Please share among your colleagues if it may be of interest. RSVP me for the Council House tour by 12th December, either through the email address on the flyer or the contact me page of this website.
PDF version available below:
EM Young Planners Christmas Social 17 Dec 2014
We look forward to seeing you.
…And so to the second and final part of the Channel Islands October Tour, to the wonderful island of Jersey.
I last visited here on a trip with friends for 4 nights in September 2012. We hired (and scraped) a Ford Focus, road a bike around the island, visited the gorillas at Durrell Wildlife Park, hiked the coastlines, jumped off a sea cliff and kayaked the shore. It was an amazing trip and the island proved to be so varied, intriguing and inviting towards a return holiday. That time we had a pleasant stay at the 4* Savoy Hotel in the island’s capital, St. Helier. A very good value stay, and excellent Long Island Ice Tea, from what I can remember!
This time I travelled solo and by Condor ferry from Guernsey. There was a degree of apprehension about this as the last time I travelled with Condor was to St. Malo (via the Channel Islands) in 1999 where the sea was choppy, the ferry smelt of baked beans and stale food and I spent most of the 4.5 hour journey in the toilet. Some 15 years later, upon boarding the ferry the same smell returned, enough to make anyone nauseous. Anyhow, the short 1 hour journey between islands soon commenced and with the temperature a pleasant 18C, bar the quick purchase of a KitKat, spent this time on the outside observation deck taking in the breeze and the view.
Ferry from Guernsey to Jersey
Jersey flag and the Union Jack
Upon arrival into the port of St. Helier, and after a quick M&S meal deal (the only major supermarkets on the islands are M&S, Waitrose and the Co-op) it was time to check into my first hotel before making an onward journey to the core purpose of the first day in Jersey – watching their annual road rally. I stayed on the outskirts of St. Helier in the budget 3* hotel Hotel de Normandie (http://www.channelhotels.com/hotel-de-normandie/welcome.html). Conveniently located facing St. Clements Bay and with an upgrade to a double, the hotel boast its own swimming pool and sauna, even at the budget price of just £36 on a Saturday night including breakfast. You simply cannot argue with that.
After checking in, I made use of Jersey’s excellent Liberty bus services to head up to Durrell Wildlife Park and walk towards the Bouley Bay Hill Climb for a free spectator’s view of the Jersey Rally. Now in its 32nd year, the rally makes use of the island’s tricky and twisty road network and makes for entertaining viewing. This year there were over 80 entrants, motors including a host of Ford Escorts, Peugeot 205s, new Fiestas, Subaru Imprezas, BMWs, Vauxhall Novas, Clios, an Audi Quattro, a sole Mini, and not to mention a Talbot Lotus Sunbeam! Viewing from a number of points in the north of the island, I eventually settled on a chicane section near St. Johns village and a point at the bottom of the Bouley Bay Hill Climb (following a walk through a beautiful National Trust woodland). The sights, smell, sound, all a bonus to see during one’s holiday!
Moving back after the rally and a quick swim in the pool at the hotel, dinner that night was taken in the acclaimed Sirocco restaurant at the Royal Yacht Hotel (http://www.theroyalyacht.com/restaurants/sirocco/). Situated next to Liberation Square in St. Helier, the hotel mimics a maritime theme and is exquisitely decorated and lit on the inside. The food isn’t bad either! Visiting again as part of the Channel Islands Tennerfest promotion, which runs during October and November, I was able to dine at Sirocco at three courses for £20 including coffee and petit fours. First course comprised of Crab and Prawn Cannelloni with apple textures, caviar and pea cream. The main that followed was another seafoord affair, with pan friend black bream with salmon ravioli, pickled cabbage and fish cream sauce. Dessert was a whipped vanilla cheesecake with lemon curd, pistachio crumbs and a yoghurt sorbet. With coffee came a selection of different home made doughtnut, chilli chocolate and milk chocolate lollipops. This was an excellent meal in good surroundings showing highly the gastronomic clout this island is known for. St. Helier felt a lot busier place than I expected, even if it was a Saturday night. A reasonable scene for bars and pubs. Alas for me, an earlyish night in the hotel.
Royal Yacht Hotel, St. Helier
Gorey Harbour, as viewed from Mont Orgueil Castle
Gorey Harbour and Mont Orgueil Castle.
Following a hearty breakfast the following morning at Hotel de Normandie, it was again time to set off fairly early on the Sunday morning, to a day of much poorer weather. Sunday was a bit of a washout, but it did not dampen the ability to visit key attractions, nor did it dampen any spirits! I had intended to visit Elizabeth Castle jutting out into St. Aubins Bay by the sea ferry, but high tides prevent me from doing so. Instead, a short bus ride to one of Jersey’s main icons, Mont Orgueil Castle was in order. Jutting out from the east of the island and towering over the picturesque Gorey Harbour, the castle is one of Jersey’s oldest, built in 1204. It is now owned by the Jersey Heritage Trust.
St. Brelades Bay from hotel
After a good few hours in the castle, a return bus ride took me back to the second and final hotel of the big tour. Residing in a prominent position on my favourite bay in Jersey, the 4* St. Brelades Bay Hotel (http://www.stbreladesbayhotel.com) exudes class, an almost regal and understated elegance. Having booked early on LateRooms I was able to book a sea view room with balcony and breakfast for just £55 per night; the hotel’s rates are £196 for the same room per night ordinarily! And what a room it turned out to be, looking directly over the pristine beach, little harbour and church. No wonder Nigel Mansell chose this spot for his home.
Poolside, St. Brelades Bay Hotel
Waterside, with St. Brelades Bay Hotel in the background
Room with a view, St. Brelades Bay Hotel
Making use of the hotel’s recently built leisure facilities, including pool, gym and steam rooms, a lazy afternoon was duly in order. This was followed by the hotel’s recommended afternoon tea at a bargain £11, watered down with the best cuppa and the house ‘St. Brelades Special’ Champagne and Brandy Cocktail. All overlooking the fantastic bay. A cosy night in of the tv, bath cheese and biscuits and cava followed. Sneeky trip up the hill to the Co-op made the commodities more financially accessible!
On the Monday the weather started a lot brighter and I headed down to breakfast to be greeted by staff in tuxedos and suits, as if we were on a luxury cruise liner. The staff clearly took pride in their job and were very friendly and courteous, some I gather have worked there for an eternity. It made a refreshing and relaxing change to dine in such surroundings, not all of us want to be contemporary all the time. Fully stoked up by a full English and copious amounts of breakfast tea, I headed off for a walk along the bay, over the headland towards St. Aubin village, via Quasnie beach. Upon arrival in St Aubin, with its beautiful harbour, churches and modern boathouse restaurant, a quick seafront tea stop ensued.
St. Aubin Harbour, Jersey
Lunch on the Monday was back in St. Helier at the Michelin Star Bohemia Restaurant, part of the 5* Club Hotel and Spa. (http://www.bohemiajersey.com) Again part of the Tennerfest at just £20 for 3 courses, this represented superb value for a venue that can cost upwards of £60-£80 for a meal. Starting off with nibbles, a small pot of aubergine broth and freshly baked crusty bread, starter comprised of an artichoke foam (soup) with coffee and apple. Main course was hake with the freshest mussels I have ever had, a cream sauce and kale. A supreme dessert of pear and hazelnut torte. Service was the best in this venue, noting arrival solo, a copy of the newspaper was provided and staff were friendly and more than accommodating.
Visiting Corbiere Lighthouse
Feeling refreshed and slightly overwhelmed with the posh dining experience, I headed to the hotel to swim it off and then catch the bus to Corbiere Lighthouse for sunset, so far my favourite place ever visited. Having experienced a fantastic view as the sun went down 2 years ago, it was mandatory to return. Straddling out on a causeway from Jersey’s bracing west coast and covered routinely by some of the highest tides in the world, I had the fortune to be able to visit the lighthouse last time round and climb to the top with a very knowledgeable tour guide. This time ‘just the view’ was all that was required. As the sun went down the rays poked through the clouds, beaming directly over the lighthouse. You really feel as if you are at the end of the world and it seems captivating. All other thoughts dissipate as you marvel at the light and landscape. That turns into darkness as the natural light is replaced by the beam of the lighthouse providing an added dynamic to the photography. It really is one of the must visit locations, really, truly. Tours of the lighthouse usually take place select dates during September, but you can enjoy the view all year round.
Sunset over Corbiere Lighthouse
Jersey, always a memorable experience.
St. Brelades Bay
Room, St. Brelades Bay hotel
Following the lighthouse adventure, I returned to eat in the hotel. This time not on the Tennerfest Menu, but still a treat with a freshly caught Lobster and Prawn salad and Lemon Tart with Jersey Ice Cream.
Tuesday, as the final half day of the experience, started early to make the most of the swimming pool and to justify the smoked haddock breakfast that followed! The last must visit attraction was by bus to the Mansell Collection. A resident on the island, famed racing driver Nigel Mansell has built up his collection of trophies, racing and golf memorabilia and cars and housed them all in the purpose built museum. Accompanied by an audio guide taking you through the history, this is a must for any motoring enthusiast. We once had a tyre from one of Mansell’s race winning cars in our back garden, I wonder if it is still there?
Before returning to the hotel to collect the luggage, the final culinary experience had been booked for 12pm at the Crab Shack, St. Brelades Bay (http://jerseycrabshack.com). Right on the seafront I was treated to their Autumn Special ‘Fish Board’ consisting of very juicy battered king prawns with sweet chilli sauce, crispy battered squid with garlic mayonnaise, shellfish bisque with brandy, a fresh crab taco with tomato, avocado, chillis and red onion, salad and a bucket of crispy chips. While gorging on this delectable lunch, it offered the last chance to absorb the view of the bay during beautiful warm weather before saying goodbye to the whole experience. There was just enough time to have a cornet of real Jersey Ice cream, a short stroll along the bay for photographs and a visit into the sweet St. Brelades Church and Fisherman’s Chapel. Sadly, time to leave and return to the airport , at least with its great observation deck.
St. Brelades Church
The Mansell Collection
Flew BA last time, always the best.
Heading home on FlyMaybe, but it was on time!
On account of this trip taking in the best sights and culinary delights for a fraction of their normal price, Jersey remains an excellent destination for a short break. It still makes me wish to return again and again, and I know for a fact that many people do. It has an excellent series of beaches, historical attractions, war relics (do visit the war tunnels), viewpoints and above all, character. Clean, affluent and quite rural in places, it still achieves this with quite a bustling capital at St. Helier. The best of both worlds. I hope that if you get the chance to visit this island, just an hour on the plane from the UK, that you enjoy it as much as I do. To be further inspired by Jersey visit www.jersey.com.
Hello,
I have been doing a bit of research recently into play areas and wanted to share some thoughts on how they can be made more inclusive, both by design and by functionality. Please read and enjoy the blog post and submit any comments if you have some.
–
While it is a legal requirement under the Equality Act (formerly DDA) and the Public Sector Equality Duty to construct play spaces that are accessible to all, there is more that can be achieved out of making a local play space inclusive. This requirement does not mean that play equipment will be less enjoyable to use, but because everyone can be a recipient there is so much more potential from disability compliant apparatus. There should be emphasis in making each item of equipment inclusive, rather than just new contraptions. That action only serves to maintain the divide between those who can and cannot use the play area, and therefore presents the provider back to the source of the problem rather than creating means to avoid it.
The Inclusive Play Good Practice Briefing states that disabled children and young people have the right to play and be included in their communities. The provider has the upmost duty to evaluate opinions made by local children and young people who have self-defined as disabled, as well as their parents or guardians to ensure they have been consulted and can feel proud to be a part of the development process.
Inclusion in play areas does not just consider disabled people; as part of the Equality Act 2010 it extends to all groups that have/are currently experiencing or have experienced disadvantage in the provision and quality of open space and facilities. With this in mind, consulting local community groups is vital so their representation and democracy rights are met. This has numerous benefits for the provider and installer of play facilities as it is indicative of their effort to include all in their work.
Criteria
For any area it is most important to consider the main principles of inclusive design, notably:
Diversity and difference: Catering for differences of personality, disability and culture. Good consultation methods are crucial.
Ease of use: Superior access to and within sites.
Freedom of choice and access to mainstream activities: Surveillance and help when needed and to those most vulnerable.
Quality: Matching or exceeding minimum standards. Being creative yet realistic at the design stage.
(Source: Inclusive Design for Play, KIDS and Department for Education, formerly DCSF)
HOW CAN PLAY SPACES BE IMPROVED TOWARDS INCLUSION?
Suggestions for sensory improvement – Items that compliment inclusive play equipment
To accomplish an inclusive play environment it would be helpful to take into account that the senses are vital for many disabled children and young people to interact with an open space. The guide ‘Inclusive Design: The principles in Practice’ encourages planting as a method of permeability to highlight routes around the space. In addition to this, children and young people may gain a sense of pride and enjoyment at having vegetation that contributes to the vibrancy of the play area. Most people appreciate the natural environment and like to touch, smell and in some conditions taste the surroundings. Planting can go some way towards meeting Inclusive Design principles of diversity and difference, quality and legibility/predictability.
Another item to consider is the request for enclosed areas, although we have to be careful here for reasons of privacy and segregation. This can still be achieved in many parks and play areas through partial enclosure. Items to consider include:
Fencing is another item. Too much can create major access problems for disabled children and their families. Too little can heighten the risk of roaming animals. How far do we go to enclose play areas? Do we separate them into sections or look at partial enclosure as mentioned? As full enclosure can be considered excessive by the public, as well as limiting internal access routes, it would be more appropriate to look at the latter option. Fencing should still be particularly strong on the periphery to create a distinction between leisure space and other zones (residential, commercial etc).
Suggestion 2: Play apparatus
Thought must be given towards the use of tactile surfaces when considering different options for new inclusive play equipment. Also to factor in could be the following questions:
A common misconception is that for play equipment to be inclusive, it must be toned down and would therefore be less successful as a recreational space. This does not have to be the case – considering that many surfaces and colours can be used to enhance the sensory experience of a play area, inclusive play spaces can actually be a more creative and original example of a play area. This suggestion complies with all six principles of Inclusive Design.
What may determine the success of an inclusive play space?
A number of factors are instrumental in achieving a good, well used play area. Most obvious is the proximity of a school which has significant weight on the number of children and young people using the play area for recreation. This is particularly the case if there are pupils disclosing a disability who rely on amenities close by due to a mobility condition or sensory impairment. Other factors include the size of the population around the site, and whether the play space has potential for use from residents outside the immediate boundary.
While it is important to ensure that apparatus and approach to the site is inclusive, careful consideration needs to be made towards potential obstructions in the way of users on their journey to the site. This also ties in with managing risk, itself another major component in the creation of new and refurbished play areas. A thriving leisure space will serve disabled chilren and young people well if the infrastructure is sufficient – dropped pavements, effective lighting and up to date signage in alternative formats are just three examples of how this can be achieved. The Play England guide ‘Managing Risk in Play Provision’ used an example in Wolverhampton of successful signage that encouraged children to read about the site as well as use it. It also provided good information to parents in the event of safety being compromised at the play area. What could be expanded here are the use of Braille and more details of the inclusive equipment. This does not mean that instructions have to be provided for each individual piece of apparatus, instead it clarifies to the user that the play area has been designed with the needs of disabled children and young people in mind.
I hope you have found this blog post insightful and interesting, please subscribe to the blog if you wish!
Thanks for looking,
Chris
The government is widely endorsing the Big Society and the localism agenda as key principles to drive their policies forward. I admire many aspects of this but cannot help thinking that it is very disjointed and the relationship to place has been woefully underestimated. I argue that the government has so far been missing some of the point, is not radical like it proclaims and has been far too unilateral with geography in the projects that support localism. Ultimately I state that localism and schemes initiated to deliver it have potential to leave people out spatially and that this has a far more detrimental impact on our society and planning, outweighing the importance of putting people at the heart of decisions that localism aims to meet.
What do I read localism to be?
It was true to form that I first became aware of localism upon the release of the Conservative Party’s green paper ‘open source planning’ but only began to take it more seriously when the coalition government was elected. Localism is conveyed as a radical change to sideswipe the centralised state and provide less barriers to ‘the people’, who in the government’s mind should be at the forefront of decision making. I read for localism to be one of the more powerful tools in exhibiting the government’s Big Society agenda, again a pinnacle of Conservative policy prior to the election as a coalition in May 2010. By encouraging civic pride and responsibility, it is envisaged that local people will feel empowered to make change in their areas.
My initial perceptions
I am quite an unusual character in that I am quite unforgiving and hostile to this government’s attitudes to the built environment and always have been. This is despite supporting some of their work in other sectors and initiatives. I am a strong proponent of regional planning and have been sad to see it lost without a chance to let it breathe. There has been widespread criticism of that particular framework but it was only implemented for a small number of years as part of sectors that are well known for a rhetoric of slow progress (see Barker and Killian Pretty, among others). So how can it be commented on with such distaste? It comes as little surprise that I am finding localism rather difficult to interpret, but am a personality that is open to reconstruction on this matter.
I show a somewhat mixed reaction, but must stress that not all of it is negative. It is all too easy to start pinpointing the opposing argument; exhibiting a bullish personality and a vanguard of emotion. But even with a subject such as localism I cannot bring myself to respond in this way. The majority of government policy does actually have meaningful elements to it, reflecting the aspirations of their creator. I have tried to underpin those values instead of taking the lazy route towards nitpicking.
Unease but hope
At the moment there is more unease to be displayed than joy to endorse localism, but this is because I am holding back, wanting to (and willing to) understand more about the subject and its objectives. I feel that localism has been a mass of buzzwords launched too early in advance before government has convened most of the substance together, and that is worrying. Indeed most of the uncertainty does not stem from the continual pattern of frontloading that is taking place that others might transpire to state as their concern, such as the rapid but thwarted abolishment of the regional tier and frontloading of local government spending reductions. I admire cutting to the chase, being specific and going ahead with what you stated you would do. But in order to represent true grit and determination, there needs to be some dialogue of what happens, how are conflicts going to be mitigated and a transparent framework to evaluate success. With the localism agenda I see little thought on this, and a constant drizzle of policy introductions. While I would like concrete, all I see is blancmange – that is at least until we have a proper breakdown of localism’s powers, which are slowly creeping in. I see the ideas born out of localism and the big society to have a poor spatial understanding, with policies that are too simplified. For example the New Homes Bonus, intended to incentivise house building in areas of demand, will work extremely well in the South East and other areas with housing pressures. But this will be woeful in places with negative take up, causing a funding shortfall for local authorities who will receive little merit from the Bonus. I would endorse that if Localism is to provide these kinds of measures, there needs to be multiple versions to specify not just who but where will benefit from them.
Radical? Not quite!
I find localism to be less radical than previously thought – take the whole concept of ‘decentralisation’ for example. Under the new localism based principles local communities would have obligatory powers to produce their own neighbourhood development plan, but the housing numbers still have to either match or be higher than any previously proposed under regional planning or the local plan. We also have environmental directives to consider from Brussels, which we have little enforcement of. Therefore I would argue that true ‘pure’ localism cannot be achieved, instead an uneven patchwork quilt of civic responsibility will be encouraged across the country.
Civic responsibility is something I find a virtue here, albeit with caution
Civic responsibility is a fundamental feature of society that has in part been lost. I treasure attempts to bring some of this back into the wider rhetoric on the street and at the local level. However, the reality put into practice is that our lifestyles do not always arrange well to being responsible, supporting others and working for nothing. It is something I personally advocate, but know many personalities who would not work with the concept. Having said that, I can imagine that the element to embrace civic responsibility will work well in certain places, but will be severely dictated by geography. Places including rural areas that still have community spirit and diverse urban neighbourhoods such as student areas with higher levels of volunteering rates could benefit from localism principles and the big society. But in places that are comparatively deprived and facing similar budget reductions, or rural areas that have lost their soul to poor attitudes and wrong decisions, localism is bound to be a struggle. The big society motive may be better in these areas to rally people together as part of a wider social welfare remit, but it will be particularly weak when applied to planning. Big society and localism will no doubt fuel the power relations of whoever has the greatest stake, and the greatest influence on development proposals. With the advent of neighbourhood plans, this is likely to get larger as the prospect of developer funded plans may become a reality.
But there surely will be a rise of the third sector even during times of restraint and potential austerity
Overall, I see much potential for the third sector, despite their own financial pressures brought on by questionable times, to experience a rise of take up or interest in their work from local people as a result of localism. This is inevitable, no matter what the variety of opinion is on the matter, and is accentuated if protest goes unheeded. If the government acts on its ideologies and mobilised campaigns to protect the built environment fail, then in certain places people will have no choice but to join such organisations to try and make their areas work once again. Furthermore, the voluntary sector can be a means with which to represent a stronger unified voice to inform the government on best ways forward. I can increasingly see the third sector starting to lean on the side of pressure groups as a result of localism; their bargaining power increased but the eventual decision not necessarily as decentralised as first imagined.
Thanks for looking,
Chris
This article is written from a personal perspective.
Dear all,
This is actually my first blog post of 2011, which is pretty shameful. But today is Autism Sunday and marks a good time to write a new blog post. Tthere have been many work developments during the tail end of 2010 that were part of a ‘restructure’. For example, while work in the student movement is still alive it is now more compact than it once was. Some of the earlier work had been inspiring roles with mostly excellent people and projects but I often misjudged the complexity of characters and structures I had to work with. The end of 2010 also represented a time whereby I was operating in a clique situation which is one of the more detestable frameworks to be part of for a person with Asperger Syndrome. I do however miss the work at the NUS Disabled Students’ Campaign which was accompanied to the other NUS roles and had to go with it. The restructure had nothing to do with the student protest movements occuring (unfortunately) at the same time, even though I had made it quite clear on some of the important advantageous (and disadvantageous) effects of that on the students I was representing.
I firmly believe that representing students is still very important, but now possess a greater understanding of the most efficient avenues where success can be achieved for student welfare. I felt bizarrely drowned out of the wider concept of ‘who has the loudest voice’ for a short while, but now I am back and willing to be involved in more items. Incidentally, I took the choice of being a commuting student in autumn 2010 which was not one of lifes greatest decisions and both of these emotional drawbacks led to the restructure. Hopefully for 2011 I am back once again to develop new opportunities for students. I have started to engage with new extra-curricular society and built environment roles, including as a Parish Councillor from November 2010. Hopefully I can give balance to local issues and concerns and be pragmatic with solutions. I am no NIMBYist which can often (rightly) go attached with local representation. On a personal note I am quite a vociferous objector to the emerging localism agenda but if this is preferred locally to me then I am of course willing to endorse it. Expect a new blog article on the big society and localism principles very soon.
Recent work
Degree and work
Recently I have been busy completing coursework assignments on the National Infrastructure Plan, Local Area Action Planning and a Strategic Planning debate. I have also been completing the Green Space Strategy at work which is a great scheme to be given the opportunity to be involved in, especially for developing competencies of forward planning. It feels terribly odd to be finishing the degree this June, but exciting to be looking forward to the rest of the year. In terms of where I would like to be, transport planning or environmental planning is the most favourable but developments in the disability field since participating in voluntary activities has led me to consider this field in the future. The likes of the National Autistic Society and Equality and Human Rights Commission are always on the agenda.
Aspergers and Me
2011 is an important year as I finish my final year of the Masters in Urban Studies and Planning. It also marks a year where I will restart parts of my book, ‘Aspergers and Me’ to develop it into an exciting collection of major interest areas that form educational life. I am putting more attention into finishing it off this year but have always had no set end date for the book – it is something that has to be developed, not rushed. If you are a publisher that specialises in books on autism and Asperger Syndrome please contact me for more details. It would be excellent to discuss the book in person.
Aim Higher and National Autistic Society lecturing
In November 2010 I lectured on the “student and personal experience” the Postgraduate Certificate in Asperger Syndrome for the National Autistic Society/Sheffield Hallam University. This took place in Glasgow and I have been asked to do a third session in Nottingham in March 2011.
On January 28th, I spoke at the Action on Access Aim Higher National Forum, University of Greenwich. This was on the importance of the outgoing Aim Higher programme to disabled students to an audience mostly confined to disability practitioners in higher education. The session included a rountable discussion at the end and I gave suggestions to the audience as to how the more successful aspects of Aim Higher could be incorporated into a new rationalised framework, and the importance of student unions on the concept of “student experience”.
It is planned that I will be working on multiple projects during Autism Awareness Week. If you would like me to be involved in your organisation’s preparations please send a message via the contact page.
Thanks for looking.
Chris
Hello,
In my first comprehensive blog post for a while, I write to go through some of the worlds and scenarios experienced on a daily basis and how the contribution of Asperger Syndrome fuels the their appearance, management and operation. This post is indeed a precursor to the more detailed section on university life that forms part of my book, Asperger and Me. I hope you read this section with interest and take an understanding from it. Please get in touch through the ‘Contact page’.
Living through the world of Aspergers in Higher Education
As I commence fourth year studies, I reminisce about the way in which AS is presented to fellow students. Plenty has been asked in the past three years in Sheffield as to how I essentially view items in life compared to other students and it is more under preoccupation now that this is not always communicated in the best way. I realised towards the end of third year that I had become rather bitter about communicating with some people and came across stern, stubborn and without empathy, and for this I apologise. To you I hope this post will help you in the understanding and that I, and other people in similar situations sometimes have little self awareness on expression and presentation to other people. Some of your inquisitiveness to ask more inquisitively, and not patronisingly about AS has most definately been a good standpoint as despite the environmental difficulties imposed on the wider field of disability, I appreciate it can be very difficult to ask someone of the parameters of their condition.
General Context to Specific Interest Areas
Asperger Syndrome is more commonly associated with undertaking more intense specific interests and having remarkable attention to detail. For me, this has extended over the years to most forms of transport, geography including buildings. Most of the transportation agenda waned by the time I was fourteen, resulting in a less compulsive desire to memorise train timetables, or indeed be enthralled by a comparatively banal regional service to my local town. Equally, by fourteen there was less of a preoccupation to visit East Midlands Airport to view that same Sunday afternoon arrival from Jersey. But the specifics of going to that venue to see that particular vehicle transferred in other ways and today the specific interests have taken a different turn.
In recent years the transportation agenda has been mostly exclusive to cars – I’m in incessent petrolhead – the sort that does not know how to change anything mechanically but reminisces about certain specifics of cars. I was well known for example of ordering car brochures, reading them once and never again, only to read off the equipment specifications and where they were built. I also am a strong proponent of British Cars (despite the lack of nowadays) and have such a belated following to MG Rover vehicles. I source these specifics down to a routined way of thinking and understanding that comes with my AS diagnosis. I stand out in this regard for being so rigid. For example, no other car other than an MG Rover product was considered when buying a motor. Even with them going bankrupt 5 years ago and the vehicles getting ever old the aim at some point is to stick with idiosyncratic opinion and conform to the pipe and slippers beige leather/walnut dashboard environment that is so nice to sit in!
Where Town Planning as a ‘Specific Interest Area’ arised from…
A second specific interest has been in geography, maps and buildings, commencing a long time ago. Back in 1997 at the age of 8, when everyone else at the kids club was away on the playstation or getting sucked into some other technology, I was sat at the table producing large A0, A1 and A2 maps based on the AA mapbook system or intricately laid out place with every individual building, road, road sign, tree, gate, and so on created on the paper. The specifics within the maps in particular were churches, cathedrals, railways, airports and brands, reflecting major interests of the time and things I saw out of the window on random car trips to town. Towns and cities were based on real places but often with a change of name , and I am pleased to say some of these maps still exist – place names included “Teeds”, “Tollbridge”, “Halifax”, “Harborough” and so on. Halifax even had the National Railway Museum, miraculously moved from York.
The overarching interest in geography has extended from this initial base point of maps right way through the educational stages. I would not have been so rigid and focused, more so than most other students, to be able to say at age 12 that I wanted to do Town Planning at University. ….
And so thats what I went for….
I took a route towards Higher Education to serve my specific interest of the built environment, but also because it is the only option for full town planning chartership. This suits the no-nonsense approach that many might associate me with, cutting to the chase and not allowing for much wish wash on the ways that you can achieve something.
Delaying aspirations and support methods that brought them back
Through secondary education I had to delay those aspirations at times, as these stages brought toil and trouble through bullying, crushing of ones specific interest and commitment into a culture of sameness, being sheeps and lemmings, a ‘me-too’ attitude, among the other pupils that is. The methods of support in place for my AS stemmed from a long winded but successful process to obtain a Special Educational Needs Statement, and these support methods helped lift those aspirations out of the hole in the ground and keep them alive. For example, it supported ways for me to manage a special interest so that it would not detrimentally affect social relations with other people, as it had done previously by boring others to sleep or accentuating teasing. It also helped identify where my additional skills were, as previously these were unbeknown to me including articulation of handwriting and speaking in front of audiences. The characteristic of AS to have difficult self perception was very rife at this stage for me and partly overcoming this can be sourced to educational support methods.
Importance of Routine in the daily life at University and other Commitments
On the most part, despite the odd difficult piece of work or annoyance that I am only in for a few hours a week, I have thoroughly enjoyed town planning as a degree and have bolstered it with as many other commitments as can be enjoyed to my interests within the routine. Living with AS is all about routine, schedule, time commitment and dilligence. I deliberately work on a schedule of making my university week comparable to a full time working week, including getting on with the work in some ways, shapes and forms and even deliberately checking over and working on things to the day before the deadline. I assign a programme of work right from starting an assignment right until the end but often hand in items early to give knowledge that I have that leeway. By comparison, iff you leave things until the last minute there is no chance for a leeway. It is something that I thrive on and being on an ordinary University schedule makes me feel extremely lost, at times lazy and generally uneducated about the wider world. That does not mean I think that fellow students are like this, its just that I cannot suit myself to a slower pace of routine. Despite the packed schedule I hope to convey a dilligence to always be there for people in some capacity. This is part of the compassionate nature that is often forgotten in AS, to try and broaden out to everyone, sometimes manifested out of earlier social problems. I certainly believe that after having no one and establishing better social communication principles that I lead a better life with acquaintances. Cliques are something that depresses me but constitute as everyday life for some. But I did find that in a give or take scenario where we are supposed to look out for each other, my busy schedule was perceived to be ‘Chris is not bothering anymore’. Far from it, I just am a strong convenor/rigid to the give and take principles of social communication. I contact you, you then contact me. Not seen me for a while? Come and visit.This all seems dreadfully authoritarian but in reality if not present there would be plenty of chaotic scenes. Without some rule abidance and schedule I am hardly anything and that is being frank. The anxiety of working without this would be to the scale that I could not go to university. So it has to stay. What I and other people with AS ask kindly without arrogance is that others work around the schedule where possible.
Social Communication
This is the most reported characteristic of having AS and involves the ‘brick wall’ that most of us with the condition experience when concerning interaction with other people. I started off in primary school by not speaking to others, instead communicating through hitting people and sealing off parts of the room for my own use. I also assigned my own table and own computer printed table sign for example. Social communication was limited to specific interest areas, although there was no interaction as this would involve physically taking my toy trains or interrupting my path on the pretend runway for east midlands airport that I was planning to take off from. Both were no go areas. Extend 10 years after this into secondary education and the fundamentals of this still existed but basic communication was still there. But the era is compounded by neglect and isolation and is not favoured in the viewpoints of many people with AS. The time was compounded by an ignorance to realise that ‘difference’ is a virtue sometimes and that not everybody has to be the same.
How has University benefitted me and possibly others with AS?
For me, further and higher education was the getaway from the above thought process. Both were far more inclusive environments to the sociologies of difference and despite lots of work to improve services for disabled people, they allow you to be yourself more. At University there is an ability among others to respect my interests, which in turn improves my ability to respect theirs – another skill added. The closed bubble of University suits me because I can move away from aspects of social life that present anxieties and crucially specify ones that I feel comfortable with. University is beneficial for people with AS including me as it bolsters the leadership skills that enhance group situations that were often so difficult for many of us in previous education, and can still be troublesome. The problem for many people with AS is actually getting to University due to hurdles earlier on. I for example was one of less than 10 students on the spectrum at my whole University upon arrival in 2007/8. Now there are more but we are still talking less than 20. That is a grave concern and I share the plight of going through those difficulties. Many people with AS are incredibly intelligent at what they want to achieve and be interested in and they are often witheld from getting this far.
Additionally, gaining confidence of AS prior to going to University established another specific interest area around the research of autistic spectrum conditions and helping other people with a disability. This has now extended to the representation work that is familiar on this blog and is something I am fascinated and proud to work with. It represents a point where I am happy to have changed to the extent that I have the capacity to help other people out.
What remains a daily difficulty through having AS?
I am going to focus on the most specific of these issues, and they are:
1. The biggest ongoing problem for me with AS is taking conversation literally and struggling to adapt to change. This causes considerable anxiety and often over comparatively small items to other people. This is why there is so much rhetoric on others presenting a different sensory environment to people with AS so that it is more legible and less full of hurdles.
For example, the worst questions ever posed to me or indeed anyone with AS could be on the lines of the following:
These questions are of no use to someone with AS, they do not include many specifics, to incentivise the social communication that can sometimes be difficult with us. It is not that we are weak, or challenged in any way, we just require bolstering to kickstart initial conversation.
But ask me more rigidised questions, and the answers are far more legible.
2. I have acute difficulty with noise, to the extent of kicking up much fuss over fire alarm faults in first year that caused psychological problems and wearing earplugs at most nightclub venues. Without the support of peers this can turn into a very difficult and anxious situation and people with AS, no matter whether acquainted or close to others, need to be recognised that they want reassurance in these situations. Walking off in a nightclub and leaving someone and their AS to deal with it is not comprehendable. Equally, the sensory difficulties are often comparable to the mindblock experienced in exams, you literally freeze and it can often extend as far as a panic attack.
3. The final point is raised in my conclusion, but there have been times in education where I am on undue pressure to cut back my ‘differences’ to fit in. I say that the way of being slightly bitter in third year at times was a way of fighting this back. I conclude by raising the following comment that I have often raised in presentations about AS to academics, students and professionals:
“Taking the negative issues out of the equation it is simply an absolute delight to recall past aspects of being a standalone figure in the class, the home, the street and other environments. Turn back the clock and I could not envisage any pride of having a behavioural problem, but now I find lots of the characteristics that define me as positive, not the generic person on the street as positive. A particular comfort zone is having old fashioned ways, itself manifested out of my AS. Here there is no chance of me retreating from the armchair, cup of tea in hand and the box set of Keeping Up Appearances being put to full use, in exchange of a hip life of being Mr ‘me-too’, watching the latest hit reality television nonsense and buying out any product with the letter i at the beginning. I am simply not like the latter, and instead prefer to blend idiosyncrasy with a slight hint of modern. I’ve only just got used to the idea of keeping up with fashions and at least consider myself as aware of cars and the music scene, house and chill out in particular which are certainly not backward. But that is crucially me and my ways in my world when appropriate that is surely something to treasure when there is so much pressure these days to be monotonous, and what the media or your peers insinuate you should be like.”
Thanks for looking,
Chris
It was particularly strange and coincidental that this article cropped up on BBC News after I had attended a degree seminar on the role of power, justice and information in the Town and Country Planning process. The article also covers autism, and I have many connections to this being on the spectrum itself.
What is the planning system supposed to achieve? The background that should be used for all cases, this included:
The Planning system of England and the devolved nations has been outlined in the Killian Pretty Review to be fair, proportionate, customer-focussed and transparent. It is not always so and there are a number of (thankfully) minority cases like recent prosecutions and corruption at Doncaster Council. Planners are supposed to mediate between the conflicting interests of the market and the general public. It involves the power of politics, descending down from a rather target driven central government and the regional tier, to the power of business and economic development.
The system aims to do its best to calculate an optimum solution (strategic decision making) in meeting policy criteria on the likes of housing demand, regeneration, economic and sustainable development, transport and preserving the historic environment. It should make decisions that give people enough say in the consultation process and for that to make a difference, providing that say is reasonable. Resulting from this (hopefully) is a modest amount of social justice because community needs have been met or a development has been altered in favour of those needs. There is a long running argument that planning does not favour the needs of the public when it comes to the appeal or inquiry process, instead preferring evidenced consultancy based representation.
The context of wind power
Onshore windfarms are a classic case of community opposition and power versus planning delivery of government targets. But the UK has the highest availability of windspeeds in Europe, and Lincolnshire is one of the prime target areas for sustained renewable energy growth. The county already has a substantial proportion of England’s onshore wind sites, and further development off the East Coast. I live near the site of a proposed windfarm that was rejected for planning permission and dismissed on appeal – it certainly is a contentious issue. I am personally very much in favour of onshore and offshore wind although I appreciate that disadvantages of the former are well marked. In my local application, there was strong opposition on the grounds of noise which is simply unacceptable given the proximity of the A1 trunk road to the settlements.
What are my views on this particular planning decision?
In this case at Burton on Stather it appears there is an additional personal framework to consider – the livelihood of the Glathorne family. This appears to be a complex case because there is already a wind farm in the vicinity of the family’s home, and that would have no doubt necessitated the application for a second renewable development. The article does not refer to other objections which means I cannot really comment on that side of the decision made, however it does state that the Planning Inspector dismissed the appeal solely on the basis further wind farm expansion constitutes as injustice towards the family.
A distinguishing characteristic of autism can be of intense personal interest in a topic, subject, hobby, routine, object and so forth. I must state however that this is not a behavioural feature in all autistic people. The children here had an intense satisfaction in spinning objects and a wind farm is likely to be a major aggravator towards this behaviour.
I consider this decision to be wholly acceptable in the planning profession although it could be likely that some planning inspectors would be prepared to accept the appealed wind farm development rather than rejecting it because the wind farm is in an appropriate area for wind power where there is already such a land use and that they constitute environmental benefits to outweigh the disadvantages.
The inspector John Braithwaite acted in a very sequential way in the appropriate method of working to come to his decision that the personal effects on the Glathorne family was a contravention of Local Plan policy DS21 which says permission will be granted for renewable energy development providing that any detrimental effect on features, including local character and amenity is outweighed by environmental/economic benefits (including acknowledged features). Clearly Mr Braithwaite considered that the wind farm would be a detrimental effect on such features and I tend to agree because the Glathorne family turned out to be a major acknowledged feature of the appeal procedure.
Here the livelihood of the family was likely to be compromised beyond repair if the Grange wind farm was to be constructed. The decision represents a major victory for planning in the public interest, which all too often is crowded out except in the adoption of conditions on development. The inspector considered the case of morals, social justice, welfare and residential amenity in this application and I do have tendencies to accept that the site would have gone through had it not been for the representation of the Glathornes. With the wording of the article it seems that the family has lived at their dwelling for considerably longer than the wind farms. I do however have a slight concern about this case setting precedent for the future because the family was unclear as to the effect of the original Bagmoor wind farm (from reading the planning appeal) and this raises questions about the legibility of planning information. Were they misinformed or was planning complying correctly with Bagmoor? Was the family fully aware of the children’s tendencies even after diagnosis? The answer to the latter is probably not, as these characteristics can develop differently over time.
The Planning Inspector’s report can be found here:NLincs Wind Farm Appeal Decision
Original BBC News article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/humber/8646326.stm
Hello all,
After printing it off at work yesterday and getting the chance to read through it this afternoon on the train from London, I thought I’d give a review on the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPi) Manifesto for Planning. This has been produced particularly with the forthcoming General Election in mind (May 6th) to reaffirm the RTPi’s stance and values as to how the current system is working and the direction they would prefer to see it take.
I read with bemusement come page 14 (the final page) that the manifesto was not inherently radical – instead it appeared to be a basic and hastily defined set of values that we already came to expect from the RTPi.
It went on to suggest that the planning system should not have any radical changes because this would cause ill feeling and uncertainty at local planning authorities who are barely getting to grips with the process of Local Development Frameworks (LDFs), incidentally anow 6 years old. But further down the manifesto it was suggested that LDFs were not the way forward and a slow process of implementing local planning. But in order to solve those frailties, I personally think a radical overhaul would again be needed and that would then constitute a contradiction to the RTPi’s values. The rest of the document was very much part and parcel of what we already knew the RTPi stood for, but I suppose the Institute was very strenuous to advocate that those values and objectives still very much exist strongly.
Thanks for looking
Chris
Chrisadvisor 