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 haven't saved the Lakes yet, but we have already achieved a lot.
• We have forced RWE npower to abandon its original plan to destroy the Bullfield Lake as well as Thrupp Lake .
• We managed to delay the issuing of planning permission by many months.
• The planning permission contains 36 conditions, which will make the development far more difficult and expensive for RWE npower to carry out.
• We have 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 is generating 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, don't want to see the Lakes destroyed.
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The present situation
Oxfordshire County Council finally granted planning permission on 5 January 2007. However, RWE npower still need to obtain a number of detailed approvals before they can start work. They also have to obtain an ‘IPPC' (pollution prevention and control) licence before they can start dumping ash in Thrupp Lake .
In October 2006, we 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) has been accepted as ‘duly made' by the County Council. That means that they think there is case that needs to be looked at. Having sought objections from the landowners (including RWE npower!), the public Inquiry will be held between 2nd and 4th April 2007 in the New Pavillion, Radley College, Radley. We believe we have 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.
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') say that they are homeless. They are 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! They succeeded 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 is also very gratifying that support for the campaign has been growing, rather than falling away, since RWE npower were given planning permission. We are getting increasing numbers of offers of help and support from people, both locally and further afield. The more support we get, the more likely we are to win! In the meantime, the present situation is that – although RWE npower have got their planning permission – there are plenty of things which may still stop them from going ahead. The Planning Conditions Precedent have yet to be agreed and these raise more questions than answers. One of the most important of those is public pressure on RWE npower and the fear of bad publicity! |
What we are trying to achieve now
The two main things which may stop the development are the Town Green application (if that is successful) and public and media pressure on RWE npower.
At the public inquiry into the Town Green application, people who have used the Lakes have been giving evidence to the Inspector. This inquiry is now waiting the Inspector's report. We will incur legal costs in fighting the inquiry and, if the outcome of the case is challenged in the courts (as happened at Sunningwell and the Trap Grounds) we may have further legal expenses. Having sufficient funds is going to be very important to us in the months ahead.
The other thing which may make RWE npower change its mind is public and media pressure, and the fear of bad publicity. Today, all big companies have to try and maintain a ‘green' image. If RWE npower feels that its image will be too badly tarnished by destroying Thrupp Lake , it will give up the idea. That's why it's so important to keep up the pressure. |
What you can do to help?
There are lots of ways in which you can help, depending on how much time you have to spare. Write a letter!
One of the simplest and most effective things you can do is to write to Andrew Duff, the Chief Executive of RWE npower telling him what you think!
Write a letter and send it by post – e-mails are too easy to ignore, and letters have a much bigger impact. Write it in your own words and be polite but firm!
You could also send a copy of your letter, with a covering note if you have time, to:
Alison Cole, Director of Communications Anita Longley, Head of Corporate Responsibility Yvonne Constance, Independent Chair, Corporate Responsibility Committee. The address for all these people is: RWE npower Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way Swindon Wilts SN5 6PB Or write a separate letter to Harry Roels, the Chief Executive Officer of RWE AG (the German Parent Company of RWE npower) at the following address: RWE AG, Opernplatz 1 D-45128, Essen, Germany
Or you can email RWE by using the links below: |
Change your energy supplier
If you get your electricity or gas from n power , change to another supplier, and telephone RWE npower (01793 877777), or contact them via their website www.rwenpower.com and tell them why you've done it.
Tell all your friends and relations about what's happening at Radley Lakes , and ask them to think about changing away from n power as well. |
Help with fund-raising
We need fighting funds! There are many ways you can help. Donate a prize for a raffle. Provide food for an SRL social event. Do a sponsored event. Help with ideas
If you have an idea for doing something that could help the campaign, or have contacts who might be willing to help, either let us know or – better still – have a go yourself! Let us know if you can spare some time to help
We may need more hands to help in the future. Helping to fund-raise, organising social events, leafleting, collating paperwork if there is a public inquiry into the Town Green and many other tasks: we will need help with these.
If you think you might be able to spare some time and are willing to help, let us know how we can contact you, and (if you have particular preferences or skills that might be useful) tell us about those. We'll be in touch! |
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
Thousands of people think that the Lakes are worth saving for the present generation and for future ones. If enough people get actively involved in the campaign, we will almost certainly win. Anything that you can do – however small – will help. Thank you so much! |
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 info@saveradleylakes.org.uk |
If you wish to prevent a Corporate Entity ruining the environment and threatening the safety and livelihood of the population of the whole of Abingdon and beyond, join our Action Group.
If you don't wish to join the Group but would like to make your views felt, you can write to the contacts on the next page, and protest that Radley already has enough PFA in its environs and to complain that the decision makers are not acting in the public interest by allowing continued disposal of what Europe and the USA regard as a hazardous substance.