As well as cattle grazing amongst the buttercups in the field proposed for parking, sightings this week on the Asker have included the elusive water vole, a tree creeper, our sparkling kingfisher, and you may have seen the pair of egrets canoodling in the pool by the weir. Thanks to everyone who made comments on the application to the District Council. At present, there are 64 comments on the official WDDC site, almost all of them are objections. There are several more, including our own, that are still being processed. Officially the time for comments on the application has ended, but we understand from the council that there have been so many objections that a decision will not be taken until at least June 16th, and possibly later. This means two things. Firstly, you can continue to object to the application until it is discussed in committee. Secondly, it seems unlikely that the council will be able to get the application through in time for this summer, especially as there have been objections and conditions set from Natural England and the Highways England. (Their letters can be seen on the WDDC site: http://bit.ly/23agzXQ). We see this as a partial victory, and we hope it will give the Town Council time to step back from this absurd proposal even if it is passed. Of course, given the massive and overwhelming opposition to the idea, we still hope the application will be rejected outright. Friends of Asker Meadows have made their comments. They’ve not yet appeared on the WDDC site but you will be able to see them, and all our supporting documents, online when they have. Our submission included a combined paper and online petition of 1130 signatories, and the results of our retailer survey. We surveyed 52 town centre shops and businesses. 83% were against the use of Asker Meadows for parking. So there may be a bit of a lull for a while, but we’ll keep you informed of any news. Thanks again for your ongoing support, comments and networking. Best wishes Ged, Wendy, Toni & Rich for Friends of Asker Meadows