Contacts: Laurie Mayer
lauriemayer@aol.comSimon and Natalie Ross-Pearce 01475 780 009
srosspearce@tiscali.co.ukGemma Parker
gemma.parker@mail.com
Next WRA meeting Berner's Hall, Woolverstone,
Tuesday 10th January 2006 at 7.30 pm
Parishes unite for Public Inquiry into Ganges Application
All Parishes on the peninsula are now working together to prepare for the Public Inquiry into the application to build 325 new homes on the site of the former HMS Ganges. The Inquiry is expected to be held over 12 days from 14 February 2006, at the offices of Babergh District Council in Hadleigh.
The Shotley Peninsula Parishes Alliance met on 21st September and agreed to work with Shotley parish council in presenting a united front. The next day, the Alliance’s action group consulted Dr. Wendy Le-las, a planning expert and, subject to a satisfactory estimate and breakdown of costs, has asked her to represent our joint case at the Inquiry.
Dr. Le-las specialises in local authority planning cases and was initially recommended by Suffolk Association of Local Councils to give planning guidance to Shotley. A former planning inspector, Dr. Le-las has her own planning consultancy and has written a guide to planning procedures (“Understanding the Development Jigsaw”- Buccaneer Books). Her impressive knowledge and experience left all of us feeling that our case is in a safe pair of hands.
Dr. Le-las has now submitted a Rule 6 Statement for the Planning Inspectorate – an outline of our case which sets out the planning legislation we say is contravened by the Ganges proposal. She will also advise on the need for legal representation which would be expensive but which, in her opinion, is not always necessary.
The Legal Services Commission for Eastern England estimates that legal representation for 12 days would probably cost in the region of £25,000! As we are highly unlikely to get any government funding to help fight this stage of the case, we expect to have to rely on our own fund raising efforts. (It will be a different matter if we lose at the Inquiry and then go to court to seek a Judicial Review of Babergh’s decision to approve the application).
Obviously we are aiming to keep costs down wherever possible but not at the expense of our case which, we all agree, must be presented professionally. Dr Le-las believes we have a very good case and that the planned development is totally unsustainable in such a remote location. (She rides a bike and was appalled at the risks cyclists face on the B1456!)
As soon as we know the bill for her planning expertise and what we might need to raise to pay for lawyers and or other experts, we will establish a fighting fund, set a target figure to raise and launch an appeal for donations from residents throughout the peninsula. The Ganges development would undoubtedly have a serious impact on a very wide area and we would therefore hope to attract contributions – however great or small - from across the peninsula and beyond. When we do launch our appeal in the near future we hope that everyone will do whatever they can to help. We are sure that by working together we will be able to mount a really powerful case to preserve and protect our environment and win through in the end!
If you would like to write objecting to the present application you still have until the end of the year to register your views.
Write to the following address quoting reference: APP/D3505/V/05/1185675 :
Sian Evans,
4/04 Kite Wing,
Temple Quay House,
2 The Square,
Temple Quay,
Bristol BS1 6PN
Thank you again for your continued interest and support.
Laurie Mayer, Chairman, WRA