On March 14, 2006 Surrey County Council's Executive Committee included Betchworth's Common Field in the Proposed Surrey Mineral Plan.

If this proposal goes ahead, property and landscape could be blighted in the area for twenty years or more.

There will now be a public consultation between 28 April and 6 June where residents can lobby against these proposals.

Campaign Against Mineral Extraction and Landfill are wholly against these proposed and are commissioning further technical reports to assess the environmental and ecological impact of these proposals.

It is vital that everyone in Brockham and Betchworth write sound technical arguments for why this site should not be designated.

CAMEL will be publishing their findings over the coming weeks and you will be able to use these as a basis for your letters.

Slightly better news came from the site at Shagbrook, which is adjacent to Reigate Heath, which has been excluded. After much lobbying and bringing the Environment Agency, English Nature, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council and Sutton and East Surrey Water to the table kicking and screaming the site was excluded because of the impact quarrying would have on the water table and Reigate Heath, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

For further information please visit:

www.camel.org.uk

March 2006