chris p bacon

The pipe surface is as rough as a badgers ar.......you get the drift. Very thick walls too. The manrose pipe isn't bad, but only using it as ducting I couldn't say whether it'll take paint, but if some oil based undercoat is used first It should be fine.

I have to say I welcome your comment, I'm still looking at options and when spending some serious cash I'd rather hear peoples honest opinions.

Have they ever given a reason for not re-introducing the ranges?

Today I sat down for a sandwich and the phone goes, it's "Richard" from BT telling me they're going to disconnect my internet at 1.15pm as I'm infected with virus, I replied "That's fine, cut it off I've seen all the nude pictures of your mother I can handle" ...this stumped him somewhat but given a second he was back on script...."But we're going to cut you off" he said. I said "I'm not surprised I haven't paid BT's bill for at least 2 years" ......then he told me to p!ss off...... 15 minutes later "Mark" rang me from BT Internet Solutions, I asked what they'd watered down if it's a solution. he started to say the script when twigged and shouted f off, f off f off down the phone, I asked for the customer complaints department and he started screaming even louder. I suggested he take an aspirin and lie down and he put the phone down on me......bless him I think he has "issues"

TP and the like sell underground drainage in 6M lengths and as the diameter increases then it is likely to be ribbed. This should do the trick http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Flexible-MDF-Board-6-x-607-x-1220mm/p/190139 Easy to use and takes any paint.

Both Aldi and Lidl have opened new stores on the outer limits of St Neots, it seems that people are opposed to out of town development until it's something they want. Lidl already have a store in the centre of town and now have a second. Going slightly off topic here but the expansion that both German supermarkets are following and the borrowing they are taking on is reminiscent of Tesco/Sainsbury's etc from a few years ago.

For me I'd go back to the turn of the century or just before at Sandy. Partly to see the GN motive power of the time but also to see the pace of life where I live, and the volume of traffic produced.

Is it all going to plan John.

Aaaaah no, the first part of my answer was related to Keith's post although he hadn't mentioned the existing stores. I would say that taking Tesco as the example they have closed their non profit making stores and in the case of one very large supermarket (Chatteris?) built it but never opened as the market changed, so I would wonder that if it didn't get the footfall and make a profit it wouldn't be there. The fact that there is a half full Sainsbury's nearby might be the same as Biggleswade where you find it the most expensive to use. Although Keith doesn't like what he ended up with there isn't a lot planning can do to refuse applications such as this, in this case it sounds like a commercial/retail property which was asking for variation of use. The LPA have to have absolutely sound legal argument for refusing or changing the legally obtained existing opening hours. Tesco could easily argue that if they turned it back into a fuel station (its first and primary use) then the traffic could increase.

Lady Bacon has been a Town Councillor for 10+ years (3 years as Mayor) and sits on Development Scrutiny* (the old planning committee) The District council (Unitary Authority in our case) treat local Town and Parish councils with such disdain nowadays it becomes insulting. It's actually every 5 years for local elections...... *before anyone asks she does excuse herself if any of mine are before the committee, The rules are very tight on what you can do and they are monitored very closely to adhere to them.

There is a Waitrose in Bedford and the access to Wickes goes past the car park, it's so funny just looking at the car park as it defines the customer base, no car over 2 years old and if anyone should turn up in a Japanese car I think they're ushered into the corner out of the way.

I hope it goes well for you, I agree about whether you bother but it can't keep festering away taking money without supplying goods.

I'd just buy a bigger house. Same money less hassle.

I understand what you're saying but you can read that another way. A convenience store was needed and the popularity of it is shown by the volume of people using it. I have to ask would it be different if it was a Waitrose? We must be one of the few towns in the Country who actively sought out and petitioned the major supermarkets to come and build something. We were 12,000 population with no food outlet (apart from a very overpriced Budgens convenience at the time) and Tesco were the only one to come. Since opening their sales have exceeded expectation. They work on the basis that only 25% will be new custom with the rest made up of existing customers, The store we have had 94% new customers which meant it was needed. The only issue is that it is the edge of town (near the station) as this was the only site left that was suitable, when Tesco made initial enquiries there was a town centre site which had been a coal yard, but Tesco were told that Central Beds were zoning it for Residential so that precluded its use for retail. When the application was going through it was a bit touch and go as to whether it would succeed as the officer recomendation was refusal as they saw nearby Biggleswade (3+ miles) as the retail centre for the area. Some 100+ residents went to the planning meeting in support of the proposal and it was passed.

I really disagree with this. I would never spend £70 when it is just 2 simple crossovers which can be wired from a motors accessory switch, Isolate the diamond and only make it live when the crossover is selected.

I agree with you and don't think that Planning should be a service that should take money from local services, but recently it has moved from a "Service" to (in the words of Central Beds) "A Revenue Stream" They now see Planning as a means to increase income and cover a shortfall in the budget. I realise authorites have to raise monies but I don't think the built environment is one of them as the reality is they start to favour large high density housing than smaller developments as the return is greater. Regarding Section 106, I don't have an issue with it, if the site is big enough and well planned it can cover the cost. It is when Community Infrastructure Levy is applied as well and that is a per bedroom charge paid in advance of building works starting. (3 bed is £12,000 here for example) So if I were to build 4 x 3 bed houses I would have to hand one over to social housing (33% minimum social) as well as pay £80,000+ in advance and any possible section 106 monies (£20,000 is not unreasonable) All this after purchasing the site (£400,000+) and going through planning. After Central Beds had done this for 3 years and entered into many agreements they were declared illegal and stopped by Central Government. There is never going to be planning that suits everyone, one persons design choice is not anothers, but in this area it has been rather chaotic with too many ill thought out decisions. There is a theory among many of the local architects that the reason CBC have such a high refusal rate and so many Appeals against them, is that it is cheaper to refuse and go to appeal and lose than it is to train and keep competant staff. The planning inspectorate is the one that makes the final decision based on policy.

I remember spotting next to the embankment North of Sandy and when a Deltic approached like that shot, the feeling as the ground vibrated and your ears hummed was superb. Of course when you saw the faint spray of a loo being flushed you dived for cover shouting "Brown Comet" * * a substantial lump of something non specific with a vapour trail

The diamond looks to be using ordinary fishplates which will cause a short.

I'm guessing that what you don't realise is that as part of the application process we have to pay for the pre-application advice that we have to have as part of the process, also here in Central Beds you have to pay for all costs to the council of a legally binding agreement should you be liable for Section 106 before the application is accepted, not after but before. I would love to say about an application I had a few years ago but probably best not to name. The basics of it are that I purchased a site with existing permission and a few conditions of which none were onerous and should have been dealt with in 28 days. It took over 12 months and ended with a meeting between myself, Enviroment agency, Footpaths and Planning, the result of this meeting was one officer had an official warning, another was demoted and subsequently sacked and there was an inquiry into other applications the agency's had been involved in. The most senior planning officer had attended the meeting and apart from asking the initial question I said very little, give someone a shovel and they dig a hole it seems. He was horrified at officer behaviour and I had a most profuse apology. Procedure was subsequently tightened. That episode of incompetancy cost me between £8-10,000.

Yes, although disconnected a couple of years ago, it's just 4 feet away in the road. It's 3 feet when you take into account the cellar....I could tunnel it

I have a handmade scissors and I'll try and put my hand on the wiring sketch I made up. Essentially you need to fully isolate the diamond and then wire opposing points as you would a crossover and energise the diamond with a motor activated switch (I'm using Tortoise) The Diamond is then dead when not switched. That's if I've remembered it correctly.....

I remember Steve Austin just used to open the door and put his foot out to stop.

That's exactly what I ask of the planners, but most objections from neighbours are because it looks like an "Alien" building and nothing like theirs so they plump for the vernacular style which doesn't always suit modern materials. If you think of metal/Crittal windows in 30's housing this is very difficult to replicate now unless using the most expensive glazing possible (X9 costings). The next project is being discussed, so it blends in without it being an imposing structure I am looking at a single storey structure, clad in something like Spruce or Cedar and with a flat Sedum roof so that the only house nearby looks at a green space from the upper floors rather than a tiled roof. The neighbours seem enthusiastic as it will only just be seen and being timber and green will blend in better. The surrounding properties are Victorian cottages, 1960's terraced (poor quality council build) 1990's and 2000's semis's and detached, the closest is 100' away. The planner is already murmering about having brick face and a hipped roof as that is what surrounds it. This is down a private road and can't be seen from the public highway and is only visible from the rear of most of the surrounding properties so I can't see his viewpoint. Like most other applications I reckon we'll be in planning for upwards of 12 months wih this one, the shortest so far has been 10 months and the longest 3 years, none of them were contentious applications but that is just the way it is.

It's been 25 years since I helped a racing powerboat owner but I think that sounds right. I do remember that when the power was cut it meant a dunking and a boat repair was just a split second away. Edit - just found this.

Morning Matthew. Not a bad start. I'm sure the experienced journo's around you (I don't include Andy Y in that) will point to a couple of typo's - "Where" instead if "were" in the 2nd paragraph and the missing "E" in Withdrawels (5th paragraph). You've missed out a few in the "Preservation" para, the original 44's and the 46 (Ixion) owned by P Waterman, I also think there's at least one 45 missing, which is at the Battlefield line but I can't remember its number. For me at 15 it would have the Deltics as prototype inspiration, they would have been followed by Kate Bush, but for somewhat entirely different reasons.