|
On June 26th Hart District Council
voted to spend £300K to finance their defence of the Appeal against the
mega depot at Pyestock. This is good news, but none of these funds
will go to support SPLAT’s defence of local issues.
The experts hired by HDC and the developer are likely to lack local
knowledge and are unlikely to appreciate the real concerns of the
affected communities.
Acting within our Rule 6 Status, SPLAT will ensure that accurate local
knowledge and the concerns of our supporters are taken into account. At
the Inquiry SPLAT will challenge and question any information we believe
to be erroneous, even that defined as “common ground” in negotiations
between HDC and the Developer.
An impact of a 24*7 mega depot if inappropriately located at Pyestock
We are already challenging the
statement from the Highways Agency. Incredibly they credit the Developer
with a robust traffic statement! There are numerous inaccuracies and
omissions in their report. They state that
-
the site is half a mile from the
motorway. IT ISN’T
-
the Annual Average Daily traffic
flows indicate that there has been no increase in the traffic flow
on the M3 over the past 5 years. REALLY?
-
the accident rate at Junction 4A
is 8 times the national average ..So why do they then agree to
major development?
-
the traffic flow on the M3 between
J5 and J4A is at (or nearing capacity) especially at peak hours.
So how can they even contemplate permitting a megadepot at Pyestock?
-
the Developers have given a
“robust traffic assessment” Yet we still do not know the details
of how many trucks there will be each hour of each day nor the
volume of traffic with less than 3 axels, (lorries, sprinter vans,
white vans and workers cars)
They fail to mention that the HGVs
will travel through a local Air Quality Management Area. How can
these vehicles improve air quality in the AQMA.
At the Inquiry SPLAT will raise all the issues of concern and more.
The Inquiry is a legal process and although SPLAT can present its case
this is best done with the support of legal experts. Our legal
advisors and discussions with fellow representative groups suggest a
minimum of £25K is necessary for us to protect local interests against
To fit the Inquiry programme SPLAT
will need to brief a firm of barristers early in September. The funds we
have at present will allow a part time involvement by an experienced
barrister. We have two months to double what we have amassed so far
to afford a barrister to be present throughout the appeal.
If you haven’t yet made a donation or wish to top up a previous one
please do so as soon as possible. Together we can win!
Donate here >
The Planning Appeal will start on November 25th and will last for 4
weeks – further details will be provided nearer the time. |
