LORRY PARK EXHIBITION

Highways England and the Department for Transport (DfT) are commencing consultations on proposals for 'solving' Operation Stack this weekend.

The exhibition will be open for viewing at the Sellindge Sports and Social Club on Saturday 12th December from 12:00noon to 6:00pm.  It may also be open to view on Monday 14 at time to be clarified.

IT IS UNDERSTOOD THAT THE PROPOSALS CENTRE ON SITES ADJACENT TO JUNCTION 11.

PLEASE MAKE THE EFFORT TO GO AND LOOK AT WHAT IS ON DISPLAY AND MAKE YOUR COMMENTS KNOWN.

THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE SOME INFLUENCE ON WHAT IS DONE AND THE IMPACT THAT IT WILL HAVE ON THIS LOCALITY.

Watch the local press and media for further information and launch announcements.

After being in Sellindge the exhibition will travel to other locations in the district and may return to Sellindge at the end.


Bob Edden

Co-Chairman
Sellindge and District Residents' Association

WOOD BURNING POWER STATION LINKS.

Dear Residents,

Detailed links to the Shepway District Council site to make comments are as follows:

Application

http://searchplanapps.shepway.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=NRVTYFNZ03J00

Comments

http://searchplanapps.shepway.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=neighbourComments&keyVal=NRVTYFNZ03J00&neighbourCommentsPager.page=2

Application number

Y15/0751/SH

S&DRA.

MAKE YOUR VIEWS KNOWN.

With the Power station application now lodged with Shepway District Council, it is now up to you to make your views known. For those of you that have not registered your views yet please click on the link:  searchplanapps.shepway.gov.uk  and enter the reference  Y15/0751/SH in the 'Search' box. Then click on 'Comments' and follow the simple instructions to log in or register.

S&DRA are firmly opposed to this application along with hundreds of other Parishioners. As time is of the essence in this application we would urge you all to make your views known as soon as possible.

Les Barratt Co Chairman. S&DRA.

Airport Cafe Statement

An Open letter from Patrick Breen,  Airport Cafe.

Hello all Sellindge residents,

As you may now all be aware we are opening the Otterpool site to park lorries which are both affecting our business and the village. We hope with this overflow area it will prevent lorries going into the village and also parking all over our customer car park when we are closed.

The parking at the rear of the cafe is nothing to do with myself or Julie and is run by Julie's brother. Our parking area is only up to the blue barrels in the car park.

The original plans for the recycling plant are not going ahead, so we are renting the site from Countrystyle. We are not in any partnership with Countrystyle and are just trying to have some control as if anyone else takes over we will have no say in what happens.

If anyone wishes to speak with us on any issues they are more than welcome.

We have been in touch with Shepway planning dept regarding this. We do not intend to develop the site but just use the existing surface. The site will have security, toilets, cameras and should prevent drivers using the roadside in the village as a toilet.

Better to have a controlled site with facilities. This should be a much better use with less lorry impact than the waste plant.

Patrick Breen.

WOOD BURNING POWER STATION, LYMPNE/SELLINDGE. <<<< URGENT.

We have just learned that the application for the wood burning power station is now live. It is now official that should the power station be built, our areas will become blighted, our property values will dramatically fall (that's if they are able to be sold). 

For those of you who may think this is a charcoal burner style of power station in a sleepy backwater of the villages - THINK AGAIN. ---  THIS IS THE SIZE OF DUNGENESS.... Watch this space for more information regarding a public meeting and 'people action'.

Les Barratt. Co Chairman S&DRA.

WOOD BURNING POWER STATION DOCUMENT INSPECTION.

Further to our last posting, we attended the document inspection at Lympne Village hall for the pre-validation of the proposed wood burning power station application. As expected, there were bundles of documents and drawings openly displayed in the hope of persuading us that this project is good for local people, good for the environment, good for the nation and built/ operated by a professional company.

We believe that this company is disingenuous in it's approach to our residents and local neighbouring communities and that the only motivation for this company is profit.

They state that their exhibition held in January was well advertised and showed a copy of a tiny advert placed in the 'Herald' local paper with the 'on sale' date of 29th January. The exhibition was held two days later, 31st January. This was the ONLY form of advertising shown as evidence in the documentation bundle. Moreover, in other documentation. they stated that although it was snowing, a good turnout was realised. Well I know that it didn't snow on the 31st January and I also know that it wasn't a good turnout.  

This, as previously stated, is an exercise in moving in under the radar to secure approval of a profit making venture to the detriment of our communities. Hopefully our newly elected representatives will be making the right noises at Shepway District Council to initially re-run the January exhibition, only after local Parish Councils have had good time to publicise the event in the monthly Parish magazines together with posters at all Parish notice boards and a minimum half page advert in ALL local newspapers. Only then will we see a real turnout of Residents.

If you are in any doubt as to the size of the Power station, take a trip to Dungeness Power station and check out the height, The proposed Otterpool Power station is actually higher. 

There are many more issues that have been briefly covered in previous postings and you can be sure that there is a long way to run in this application if, and when it becomes validated. In the interim we would encourage you all to write to Jenny Hollingsbee, Damian Collins MP. David Monk, SDC Leader, asking that the Iceni Energy 2 exhibition be re-run with a reasonable 'lead-in' advertising time. Please email us if you require further details.

In the meantime the Application documentation may be viewed in the Committee room of Sellindge Village Hall during 'Pop-in' hours: Monday and Wednesday 8.30am-12pm. Tuesday 8.30am - 3.00pm. up until 17th June, although this period may be extended.

The documents may also be viewed at the Parish Council office on Friday afternoons between 3 and 5pm. Contact details (Parish Council) should you wish to discuss the validation further: 07788 414313. nnwfursdon@aol.com

S&DRA's position is clear. We believe this venture is completely unsustainable and detrimental to our environment and communities. We oppose this application at every level.

Les Barratt. Co-Chairman. S&DRA.

PROPOSED POWER STATION FOR SELLINDGE / LYMPNE.

Dear Residents,

It appears that the company, Iceni Energy 2, that is proposing to build and operate a wood burning power station in Otterpool Lane is about to submit a planning application to Shepway District Council (SDC).

Although the application has yet to be validated by SDC, Lympne Parish Council has received the relevant documentation which will be on view at Lympne Village Hall on the following dates:

Saturday, 6th June. 10am - 12pm.  Thursday 11th June. 3pm - 5pm. Tuesday, 16th June. 6pm --8pm.

If these dates are not convenient, appointments may be made by contacting the  Lympne Parish clerk on 01303-265651.

You will recall that this company held an exhibition earlier in the year but conveniently forgot to inform Parish Councils and local residents of their intentions. 

We reserve comment at this stage but will be commenting further after 6th June.

Les Barratt

Co-Chairman. S&DRA,

WOOD BURNING POWER STATION PROPOSED FOR OTTERPOOL LANE.

Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse for the residents of Sellindge and Lympne, along comes Iceni Energy2 Ltd.

Who are they?. A small family run business based in Norfolk with finger in various green pies with a list of directorships between them. But to be honest, who cares.

The fact of the matter is that we now have a company jumping on the bandwagon of 'Biomass' energy to secure generous subsidies from central Government (our money) to operate a wood burning power station, burning over 820 tonnes of wood each day. According to the company Architect, building height will be a minimum of 30 metres (100 feet) with a chimney stack at 70 metres..Moreover, HGV traffic will increase adding to congestion and pollution. 

Where is the wood coming from?, One director said 'Norway', one said 'Kent and when that runs out, probably Norway'. Will we see Lyminge forest cut down at an unsustainable rate? Either way, it doesn't take a genius to work out how unsustainable it would be to transport this huge amount of feed stock alongside deforestation to the detriment of our wildlife and eco systems. 

Iceni Energy held an exhibition at Lympne Village Hall last Saturday, 31st January, With no notification to neighbouring Parish Councils or any other form of advertising. It seems that the company was hoping for little resistance from local people, simply to report to Shepway Distict Council that no opposition was initially encountered, leaving a clear route to a formal planning application. 

Our Association heard about the exhibition the night before and contacted our members to attend.. Iceni Energy can now be in no doubt that they are not and never will be welcomed here.

What can we as individuals do? Write to your local MP - Damian Collins, David Monk, Leader at Shepway DC, and Jenny Hollingsbee - your local Councillor.  

Our Association will be meeting within the coming days to plan our strategy going forward. Please feel free to contact us at any time for information.

Les Barratt. Co Chairman S&DRA.

OTTERPOOL: LATEST ENVIRONMENT AGENCY POSITION TO CONDITION 12, DRAINAGE.

In a letter dated 21st May 2014 from Beth Axtell at the Environment Agency to Angela Watts at KCC relating to condition 12, Drainage, the Agency have delivered the message that they are still not in a position to recommend the discharge of condition 12. 

The reasons given are totally in line with our view that the proposed scheme put forward by Countrystyle is unsustainable and void of 'best practice' in terms of design. 

You will recall that this application lapsed on the 27th March, but KCC have chosen to keep it 'live'. We still believe that KCC are in breach of planning law as previously stated. 

We are of the firm opinion that KCC should tell Countrystyle that 'enough is enough'. All the way through this application Countrystyle have prevaricated and dodged real environmental issues that are a concern to us all. This latest submission from the Environment Agency must surely indicate to KCC that it's time to 'call it a day' for Messrs Countrystyle. 

Our Association will be writing to KCC planning officers, further requesting that Countrystyle be made to reapply for planning permission. This is not only our view but also the views of the Environment Agency and the Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE).

Les Barratt, Co-Chairman S&DRA

S&DRA POSITION STATEMENT - OTTERPOOL QUARRY.

Recent publicity surrounding Otterpool Quarry has prompted some parishioners to question our actions relating to conditions attached to the Countrystyle approval granted over 3 years ago by Kent County Council. The very same sentiment was echoed by just one of the Planning applications Committee (Councillor Christopher Smith) on 12th March at County Hall, stating that permission had been granted, so why bother about the detail in conditions. Fortunately, the majority of the Planning Applications Committee Members do not take that simplistic, uncaring attitude but have chosen to adopt a more holistic and clear thinking approach that will ensure conditions are strictly met. At this point I will also mention that our Association met with Richard King, Chairman, Mike Clifton and Head of Planning, Sharon Thompson who clearly stated that these conditions are important and robust enough to withstand legal or other challenges. At the time we felt assured that this would be the case. Sadly, our confidence in the KCC planning department has nose dived firmly south. 

The consent period has lapsed. The pre-commencement entrance works, which is now being described as enabling works by Angela Watts, is nowhere near finished, The Landscaping,  Drainage and Contamination conditions have yet to be discharged and yet the application is being kept live by the Planning Officers. 

We firmly believe, that given the above set of circumstances, KCC are in breach of  Section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Our clear message to our communities is this: We didn't approve of the application being given consent over 3 years ago but there is little that we can do to reverse that decision. Our concern at the present time is that the outstanding conditions are rigorously scrutinised and considered, and where need be, via the Environment Agency. Moreover, for Kent County Council to act within the spirit of those conditions and in accordance with Planning Law.

Finally we would like to take this opportunity to thank all Parishioners, from all Parishes, for their continuing support along with our local media streams.

Les Barratt. Co-Chairman. S&DRA.