Dear Residents,
Amazingly, over £10,000 has been raised to fight off Highways England plan to obliterate our communities. Here is the message from Debbie Burton from SOS Kent:
Again, we say huge THANKS for your overwhelming support and contributions towards the legal funds to fight the monstrous lorry park.
Many intelligent people and organisations such as CPRE, Eurotunnel, The Port of Dover, BIFFA agree that a giant lorry park won't fix stack. Even the Transport Select Committee criticised the scheme. However, despite Highways England misleading everyone about the true size of the proposed site which will DESTROY 250 ACRES of prime farmland and countryside, the government is hell bent on pushing it ahead regardless. The final consultation ended 26 September and they intend to proceed without a full Environmental Impact Assessment and usual requirements of a statutory consultation, which could set a precedent and have future implications throughout England.
This is plain wrong and we believe unlawful. So we intend to challenge this in the courts and mount a judicial review on the grounds described on our web pagehttp://soskent.org.uk/appeal-for-funds-launched
To pursue a JR the Parish Council needs to raise in the region of £35,000, made up of:
£5,000 – Initial cost of preparing and submitting a JR
£20,000 – Court process etc. if JR granted
£10,000 – Potential costs warded to HE if we lost our JR
The needed is £5,000 to prepare a JR and see if it will be granted by the Courts.
Our amazing supporters have helped us raise over £10,000, but we need to keep the funds coming in.To contribute to the Parish Council's bid for a JR you can make payments direct to our bank account:
Nat West Bank
Sort Code: 52-41-42
A/C No: 59193794
Or by cheque payable to, "Stanford Parish Council" to:
Mrs Dorothy Bultitude (Clerk)
Tudor Cottage, Stanford North, Kent, TN25 6DH
Donations can be anonymous or named. Please use the ref "Lorry Park JR". Any funds remaining at the end of our campaign will be returned pro rata to donors who state this at the time of donation otherwise they will be used for the good of the Parish. A breakdown of donations received and their use will be included in the Parish Accounts.
Since the unprecedented events last summer, STACK HAS NOT BEEN IN FORCE ONCE. This is partly due to the responses of Eurotunnel and Port of Dover in providing hundreds more lorry spaces and increased cross Channel capacity, plus additional security and fencing in Calais to stop migrant incursion.
The smarter options than a single giant lorry park include upgrading the A2/M2, provision of smaller lorry parks across the UK, use of smart technology and investing in freight on rail.
Here is our message to those we elected to represent us, yet have failed us:
- We will not stand quietly by while you dictate to us.
- We will not stand by while you rape our environment, leaving a mess for our children to sort out.
- We will continue to fight to save The Garden of England for future generations.
We need support more now than ever, so please like, share and click 'ADD MEMBER' to join any fb friends who may be interested in our campaign. (Anyone can easily leave this group - hover over the 'joined' tab and click 'leave group'.)
Meanwhile you can email these key decision influencers for starters:
Theresa May, mayt@parliament.uk
Phillip Hammond, public.enquiries@hmtreasury.gsi.gov.uk
Chris Grayling, chris.grayling.mp@parliament.uk
Andrea Leadsom, andrea.leadsom.mp@parliament.uk; defra.helpline@defra.gsi.gov.uk
Amber Rudd, public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Sajid Javid, http://forms.communities.gov.uk/
We will be posting regular updates here and on our website: http://soskent.org.uk/
Remember, THE FIGHT IS NOT YET OVER.
