Drayton North
FOCUS
Broadland District Council elections April/May 2015
Paul Burall
Editor of the Drayton
Chronicle and currently
Chairman of Drayton
Parish Council, Paul
Burall is the Lib Dem
candidate here for
Broadland
District
Council.
Paul is also a member
of
the
Drayton
Neighbourhood Plan
group and is an active
member of the local civic
society.
An active campaigner,
Paul's successes include
drastically upgrading the
safety standards of
children's playgrounds:
before, more than
40,000 children a year
were being taken to
hospital as a result of
playground accidents.
Other
successful
campaigns have covered
public transport; public
rights of way; and
stopping a developer
ruining a large open
space.
A professional journalist,
Paul has written or
contributed to books on
subjects ranging from
environmental planning
to Green product design.
He has written features
for the Financial Times,
the Guardian, the Daily
Mirror and other national
newspapers and worked
on factual television and
radio programmes.
Paul was a Board
member of the East of
England Development
Agency for 10 years; a
director of Renewables
East; and chairman of
Inspire East.
Broadland’s planning failures
Protecting Drayton’s future
“A key role for your new Broadland District councillor
will be to make sure that Drayton’s green and pleasant
environment is protected from the growth pressures
facing us,” says Paul Burall, the LibDem candidate here.
“In the immediate future, has no such plan. This means
the imminent decision about that developers can – and, as
the Northern Distributor Road we have seen, do – come
will be crucial. If it gets the along and propose substantial
go-ahead, the first priority will new housing on sites which
be to deal with the increased have not properly being
raffic through the village, not considered and which the
just in Hall Lane but to public has had no say in. This
prevent commuters using makes a mockery of all the
Drewray Drive, Long Dale public consultation carried out
and School Road as rat runs. by Broadland on its so-called
preferred sites.
Long-term risk
“The longer term risk is that
the planners and developers
will treat the NDR as the
natural boundary for
development and seek to build
on many of the green spaces
between Drayton and the
new road.
“We desperately need an
approved Local Plan to
prevent this happening and it
is a scandal Broadland still
Quality
“Another area where
Broadland has failed is to set
out proper guidelines for
development that ensure that
what is built is of a high
standard and enhances local
communities rather than
diminishing them. Where
there is development, it should
be of the quality that we can
be proud of.
Community value
The pub, post office and
shops together with the
village hall and church in
The Square make an
important contribution to
life in Thorpe Marriot.
“As far as we know,
none of these are
currently at risk. But pub and post office closures are all too
frequent and it is worth considering what can be done if ours
are threatened” comments Paul Burall.
“One possibility is to use the new legal power to have these
declared ‘Assets of community value’. In the event of a threat
of closure, this power gives the local community six months to
come up with a plan to save the facility.
“Of course, no one can guarantee that such facilities will
survive forever. But this step would prevent closure without
the local community being given the chance to find a way to
retain a valued asset.”
Paul Burall
Care
“More needs to be done to
care for the village, especially
in terms of tackling litter, dog
mess and fly-tipping,” says
Paul Burall.
“During recent months
when the vegetation had died
down, the amount of plastic
and other litter along local
rural roads has been all too
obvious and the Council ought
to have done at least one
proper cleanup.
“The
Council
has
performed better in terms of
clearing up some fly-tipping
but in other places – such as
the entrance to the Drewray
in Reepham Road – rubbish
has been allowed to remain
for a considerable time.
“There is a lot of evidence
that cleaning up litter, graffiti
and so on as soon as possible
after it appears actually
discourages
further
offences,” says Mr Burall.
Printed by ERCP, published &
promoted by P Sergeant on behalf of
Steve Riley and other Liberal
Democrat candidates all at 2a Douro
Place, Norwich NR2 4BG
The traffic challenge
Traffic
and
parking in the
village centre are
perhaps
the
biggest challenge
facing Drayton at
the
moment,
believes
Paul
Burall. “And if the
NDR is built, it will make the problem worse, with lots more
traffic likely to use School Road,” comments Mr Burall.
“One suggestion that I think deserves real investigation is
the idea of extending the traffic lights to cover Costessey Lane
and Taverham Road as well as School Road and the main
road.
“Not only would this make it much easier and safer for drivers
coming onto the main road but a pedestrian phase could be
introduced to solve the problem facing pedestrians trying to
cross School Road in front of the Red Lion.
“As for parking, the real problem is for people who want to
use the shops and local services who find that many of the
existing spaces are hogged all-day by commuters, some of
whom neither live nor work in the village but use the spaces
as a convenient way to park-and-ride.
“Perhaps we should be looking at introducing a time limit on
at least some of the existing parking spaces.
“These are just the sort of issues that the forthcoming
Neighbourhood Plan will tackle and I look forward to seeing
its recommendations,” says Paul.
Protecting the
environment
Paul Burall and Steve Riley
support the Lib Dem proposals for
five green laws:
• Nature: legal targets for
biodiversity, clean air, clean water
and access to green space; extend
the Right to Roam; and establish
new marine and coastal reserves.
Steve Riley,
• Heating and energy efficiency:
LibDem
build on the Green Deal with a
Parliamentary
national programme to raise the
candidate
energy efficiency standards for all
households; legislate to boost renewable and district
heating programmes and heat saving standards.
• Zero waste: binding targets on resource use and a
clear action plan to reduce waste and end
biodegradable landfill.
• Climate change: set a decarbonisation target for
electricity generation; expand the powers of the
Green Investment Bank, and ban electricity
generated from unabated coal.
• Transport: establish a full network of charging
points for electric cars, only allowing low emission
vehicles on the roads from 2040, and reform planning
law to ensure new developments are designed around
walking, cycling and public transport.
Backing Paul
Hilary Kisby – who was Chair of
Drayton Parish Council for 10
years until January – is backing
Paul Burall to be the new District
Councillor for Drayton North.
“I have worked with Paul for the
past few years and know him to
Hilary Kisby
be a pro-active person,
supportive and articulate, not afraid of controversy
and an effective problem solver. His interpersonal
skills, strong character and energy will help promote
Drayton matters at District level.
“Paul Burall is the person who cares about our
community and who will work hard on behalf of the
people of Drayton North,” says Mrs Kisby.
The Drewray
The Drewray should be a
green lung for the village and,
especially, for Thorpe Marriott.
Paul Burall welcomes the
intention of the Parish Council
to manage and improve this
facility, helping both the local
charity that owns it and those
who live here.
“But this ambition will require
support from the District and Paul Burall with Hilary Kisby
County Councils,” comments (who has been instrumental
Paul. “There also needs to be in driving this initiative) at
the entrance to the
some consideration for making
Drewray
it safer for people crossing the
Reepham Road to reach the Drewray. With the entrance to
this facility and three busy road junctions, it may be worth
considering reducing the speed limit along this stretch.”
Newsletters
If elected, Paul Burall promises to produce regular
FOCUS newsletters to help you raise problems and
ideas and to let you know what is being planned.
This is no idle promise: Paul produced sixty
CONTACT
BOX
newsletters when
he was a Councillor
before moving
to Drayton.
CONTACT BOX
Your Broadland District Council candidate
Paul Burall is your local
candidate for Broadland
District Council
If you have any
problems, suggestions
or queries that you
would like to raise with
Paul, please contact him
at 5 Littlewood, Drayton
NR8 6FB
Phone: (01603) 927289
Paul Burall
Email:
[email protected])