Tag: Environment Capital

Urban agriculture for Peterborough

07:55 Thursday 24th September 2015
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

DOTTY MCLEOD: A new type of map has been designed for Peterborough to show you unusual areas where you could grow your own food. This project was part of the Harvest Festival which took place this weekend, saw thousands of people eating local produce in the city for free. My producer Kerry Devine went along to meet Mikey Tomkins, who’s designed the ‘edible city map‘.
MIKEY TOMKINS: I’ve worked from Stanley Rec over to the station, and over the river down to the Green Backyard, and along I think what used to be the old railway station at the Embankment here, which is now derelict where B&Q used to be.
KERRY DEVINE: OK. Let’s have a look at this map then. So you’ve actually drawn out a map. It looks very colourful, lots of pinks and greens. So I take it that the blue is the industry?
MIKEY TOMKINS: The blue are all the rooftop spaces for Peterborough. And I think what Peterborough could do, I think if any entrepreneurs are listening to this, there’s some very big rooftop spaces above Queensgate, top storey of car parks, the Market car parks. And coming down to towards the river there’s lots and lots and lots of open rooftop spaces. And what we found over the last few years say in North America is entrepreneurs renting out rooftop spaces and putting up big greenhouses, and producing food right above restaurants and shops and supermarkets.
KERRY DEVINE: Do you think Peterborough is missing a trick here?
Continue reading “Urban agriculture for Peterborough”

Scarce Funds Squandered On Vain Posturing

08:20 Wednesday 24th April 2013
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

[P]AUL STAINTON: Creating the UK’s Environment Capital. (MUSIC: THIS IS A SIGN OF THE TIMES) That’s the claim made by Peterborough City Council. A series of new signs that are popping up around the city’s boundaries. The Council are spending three thousand pounds replacing the Welcome signs and posts. The current ones have apparently reached the end of their natural. But are they wasting a stack of cash, and is the slogan just a little bit premature? Well Councillor Darren Fower is the LibDem councillor for South Werrington and North Gunthorpe. Morning.
DARREN FOWER: Morning sir.
PAUL STAINTON: Would you like a nice three thousand pound sign on your front lawn?
DARREN FOWER: Oh yes. What a great idea this one is. The latest one out of the Council machine. Continue reading “Scarce Funds Squandered On Vain Posturing”

Council Funds Feasibility Study For Peterborough Renewable Energy Park

08:08 Monday 8th October 2012
Bigger Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: You’re wasting one of the most fertile pieces of land in the country. That’s what the National Farmers’ Union is condemning Peterborough City Council for. The authority is planning to use 3,000 acres of farmland for a renewable energy park, including wind farms and solar panels. The proposal would see the Council become an energy provider for the City and, it says, lead to lower council tax for all. But Peter Brewer (Group Secretary from the National Farmers’ Union) says no agricultural land should be taken out of production. (TAPE)
PETER BREWER: The land is very very productive. It’s grade one, grade two agricultural land, which is the best quality land you can get. It will produce significantly more crops per acre if you like, than other less productive land. I sympathise with Peterborough City Council in that they have a huge budget deficit. I’m not sure whether they have genuinely explored all options, and all the alternatives around, and if this is the most viable way of filling that deficit. (LIVE)..
PAUL STAINTON: Well let’s speak to Marco Cereste, Leader of Peterborough City Council. We’ve spoke about this before, and in principle I think a lot of people thought it was a great idea. But putting them on some of the most fantastic arable land in the country, is that a good idea? Continue reading “Council Funds Feasibility Study For Peterborough Renewable Energy Park”

Peterborough Council Waste Policy

08:13 Tuesday 31st January 2012
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

RICHARD OLIVE FRIENDS OF THE EARTH: .. listeners who live in Cambridgeshire and Fenland who are aware of what happens to their waste, which goes to an MBT anaerobic digester in Waterbeach. The running costs of that are less than half, actually about 42% of the cost of the Peterborough one. And the construction costs were £30 million. And it’s a much better environmental solution. You would think Peterborough, aiming to be the UK’s Environment Capital, would have gone for the best possible environmental solution. But even the MBT anaerobic digester in Waterbeach isn’t the best. Peterborough could quite easily recycle 78% of its waste.

One other thing you need to be aware of, and I think the people of Peterborough need to be aware of, is that the Council took advice in terms of how to treat their waste, way back in 2006. We had a meeting with them. And their waste adviser was the gentleman who gave his services totally free to the Council. I’ll name him. He was a Mr.Ian Crummack. And he happened to be the manager of the Cyclerval incinerator in Grimsby. So he may have actually persuaded the Council perhaps to go down the incineration route. .. Sol I think the Council have been led in a particular direction.

The best solution, put a lot more money into recycling. As I said, it’s quite easy to up the recycling rate to 78%. The Council is proposing 65% plus. .. The rest of the waste, some of it could actually still be landfilled if necessary. But I think the best solution really would be to build a small plasma enhanced melter .. to process the remaining stuff and turn it into something useful.

Lee Cagey on Pickles Bin Boost

17:43 Friday 30th September 2011
Drive BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

ANDY BURROWS: Let’s return to today’s top story, and it’s that £250 million incentive from the Government, to encourage local authorities to start picking up everyone’s general waste, black bin in many cases, every week, rather than every fortnight. We can speak to the Deputy Leader of Peterborough City Council Matthew Lee. Hello to you Matthew.
MATTHEW LEE: Hello Andy.
ANDY BURROWS: So you’re going to take Eric Pickles up on his offer. You’ll say yes please. And you’re going to reintroduce weekly general waste collections. Continue reading “Lee Cagey on Pickles Bin Boost”

PREL Greenhouse – Pilot Scheme Planned

08:08 Monday 26th September 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Plans to build one of the country’s largest greenhouses in Peterborough creating 1500 jobs – the proposals come from Peterborough Renewable Energy Limited. Chris Williams is the Managing Director. (TAPE)
CHRIS WILLIAMS: First of all there’s a pilot, and what we’re looking to do is we’ve been approached by the growers, who themselves have been approached by supermarkets and customers, who want sustainable organic food. To help that they need carbon dioxide, and what better way to do carbon dioxide than to take it from a source that would be putting it into the atmosphere. So they’re looking at power stations. They also like the idea that we produce organic fertiliser from our food waste process. And combining the two. So we’re starting with a pilot in Peterborough, about 3 hectares of tomatoes and other crops that can grow sustainably and have the market in the UK, so they’re cutting out food miles, they’re cutting out use of heating from external sources. (LIVE)
PAUL STAINTON: That’s Chris Williams the Managing Director of Peterborough Renewable Energy Limited announcing the plans. Sam Dalton is the councillor and Cabinet Member for Environment Capital. Morning Sam.
SAMANTHA DALTON: Good morning.
PAUL STAINTON: These are very very exciting plans aren’t they? Continue reading “PREL Greenhouse – Pilot Scheme Planned”

Green Bank – Peterborough’s Capital Aspirations Under Scrutiny

07:07 Thursday 8th September 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: A year ago, we exclusively revealed on this show that Peterborough City Council wanted to adopt the slogan “Home of Environment Capital”. But have they managed it? How far have they managed to push the green agenda for the city? Well our reporter Kerry Devine has been out and about in the city, looking for signs that Peterborough is the home of environment capital. Continue reading “Green Bank – Peterborough’s Capital Aspirations Under Scrutiny”

Peterborough Trees Under Threat from Council

07:22 Thursday 28th July 2011
Peterborough Breakfast Show
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire

PAUL STAINTON: Council officials announced proposals to remove a third of the trees on Bridge Street in the city centre. The idea is currently open to consultation, but not everyone is impressed. Joining us now is Cllr Nick Sandford, Leader of the Peterborough Liberal Democrats. Morning Nick.
NICK SANDFORD: Morning Paul.
PAUL STAINTON: To tree or not to tree, why are we even asking this question?
NICK SANDFORD: Well I think we should be saying, to tree, because you’ve got to bear in mind Peterborough has got the smallest level of tree cover of the entire country, and you need to bear in mind that although we’re going through a cool spell of weather at the moment, the predictions are that we’re going to get much hotter summers, and trees provide a massive range of benefits. And so we shouldn’t be taking out a third of the trees in Bridge Street, when they’re not really causing any harm. Continue reading “Peterborough Trees Under Threat from Council”