
The device is a small plastic bag of granules that swell up when placed in the cistern of a toilet, displacing around a litre of water. Water is then saved with each flush without loss of efficiency.

Oxfordshire fire crews have joined forces with the county council?s Future First environmental team and Thames Water to try to combat the threat of water shortages across the county.

Water is a big issue in Oxfordshire at the moment with water use increasing at a rate of 2% each year so residents could be facing major shortages within five years.

Save-a-flush devices will be offered to staff across the county council and used in all the toilet cisterns in each of the Oxfordshire fire stations. They will also be widely available to members of the public from collection points in council-owned buildings, including libraries.

Oxfordshire County Council say: “Across the county, in homes and businesses, vast amounts of natural resources such as paper, water and fuel are used to power lights, computers, heating and vehicles. Our use of these resources and the waste materials and gases produced, all has a detrimental impact on our living environment. This is known as our environmental footprint.
“In April 2005 the county council developed Future First – a project aimed at helping to reduce the county council?s environmental footprint.”

Kerry Blair, a station manager in the Emergency Response Team of the Fire and Rescue Service said: “We have a good supply of Save-a-flush devices from Thames Water that can be distributed throughout Oxfordshire. County council firefighters will be handing them out to residents when they carry out home fire risk assessments, too.
“The Fire and Rescue Service is always looking at ways to save water, including during its own training exercises when water is recycled at every opportunity.
“The amazing thing about these devices is that by saving a litre of water per flush; for the average family this can amount to 2,000 gallons of water a year, or 35,000 cups of tea! So, it?s definitely worth putting one in your cistern!”

Lynn Launchbury, Water Efficiency Campaign Manager at Thames Water, said: “It’s great to see more organisations taking an active interest in conserving supplies. Toilets are among the biggest users of water in the workplace and in homes, so the free devices could play a major part in reducing usage, as well as saving money for customers with meters.”

OXFORDSHIRE’S Fire and Rescue Service is warning farmers throughout the county to be on their guard against acts of arson in barns and outbuildings.
Julian Green, Risk Reduction and Strategic Partnerships Officer with the Fire and Rescue Service said:”Although the weather is no longer as hot, farmers? crops and hay barns are still vulnerable. Fires on farms cause devastation and great expense to the local farming industry.
“Farm fires are also very resource intensive for us ? sometimes it takes days to put a barn fire out. This takes away valuable fire cover in the county while our firefighters are involved in these incidents.”

Farmers and other members of the public who need advice or information about fire related issues should ring the central Community Fire Safety Helpline on: 08000 325 999.

County Councillor Ray Jelf, the Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said:”The cost to farmers is high at this time of year because they are bringing in their crops and storing them for winter feed and bedding for their livestock, so their barns are full of valuable produce. Mindless acts of arson can be a disaster for them.”