Majority of the responses have been negative?

This has recently appeared on Facebook:


If you're reading this it's probably because you're tagged and that you live in/around Newbury. As some of you know I'm working at the council at the moment (well... until Friday) and one of my jobs here has been to input data from surveys. One of the ones I've been doing at the moment is on the new proposed Newbury Pavilion.

For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a redevelopment in Victoria Park to remodel it, put in a new pond, a new kids play area, and a brand spanking new building full of top of the range facilities in terms of rehearsal studios, music studios, cyber cafe, bar, an outdoor screen (think film festivals and sports events etc) and such like.

Problem is, at the moment a majority of responses to the project have been negative - mostly from the over 60 age quadrant (and Friends Of Victoria Park league) all banging on about using a bit of green space in a park that's hardly used anyways.

What I'm writing this for is to ask you all to have a look at the proposals (links below) and then send back a comment form. You might think it's a bad idea, but personally I think it's a great idea and when we were all at school/ college would have loved facilities like this.

So first, heres the link to some pretty pictures of the proposal:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/berkshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8342000/8342757.stm

And second, here's a link to the West Berkshire Council website with more information and more importantly - a feedback/ comment form. Details of who to send it to are at the bottom of the form.
http://www.westberks.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=18467

PLEASE! PLEASE! Take a look at it and send it back in (hopefully with positive comments) - tell your friends, tell your family, your nieghbours because Victoria Park is fairly pants and this gives a use to it - sod 2.5% of grass being taken up, think outdoor film festivals, more dramatics productions, touring bands/film fests/open air theatre companies, a cyber cafe, better playing facilities for the kids, a pond that doesn't look like a dog bowl, conference facilities, exhibition space and so on. This is a good thing.
Well, I'm enthusiastic for it.

Just a reminder:

VICTORIA PARK FRIENDS GROUP MEETING

SATURDAY 28TH NOVEMBER

The Victoria Park Friends Group are looking for willing volunteers to help Newbury Town Council with its plans to refurbish and enhance Victoria Park.  A Friends Group meeting is being held in the Town Hall Chamber on Saturday 28 November at 10.30am.  If you require further information please contact Fiona Walker on: 01635 40720 or email: fkwalker64@btinternet.com

Interesting to hear that WBC are not getting it all their own way on this one - perhaps they should accept that they can't win them all.

That is blatantly encouraging people who have no knowledge of, and no interest in Newbury whatsoever, to make positive comment on a scheme for which they have no perception of.

"If you're reading this it's probably because you're tagged and that you live in/around Newbury"

I am sure the poster of this, although suggesting that you "probably" live in/around Newbury, is hoping for a much wider audience, from those that scan facebook etc.

Whether that is true or not, it certainly is not impartial.  ...."hopefully with positive comments"

Quoted from LocalRes

That is blatantly encouraging people who have no knowledge of, and no interest in Newbury whatsoever, to make positive comment on a scheme for which they have no perception of.

"If you're reading this it's probably because you're tagged and that you live in/around Newbury"

I am sure the poster of this, although suggesting that you "probably" live in/around Newbury, is hoping for a much wider audience, from those that scan facebook etc.

Whether that is true or not, it certainly is not impartial.  ...."hopefully with positive comments"

It seems to me that there is a breach of confidentiality here. Having priviileged information and attempting to alter the result of the poll is surely against WBC terms of employment.

Anyone got any ideas of confidentiality clauses in WBC employment contracts?

For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a redevelopment in Victoria Park to remodel it, put in a new pond, a new kids play area, and a brand spanking new building full of top of the range facilities in terms of rehearsal studios, music studios, cyber cafe, bar, an outdoor screen (think film festivals and sports events etc) and such like.
..........
Victoria Park is fairly pants and this gives a use to it - sod 2.5% of grass being taken up, think outdoor film festivals, more dramatics productions, touring bands/film fests/open air theatre companies, a cyber cafe, better playing facilities for the kids, a pond that doesn't look like a dog bowl, conference facilities, exhibition space and so on. This is a good thing.

This stuff is taken more or less directly from the WBC "Pavilion for Victoria Park" hype. page 5 although she has missed the promise of recording and editing facilities and whilst they all may be admirable items for inclusion, they will need a full management team to hold it all together, let alone the expertise required to run a recording studio. Vicky has missed the point that whilst the park needs a makeover, most of the proposals for the building have no relationship to the park and would be much better served from a refurbished or rebuilt Waterside centre. We could then have a smaller park related building which would be less intrusive and which will blend rather than being so far out of place.

There are a few additions that Vicky has made which do not appear in the WBC leaflet such as Film Fests and by this I suppose that means open air, and open air theatre companies. Neither of these can be accomodated as far as I can see within the building unless changes are made to the front elevation.

On the subject of the leaflet, there are a couple of statements which might be worth taking on board.
Quote...
Victoria Park is Newbury's primary green space for recreation and leisure. In order to keep attracting visitors it is a proposal that the park needs updating to create facilities which are fit for the 21st century..

Accentuate the 'green area' ... calls for a living wall to blend it into the existing landscaping adjacent to the A339. The pavilion will provide a visual and acoustic screen from the A339 allowing people to enjoy the park.
(In other words, a wall facing the A339 covered in grass or moss will look nicer from the A339 rather than the unobstructed view across the park)

Works access will be via an existing bridge from Faraday Road and not across the park.
(Excuse me, what bridge is that)

Won't building the Pavilion encourage future development of the Park?
No, Planning law protects public green space.
Oh, that last is funny.

Quoted from Bartholomew

It seems to me that there is a breach of confidentiality here. Having priviileged information and attempting to alter the result of the poll is surely against WBC terms of employment.

Anyone got any ideas of confidentiality clauses in WBC employment contracts?

But they are attempting to change it in WBC's favour rather than the public who employ them and pay the bill! So that will be alright then!!

Quoted from Nobby

But they are attempting to change it in WBC's favour rather than the public who employ them and pay the bill! So that will be alright then!!

We are only talking about raw data here. There may be a totally different result when this has been manipulated by West Berks Strategic Command.

"75% of those who voted were discovered to be over 65 and 25% of these won't be around by the time the building is completed, so their comments don't count"

You may remember a petition signed by over 3,000 people which included their names addresses and post codes, objecting to the closure of Wharf Street to traffic. When it came to the crunch, this petition was counted as ONE objection.

Quoted from Bartholomew

It seems to me that there is a breach of confidentiality here. Having priviileged information and attempting to alter the result of the poll is surely against WBC terms of employment.

Anyone got any ideas of confidentiality clauses in WBC employment contracts?

They can't make her sign the official secrets act and as she is leaving their employ on Friday, it's tough. So long as she doesn't use the information for financial gain, insider trading, she's OK I think.

Is not her actions in violation against data protection laws, or laws designed to protect against perversion of democratic process. Or some combination there of?

I fail hard at legal. But it only seems sensible that there should be a full investigation into this matter. Having already acted out inappropriately like this. I'm concerned over the likelihood of her doctoring the existing responses to suit.

Maybe it would be appropriate to call the planning equivalent of a mistrial (Like when the jury are caught in an Star Trek marathon, rather that listening to evidence) due to this development and restart the consultation stage from the beginning?


Does anybody have a link to this girls profile?
I don't use failbook due to privacy concerns, so missed the thread and curious to check it out myself.

Quoted from Bartholomew

It seems to me that there is a breach of confidentiality here. Having priviileged information and attempting to alter the result of the poll is surely against WBC terms of employment.

Anyone got any ideas of confidentiality clauses in WBC employment contracts?

Isn't everyone attempting to alter the result of the poll when they express their views on it?

I think it's great she's taken a personal interest in it and is doing something about what she considers to be to be an important issue.

Are some people saying they don't want those that work for local organisations such as the council having a personal view on local issues?

Quoted from user23.3

Are some people saying they don't want those that work for local organisations such as the council having a personal view on local issues?

We are not saying they shouldn't have views. We are saying they should have the integrity not to fiddle or try and alter the outcome of surveys to suit their ot their leaders wishes.

It appears there is a lack of this within WBC and some of its employees are happy with this situation!

Quoted from user23.3

Are some people saying they don't want those that work for local organisations such as the council having a personal view on local issues?

Some people would consider it a conflict of interest.

Quoted from Nobby

We are not saying they shouldn't have views. We are saying they should have the integrity not to fiddle or try and alter the outcome of surveys to suit their ot their leaders wishes.

No one's trying to "fiddle" anything, she's expressing her personal point of view as is everyone who comments on the development.

Is brian trying to fiddle the result by setting up a Facebook group and trying to get people to comment on the development, of course not and neither is she.

Quoted from MoonPhoenix

Some people would consider it a conflict of interest.

Not any more if she no longer works for the council.

Surely we want people who are passionate about the area working for our councils or are you really advocating that they should all be mindless automatons with no opinions on anything local?

[quote=1]Majority of the responses have been negative?

This has recently appeared on Facebook:

Problem is, at the moment a majority of responses to the project have been negative - mostly from the over 60 age quadrant (and Friends Of Victoria Park league) all banging on about using a bit of green space in a park that's hardly used anyways.


I filled out one of the comment forms - I don't remember seeing a section asking for my age. Something's not quite right here.

I didn't get a chance to go along to the Friends of Victoria Park meeting held at the Town Hall yesterday. Anyone know how it went?