Residents in Mole Valley have submitted its technical report to Surrey County Council on the proposed Surrey Minerals Development Framework.

The report has been produced by residents under the banner of the Campaign Against Mineral Extraction and Landfill (CAMEL) and its planning and environmental advisors RPS plc. Covering the key designated areas at Betchworth Common Field and Shagbrook, Reigate Heath, the report highlights a number of key economic, environmental and social issues which Surrey County Council need to consider thoroughly.

Critical to the proposed development is the County Council’s apparent disregard for guidelines set by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) which is at the heart of the mineral extraction plan. According to the guidelines, Surrey County Council should produce detailed plans based on sound research to determine the full effects and environmental impacts. A recent meeting with officers of the Council indicated that the Council were unlikely to prepare such detailed plans.
The County Council’s reluctance to commission accurate and detailed reports for the Betchworth and Shagbrook could also be in contravention of statue law on the environment, which requires a full environmental impact assessment to be made taking into consideration the short and long term impact of their proposals.

Additionally, the report highlights the finite nature of the reserves which are clearly not conducive to a sustainable environmental policy.

CAMEL said, ”The report, covering Betchworth and Shagbrook, is extensive and hard hitting and underlines the inappropriate action of the Council in making such environmentally devastating decisions without proper and full assessments.”

“ The disgrace is that it has been up to the residents from Dorking to Reigate to take the Council to task by spending considerable money and resource to fight ill considered and potentially illegal proposals.”

Sight of the report and CAMEL’s own technical reports can be arranged via the Brockham Village Green Society and/or the Parish Council.

On a lighter note in the CAMEL have now ‘adopted’ a real camel by the name of ‘Mo’ – a Mongolian camel whose picture graced the pages of the Dorking Advertiser with members of the committee. Meet ‘Mo’ online at www.camel.org.uk

Left to right: Nick Snook (Deputy Chairman CAMEL Shagbrook), William Snook, Peter Shakeshaft (Chairman CAMEL), Paul Tanner (Deputy Chairman CAMEL Betchworth), Corky Gormly and ‘Mo’ the camel

Flawed assessments no reason to halt sand quarries

In a highly unusual move by Surrey County Council last week, officers from the Minerals and Waste team attended a meeting with members of the technical team for the Campaign Against Mineral Extraction and Landfill (CAMEL).

In a four and a half hour meeting, during which time the Council’s officers were given tours of the sites at the Common Field, Betchworth and Shagbrook, Reigate Heath, the concerns of CAMEL were highlighted showing, at first hand, the real impact of such proposed developments.

Two critical issues were highlighted:
• the increased danger to pedestrians, in particular children, would be significant at Betchworth where people would almost be forced to use The Street, which has no footpath, and
• the effect of developing Shagbrook would lower the water table still further and destroy the Site of Special Scientific Interest at Reigate Heath.
In a frank and positive exchange, the Council’s officers were receptive to the views expressed by CAMEL and CAMEL’s planning and environmental advisors, RPS plc, officers acknowledged inaccuracies in the preliminary assessments, but refused requests for those assessments to be corrected.

Officers also indicated that no on-site testing or investigation would be undertaken during the formulation of the County’s Mineral Development Framework; instead, this would be left to developers who may wish to implement the plan, following its formal adoption by County. CAMEL expressed astonishment that such a far-reaching Framework would therefore be founded upon the superficial, desktop investigations upon which the preliminary assessments were based and which had already been shown to be flawed.

CAMEL said, “We are very pleased that Surrey County Council have visited the sites and we were able to have a forthright discussion about the technical and social impact that such proposals would have on the area.”

“ We are naturally, concerned that such work should even be considered without proper and careful evaluation, particularly when the lives of residents are at risk and the threat of increased danger to children and visitors to the area cannot be underestimated.”

With days left YOU MUST WRITE NOW to: Minerals Local Plan Team, County Hall, Kingston-upon-Thames KT1 2DY Check out our website for the latest on the campaign at www.camel.org.uk or call Nick Caddick for further information on 07970 884003. Be a CAMEL campaigner!

Deadline looms for submission of letters

With little more than a month to go before the cut off date for reaction to the proposed open cast sand mining at Betchworth Common Field and Shagbrook, now is the time to stop prevaricating and get those letters written!

For those of you who have already put pen to paper, well done! But it is not all over yet!
Since the proposals for open cast sand mines were made public in October a lot has been achieved, not least the formation of CAMEL - the Campaign Against Mineral Extraction and Landfill.

This body of residents and professionals from Brockham, Betchworth and Buckland have been tirelessly fighting for the benefit of all the communities and it needs your support! To date we have successfully

• enabled an extension to the submission date, till February 28th
• raised over £4,000 to produce professional technical reports which will be crucial in putting a case against the extraction programme
• established a communications team to create public awareness and target local and national press
• approached local and national politicians and influencers to help us fight this critical campaign
• started the unenviable task of collating masses of research and referencing it should the proposal go to judicial review, which is highly likely
• created a website to inform you of our progress at www.camel.org.uk

While we have our own interests at heart, this campaign should be shared between all of us and we need your support:

• donate or help raise funds for the campaign – this is going to be a long haul and if we start to get into legal fees we will need all the support we can get
• become a ‘warden’ for your street to help circulate leaflets, or
• contribute your professional skills

Be a CAMEL campaigner today!