Fish Fight - Half of all fish caught in the North Sea is thrown back overboard dead

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Devon Eco town gains approval

Amplify’d from www.planningportal.gov.uk

Cranbrook, believed to be Devon’s first free-standing settlement since the Middle Ages is now set to climb off the drawing board following the green light from East Devon District Council. The project is also the first of the last Government’s “eco-town” projects to obtain planning consent.

Following the signing of a section 106 agreement, outline planning permission for the first 2,900 homes of the new community and up to 300 affordable housing units in the first phase, has now been issued by East Devon District Council to the New Community Partners, (Hallam Land Management, Redrow, Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon), The development consortium says construction work is on course to begin in the early part of next year.

Councillor Sara Randall-Johnson, leader of the local authority, said “The planning permission confirms that Cranbrook will include a low carbon district heating scheme, a dedicated bus route to and from Exeter, a multi-purpose building which will be home to the first library and community facilities until the town centre is built, two primary schools, a secondary school and a new railway station on the Exeter to Waterloo line.”

She added: “All of these facilities will have a high-quality landscape setting to include a country park, public open space with play areas, a skateboard park and other recreational facilities.” Read more at www.planningportal.gov.uk

 

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Defra vows to help farmers prune greenhouse gases

Amplify’d from www.businessgreen.com

Multimillion-pound research programme to identify low-carbon farming techniques

The government has today announced the launch of a new £12.6m research programme designed to develop new techniques for measuring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector.

According to government figures, agriculture accounts for eight per cent of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions, including 76 per cent of UK nitrous oxide emissions and 38 per cent of methane emissions.

However, the figures are calculated using what Defra admits is a simplified approach based on generic emissions values and national statistics for livestock numbers and fertiliser use. As such, they fail to take into account how different farming techniques can help to curb emissions.

For example, some farms are piloting new feeding techniques for livestock that are thought to reduce methane emissions, while there is also a school of thought that using fertilisers on certain crops at different times may reduce nitrous oxide emissions.

In particular, the research will focus on improving emissions data collection across the sector and better understanding the factors that effect methane and nitrous oxide emissions.

Farming minister Jim Paice said that the research programme would aim to develop a more granular understanding of agriculture's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and identify those techniques that are best at cutting emissions. Read more at www.businessgreen.com

 

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