Coming Up For Air

Posted on April 19, 2012 by editor

“The first question was, where WAS Lower Binfield?

I don’t mean that it had been demolished. It had merely been swallowed. The thing I was looking down at was a good-sized manufacturing town. I remember–Gosh, how I remember! and in this case I don’t think my memory is far out–what Lower Binfield used to look like from the top of Chamford Hill.

I suppose the High Street was about a quarter of a mile long, and except for a few outlying houses the town was roughly the shape of a cross. The chief landmarks were the church tower and the chimney of the brewery. At this moment I couldn’t distinguish either of them. All I could see was an enormous river of brand-new houses which flowed along the valley in both directions and half-way up the hills on either side. Over to the right there were what looked like several acres of bright red roofs all exactly alike. A big Council housing estate, by the look of it.

But where was Lower Binfield? Where was the town I used to know? It might have been anywhere. All I knew was that it was buried somewhere in the middle of that sea of bricks.”

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Peterborough Properties Selling in London

Posted on April 18, 2012 by editor

08:18 Tuesday 17th April 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY GALL: It wouldn’t be the first time Peterborough has appealed to Londoners. Just cast your mind back to Roy Kinnear, dressed as the centurion, singing the praises of the Peterborough Effect in an ’80s TV ad. But it seems that we’re the place to be for people in North London. In fact, Peterborough estate agent Comptons has seen so much activity on their website from that quarter that they’re setting up shop on Park Lane in Mayfair. We can speak to Steve Compton now. Good morning Steve.
STEVE COMPTON: Good morning.
ANDY GALL: A bit pricey, isn’t it, to set up shop there?
STEVE COMPTON: Well we’re part of the Guild of Professional Estate Agents, and they have got a shop in London, so they’re taking all of our properties down there in the middle of May. Continue reading →

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The Biggest Threat to Newspapers is the Current Ownership Model

Posted on April 17, 2012 by editor

10:10 Tuesday 17th April 2012
Andy Harper Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY HARPER: We’re talking about local newspapers, after the proposed changes to the Evening Telegraph in Peterborough, no longer a daily paper at the end of next month, but will become a weekly. But there will be various ways of looking at it on-line. .. Let’s talk now to Barry Fitzpatrick, Deputy General Secretary of the NUJ. Barry, good morning to you.
BARRY FITZPATRICK: Good morning.
ANDY HARPER: Well I’ll put my cards on the table. I’m a newspaper fanatic, and I regard this as sad news, but it’s the way of the world isn’t it? Continue reading →

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Johnston Press and the Sustainable Delivery of News

Posted on April 16, 2012 by editor

17:05 Monday 16th April 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: For 64 years the City of Peterborough has had a daily newspaper. But all that will come to an end in May, when the Evening Telegraph will become a weekly. There’s no word yet from its owners, Johnston Press, on any possible job losses. In a statement today, they defended the move, saying “We will extend our audience by increasing our on-line content.” It’s one of three regional papers making the move to weekly. The Northampton Chronicle and the Northampton Evening Telegraph will also cease printing daily from next month. Well joining me now is the Director of the Society of Editors, which is based in Cambridge, Bob Satchwell, himself a former regional newspaper editor in this area. Bob, good evening to you.
BOB SATCHWELL: Good evening.
CHRIS MANN: Why is this happening? Continue reading →

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A Massive Influx of Children Into The Hamptons Peterborough

Posted on April 16, 2012 by editor

08:18 Monday 16th April 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY GALL: Work will start on a new school for Hampton at the end of this month. The £7.5 million building will also include community facilities. It’s been a long, long wait, and our reporter Sam Appleby is in Hampton to gauge reaction this morning.
SAM APPLEBY: At the moment I’m standing at the top of Clayburn Road. This street is one of only a handful of streets that lead directly out of the Hamptons, and I can see in the distance that this road joins on to the London Road, the A15, and so you can imagine this is quite a busy route at this time of the morning, for people heading off to work. On the left of this street is a row of houses. It’s quite a residential area, and there are cars parked all the way along that side of the street. And along the right hand side of me is Hampton College. That’s the secondary school in Hampton. And just a little way down the road is a patch of grassy land. And it’s that grassy land next to Hampton College where the new school will be built. And that work starts at the end of the month. Now the problem with this for some people is that residents are living in an already quite congested area. Some of them aren’t happy. But the area needs a school. Kate Day is Hampton Parish’s Clerk. Kate, how badly does Hampton need this school?
KATE DAY: We’re absolutely desperate for a third primary school. Continue reading →

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Peterborough Talking the Talk on Light Pollution

Posted on April 11, 2012 by editor

17:55 Wednesday 11th April 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: The Campaign to Protect Rural England says Britain’s night sky is still saturated by light pollution. A survey found that half the people they questioned could only see ten stars in the Orion constellation, where they should be able to see thirty. The organisation’s Chief Executive Shaun Spiers says councils could do a lot more to tackle unnecessary lighting. (TAPE)
SHAUN SPIERS: There’s lots of things causing light pollution. Street lights are one of them, and councils that have experimented in part-time cut-off between midnight and five o’clock in the morning have seen no increase in crime, they’ve saved an awful lot of money .. ” (LIVE)
CHRIS MANN: Let’s talk now to Janine Starling from Peterborough Environment City Trust. Hi, Janine. Continue reading →

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John Clare Garden

Posted on April 11, 2012 by editor

08:17 Wednesday 11th April 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY GALL: Peterborough could soon get its very own designer garden, but it would seem that not everyone wants it in the city. The City Council says it’s been offered the chance to buy a garden from the Chelsea Flower Show. It’s creator is Adam Frost from Stamford, and there are claims that it’s on sale for just under £50,000. But some councillors have questioned how the garden would be paid for. It’s been suggested that Section 106 money could be one way, but that’s not on, according to the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Councillor Nick Sandford. He questioned the Council’s policy on Section 106 money earlier. (TAPE)
NICK SANDFORD: I’m very confused on the Council’s policy on Section 106 funding, because when I go to the planning department, and I say there’s a project in the Council ward that I represent, there’s an urgent need to have some highway improvement, I get told that you can only spend Section 106 funding on things that have been properly researched, that have gone into the Infrastructure Development Plan. But it seems that when the Leader of the Council has a pet project that he wants to put forward, he can immediately just say, we can use Section 106 money. (LIVE)
ANDY GALL: Joining us now is the Leader of Peterborough City Council, Marco Cereste. Good morning Marco. Continue reading →

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Moving Water Around

Posted on April 10, 2012 by editor

17:23 Tuesday 10th April 2012
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

CHRIS MANN: Anglian Water is in talks with another English water company over trading supplies. It could eventually lead to more supplies for Cambridgeshire, but that prospect, many months off. In the meantime, the hosepipe ban which began last week stays in place, apparently unaffected by the weekend rain. Earlier, John Clare from Anglian Water explained the proposal for water sharing with Severn Trent. Continue reading →

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