In November supporters objected to the latest application by Grundon Ltd to alter the terms of the Restoration Scheme. The aim is to have the application heard by the County Council Planning Committee, so that we can present evidence of the damage that has already been carried out, and request a further survey by Enzygo Ltd with a view to having additional conditions imposed and monitoring tightened up. The fear of local people is that - besides the stripping of trees and vegetation already photographed- imported soil may have been tipped into the ponds in order to try and fill them in. Last year, in the run-up to the referendum on Faringdon Neighbourhood Plan, a website promoting the scheme to turn this unique Site of Special Scientific Interest into a 20 acre industrial estate claimed "the ponds have almost dried up." Since one of these mature ponds was a metre deep when surveyed by Enzygo Ltd in 2013, this claim has rung alarm bells. Grundon's actions in damaging the ponds, which are a Priority Habitat, appear to be in support of the landowner's well-established intention to avoid restoring the quarry to agriculture and preserving its geo and biodiversity. This was underscored in July 2016- two months before the Restoration Scheme was due to be completed- when a member of the Neighbourhood Plan Steering group sought a private meeting with County Council officers to ask them to waive the planning conditions! This request was refused, and a Breach of Conditions Notice was served on Grundon Ltd in December 2016. However, the Restoration Scheme has still not been completed. In view of the public attention focused on Wicklesham Quarry, it is regrettable that County Council managers seem determined to try and avoid bad press by burying their heads in the sand and hoping Wicklesham Quarry will go away. It's not going to happen. They have failed to enforce planning conditions that explicitly require the pond habitats to be preserved, claiming- since the damage was carried out under their nose - that trees and vegetation growing in and around the ponds were not part of the pond habitats! We disagree, and have stated that we will oppose the application when it comes to the Planning Committee. I have sought permission to address the Committee in order to present public concerns. I currently await a date for the Committee and will report back to supporters in due course. In the meantime, very best wishes for a very happy seasonal holiday and New Year to all Wicklesham Quarry's loyal and generous supporters, including my dedicated legal team, Pavlos Eleftheriadis, and Linda Felton of Fortune Green Solicitors. Thanks to you, the High Court has made it crystal clear that Wicklesham Quarry SSSI MUST be restored AND undergo five years agricultural aftercare. We have demonstrated for the first time that a Neighbourhood Plan CANNOT be used to overturn planning conditions set by the County Council. Local people will continue to do everything we can to try to ensure this important, vulnerable site is protected for future generations. Happy Christmas everyone!