City Farm riding arena (in the park)

[Deleted]

It was me against the world. Imran Atcha and Tony Ward spoke for the application, with Tony claiming that he had not met one single person who was against the application. It's odd, but he didn't seem to be wearing asbestos pants! Then I had my turn. Then Said Hansdot spoke for the application as a ward councillor - he didn't say much. Then a number of councillors praised the application effusively, and Mary smith even claimed that the footpath between the farm and the riding arena would not be closed off. I didn't have a chance to contradict her, and Gavin Jones remained silent on the matter. Usman Bhaimia spoke in favour of the application and then voted in favour. I have made an official complaint about this.

[Joe K]

Just had another response to my FoI request. The plot thickens (well, something's definitely thick):


From: Joe Kilker

23 February 2014
Dear Ruth Silk,

So when the public were denied the use of the land in question from
around 2005 to 2011, it was still public property?

Yours sincerely,

Joe Kilker




From: FOI
Gloucester City Council

6 March 2014
Dear Mr Kilker

Having consulted colleagues in Environmental planning they have confirmed if you are referring to the City Farm no one was denied access.

Anyone can go and visit - it is free to all.

Hope this answers your question.

Regards

Ruth Silk
Business Improvement Officer
Business Improvement and Performance Service T: 01452 396712
Gloucester City Council
Phillpotts Warehouse F: 01452 396560




From: Joe Kilker

6 March 2014
Dear FOI,

Is Ruth Silk saying that the public are free to use the 'paddock'
(which is what we are discussing here), despite it being padlocked
shut? That really needs clarification, most urgently.

And can I make use of the City Farm, any hour of the day, any day
of the week? Likewise, an answer to this question is of the utmost
importance.

Yours sincerely,

Joe Kilker


2005 ownership of 'paddock' at St. James' Park

[Joe K]

Just had another response to my FoI request. The plot thickens (well, something's definitely thick):


From: Joe Kilker

23 February 2014

Dear Ruth Silk,

So when the public were denied the use of the land in question from
around 2005 to 2011, it was still public property?

Yours sincerely,

Joe Kilker




From: FOI
Gloucester City Council

6 March 2014

Dear Mr Kilker

Having consulted colleagues in Environmental planning they have confirmed if you are referring to the City Farm no one was denied access.

Anyone can go and visit - it is free to all.

Hope this answers your question.

Regards

Ruth Silk
Business Improvement Officer
Business Improvement and Performance Service T: 01452 396712
Gloucester City Council
Phillpotts Warehouse F: 01452 396560




From: Joe Kilker

6 March 2014

Dear FOI,

Is Ruth Silk saying that the public are free to use the 'paddock'
(which is what we are discussing here), despite it being padlocked
shut? That really needs clarification, most urgently.

And can I make use of the City Farm, any hour of the day, any day
of the week? Likewise, an answer to this question is of the utmost
importance.

Yours sincerely,

Joe Kilker


2005 ownership of 'paddock' at St. James' Park

[Joe K]

Latest response:

From: FOI
Gloucester City Council

6 March 2014

Dear Mr Kilker

The response from Environmental Planning to your query is:

Many areas of public open space are locked for periods of time or are even excluded to individuals unless they pay.

Many local authorities including ourselves lock some of their parks at night. Many will have tennis courts, bowling greens and all sorts of activity in a park which is public open space but members of the public are excluded unless they pay a fee. If a football club books a football pitch then essentially other members of the public are excluded for the duration of the game. The City Farm is no different from these examples in this respect.

PLEASE NOTE:
This response comes directly from Gloucester City Council's Environmental Planning Service.

[show quoted sections]


It's toss, of course. The public never had any kind of access to the 'paddock', and Gymnasian will happily claim this extended period of disuse as justification for its claiming the area now for use as an arena.

[Deleted]

Keeping with the FOI theme: I've had a reply to my FOI request about including privately owned land in the measure of public open space. The reply was that privately owned land isn't counted as public open space in the Open Space Strategy. Someone needs to tell Saj Patel, Kay Lillington, et al. I have asked what counts as privately owned land, just so we're all singing from the same songsheet. I will then be asking another question, according to what the reply to this one is.

[Joe K]

Typically myopic (and ignorant) comment from the 'Human eye'...

Eddie Eldridge ([e-mail])

[Joe K]

Why would a 'Male' call himself 'Glevum_Girl' in the first place? Trolling purposes?

I'm not surprised to have my own 'secret admirers' from the Gloucestershire Boards (of those that are still posting there, anyway). I'm just puzzled that Eddie would bother with a completely unprovoked spiteful comment of his own directed at me and Kay...

[Deleted]

I hadn't actually realised that Glevum Girl was Eddie. Then again, why would a male call himself Nemisis (even if it is mis-spelt)?

[Joe K]

I didn't say that Glevum_Girl was Eddie, but I seem to recall summat odd about him/her when he/she was commenting on TiG. I can't recall what, it was years back, and I don't obsess about this stuff and screen-shot everything like our boy Gary.

I like the idea of keeping things 'relevant'. Just like Eddie's jibe, or Reg's 'Thanks, Eddie' thread, when Eddie banned me. Glawster -Born: 'Eddie has my FULL support in banning this board member, as I am sure he does from the rest of you and I'm sure that in TEN years time, while Eddies star is still rising ! That this person will still be carrying out the same boring daily routine and going nowhere, with their life.'

Five years down the line, and where are any of the people from that thread? I'm not claiming great accomplishments for myself, but others shouldn't kid themselves that their shit doesn't stink, either. Childish behaviour should be challenged where it takes place, if such challenges are allowed. Eddie falls at the first hurdle, there...

NB I did make it clear to everyone that I'd been forced to make use of my wife's account to explain my side, and that it was a one-time deal. Reg didn't mention that, natch.

[Deleted]

All right, then, who are you saying that Glevum Girl is? I thought that you were saying that it was Eddie.

[Joe K]

The only thoughts I had about Glevum_Girl was that something didn't add up, but now GG claims to be called 'Patricia', I do have a theory. Better not pursue it, though, could be Shaun Shute/Darch all over again...

[Joe K]

Happier times at GB Towers (when bigots ruled the earth)...

Gay Pride March

[Joe K]

I wonder if anyone got the allusion to 'Rent', back then...

Really, a half hour, tops, once a year, of gay people chanting is not a lot to put up with, is it? Especially since most of us don't do a lot to promote tolerance during the other five hundred, twenty five thousand, five hundred and seventy minutes...

[Joe K]

Knowing the date of Atcha's letter, I popped into the library and took a look at the August 2006 box for the Citizen. It makes interesting reading...

I was deeply saddened to read that there will be a pride march of homosexuals through the city and submit that this would be better entitled the shame march instead.

It is shameful because the behaviour of these people is clearly in conflict with every mainstream religious belief, specifically the true [!] story of the events surrounding the people of Sodom.

When the messenger of God, Lod, was sent to warn against this behaviour, they mocked him and, therefore, they were completely destroyed.

The remains of this historic [again, !] event are still available for all to take a lesson from, situated in the Dead Sea region of Palestine and Jordan.

With such prominent warnings from the Creator himself, as well as modern day evidence such as the AIDS epidemic and the instinctive and inherent abhorrence which any sincere person who searches his soul will no doubt find informs us that homosexual behaviour is not acceptable at all.

I therefore remain waiting for our religious leaders from all the faiths to speak out and advise against this march, rather than stay silent or worse, rewrite the religious scriptures to somehow make this behaviour acceptable.

Imran Atcha,
Address supplied

Oddly, the Friday 11th issue of two days later is missing from the box.

[Deleted]

I have long suspected that Imran Atcha was a nasty piece of work, disguised as a kind, community-loving, touchy-feely type of guy. Thank you for finding the evidence that he is a homophobe. I have also found a news report from the beginning of December 2003, in which he defends Sajid Badat (apparently he's a friend of the family) at a meeting at the Colwell Centre. It's almost funny, in hindsight, but clearly shows his true feelings about Islam versus the rest of us. Community, my arse!