A Farm for the Future - BBC Programme

This is great. Watch it. Do it now!
A Farm for the Future

...and then get planting. I know, you're doing that already...

Google spreadsheet art

A bit of geeky fun. I'm a fan of Google Docs: they may well have found the Killer App for our times.

The Abolition of Freedom Act 2009

Download a pdf copy here.

Modern Liberty in Bristol

Get yer arse to the Convention on Modern Liberty: I'm going to the Bristol one.

How to build an H-Bomb!

We're in a recession so why not build something that'll sell for megabucks? It's easier than getting on yer bike and begging for a job. All sorts of dodgy governments will beat a path to your door and maybe you'll even get on the X Factor!

Seriously: this post should perhaps be called "How to get kidnapped, imprisoned for several years, and tortured."

If you're wondering why I'm posting this, then read this article and maybe this one too. Sorry about the iffy formatting. I'm too lazy to fix it.

HOW TO BUILD AN H-BOMB

======================

Making and owning an H-bomb is the kind of challenge real
Americans seek. Who wants to be a passive victim of nuclear war when
with a little effort you can be an active participant? Bomb shelters
are for losers. Who wants to huddle together underground eating canned
Spam? Winners want to push the button themselves. Making your own H-
bomb is a big step in nuclear assertiveness training - it's called
Taking Charge. We're sure you'll enjoy the risks and the heady thrill
of playing nuclear chicken.

INTRODUCTION
============
When the Feds clamped down on The Progressive magazine for
attempting to publish an article on the manufacture of the hydrogen
bomb, it piqued our curiosity. Was it really true that atomic and
hydrogen bomb technology was so simple you could build an H-bomb in
your own kitchen? Seven Days decided to find out. Food editor Barbara
Ehrenreich, investigative reporter Peter Biskind, Photographer Jane
Melnick and nuclear scientist Michio Kaku were given three days to
cook up a workable H-bomb. They did and we have decided to share their
culinary secrets with you.
Not that Seven Days supports nuclear terrorism. We don't. We
would prefer to die slowly from familiar poisons like low-level
radiation, microwaves, DDT, DBCP, aflatoxins, PBBs, PBCs, or food
dyes, rather than unexpectedly, say as hostage to a Latvian
nationalist brandishing a homemade bomb. In our view the real
terrorists are the governments, American, Soviet, French, Chinese, and
British, that are hoarding H-bombs for their own use, and worse still,
those governments (U.S., French and German) that are eagerly peddling
advanced nuclear technology to countries like South Africa, Brazil,
and Argentina so that they can make their own bombs. When these bombs
are used, and they will be, it will be the world's big-time nuclear
peddlers, along with corporate suppliers like General Electric,
Westinghouse, and Gulf Oil, that we can thank for it. Gagging The
Progressive will do no more for national security than backyard bomb
shelters because like it or not the news is out. The heart of the
successful H-bomb is the successful A-bomb. Once you've got your A-
bombs made the rest if frosting on the cake. All you have to do is set
them up so that when they detonate they'll start off a hydrogen-fusion
reaction.

PART I

MAKING YOUR BOMB
================
1. GETTING THE INGREDIENTS
Uranium is the basic ingredient of the A-bomb. When a uranium
atom's nucleus splits apart it releases a tremendous amount of energy
(for its size). And it emits neutrons which go on to split other
nearby uranium nuclei, releasing more energy, in what is called a
'chain reaction'. (When atoms split matter is converted into energy
according to Einstein's equation E=mc2. What better way to mark his
centennial than with your own atomic fireworks?)
There are two kinds (isotopes) of uranium: the rare U-235, used
in bombs, and the more common, heavier, but useless U-238. Natural
uranium contains less than 1 percent U-235 and in order to be usable
in bombs it has to be 'enriched' to 90 percent U-235 and only 10
percent U-238. Plutonium-239 can also be used in bombs as a substitute
for U-235. Ten pounds of U-235 (or slightly less plutonium) is all
that is necessary for a bomb. Less than ten pounds won't give you a
critical mass. So purifying or enriching naturally occurring uranium
is likely to be your first big hurdle. It is infinitely easy to steal
ready-to-use enriched uranium or plutonium than to enrich some
yourself. And stealing uranium is not as hard as it sounds.
There are at least three sources of enriched uranium or
plutonium..
Enriched uranium is manufactured at a gaseous diffusion plant in
Portsmouth Ohio. From there it is shipped in 10 liter bottles by
airplane and trucks to conversion plants that turn it into uranium
oxide or uranium metal. Each 10 liter bottle contains 7 kilograms of
U-235, and there are 20 bottles to a typical shipment. Conversion
facilities exist at Hematite, Missouri, Apollo, Pennsylvania, and
Erwin, Tennessee. The Kerr-McGee plant at Crescent Oklahoma, where
Karen Silkwood worked, was a conversion plant that 'lost' 40 lbs of
plutonium. Enriched uranium can be stolen from these plants or from
fuel-fabricating plants like those in New Haven, San Diego, or
Lynchburg, Virginia. (A former Kerr-McGee supervisor, James V. Smith,
when asked at the Silkwood trial if there were any security
precautions at the plant to prevent theft, testified that 'There were
none of any kind, no guards, no fences, no nothing.')
Plutonium can be obtained from places like United Nuclear in
Pawling, New York, Nuclear Fuel Services in Erwin, Tennessee, General
Electric in Pleasanton, California, Westinghouse in Cheswick,
Pennsylvania, Nuclear Materials and Equipment Corporation (NUMEC) in
Leechburg, Pennsylvania, and plants in Hanfford, Washington and
Morris, Illinois. According to Rolling Stone magazine the Isrealis
were involved in the theft of plutonium from NUMEC.
Finally you can steal enriched uranium or plutonium while it's
en-route from conversion plants to fuel fabricating plants. It is
usually transported (by air or truck) in the form of uranium oxide, a
brownish powder resembling instant coffee, or as a metal, coming in
small chunks called 'broken buttons.' Both forms are shipped in small
cans stacked in 5-inch cylinders braced with welded struts in the
center of ordinary 55 gallon steel drums. The drums weigh about 100
pounds and are clearly marked 'Fissible Material' or 'Danger,
Plutonium.' A typical shipment might go from the enrichment plant at
Portsmouth, Ohio to the conversion plant in Hematite Missouri then to
Kansas City by truck where it would be flown to Los Angeles and then
trucked down to the General Atomic plant in San Diego. The plans for
the General Atomic plant are on file at the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission's reading room at 1717 H Street NW Washington. A Xerox
machine is provided for the convenience of the public.
If you can't get hold of any enriched uranium you'll have to
settle for commercial grade (20 percent U-235). This can be stolen
from university reactors of a type called TRIGA Mark II, where
security is even more casual than at commercial plants. If stealing
uranium seems too tacky you can buy it. Unenriched uranium is
available at any chemical supply house for $23 a pound.
Commercial,grade (3 to 20 percent enriched) is available for $40 a
pound from Gulf Atomic. You'll have to enrich it further yourself.
Quite frankly this can be something of a pain in the ass. You'll need
to start with a little more than 50 pounds of commercial-grade uranium
(it's only 20 percent U-235 at best, and you need 10 pounds of U-235
so...). But with a little kitchen-table chemistry you'll be able to
convert the solid uranium oxide you've purchased into a liquid form.
Once you've done that, you'll be able to separate the U-235 that
you'll need from the U-238.
First pour a few gallons of concentrated hydrofluoric acid into
your uranium oxide, converting it to uranium tetrafluoride. (Safety
note: Concentrated hydrofluoric acid is so corrosive that it will eat
its way through glass, so store it only in plastic. Used 2-gallon
plastic milk containers will do.) Now you have to convert your uranium
tetrafluoride to uranium hexafluoride, the gaseous form of uranium,
which is convenient for separating out the isotope U-235 from U-238.
To get the hexafluoride form, bubble fluorine gas into your
container of uranium tetrafluoride. Fluorine is available in
pressurized tanks from chemical-supply firms. Be careful how you use
it though because fluorine is several times more deadly than chlorine,
the classic World War I poison gas. Chemists recommend that you carry
out this step under a stove hood (the kind used to remove unpleasant
cooking odors).
If you've done your chemistry right you should now have a
generous supply of uranium hexafluoride ready for enriching. In the
old horse-and-buggy days of A-bomb manufacture the enrichment was
carried out by passing the uranium hexafluoride through hundreds of
miles of pipes, tubes, and membranes, until the U-235 was eventually
separated from the U-238. This gaseous-diffusion process, as it was
called is difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. Gaseous-diffusion
plants cover hundreds of acres and cost in the neighborhood of $2-
billion each. So forget it. There are easier and cheaper ways to
enrich your uranium.
First transform the gas into a liquid by subjecting it to
pressure. You can use a bicycle pump for this. Then make a simple home
centrifuge. Fill a standard-size bucket one-quarter full of liquid
uranium hexafluoride. Attach a six-foot rope to the bucket handle. Now
swing the rope (and attached bucket) around your head as fast as
possible. Keep this up for about 45 minutes. Slow down gradually, and
very gently put the bucket on the floor. The U-235, which is lighter,
will have risen to the top, where it can be skimmed off like cream.
Repeat this step until you have the required 10 pounds of uranium.
(Safety note: Don't put all your enriched uranium hexafluoride in one
bucket. Use at least two or three buckets and keep them in separate
corners of the room. This will prevent the premature build-up of a
critical mass.)
Now it's time to convert your enriched uranium back to metal
form. This is easily enough accomplished by spooning several ladlefuls
of calcium (available in tablet form from your drugstore) into each
bucket of uranium. The calcium will react with the uranium
hexafluoride to produce calcium fluoride, a colorless salt which can
be easily be separated from your pure enriched uranium metal.
A few precautions. Uranium is not dangerously radioactive in the
amounts you'll be handling. If you plan to make more than one bomb it
might be wise to wear gloves and a lead apron, the kind you can buy in
dental supply stores. Plutonium is one of the most toxic substances
known. If inhaled a thousandth of a gram can cause massive fibrosis of
the lungs, a painful way to go. Even a millionth of a gram in the
lungs will cause cancer. If eaten plutonium is metabolized like
calcium. It goes straight to the bones where it gives out alpha
particles preventing bone marrow from manufacturing red blood cells.
The best way to avoid inhaling plutonium is to hold your breath while
handling it. If this is too difficult wear a mask. To avoid ingesting
plutonium orally follow this simple rule: never make an A-bomb on an
empty stomach.
If you find yourself dozing off while you're working or if you
begin to glow in the dark, it might be wise to take a blood count.
Prick your finger with a sterile pin, place a drop of blood on a
microscope slide, cover it with a cover slip, and examine under a
microscope (best results are got in the early morning). When you get
leukemia, immature cells are released into the bloodstream, and
usually the number of white cells increases (though this increase
might take almost 2 weeks). Red blood cells look kind of like donuts
(without the hole), and are slightly smaller than the white cells,
each of which has a nucleus. Immature red cells look similar to white
cells (ie. slightly larger and have a nucleus). If you have more than
about 1 white cell (including immatures) to 400 red cells then start
to worry. But depending upon your eventual use of the bomb, a short
life expectancy might not be a problem.

2. ASSEMBLING THE A-BOMB
Now that you've acquired the enriched uranium, all that's left is
to assemble your A-bomb. Go find a couple of stainless steel salad
bowls. You also want to separate your 10 pounds of U-235 into two
hunks (keep them apart!). The idea is to push each half your uranium
into the inside of a bowl.

Take one hunk of your uranium and beat it into the inside of the
first bowl. Uranium is malleable, like gold, so you should have no
trouble hammering it into the bowl to get a good fit. Take another
five-pound hunk of uranium and fit it into a second stainless steel
bowl. These two bowls of U-235 are the 'subcritical masses' which
together forcefully will provide the critical mass that makes your A-
bomb go. Keep them a respectful distance apart while working because
you don't want them to 'go critical' on you.. at least not yet.
Now hollow out the body of an old vacuum cleaner and place your
two hemispherical bowls inside, open ends facing each other, no less
than seven inches apart, using masking tape to set them up in
position. The reason for the steel bowls and the vacuum cleaner, in
case you're wondering, is that these help reflect the neutrons back
into the uranium for a more efficient explosion. 'A loose neutron is a
useless neutron' as the A-bomb pioneers used to say.
As far as the A-bomb goes you're almost done. The final problem
is to figure out how to get the two U-235 hemispheres to smash into
each other with sufficient force to set off a truly effective fission
reaction. Almost any type of explosive can be used to drive them
together. Gunpowder, for example, is easily made at home from
potassium nitrate, sulfur, and carbon. Or you can get some blasting
caps or TNT, buy them or steal them from a construction site. Best of
all is C4 plastic explosive. You can mold it around your bowls and
it's fairly safe to work with (but it might be wise to shape it around
an extra salad bowl in another room and then fit it to your stainless
steel bowls).
Once the explosives are in place all you need to do is hook up a
simple detonation device with a few batteries, a switch, and some
wire. Remember though that it is essential that the two charges, one
on each side of the casing, go off at once. Now put the whole thing in
the casing of an old Hoover vacuum cleaner and you're finished with
this part of the process. The rest is easy.

3. MAKE THREE MORE A-BOMBS FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS ABOVE

A WORD TO THE WISE ABOUT WASTES
===============================
After your A-bomb is completed you'll have a pile of moderately
fatal radioactive wastes like U-238. These are not dangerous, but you
do have to get rid of them. You can flush leftovers down the toilet
(don't worry about polluting the ocean, there is already so much
radioactive waste there, a few more bucketfuls won't make waves), or
if your the fastidious type, the kind who never leaves gum under their
seat at the movies, you can seal the nasty stuff in coffee cans and
bury it in the backyard, just like Uncle Sam does. If the neighbors'
kids have a habit of trampling the lawn, tell them to play over by the
waste. You'll soon find that they're spending most of their time in
bed.

GOING FIRST CLASS
=================
If you're like us, you're feeling the economic pinch, and you'll
want to make your bomb as inexpensively as possible, consonant of
course with reasonable yield. The recipe we've given is for a budget,
pleasing H-bomb, no frills, no flourishes, just your basic 5-megaton
bomb, capable of wiping out the New York metropolitan area, the Bay
area, or Boston. But don't forget, your H-bomb will only be as good as
the A-bombs in it.
If you want to spend a little more money you can punch-up your A-
bomb considerably. Instead of centrifuging your uranium by hand, you
can buy a commercial centrifuge (Fisher Scientific sells one for about
$1000). You also might want to be fussier about your design. The
Hiroshima bomb, a relatively crude one, only fissioned 1 percent of
it's uranium and yielded only 13 kilotons. In order to fission more of
the uranium, the force of your explosive 'trigger' has got to be
evenly diffused around the sphere, the same pressure has to be exerted
on every point of the sphere simultaneously. (It was a technique for
producing this sort of simultaneous detonation by fashioning the
explosives into lenses that the government accused Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg of trying to steal).

PART II

PUTTING YOUR H-BOMB TOGETHER
============================
The heart of the H-bomb is the fusion process. Several A-bombs
are detonated in such a way as to create the extremely high
temperature (100 million degrees C) necessary to fuse lithium
deuteride (LiD) into helium. When the lithium nucleus slams into the
deuterium nucleus, two helium nuclei are created, and if this happens
to enough deuterium nuclei rapidly enough the result is an enormous
amount of energy, the energy of the H-bomb. And you don't have to
worry about stealing lithium deuteride, it can be purchased from any
chemical-supply house. It costs $1000 a pound. If your budget won't
allow it you can substitute lithium hydride at $40 a pound. You will
need at least 100 pounds. It's a corrosive and toxic powder so be
careful.
Place the lithium deuteride or hydride in glass jars and surround
it with four A-bombs in their casings. Attach them to the same
detonator so that they will go off simultaneously. The container for
the whole thing is no problem. They can be placed anywhere (inside an
old stereo console, a discarded refrigerator, etc.).
When the detonator sets off the four A-bombs all eight
hemispheres of fissionable material will slam into each other at the
same time creating four critical masses and four detonations. This
will raise the temperature of the lithium deuteride to 100 million
degrees C fast enough (a few billionths of a second) so that the
lithium will not be blown all over the neighborhood before the nuclei
have time to fuse. The result, at least 1000 times the punch of the
puny A-bomb that leveled Hiroshima (20 million tons of TNT vs. 20
thousand tons.)

PART III

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR BOMB
=========================
Now that you have a fully assembled H-bomb housed in an
attractive console of your choice you may be wondering, What should I
do with it? Every family will have to answer this question according
to its own tastes and preferences but you may want to explore some
possibilities which have been successfully pioneered by the American
government.
1. SELL YOUR BOMB AND MAKE A PILE OF MONEY
In these days of rising inflation, rising unemployment, and an
uncertain economic outlook, few businesses make as much sense as
weapons production. If your career forecast is cloudy, bomb sales may
be the only sure way to avoid the humiliation of receiving welfare or
unemployment. At any income level a home H-bomb business can be an
invaluable income supplement, and certainly a profitable alternative
to selling Tupperware or pirated Girl Scout cookies.
Unfortunately for the family bomb business, big government has
already cornered a large part of the world market. But this does not
mean that there is a shortage of potential customers. The raid on
Entebee was the Waterloo of hijacking, and many nationalist groups are
now on the alert for new means to get their message across. They'd
jump at the chance to get hold of an H-bomb. Emerging nations that
can't ante up enough rice or sugar to buy themselves a reactor from
G.E. or Westinghouse are also shopping around.
You may wonder about the ethics of selling to nations or groups
whose goal you disapprove of. But here again take a tip from our
government, forget ideology - it's cash that counts. And remember, H-
bomb sales have a way of escalating, almost like a chain reaction.
Suppose you make a sale to South Yemen which you believe to be a
Soviet puppet. Well within a few days some discrete inquiries from
North Yemen and possibly the Saudis, the Egyptians and the Ethiopians
as well can be expected. Similarly, a sale to the IRA will generate a
sale to the Ulster government, a sale to the Tanzanians will bring the
Ugandans running and so forth.
It doesn't matter which side you're on, only how many sides there
are. Don't forget about the possibility of repeat sales to the same
customer. As the experience of the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. has shown,
each individual nation has a potentially infinite need for H-bombs. No
customer, no matter how small, can ever have too many.
2. USE YOUR BOMB AT HOME
Many families are attracted to the H-bomb simply as a
'deterrent'. A discrete sticker on the door or on the living room
window saying 'This Home Protected by H-bomb' will discourage IRS
investigators, census takers, and Jehovah's Witnesses. You'll be
surprised how fast the crime rate will go down and property values
will go up. And once the news gets out that you are a home H-bomb
owner you'll find that you have unexpected leverage in neighborhood
disputes over everything from parking places and stereo noise levels
to school tax rates. So relax and enjoy the pride and excitement of
home H-bomb ownership!
IS IT FOR YOU?
==============
Let's be honest. The H-bomb isn't for everyone. Frankly there
are people who can't handle it. They break out in hives at the very
mention of mega-deaths, fallout, radiation sickness.
The following quiz will help you find out whether you have what
it takes for home H-bomb ownership. If you can answer 'yes' to six or
more of these questions, then your emotionally eligible to join the
nuclear club. If not, a more conventional weapon may be more your cup
of tea, try botulism-toxin, laser rays, or nerve gas.
1. I ignore the demands of others.
2. I subscribe to one or more of the following: Soldier of
Fortune, Hustler, Popular Mechanics, Self.
3. Though I have many interesting acquaintances, I am my own best
friend.
4. I know what to say after you say 'Hello', but I am seldom
interested in pursuing the conversation.
5. I have seen the movie 'The Deer Hunter' more than once.
6. I know that everyone can be a winner if they want to, and I
resent whiners.
7. I own one or more of the following: handgun, video game,
trash compactor, snowmobile.
8. I am convinced that leukemia is psychosomatic.
9. I am aware that most vegetarians are sexually impotent.
10. I have read evidence that solar energy is a Communist
conspiracy.
MYTHS ABOUT NUCLEAR WAR
=======================
Ever since the first mushroom cloud over Hiroshima ushered in the
atomic age a small group of nay-sayers and doom-mongers has lobbied,
campaigned and demonstrated to convince Americans that H-bomb
ownership, along with nuclear power is dangerous and unhealthy. Using
their virtual stranglehold over the media these people have tried to
discredit everything nuclear from energy to war. They have vastly
overrated the risks of nuclear bombs and left many americans feeling
demoralized and indecisive, not sure where the truth lies. Well, here
are the myths, and here are the facts.
Myth: After a nuclear exchange the earth will no longer be
suitable for human habitation.
Fact: This is completely false. According to one scientist
(quoted in John McPee's The Curve of Binding Energy)' The
largest bomb that has ever been exploded anywhere was 60
megatons, and that is one-thousandth the force of an
earthquake, one-thousandth the force of a hurricane. We
have lived with earthquakes and hurricanes for a long time.'
Another scientist adds, 'It is often assumed that a full
blown nuclear war would be the end of life on earth. That
is far from the truth. To end life on earth would take at
least a thousand times the total yield of all the nuclear
explosives existing in the world, and probably alot more.'
Even if humans succumbed, many forms of life would survive a
nuclear free-for-all, cockroaches, certain forms of
bacteria, and lichens.
Myth: Radiation is bad for you.
Fact: Everything is bad for you if you have too much of it. If
you eat too many bananas you'll get a stomach-ache. If you
get too much sun you can get sunburned (or even skin
cancer). Same thing with radiation. Too much may make you
feel under the weather, but nuclear industry officials
insist that there is no evidence that low-level radiation
has any really serious adverse effects. And, high-level
radiation may bring unexpected benefits. It speeds up
evolution by weeding out unwanted genetic types and creating
new ones. (Remember the old saying, 'Two heads are better
than one.') Nearer home it's plain that radiation will get
rid of pesky crab grass and weeds, and teenagers will find
that brief exposure to a nuclear burst vaporizes acne and
other skin blemishes. (Many survivors of the Hiroshima bomb
found that they were free from skin and it's attendant
problems forever.)

The Big Picture - about energy

There are more people on the earth than ever before, and our global energy consumption is rising. It's no longer in doubt that using fossil fuels to run our high-energy society has contributed significantly to climate change - and the effects are being felt everywhere.

Developing countries are using the same model we have used to get to where we are today. The problem is that the fossil fuels - oil, coal and natural gas - that provided energy for our industrial revolution are no longer present in the same quantities and are becoming more difficult to extract. Rising demand and diminishing supplies mean higher prices - it's a fact.

Energy is still relatively cheap but it won't stay that way for very long. The change to a low-energy society will come - whether we like it or not. Preparation is the key.

We can reduce our energy needs - and avoid the effects of rapid changes in the cost of energy - by looking at our habits now, before we are forced to. It's easy when you know how and you'll save money too! But - it's also about the big picture, the long term, and the common good. Yes, we can...

Minutes of Morlands Executive Groups meeting, 30th Jan 2009

Morlands Executive Group finally got round to publishing the minutes of the last meeting. Note the presence of Jim Barron and Les Bennett - agreed at the extraordinary council meeting last month.

---

MORLANDS EXECUTIVE GROUP
30 JANUARY, 2009 - COUNTY HALL, TAUNTON

Attendees:
Kay Allen - Head of Community Regeneration, SCC
Cllr Harvey Siggs - Leader, MDC
Malcolm Williams - Director, Community & Regeneration, MDC
Cllr Alvin Horsfall - Portfolio Holder for Economic Development, SCC
Cllr Les Bennett - Chair, West Mendip Community Partnership
Cllr Jim Barron - Glastonbury Town Council
Cllr Tom Billing - Glastonbury Town Council
Carl Budden - Area Head of Regeneration, SWRDA
Paul Calvert - Asset Manager, SWRDA

1.. Welcome & Introductions
CB welcomed everyone to the meeting. TB explained that JB had been nominated as Glastonbury Town Council's representative on the MEG. TB would attend MEG meetings periodically in his capacity as Mayor.

AH queried the reason for the SWRDA meeting with Cllrs Harvey Siggs and Ken Maddock following the MEG meeting on 1 December 2008. CB explained that this was a "one off" meeting arranged out of courtesy to brief both Cllrs as neither could attend the December meeting.

Membership of the MEG was discussed and in particular whether Street should be represented. It was agreed that this is not necessary; LB as Chair of WMCP would represent the views of Street.

Additional agenda items were agreed as follows:

Mendip DC land
Land at Wearyall Hill
Land adjacent to Skatepark site

2.. Apologies

No apologies were received

3.. Notes of last meeting and matters arising
It was agreed that the notes of the meeting held on 1 December, 2008 accurately reflected the matters reported and discussed. AH reinforced his view that consideration should be given to the use of micro hydro power in the Northover Mill renovation project. SWRDA will discuss this with BIRT and the SWRDA Renewable Energy Team.

4.. Urban Splash update
US are drawing up detailed proposals for the renovation of the two listed (Baily's) buildings and for the new build office units on plots E1 and E2. They propose to submit a full detailed planning application for this first phase of development by April. Plots E1 & E2 also offer the opportunity to secure a development for Strode College and US have been in discussion with Strode and their advisors regarding this. At the same time they will submit an outline application for the redbrick/Bauhaus site (Plots B1 / B2). They will carry out a detailed feasibility study to determine the viability of retaining the redbrick building.

In addition to the normal planning process, US are preparing a Community Consultation Plan and propose to hold a "walk in" public exhibition in Glastonbury which will give them the opportunity to engage with Glastonbury and Street residents on their vision and proposals for Morlands.

There followed a detailed discussion on the risks, costs and problems of retaining the redbrick buildings given SWRDA's concerns over Health & Safety, the decision to demolish the building and the subsequent decision to put the demolition contract on hold following the "sit in" by a group of protesters. The firm view of all elected representatives on the MEG was that the building should be demolished.

5.. Priority Sites update.
There has been no significant change since the December meeting. Priority Sites is 51% owned by RBS and 49% by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and this creates some uncertainty regarding their ongoing development remit. However, the local management say they are still committed to Morlands and will get on site as soon as they can. Members of MEG questioned how long SWRDA were prepared to give Priority Sites to deliver their scheme for which they have detailed planning permission. CB explained that there was still a reasonable prospect that Priority Sites would start work soon and SWRDA were therefore happy to continue working with them for the time being.

6.. CPG/Avalon Plastics update.
Contracts have finally been exchanged with CPG and a press release has been agreed with Avalon. CPG will now submit a detailed planning application and expect to start on site by April/May 2009

7.. Other Disposals update
Plot G. Discussions are ongoing regarding a possible hotel/restaurant scheme on this site. This use received unanimous approval from MEG members.

Plot E3. There is continued interest from two local businesses. Varlin are arranging for their consultants to view the site and advise them on development options.

JB asked why local car dealer Percy's had been rejected by SWRDA. Although retail is not permitted they could still have a workshop/servicing facility on site. CB explained that this use did not fit in with the Enterprise Park.

8. Beckery Cottages. (Mendip Housing) update.
SWRDA had been expecting to announce that contracts had been exchanged with Mendip Housing. Unfortunately there has been a further legal delay but SWRDA's solicitors have assured them that exchange is imminent.

9. Northover Mill (BIRT) update.
SWRDA has agreed to transfer the Freehold of the property to BIRT immediately rather than wait for them to secure funding for the total renovation project cost. Owning the FH should put BIRT in a better position to secure project funding and will also allow them to utilise volunteer labour to carry out some of the works.

10. Skatepark (Mendip District Council) update.
Solicitors have been instructed regarding the land transfer.

11. Chapel Fields (Somerset County Council)
Solicitors have been instructed regarding the land transfer.

12. Estate Management update.
A site meeting was being arranged with local builder D Cribb & Son to look at building security options

13. Public Relations - Review and update.
The PR protocol (January 2009) was circulated for comments.

14. AOB - additional agenda items.
Wearyall Hill: Mendip DC is happy for this land to be transferred to Glastonbury Town Council.
Land adjacent to Skatepark: Town Council to put a proposal to Mendip DC regarding the future use of this land
Mendip DC land: The clean up costs for the heavily contaminated northern part of this site are estimated to be several million pounds. However, there are only "hot spots" of contamination on the southern part of the site and the council has received a number of enquiries for low grade employment uses such as storage. It is recognised that such uses might be in conflict with the proposals for the re-use of the listed buildings. Mendip DC also has a housing duty to the travellers currently camped on this site and until this issue is resolved proposals for the Mendip DC land are on hold.

15. Date of next meeting.
27 April 2009, 10.00am, County Hall, Taunton.

So what is this Transition business about?

Hopefully, the document below (which can also be downloaded here - pdf) can explain a thing or two.

Mr Monbiot gets it right

I don't always like what George Monbiot writes: it's not so much where he's coming from, as it's clear to me that he's a good bloke, really. But he does have a 'profile' and I suspect that when he's writing, his 'profile' sometimes counts as much as what he's writing about...and I wish I could write as well as he does.

Anyway, enough waffle: he's hit the bloody nail on the head this time. Get this:

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Politics is broken, so what do we do? We leave it to the politicians

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We are trapped in a spiral of political alienation. Politics isn't working for us, so we leave it to the politicians. The political vacuum is then filled with heartless, soulless, gutless technocrats: under what other circumstances could political ghosts like Jack Straw, Geoff Hoon, Alistair Darling, Hazel Blears, Peter Mandelson or John Hutton remain in office? Unmolested by the public, corporate lobbyists collaborate with this empty political class to turn parliament into a conspiracy against the public. Revolted by these phantoms, seeing nowhere to turn, we withdraw altogether, granting them even richer opportunities to exploit us.

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And later on, he writes about a bloke who's started one of those 'I wish I had thought of that' projects that the Intertubes turns out now and then. It's called Do Something About It - www.DoSomethingAboutIt.org.uk and I'm not going to tell you any more - visit the site and sign up. Do Something About It!

(Well done Mr Monbiot. All is forgiven!)

Transition Glastonbury

I'm active in Transition Glastonbury. If you don't know what a Transition Town is, then follow the link, or maybe view this pretty good video clip from the BBC about a West Midlands town. I like some of the music: REM's 'The End Of The World As We Know It' and also a tiny bit of Peter Gabriel's 'No Self Control'.

I'll be covering more Transition stuff as time goes by: in the meantime, you can also visit Rob Hopkins' blogsite Transition Culture.

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Nine Meals from Anarchy

It's snowing outside. Yeah right big deal, thinks I, who lived for 20 years in Scandinavia where a foot of snow overnight was no problem...yet here, we get a piddling few inches and the whole country grinds to a halt.

That got me thinking: what if the snow continued for a month? What would we do? We'd probably survive, with a few casualties: dodgy buildings collapsing, and some old people not getting what they need.

Nine Meals from Anarchy looks at a scenario where the trucks stop rolling. I've taken the liberty of embedding it below.


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Urban Splash and Artists

As I've mentioned before, my mate Simon Cauty is an artist who has studio space in an Urban Splash development ar Royal William Yard in Plymouth, and very nice it is too. It was part of the development remit to provide spaces for art.

So you might be wondering what to do with the Red Brick Building? Here's an idea.

ArtspaceLifespace are, as they put it "an artist led initiative that recycles vacant, under used and often semi derelict urban and rural sites into thriving active creative arts resources."

There's more:

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Bridewell Island located in Bristol's city centre will be our new space and base for future projects. We are turning the island into a fully functioning community arts space. We aim to provide space for all manner of creative individuals and groups as well as a performance/exhibition space for hosting city centre events.

Further Information: The property is owned by Urban Splash, a British company which regenerates decaying industrial buildings.

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So ... ArtspaceLifespace live in Bristol, which is a bit too far for them to take over the running of the Red Brick Building, but close enough for the fine folk of Avalon to form an affiliate. I'm sure Urban Splash would be OK with it (even though they don't actually own the Red Brick Building yet), as they already deal with ArtspaceLifespace.

How's that for an idea? Answers on a postcard please :)