15/09/2011 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

Hello. Good evening. Thank you for joining us. Welcome to Look North.

The headlines: How proposed changes to planning laws could change the

countryside across our area. have to be particularly careful

that we don't turn it into an urban sprawl. As portable accommodation

is put out for students in Lincoln, one speaks out about his concerns.

When I was told I might have to look at my own accommodation, that

is when I started to worry. Lincoln Cathedral bid for more money for

its restoration fplg we are finding out the strange --. We are finding

out the Strangeways people have been getting into the record books.

What is tomorrow like? Not so good, I'm afraid. Join me later for all

the details. Good evening. Campaigners say it

will lead to the destruction of our countryside, while the Government

claims it's essential if we are to avoid a future housing crisis.

Reform of the planning laws would see more green field land released

for development. That's already prompted a row in Stamford. A

developer wants to build hundreds of homes on an area of farmland.

Our rural affairs correspondent has more.

It's the finest stone town in the country that sits not only on prime

commuter belt, but also in the oldest conservation area in England.

There's no wonder people want to live in Stamford. Its appeal comes

at a price. The average house price here is �228,000. That is above the

national average. The council said they have over 3,000 people on the

house waiting list, but they are running out of places to build. Of

the 560 allocated homes to be built in Stamford, in the future 460 of

those will be built on green field sites. This is one of those sites

allocated for development. An're y of land which six years ago was

give -- an area of land which six years was given special status.

This arable field has been allocated for development of 400

houses. Robert has been leading the campaign to stop this land from

being built on. We have to be particularly careful that we don't

turn it into an urban sprawl and to be destroying the aspect of

Stamford. These houses that they are talking about here, they're not

going to be affordable properties. His view is not one that is shared

by the town's MP. I don't think that we can put any towns, not even

towns as lovely as Stamford into aspic forever. The average age of

the first-time buyer is now 37 years old. Those of us who are

lucky enough to have been able to get on the property ladder and buy

our first home, I don't think we can pull up the draw bridge and say

to the next generation, "Sorry, we're not going to build any more

houses for you and houses will go on getting more expensive." What is

happening here is happening elsewhere across our region. In

East Riding there are more than 100 green-field sites with full or

outlined planning permission. In North Lincolnshire 31 sites have

been earmarked for development. 14 of which have already got planning

permission. So, it's likely more areas like this will be used to

meet the housing shortage. A shortage that some believe has

reached crisis point. There is a profound housing crisis at the

moment. We're building the fewest number of homes for 90 years. We

only managed to build 100,000 last year. We need to build 250,000

homes in order to deal with the new households that are forming across

the country. It may look like a peaceful market town, but a battle

has begun here. It's the need for new homes verses the desire to

protect our green and pleasant land. It's a battle that could eventually

spread up and down the country. It is a very emotive issue.

Caroline is joining us live. The Prime Minister was quizzed by MPs

in the Commons on this one. What did he say about it? Well, he was

quizzed, Peter, because basically he wants to streamline planning

regulations, which means you and I will have a greater say about what

is built and where it is built within our community. There are

fears it will lead to gates being opened to more development on green

field sites. We are talking about sites you have seen there in my

report tonight. Cameron is adamant these are changes for the better.

He defended them yesterday profusely. What we are doing is

replacing a 1,000-page bureaucratic guide with something shorter. Plans

will mean that local communities and people have a greater say in

what is developed and where. We are not changing the law on national

parks, on greenbelts, on areas of outstanding natural beauty. Well,

here in Stamford, the council are giving people a say. They are

saying they want people to get involved in that consultation

process. David Cameron has said he will meet with the national

pressure groups to explain his plan and why it will be a change for the

better. One is the Campaign To Protect Rural England. I am joined

by Kate Houghton. Good evening to you.

Why are you opposed to the changes in the planning regulations?

think our primary concern is that CPRE completely agrees with the

Government that we support sustainable development. What we

are concerned about is the draft new planning policy uses the word

"sustainable" as a fig leaf. It's a policy which means the default

answer to any development will be, yes. The Government say it will

take less time and make it easier and quicker to build affordable

homes. That has to be a good thing. CPRE would argue it is not true.

The biggest house builders in England are currently sitting on

280,000 plotds which are ready to be -- plots which are ready to be

built. 1.4 million houses are renting. They want to get on the

property ladder. We need, we deserve, we should do something for

these people and speed it up and this is what would happen?

simply don't agree it's the planning system that is making

housing so unaffordable. What we think it is our economic situation

where people cannot access credit. Therefore house builders will not

build because they are not certain people will buy those houses.

can't be overprotective to these sites? Brownfield sites and that

doesn't mean it has to be poor quality development. The planning

system is to make sure the planning of those sites is done well, that

it incorporated good design, green spaces. That they can access the

shops and facilities. Houses on brownfield sites can be a good

thing. If you look at an aerial map of the UK it is being green, isn't

it? Are you being overprotective? don't think so. We have the

Government's own affordable housing agency, in 2009, estimated we have

enough brownfield land to deliver 1.5 million new homes. We argue not

only does that protect greengreenfield sites to develop --

greenfield sites. You may believe the Government is right and that

new homes and more importantly cheaper homes are needed. If you

want to get in touch on this one, In a moment, on tonight's

programme: High smoking rates make parts of Hull and Grimsby some of

the worst in the country for throat cancer. Portable cabins have been

moved on to campus today as bosses at the University of Lincoln look

to solve an accommodation crisis. 200 students will be forced to move

into temporary rooms until proper digs can be found.

As the University of Lincoln prepares for the arrival of more

than 3,000 new students, the temporary accommodation that some

of them will be living in is arriving on site. They are being

described by the university as "comfortable, fully serviced, en

suite twin cabins." We were surprised by the late surge for

requests for accommodation. We housed everybody by 21st August,

which is very, very late for most universities. We are committed to

going the extra mile, to make sure all our students are accommodated,

in safe, secure accommodation in the heart of the campus. Preparing

for the start of term is Michael. He is one of up to 200 first year

students who have been told they may have to stay in temporary

accommodation. At first, he and his parents were worried.

I guess I'm still going to get the experience because I will be in the

city. I don't know, it's not really what I expected. I expected to be

in normal halls. I suppose the cabins will be OK. The fact that

they have done something about it is really good. I'm really pleased

with the fact that now I've got accommodation, even if it is

temporary. This is where Michael could be staying for at least the

beginning of his university career. Today, a large number of the blue

and grey cabins you can see behind me were delivered to the university,

where they will form temporary accommodation for up to 140

students N a statement, the student With less than three days to go

before Michael and thousands of others begin to arrive, the

university is in a race against time to make these portable units

ready. Police are investigating after a

14-year-old girl was pulled into woods and sexually assaulted in a

park in Scunthorpe. It happened yesterday at about 5pm in Central

Park. Here attacker is described Detectives are trying to trace more

than 1,400 lambs and ewes stolen from a field near Louth at the

weekend. NFU Mutual claim it is the bigest case of sheep Russells in 25

years. -- rustling in 25 years. have never heard of sheep being

taken. Not only that the amount of sheep. This is a big, big scale -

1,4 hundred 4 -- 1,400 sheep. We would like to know where they have

gone. If anyone has seen where they have gone. It is devastating our

livelihood and community. Agricultural crime rose by 61% in

Lincolnshire and the East Midlands. Bob Winter lost �200,000 from his

farm in Thornton le Moor in Market Rasen. What do you make of this

theft in Louth? It is horrendous. Where are they all going to be

slaughtered? I think illegal abattoirs are not going to cope

with that amount of ewes and lambs to slaughter. It all has to be

sourced and planned already. Where will they go end up going through?

I think through markets and out of the backs of lorries, out of the

backs of vans at car boat sales and places like that. Are farmers an

easy target? In certain respects, like sheep, you can't have a guard

on the gate of a sheep paddock all the time. This time of year,

tractors are working in the fields. Yes, I think perhaps sometimes

tractors are an easy target. Farmers have to be more aware and

have more preventative action to stop people stealing them, I think.

I've had this problem over the years of things being stolen. If

they're going to steal them, they will steal them. There's no

deterrent to any of these things. This is a huge number of lambs and

ewes. 61% rise in agricultural crime - what's got to be done,

briefly, to stop it? I think when they catch people, there's got to

be a much more severe deterrent in sentencing. Very good to talk to

you tonight. Thank you for coming A bird's-eye view of a new fund-

raising attempt at Lincoln Cathedral.

And how Lincolnshire man is now a record breaker like these people

from across the world. Tonight's picture is the morning

I am not sure whether they are clouds or aircraft trails or maybe

a mixture of both. But I know a man who does! What a fantastic day it

has been, Peter. Talk about the arrogant tweet of the day! What an

autumn day, just as forecast. you well know as an aircraft

spotter, what those things are in Tomorrow will be more unsettled.

There will be more cloud around. It is a one-day wonder. A lot of the

cloud will be over East Yorkshire with Lincolnshire not seeing too

much in the way of rain. The cloud is coming up from the south. There

has been some patchy cloud in the south of Lincolnshire all day long.

It is beginning to get bigger and push across Lincolnshire. Overnight,

it will cloud over. There will be a bit of drizzle in places. Most

places will be dry. The sun will rise in the morning at 636 cm. --

at 6:36am. There is rather a lot of cloud around. There will be some

cloud in East Lincolnshire. We will see some drier, brighter spells

developing after that. It will not rain all day. Low pressure in

charge at the weekend. That means some sunshine but also a scattering

of showers, one or two of which Nice to have a few cotton trails on

the show! People living in some parts of Hull are 10 times more

likely to suffer from throat cancer and other people in other parts of

the Humber and Yorkshire. Men over 50 are most at risk, with more than

80% of those diagnosed being male. Only 50% of patients survive for

more than five years because the cancer is not caught early enough.

To look at him tending his garden near Grimsby, he would never know

that bill is recovering from throat cancer. He never felt unwell and

there were no obvious symptoms. oncologist said, in your case, you

have a 70% chance of a cure. Which apparently are good odds. This

hospital consultant said that early diagnosis is vital. An early

diagnosis has a more than 90% survival rate, as opposed to a

later diagnosis where it drops down to below 50%. The highest levels of

throat cancer he areas are many areas in which 40% of adult males

smoke. The main signs of throat cancer and include hoarseness or a

change in your voice that lasts for three weeks or more. Other symptoms

include difficulty swallowing or feeling that there is something

stuck in your throat. We are going to be doing a direct mail to

households, there will be teams in the street around Grimsby and Hull.

There will be a lot of effort going into making sure that this

information reaches the right people. Williams still seems to

have -- needs to have check-ups every week. He is proof that

getting a croaky voice checked out and help save lives.

Tartare Steel in Scunthorpe has won a contract to supply track in

France. The new track will be delivered to France in 2014.

The business Secretary has assured councillors that he is doing all he

can to persuade Siemens to invest in the Hull area. It would bring

thousands of jobs. Decisions taken in this government

department are hugely important to winning the Siemens contract for

Hull. After last night's meeting with Vince Cable, our local MPs

were more confident. I was pleased that they were saying they were

doing everything they could that the relationship -- to make sure

that the relationship with Siemens was right. The conform not just the

region, -- it could transform not as the region, but UK industry as a

whole. The Government was as keen as we are to make sure that this

deal comes off. It is critical for my constituents and Hull.

Government says it is working to bring Siemens to Hull. A spokesman

Siemens decision is expected in the coming weeks.

We will continue to follow that story. Fundraisers at Lincoln

Cathedral are all offering a spectacular view from the top of

the building in exchange for sponsoring the restoration work. So

far, staff have only received -- have only raised 10% of the money

needed. They are hoping trips to the top will help boost the coffers.

135 ft up, this statue at the top of Lincoln Cathedral has enjoyed a

breathtaking view for hundreds of years. Now, a few lucky people

heard joining him. Trips to the top are being made available to

businesses in exchange for or money for repairs. They can come up and

see the amazing view across the county of Lincolnshire. Not many

people get to do that. This huge scaffold is not just to support

sightseers. It is allowing vital restoration work. When we first

came up here, he was covered in moss. That includes an takeover of

the statue. There were lots of different types of repair from

various points in time. A lot of people have patched him up. A lower

down, they are replacing stones and battered by harsh weather and

pollution. Dozens of stone blocks need replacing. This one alone will

take six weeks. It is not surprising the whole project will

take five years to finish. 1980s was the last time there was

any work carried out. The work itself is quite straightforward.

There is that much more of it because the tower has been so

exposed to the elements from all four sides. It will cost �2.5

million to complete the restoration work on these turrets. In the

process, a handful of very lucky people would get to see a

spectacular view of Lincolnshire. Very few of them will ever get that

chance again. Talking of history, there will be a

chance to find out more about the history of our area. It is a

special event in Grimsby tomorrow. Have a look at this. This is one of

the more or unusual records that has made it into this year's

Guinness Book. It is the most dogs skipping on the same rock and Japan.

-- the same rope. One man in Stamford has set his own record.

Their normal speeds are before a -- their normal speeds of between four

miles an hour and eight miles an hour. Meet speed king Colin from

Stamford. He has chosen a spectacular stunt to show his is

the fastest in the world. For safety reasons, it is best not to

attend things like this at home. Colin is a professional stuntman.

He reach speeds of 70 mph. Now working on his next project, we

managed to speak to Colin when things were quieter. I had to beat

60 miles an hour. I had a personal goal that I wanted to break the

national speed limit. It was not easy. When we finally did it, it

was a feeling of elation and I was very pleased. The new Guinness Book

of Records Features all kinds of bizarre and unusual skills. This

man from Doncaster displays his talent. What skills in Hull at the

Guinness Book of Records missing? Having the biggest mouth! I have

just read and across Britain in 2.5 days. -- I have just ridden my bike

across Britain. Maybe there is more we can boast about but and 71 mph,

this is one Lincolnshire record that can take some beating.

The race against time to save for miners stranded in a Welsh colliery.

How propose changes to planning laws could affect the countryside.

Some brighter spells tomorrow. Top temperatures around 16 Celsius.

It has been armed forces week on look north. Their response here.

Martin said, simply ridiculous, once the countryside has gone, it