Our daily Pickles

Two items today from Mr P. The first is sensible and exactly matches the Wiltshire Lib Dem position on windmills whilst contradicting the Conservative line of effectively not allowing them anywhere. This policy was put into the county structure plan at the last minute but will be kicked out by the Inspector who conducted the Inquiry into the plan.

"No blanket bans on wind farms

Ministers have ruled that councils must not impose blanket bans on wind farms being built near houses. Eric Pickles, the Local Government Secretary, promised to "give local communities a greater say" on where wind farms are built, but new guidance from his department warns councils not to create inflexible turbine-free zones. The planning document, released after Parliament broke up for the summer, says the distance of a wind farm from housing does not "necessarily determine whether the impact of a proposal is unacceptable". The document also states that: "Local planning authorities should not rule out otherwise acceptable renewable energy developments through inflexible rules on buffer zones." The guidance makes it clear that the need for green energy "does not automatically override" environmental protections and local concerns. It also orders officials to take into account topography and the effect on views and historic sites, and to assess the cumulative impact of wind turbines amid fears that some areas are being overwhelmed by applications.

The Daily Telegraph, Page: 1 Daily Mail, Page: 2 Daily Express, Page: 7 The Times, Page: 13 Daily Express, Page: 7"

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The second is a batty headline-grabbing stunt which will be forgotten along with today's newspapers. It's already legal to stop briefly on a yellow line if you can do so safely for the purpose of loading or unloading goods, though whether popping to the offy for a packet of fags comes under this heading is for you to discuss with your friendly neighbourhood traffic warden. It's also possible to designate 15minute parking restrictions if that's suitable for roads with shops.

"Parking plans questioned

Eric Pickles' proposal to allow shoppers to park for 15 minutes on double yellow lines has been dismissed by Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat Transport Minister, as dangerous and unworkable. "The idea of actually having cars parked for a very long period of time on a double yellow line undermines the purposes of the yellow line and I'm advised it's unworkable. They are there for a reason, often for a safety reasons". His views are shared by the LGA, who add that introducing a 15-minute window would be impossible to monitor and costly to introduce

The Daily Telegraph, Page: 8 Daily Mail, Page: 6 The Independent, Page: 19 The Guardian, Page: 11 Daily Mirror, Page: 6 Evening Standard, Page: 12, 14 The Times, Page: 5 The Sun, Page: 8 Daily Express, Page: 15"

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Picture - Trowbridge's new cinema looms over the derelict Peter Black site.