You, and all your friends and family, need to write to Hampshire County Council strongly expressing your concerns if you feel that your environment will be adversely impacted by this level of gravel extraction and consequent rubbish dumping in this area. You have a right to be involved. There is a published Statement of Community Involvement and it can be seen on the HCC web site: CLICK HERE
Write to:
Mr R Read, Environment Directorate
Hampshire County Council
The Castle, Winchester, Hants SO23 8UD
State that you are writing ref:
HCC Minerals & Waste Development Framework, “Mineral & Landfill Sites Requiring Further Investigation”
A sample letter is downloadable from here - but you should make some changes comensuarate with your own particular concerns.
You can also write to HCC online. The page showing all the sites in the New Forest District is here – the feedback form may not work but there is another one here.
When writing be sure to include the reference number of the site(s) you are referring to (NFT…)
NFT 004 : Downton Manor Farm Buildings.
NFT 006 : Downton Manor Farm
NFT 007 : Yeatton Farm, Downton
NFT 040 & 041 : Leagreen Farm (A and B)
NFT 042 : Downton Manor Farm (additional) (b) NFT 044 : Batchley Farm
NFT 045 : Kings Farm
According to the September 2006 HCC Scoping Report here, when appraising potential sites the following key issues must be addressed:
• Promotion of sustainable communities
• Conservation of biodiversity, natural habitats, geology and sites of international, national and local designation
• Protection of historic buildings and archaeological sites
• Ground or surface water quality, coastal erosion and flooding issues
• Air quality, the consequences of climate change, and reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
• Visual impact and cumulative noise impact
• Health
• Potential for renewable energy production from minerals and waste sites
• An integrated approach to waste management with emphasis on the waste hierarchy and preservation of natural resources
• Protection of greenbelts and protection from urban sprawl
• Potential for diversification, the re-use of redundant agricultural buildings, previously developed land and the beneficial use of contaminated land
• Sustainable transport with sites located away from areas of congestion and with good links with transport network
• Restoration of sites to open space for recreation
It is clear that the potential sites in Hordle and Everton do not meet many of these criteria. You may wish to consider for example the much wider impact on the environment of gravel and rubbish trucks travelling not only the rural road system around Hordle and Everton, but the impact such lorries will have on the environment in the Forest itself. Hampshire does not need this amount of gravel – so where will it go: much further and by lorry through our countryside. We do not need this many rubbish dumps (and this is what a landfill site is) – but we will receive part of London's excess rubbish and this will involve huge numbers of trucks travelling through our countryside to reach Hordle and Everton's rubbish dumps.
WRITE NOW AND WRITE REGULARLY ABOUT THOSE ISSUES WHICH YOU CONSIDER TO BE SUFFICIENTLY IMPORTANT TO DEMAND THAT THESE SITES ARE WITHDRAWN FROM FURTHER INVESTIGATION – WE DO NOT WANT OUR ENVIRONMENT RUINED OR OUR LOCAL ECONOMY IN TATTERS BECAUSE TOURISTS AND LOCALS MOVE ON TO GREENER PASTURES. |
