SUPPORTERS' PACK
email: admin@saveradleylakes.org.uk
Welcome! Thank you for offering to support and help the campaign to Save Radley Lakes – your support is hugely valuable and appreciated.
This ‘action pack' includes details about:
• What we have, together, achieved so far
• What we are trying to achieve now
Anything you can do to help the campaign – from simply writing one letter, through to something major like organising a fund-raising event – will contribute to achieving our goals. Everything and anything you do – however small or large – will be valuable, and valued! What we have achieved so far
• We have finally saved the Lakes!
• On the way, we forced RWE npower to abandon its original plan to destroy the Bullfield Lake as well as Thrupp Lake .
• We delayed the issuing of planning permission by many months.
• The planning permission contains 36 conditions, which made the development far more difficult and expensive for RWE npower to carry out.
• We made an application to have the Lakes registered as a ‘Town Green', which would protect them from development (see below for more details). • We have got widespread media coverage, and this generated lots of bad publicity for RWE npower.
None of this would have been possible without the help and support of, literally, hundreds of people who, like you, want to see the Lakes saved.
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The present situationNpower announced in December 2008 that they were no longer in need of Thrupp Lake for Ash Disposal. In May 2009 they announced that Northmoor Trust had been appointed to manage the site and they were to construct an environmental educational/research centre on the site, using either the existing property or starting afresh, depending on funding. It would take a year to get the legal paperwork and funding sorted out. During July 2007 we had approached Waste Recycling Group appealing to them that they should take NPower's ash. There was beneficial use to which it could be put if they could only recognise the value of what was supposed to be a waste product. WRG took this initiative seriously and started negotiations with Npower. They needed to get planning permission to take the ash, and in July 2008, Oxfordshire County Council gave them permission to develop a used gravel pit to take NPower's ash. We had succeeded where others had failed. Oxfordshire County Council had finally granted planning permission to NPower on 5 January 2007, but we continually delayed their progress with legal queries and initiatives. RWE npower still needed to obtain a number of detailed approvals before they could start work. They would also have to obtain an ‘IPPC' (pollution prevention and control) licence before they could start dumping ash in Thrupp Lake . This would cost several thousand pounds and would come with further conditions.
In October 2006, we had made an application to Oxfordshire County Council to have the Thrupp and Bullfield Lakes and land immediately around registered as a ‘Town Green' under the Commons Registration Act 1965. Under this act, if local people have used an area for recreation ‘as of right' for at least twenty years, it can be registered as a town or village green. That protects it from development. The application (which was supported by lots of evidence from local people) had been accepted as ‘duly made' by the County Council. That means that there is case that needs to be looked at. Having sought objections from the landowners (including RWE npower!), the public Inquiry was held between 2nd and 4th April 2007 in the New Pavillion, Radley College, Radley resuming on 20th June and closed on the 22nd June 2007. We believed we had a good case . Two other similar Oxfordshire cases (the Glebe Land at Sunningwell and the Trap Grounds in Oxford ) both went to the House of Lords. In both cases, the Law Lords ruled in favour of the campaigners, and the land was protected from development. However, the Inspector disagreed and recommended to Oxfordshire County Council that no Town Green Status be granted.
At the end of December 2006, a group of people moved into ‘Sandles' (the empty house, owned by RWE npower, by Thrupp Lake. The group (who we like to refer to as ‘the settlers') said they were homeless. They said they were also committed to trying to save the Lakes. RWE npower's first attempt to have the group evicted failed because RWE npower bungled the legal paperwork! NPower were successful on the second attempt and a brutal eviction of the people who had taken over Sandles was carried out by people whose methods were questionable and dangerous. NPower were delighted to get their property back and to clamp down on any protest, they went to the High Court and obtained an injunction against six named individuals. Only one of those named is a member of Save Radley Lakes Campaign. The others are not. Save Radley Lakes' position has always been not to condone illegal acts and whilst we welcomed the attentions of the media which resulted from the "settlers" occupation of Sandles, we stressed that they were independent of our campaign but had the same objective - to save the lakes from destruction. Following the High Court Injunction, we were not allowed to photograph or film RWE npower clearing hundreds of trees and destroying potential nesting sites for Birds. Even if a crime was being committed it was a Contempt of Court to film it! RWE NPower had to stop work at the 1st March and made the excuse that a Coots Nest had been found and so in accordance with the Countryside and Wildlife Act they would stop work! It was also very gratifying that support for the campaign was growing, rather than falling away, after the High Court Injunction. It was a monumental home goal on the part of NPower. However, it did have a very adverse affect on one of our members who was specifically named for no apparent reason. |
What we are trying to achieve nowNorthmoor Trust have been appointed to manage Thrupp Lake and Save Radley Lakes are happy to support them in their endeavours. No decisions have been made as to what form the support will take - but no doubt Northmoor Trust will be happy if SRL continues to raise money and provides volunteers to help on conservation projects on the site. Working parties have been arranged as a precursor to the main building works to clear the site of general detritus. |
What you can do to help?Keep in touch with us to see how we propose to help Northmoor Trust in their far reaching vision for Thrupp Lake. Sign up as a volunteer for the working parties Make a donation! either via Paypal or through the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England Oxon Branch (CPRE Oxon) Help us with future fund raising. There are many ways you can help. Donate a prize for a raffle/Tombola. Provide food for an SRL social event. Do a sponsored event. contact admin@saveradleylakes.org.uk to join the list. |
| Contact Information |
Cheques to be made payable to “Save Radley Lakes ” and sent to The Treasurer, Save Radley Lakes , 3 Shaws' Copse, Radley , OX14 3GZ
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Fill in the form and send it to The Treasurer Save Radley Lakes 3 Shaws Copse Radley OX14 3GZ
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There is a nominal membership fee with a request for a donation. Contact the Campaign Officer by telephone or email. Meetings are held when action is required. Contact details are: Tel: Abingdon 01235 529151 or 530174. email admin@saveradleylakes.org.uk |