Berwick-Upon-Tweed Needs a Plan

We need a Plan

The threat to move the Berwick Records Office away from the town is just another example of decisions being taken by Northumberland County Council, without local consultation or as part of a comprehensive plan. Yet Berwick is awash with plans, ranging from the “Spittal Point Development Brief 2004”, Gillespie's “The Future of Berwick A Vision & Development Framework” (2006) “ via the “Berwick-upon-Tweed Traffic Management and Parking Strategy Report 2009”, to the “Vision for Berwick’s Future Mouth of the Tweed Food Heritage Eco-museum Proposal 2011”. It is a bit like stamp collecting, and if anyone would like to read them my album now has 12 Berwick Plans, and can be found at http://www.gsitec.co.uk/GSI/KWIK/BERWICK_PLANS.html. I would love to add to my collection, so please let me have any other plans that I am missing, as I hear there is now a Berwick Plan 2012-2017 that has only been seen by the Arch Board, and a new offering from the County Council called the Blueprint for Berwick.

We are clearly very good at paying consultants large sums of money to write plans, but translating them into action seems to be where we fall down. However if you take the trouble to read them, and I warn you that they do vary in quality, there are some strong themes -

• Berwick has incredible assets – its People, its Architectural Heritage, its Natural Environment and its History
• Berwick has problems. We are the most deprived Market Town in Northumberland, we have no further or higher education, we have derelict buildings, we have seemingly unresolvable traffic and parking issues.
• We are in a fantastic location for the development of trade and tourism, to exploit the A1, the East Coast Rail Line and the Docks. We should be a major economic growth point for the Borders.
• There is a strong sense of community and cohesion

So do we need yet another plan? I for one do not want to hand over any more money to architects, self-styled development companies or consultants, so that we can be told yet again what we already know. So it may seem strange then that I welcome the decision by the Town Council to use the Berwick Eastern Arc Area Action Plan (AAP) as the basis for our new Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP). I can list many reasons, but would like to present just a few.

The Social & Economic Context

Gillespie's outstanding 2006 study includes a list of 54 development sites on both banks of the Tweed. Proposals were presented in a spatial context that aligned the development with the immediate surrounds, and had a policy objective or purpose, be it job creation, the promotion of tourism, or enhancing the provision of public services. Put simply the proposed buildings served the population of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and are justified in terms of their social and economic benefit to the people who live here.

Urban Initiatives 2008 Berwick Regeneration Strategy reduced this list to just 10 sites, mostly within the Walls, and shifts its focus to buildings rather than people. The Tweed & Silk plan (2009?) is aesthetically pleasing, but in the same way that Tweed is not manufactured in Berwick and Silk comes from China, this 'plan' is little more than a design guide that lacks depth, and fails to tackle the real issues that face Berwick. By 2012 just 2 sites seem to remain in the “Berwick Plan: a 5-10 year investment plan for property development and public realm improvements in the historic centre of Berwick-upon-Tweed” prepared by Arch, which has never been open to public consultation. It is little more than a wish list prepared by a local builder looking to make a quick buck.

As the list of 'strategic sites' has shrunk, so has any policy objectives associated with them. Rather than implementing polices, using development as part of the delivery strategy; all that is of importance is the use of public money to throw up a building.

The ARC reinstates the Social & Economic context. There is a purpose for the development strategies it presents. It seeks to deliver economic development by enabling people to get an eduction or a job. It showcases the town assets, being its historic, built and natural heritage. It is a servant of the Town, not a charter for random building that only benefits the developer. We need a plan that will deliver gains for everyone, have a purpose that are underpinned by credible policy objectives.

Geography

There is more to Berwick than what lies within the walls. There are vibrant communities and many people outside of the town centre who also deserve attention. We have two key Gateways, to South at Scremeston and to the North at the Marshall Meadows. We have opportunities to create economic growth points, at Berwick Ramparts, the Docks and Tweedside Industrial Estate. Why do we not have any designated Enterprise Zones like Blyth? Spittal is deservedly a Conservation Area. There is a lot more to Berwick than what lies within the walls, but that always seems to be the focus of attention. The ARC covers more than just the Town Centre, and the first stage of the NDP process is to define the Plan Area. I urge the Town Council to make that area the whole of Berwick, to the North, West and South.

Cost

There is no need to pay consultants to write yet another plan. The ARC encompasses all the previous plans, and extends them. All that is needed is for additional material to be produced to cover the expanded area, and to bring a few things up to date. It is almost ready for public consultation at minimal cost now at minimal expense.

Us

It is time to re-engage with Berwick's greatest asset – its people. The NDP process requires public consultation. It will mean an end to Berwick Plans being drawn up by self appointed committees, or developments being parachuted into the Town which we do not want or need. I look forward to their being innovative and traditional engagement with people throughout the Berwick Plan Area – From Marshall Meadows in the North to Spittal in the South and Low Cocklaw to the West. Local meetings can be held in all the Wards covered by Berwick Town Council, with means to feedback ideas verbally, by post on using modern social media. That's the job of Berwick Town Council.

Why have Plans?

So how does it work, and why are plans important. This is best exemplified by the varied ideas for Walkergate in the many incarnations of the “Berwick Plan” : a multi-storey car park, skills centre, youth centre, and multi-use community facility are just some ideas. All of these are linked to a clearly defined policy objective, such as enabling our kids to get an education, promoting our tourist trade, encouraging more people to use the shops etc. Whatever you may think of the end objective, in all cases the purpose of the building is to help deliver a positive benefit for the town's people or economy. However having stripped away all concept of policy delivery what is now proposed is a boring block of offices on the former Kwik Save site, in a Town centre awash with empty offices. Interestingly not a single Berwick plan has ever proposed using the site for offices, and the only beneficiaries seem to be the builders and architects.

What is happening now is that buildings are being proposed outside of any context. “NCC needs Offices, so lets build them on Walkergate” – forgetting that the policy context identifies the site as strategic for the promotion of Berwick as a tourist destination, and that we need a central site for Skills and Training. “Berwick needs a Coach Park – so lets put one on this car park” - ignoring the need for more long stay car parking to promote Marygate shopping and our hotel trade, and it ignores the environmental impact of juggernaut coaches trying to navigate narrow streets in what most plans identify as our 'Heritage Quarter'. Developers come and developers go a lot richer, but we have to live with the buildings that they leave behind.

Using a comprehensive plan that is evidence based, properly consulted, and focusing on People rather than Buildings delivers a different outcome. Here is my alternative to just throwing up a building – start with the evidence and the policy needs.

• Berwick needs Further and Higher Education
• We need to develop our Gateways at the A1, North & South
• The Berwick Ramparts and associated retail park is close to where a lot of people live, and could be a major economic growth point
• Berwick has assets, architectural, heritage and natural – which support our tourist industry
• Berwick needs more & better paid jobs
• Coach drivers are as important as the visitors that they bring to the town
• There is not much money about

Now we the have the basis to see how buildings can help deliver these objectives. The County want a new office for their staff, so they could move their back-office staff now into the 2200 square metres of brand new offices at the Ramparts at minimal cost. That will help to turn the North into an Economic Growth Point, locating skilled and well paid jobs closer to where a lot of people live. It also develops that part of Berwick as Northern Gateway, drawing people in to the town from the Borders & Scotland. Walkergate's eyesore buildings (Kwik Save, the Library and the Job Centre) have long been considered as a -ve contribution to our architectural heritage and should all be cleared. This makes way for a multi-use centre that will promote our assets and the town's tourist trade – a modern Heritage & Visitors Centre, built sympathetically in partnership with Northumberland College. The site can accommodate a credible coach park with facilities, public facing NCC staff, and house the Berwick's Records Office, which is where I started.

The Farage Tax - UKIP's threat to Britain's economy

My company has just imported £800 worth of components from the Far East to be used in the manufacture of electronic products to be built in Leicester. UK customs have issued me with no less than 13 pieces of paper, and I have been charged £35 import handling fees. Had I imported the same components from the EU no paperwork would have been issued, and no charges would have been levied. That is because the Maastrich treaty, delivered by a Conservative Government, created the Single Market that has abolished swathes of regulations, removed trade barriers, pointless paperwork and costs. I have now paid a surcharge of almost 5% of my costs because the country of origin was not in the EU. I call this 5% surcharge the Farage Tax – it is a cost burden that every business in Britain will have to bear on every transaction with a company in EU the minute that UKIP get their way. The same charges are levied on trade with Norway and Switzerland, so a Free Trade Area would make no difference. UKIP want to impose costs, bureaucracy and taxes on British Business. UKIP are a threat to Britain's economy and British jobs, which is why every credible business organisation does not want Britain to leave the EU. Thankfully The Conservative Party, The Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats are all committed to Britain staying in the EU, as are the majority of the British public.

We are all up to it together - Tax Avoidance in Greece and the UK

If it is "normal" to avoid paying tax in the UK, what right has George Osborne to condemn Greeks for doing the just that?

Labour are the Party of Business

I lost my job as a Chartered Engineer during the savage years of recession created by the Thatcher Government, when so many of our wealth creating industries were undermined and destroyed. But I had a skill, and set up my own small engineering design business. It benefited greatly from Gordon Brown's time as Chancellor, who recognised that small businesses are the back bone of UK enterprise. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) represent over 50% of UK GDP, are almost wholly British owned and offer a wide range of employment opportunities. Being small, SMEs are able to move quick to secure new markets, and make this country more prosperous. I was able to grow the business thanks to Labour's low Corporation Tax levels for small businesses; now abolished. I had assistance from my Regional Development Agency, who provided advice and helped me build supply chains; now also abolished. We export to many EU countries, which has been made so much easier thanks to the European Union which has slashed red-tape for exporters and reduced the cost of selling overseas; which UKIP and many Tories want us to leave. I also work part-time training the engineers of tomorrow at a University. We need skilled engineers and technicians to create wealth, but how many people can afford the £9000 a year fees imposed by the Coalition Government. Why has the Government undermined the enterprise culture in our schools with policies that downgraded the 'value' of 'Design & Technology' and removed practicals and course-work from exams. Businesses need people who can work throughout the year (coursework) and apply their knowledge to create wealth (practicals).  My business is certainly not 'big business', but I am proud to pay my fair share of British taxes. I am backing Labour like many, many other small business owners.

The Conservatives are not the Party of Enterprise

The perception that Labour is anti-business has no basis. I set up my business when Gordon Brown was Chancellor which benefited greatly from his low corporation tax policies for small business now abolished. Labour's recognises that Small and Medium Enteprises (SMEs) are the bedrock of UK PLC. SMEs are almost exclusively British owned, represent over 50% of UK GDP, and offer a wide range of flexible and skilled employment opportunities. In contrast the Conservative Party has shown total disinterest in SMEs, preferring to offer substantial tax cuts to Large Enterprises. I now pay a higher tax rate on my profits than many well-known multinationals, and am proud to pay my correct share of income tax, unlike some of Labour's critics. As an engineer I am also appalled by the dumbing down of our education system to remove any credit for the skills that are essential to support our innovative base. These include punitive fees for higher education, forcing highly skilled overseas post graduates to leave the country, and in our schools downgrading the value of key subjects such as Design and Technology and abolishing coursework and practicals in assessments. We need a skilled workforce, well practiced in technology and innovation, and demonstrably able to apply those skills to create wealth. The abolition of Regional Development Agencies, who played a major role in promoting the interests of SMEs was the Tories greatest folly. Finally, but not least, the Conservative Party's threat the UK's continued membership of the EU threatens our export markets and demonstrates their total lack of business credentials.

Look to Scotland for NHS reforms that work

2015 has started with a crisis in the NHS, with politicians of all sides claiming they have the solution. Instead of looking at promises, it would be better to consider the effectiveness of Scotland's Community Health Partnerships established by the NHS Reform (Scotland) Act 2004. In contrast to the chaotic and wasteful reorganisation of the NHS in England & Wales, Scotland implemented a geographic based reorganisation, focusing on a Region not a budget head. An important reform was the transfer of Adult Care services from Local Government to the NHS, delivering for the first time a single organisation offering care, be it in hospital or the home. Repeated studies have demonstrated that investment in patient orientated adult care, delivers better health outcomes and costs less.

The NHS Scotland reforms were implemented by a Scottish Labour Government, and have been adopted by the SNP. In the 2010 General Election Labour committed to extend the proven success in Scotland to the whole of the UK with a manifesto commitment to create a National Care Service. That proposal was lost when Labour lost, instead we have the chaos unfolding today in the NHS. Yet it is a policy that would have delivered better health at lower cost.

There is no need to look at promises. Labour created the NHS, and are the only credible political party that can be entrusted with its future success.

Waterloo - the Government air brushes our European Allies from history

The Government has decided to waste our money, during a time of austerity, on minting and giving away 500,000 Waterloo replica medals. Done at a time when the NHS is collapsing, our schools are declining, and National Debt has spiralled out of control under George Osborne.

I wonder if they will they mention on the medal that the winning side was an alliance of British troops and a Prussian Army commanded by Gebhard von Blücher? Von Blucher troops had been defeated by Napoleon only 2 days earlier, but managed to regroup and march to Waterloo - Wellington decided only then to join them in the battle that this medal commemorates. The other allies were Russia, Austria, Spain, Portugal, The Netherlands, various German States, Sweden and Switzerland

I doubt if Cameron will recognise or mention the Allies who fought with Wellington - his spin doctors have decided to air brush all these nasty Europeans out of our history.