The 2010 winner is CPRE Oswestry (group) Patrick Kinnersley & John Westmoreland (individual)CPRE Oswestry - Group Award
The “Keep Our Town Special: Love Oswestry!” campaign.
Oswestry, a small country-market town of only 18,000 inhabitants, has been besieged by four large retail applications simultaneously. Any one of these developments would threaten local shops and markets (famous for their local produce and already under strain), impact on local producers, weaken the local economy and reduce sustainability of this rural community and their countryside.
CPRE Oswestry volunteers have worked as a team to forge and guide a coalition of campaigners in their protests against these developments and underpinned their work with expert technical analysis much of which has been highly innovative. They have embraced new social media (Twitter) to garner support and secured extensive coverage in the press, on the radio and on TV.
As a result of the “Keep Our Town Special” coalition’s work, all four proposals are on hold and two have been revised in recent weeks.
Patrick Kinnersley
Patrick has been nominated for the immense amount of time, dedication, expertise and energy that he devoted to the campaign to stop the Westbury Bypass, work which was carried out in addition to his continued, long term role as a leading volunteer of the CPRE. This proposed bypass would have been driven through some of the most treasured, beautiful, historically important and tranquil landscape in the region if not the Country; the western escarpment of Salisbury Plain. The plans threatened Melbury Down, Dorset (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty/ European Designations / National Trust inalienable land) and the Wellhead Valley, Westbury, Wiltshire (iconic Westbury white horse/ SLA leisure area).
Patrick marshalled expert witnesses, briefed the press, gave interviews (press, radio, TV), managed the budget, carried out fundraising, and put an immense amount of effort into marshalling public opinion. His researching of very detailed facts to support an evidence based approach to their opposition was key to the success of the campaign with the Inspector recommending against the bypass after a full Public Inquiry, a view endorsed by the Secretary of State in July 2009.
John Westmoreland
John was nominated for his first-rate work on the proposed housing development at Wesham which would have seen 265 houses built adjacent to Wesham Marsh, a designated Biological Heritage Site (BHS) a proposal which conflicts with numerous local, regional and national planning policies.
He, together with the Fylde District planning officer compiled a comprehensive, well researched objection as the first stage of the campaign. Most significantly he single handedly took the initiative to produce a Landscape Character Assessment for the area which set out in graphic detail what was at risk as a result of this proposed development. The photo filled assessment was printed, using his own money, and distributed to all interested parties including the Council Officers and the Development Control Committee.
The District County Council has since voted unanimously to refuse this planning application and John will continue to campaign against any appeals that arise.
Pictured: Winners of the 2010 Marsh Awards for the Benefit of Rural England. Left to right: Bill Bryson - CPRE President, John Westmoreland, Patrick Kinnersley, CPRE Oswestry Volunteers, Millie Kenyon - Marsh Christian Trust Representative. Email: | |
