The consultation is over; the fight continues. While feeling satisfied that we, BALI, and the people of Bexhill, have done our utmost in the current campaign to remove Ashdown Brickworks as a landfill site from the County’s waste plan, we know from past experience how obdurate the County Council is regarding using this site for waste and so we cannot and will not relax our efforts.
Our sources tell us that there have been over 800 objections to the County's 'Preferred Strategy for Waste' since its publication last October. Furthermore many of these have been from local groups representing up to (in the case of Highwoods Golf Club) 800 members.
Rother District Council, an extremely important 'statutory consultee', has strongly opposed the proposal to use Ashdown Brickworks for landfill and councillors and representatives of all political parties have expressed wholehearted support for BALI in the local press, which has also come out strongly against this pernicious proposal that would damage our town in so many ways.
After RDC's submission, possibly the most important submission is BALI's own, long in the preparation and submitted only last week, consisting of 27 pages of detailed forceful argument in planning terms by our expert legal-planning consultants DMH Stallard. We take no credit for this; such work is expensive and has only been possible through the generous donations from local groups and individuals to our Fighting Fund both before and during our current campaign. We can but thank them profusely.
It is important to note, however, that Bexhill are not the only community opposing the County’s waste plans. The Preferred Strategy vaguely suggests – on a map – as an addition or alternative to Ashdown, 'areas of search' for landraise sites (like Pebsham) in the Low Weald which have been identified as being near such communities as Golden Cross, Hellingly, Hailsham, Chiddingly and others. Their parish councils have accordingly formed their own action group to oppose landfill/raise in their area supported by their MPs Charles Hendry and Norman Baker. (In a similar way our own MP Greg Barker has unwaveringly supported BALI for over 7 years and continues to be a 'tower of strength' for our cause).
'NIMBYS!' we might say – or they might say of us. We don't, of course: they have the same right to defend their local community as ourselves, and they take the same view of our struggle in Bexhill. I was pleased to be invited to their packed public meeting in Hailsham, last Saturday and gratified to hear that they do not suggest simply that waste be buried in the ground at Ashdown. Rather they are strongly urging East Sussex County Council, as is BALI, to rethink their whole waste policy. Landfill or landraise are mediaeval solutions to the massive modern problem of waste disposal. They are saying to East Sussex, and BALI firmly agrees: 'Go back to the Drawing Board!' Make a new plan- to further reduce waste (e.g. packaging), reuse it, recycle it more and if it has to be disposed, compost it or at least recover energy from it through the many 21st century technologies available. If whole countries, like Sweden or Germany, more or less do without any landfill today, how is it that ESCC is now planning to put waste in the ground until at least 2026?!
WILL THEY (ESCC) LISTEN? - is the big question. They will certainly register all the objections made and make a massive database which will be made available to the public on the ESCC website. But will they listen? We shall now have to wait and see.
WHEN WILL WE KNOW? - whether Ashdown is included in the next stage of the plan? The next stage, called the 'pre-submission Core Strategy', was scheduled to be published in February. ESCC Waste Team , however, have admitted that, partly owing to the extension of the consultation period, they are way behind schedule and that they need far more time to sift the massive number of objections and further investigate the viability of both Ashdown and the landraise areas of search. We therefore do not expect to hear anything conclusive before April or May 2010 (or even June).
SO WHAT DO WE DO NOW? Just wait? No way! The fight has to go on and we shall use every opportunity to continue to oppose the landfill plan in the coming months.
- Our consultants have requested ESCC - and they have agreed – to enter into a continuing dialogue with BALI while the Core Strategy is being prepared in which we hope to further influence the process before the Core Strategy is published.
- We will receive shortly the results of our request to ESCC under the Freedom of Information Act to reveal all their records of their dealings with the Ashdown site-owners Ibstock. You will recall that Ibstock have already entered into an agreement with a waste contractor to make a planning application to landfill the Ashdown quarries, they say 'with the encouragement of East Sussex County Council'. We need to ensure that this is not so and that ESCC are proceeding with their plan transparently and in good faith with the people of Bexhill.
- We will continue to liaise with Bexhill and Rother County Councillors to ensure they do their job in defending our town and fully representing their residents’ and the District Council's clearly stated views. We are not convinced that the rules of ‘predetermination’ prevent them from speaking out to reassure us of their current opposition to the landfill proposal. There is much more they could say and do to satisfy our and the Bexhill community's concerns.
- We will continue to campaign in the press and other media, addressing meetings and keeping in touch with our increasing numbers of supporters. While hoping we will win at this stage and that Ashdown will be excluded from the Core Strategy, we must prepare for the eventuality that Ashdown is still included, in which case we will simply have to fight all over again – we will never give in - in the new consultation that will follow. If it is included, however, ESCC will need to give far more details of their proposal and explain why they have not heeded all our objections.
- We are already preparing for this by regrouping into 2 new committees, the BALI Campaign Committee and the BALI Fundraising Committee. We will be shortly writing to those who have kindly offered help at or since our public meeting whether by joining these committees or supporting them by delivering leaflets, assisting at our fundraising events etc.
- If you would like to help BALI, and have not already applied, please phone me on 01424 843046 or (Fundraising) Mike Rosner on 01424 845688. If you wish to make a donation – and we certainly need further funds - please send it to the BALI Treasurer, Pauline Rosner, at 16 Hillborough Close, Little Common, Bexhill on Sea TN39 3TW.
I would finally like to thank all those who have given BALI such tremendous support in defending our environment and our community of Bexhill.
Nick Hollington Chairman, BALI
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