Help me get the message across LOUD AND CLEAR to Oxfordshire County Council Chief, Martin Reeves, and elected County Councillors: NO planning process without an Environmental Impact Assessment for Wicklesham Quarry SSSI.

They need to hear from as many supporters as possible, as soon as possible, as well as from Parish Councils who are deeply concerned about this threat to the Western Vale. Please copy the letter below into an email and send to:

Martin Reeves, chiefexecutive@oxfordshire.gov.uk,

and cc:   rachel.wileman@oxfordshire.gov.uk                      liz.leffman@oxfordshire.gov.uk                                pete.sudbury@oxfordshire.gov.uk                                         bethia.thomas@oxfordshire.gov.uk                                         yvonne.constance@oxfordshire.gov.uk

Remember to include your name, so we all get a reply. Next week I will send contact details for the District Council Officers and Councillors. We must let BOTH councils and elected councillors know: WICKLESHAM SUPPORTERS ARE HERE AND WE’RE NOT GOING AWAY!    Here's the letter:   

Mr Martin Reeves, Chief Executive, Oxfordshire County Council, County Hall, New Road, Oxford OX1 1ND                                                                                                                                                                   Your email address & date

Dear Mr Reeves,

I am outraged by the opinion given by your Planning Department that no Environmental Impact Assessment is required in connection with a proposal for a major industrial infrastructure project at Wicklesham Quarry SSSI, near Faringdon. This site is a major environmental asset. 

•  A Site of Special Scientific Interest & Geological Conservation Review Site
•  Part of West Oxfordshire Heights Conservation Target Area
•  Within the Mid-Vale Ridge National Character Area
•  Has Priority Habitat – ponds
•  A breeding habitat for a European Protected Species- Great Crested Newts                      

Wicklesham Quarry is also:

• Outside the development boundary of Faringdon
• Designated agricultural land, in agricultural use
• Not allocated for industrial/ employment use in the Local Plan
• Repeatedly rejected by the Vale of White Horse District Council for employment use, most recently in 2016 
• Has undergone 12 months restoration and four years Agricultural Aftercare, in accordance with planning conditions.

In 2017 Faringdon neighbourhood plan’s policy to ‘safeguard’ Wicklesham Quarry SSSI for employment use was the subject of a Judicial Review. The High Court judgment states:

 “Neither the examiner nor the District Council were lawfully satisfied that the FNP satisfied the basic condition that the making of the plan was in general conformity with the strategic policies contained in the development plan”.

For all these reasons I consider that failing to require a full Environmental Impact Assessment for any development proposal on this site would be a gross dereliction of your responsibilities. This proposal, in any case, does not fall within the County Council’s remit for Minerals and Waste Planning Applications. As a proposal for industrial development, it is a matter for the District Council. I consider that any determination made by the County Council on a planning application for this development will be subject to legal challenge.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Regards,

 name

CC.     Rachel Wileman, Director of Planning

          Liz Leffman, Council Leader

          Pete Sudbury, Deputy Leader

          Bethia Thomas, Faringdon County Councillor

          Yvonne Constance, Shrivenham County Councillor