The Stonehenge Farm Quarry Application

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Gravel Appeal Time Resource Shortage Shock

The Public Inquiry reconvened on Tuesday 13 April 2010. It ran for 8 days until Friday 23 April, Tuesday to Friday for two consecutive weeks.

By Thursday 22 April it had become clear that existing reserves of the right kind of time had run out, and that the Inquiry would have to extract a new tranche, biting into previously untouched reserves.

So now a further 4 days have been booked at Northmoor Village Hall, from 10am on Tuesday 29 June until Friday 2 July 2010. Another unmissable date for your diaries.

And how has it all gone so far? It's hard to say much at this stage. We've heard from OCC and from all Hanson's witnesses. We've also heard a large number of residents from Northmoor, Moreton, Stanton Harcourt and Sutton, who all put a very strong case. All except one opposed Hanson's appeal.

It's been wonderful to have such strong support, and to have so many of you come to the hearings. Thank you, it has meant a lot.

Next time, it's our turn - at last. We know we have a strong case, and Charles Hopkins and Terry Kirkpatrick have quarried away at Hanson's evidence, extracting the gritty material we need.

Of course, the whole thing was meant to be finished by now. Everyone has done and given so much, but we can't give up now. So once again we call on anyone who wants to save this last bit of the valley - we need funds and fundraising events to pay for our lawyer, we need all the help you can give.

And here are some pictures of what we would lose:

From the footpath, in summer

Deer on the Stonehenge Farm fields

Snow: the footpath to Newbridge

zA path where children are safe