Dorchester Town Council's solar panel plan rejected
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9 minutes ago
- BBC News
Steam locomotive starts new journey in Sheringham
An industrial steam engine found in a convent has started a new chapter on the 1929 locomotive, called "Newstead", was found in a Carmelite convent near Ware, Hertfordshire, in re-entered service at the North Norfolk Railway in Sheringham on Saturday after a nine-year Alder, the owner of the locomotive, said: "After nine years of efforts, for the very first time ever she pulled passenger trains. It was absolutely incredible." Newstead rolled off the production line of the Hunslet Engine Company in Leeds in 1929, North Norfolk Railway 96-year-old locomotive was withdrawn from service by the National Coal Board in was purchased in the late 1970s by vintage vehicle collector Malcolm Saul, who built a shed around the engine to help protect it from the Mr Saul died in 2015, people had thought the engine was lost but was later found next to the nunnery. Mr Alder said discovering the engine was like hearing "of a mythical Egyptian tomb". "I fully never expected to be driven down a Hertfordshire country lane, following a wild tip off about a lost engine. "I could never have imagined taking tea and biscuits with [a] mother superior at a convent, and hearing of 'Malcolm's engine'."But there it was in this convent in Hertfordshire, 39 tons of miracle," he Alder said it cost him about £200,000 to restore the locomotive, taking a team of volunteers about nine years to overhaul. North Norfolk Railway said it will use the engine to pull passenger carriages from Sheringham to Holt. Graham Hukins, the general manager of North Norfolk Railway, said it was "absolutely wonderful" to see the engine running in Sheringham. "The engine that was stuck in a nunnery, lost for years, everyone thought it had been scrapped."This weekend is the very first time it has been paired with passenger carriages, and it is an absolute delight to have it join our working fleet."He said "to be part of that tale and to see her back in working order" was special as they celebrated 50-years of running trains at North Norfolk Railway. Follow East of England news on X, Instagram and Facebook: BBC Beds, Herts & Bucks or BBC Norfolk.
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
East Herts council approves battery farm despite noise concerns
Plans to build a battery energy storage system (BESS) the size of two football pitches have been approved by a council despite noise concerns and 350 Herts District Council approved the application from Pelham Power Ltd on Wednesday for the 1.4 hectare (3.4 acres) development on land at Green Farm in Stocking Pelham, Hertfordshire. People living nearby have reported already being affected by noise, known locally as the "Pelham hum", coming from the National Grid's Stocking Pelham Waterson, the head of planning at Cambridge Power, said the area's vicinity to an existing substation meant it was an "ideal location" for this type of development. There have been numerous applications for similar infrastructure in the area in recent years – some approved, some rejected and some pending – including solar farms and another parish councils objected to the plan, including Stocking Pelham Parish Council. Colin Berthoud, from the parish council, said: "Our villages are deeply impacted by developments around the Pelham substation, so my comments reflect the views of the council and, we believe, the majority in our parish."While we support net zero infrastructure, it should be fairly distributed. As a village, we've done our part and now planners should protect us from further developments of this type." Strategic benefit A noise assessment carried out as part of the application suggested noise levels at nearby homes would not "exceed background noise levels" during the daytime after a 3.5m (11.4ft) acoustic fence had been installed. Trees and hedgerows would be added around the perimeter of the development in an effort to mitigate its impact on the landscape, the assessment Yarrow, from campaign group Protect the Pelhams, said existing infrastructure in the area did not "justify further attempts to fundamentally alter the character of the area by introducing more alien infrastructure".Mr Waterson, however, told the council's Development Management Committee the proposal would "effectively be the intersection between the national transmission network and the local transmission network, so it's a very good entry point to the grid".He added: "It takes in excess energy when it is not needed and stores and feeds it back into the grid for when it is needed."Yvonne Estop, a Labour councillor on the authority, said the application was "speculative" and added the authorities new District Plan should include a strategy for energy said: "We understand, clearly, that there is a growing need for this battery storage but the benefits of are not going to be local. The benefits are more strategic, more regional."There's such a lot of development related to energy and this kind of development is becoming, really, the most significant threat to the countryside." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
44 minutes ago
- BBC News
Hundreds sign petition against Hampshire fire service cuts
A petition protesting a £1.6 million cut to "frontline" fire and rescue services has gathered hundreds of by Fire Brigades Union (FBU) regional secretary Mark Chapman, the online appeal says the proposed cut to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWFRS) risked "pushing a service already on its knees into critical failure".HIWFRS said it was facing "financial challenges" but that community safety would always be the is currently running a consultation into the changes planned for the Isle of Wight, which closes on 29 July. The changes include closing two fire stations in Bembridge and Yarmouth, and removing the Aerial Ladder Platform in Chapman's petition, which has so far gained 480 signatures, said that years of cuts had left fire services across the country "dangerously under-resourced"."In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, this has already resulted in shortages of firefighters and fire engines," it Chapman said: "In an industry where every second counts, this continued degradation in resources and people trained to respond poses a significant risk to local communities." Rob Cole, assistant chief fire officer at HIWFRS, said safety was the top priority and they "carefully reviewed our community risk levels against our resources" when developing the said financial challenges meant the service had "no choice but to find ways to make savings"."But we will always seek to do that in a way that ensures we can continue to reduce risk and respond to emergencies as quickly and as effectively as we can," he said."We welcome views on the proposed changes and are engaging with our firefighters, staff and the unions on all our proposals."The BBC has approached the government for comment. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
