Some are more equal than others

Dear Neighbour

Some are more equal than others. And it’s not just the pigs vs the rest …

Have a look at Document 49, attached. It is correspondence between Spelthorne Council and Ramboll, who are the Environmental Consultants to The Jockey Club.

Ramboll asked for the following information:

Any records of contamination/pollution incidents on the site;
Any records of landfill/Made Ground;
Any records of complaints about the site e.g. odour, noise, nuisance;
Any records on the historical development of the site including archaeological issues;
Any records of underground pipe networks within the vicinity of the site;

Details of licenses related to historical landfill in the vicinity of the site.
Details of any designations related to the site or immediately surrounding area e.g. green belt.

Any Part A or B processes;

Whether site is scheduled for investigation as part of Spelthorne’s Contaminated Land
Inspection Strategy;
Are there any records of ground investigations at the site or its immediate surroundings which
Spelthorne hold?
The geological stratigraphy underlying the site;
Any details on the hydrogeology of the site;

We would be grateful if you could provide any information on the site, specifically on any of the
following:

Any available details pertaining to the ponds/reservoirs/other surface water bodies proximate
to the site;
Any records of previous flooding of the site from all sources of flooding; and
Any other information that will be helpful in adequately characterising the site.

The information was sent to them in an email titled Environmental Information Regulations 2004 – Land at Kempton Park. i.e. the information was being released into the public domain. Yet when a local resident asked for correspondence on the subject of Kempton Park (under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004), the information was blacked out.

How is it that information released to a Jockey Club Consultant under the Environmental Regulations 2004 cannot be released to a local resident when a request was made under the same Regulations?

For goodness sake, even the fact that Kempton Park is Green Belt has been blacked out.

Paranoia, or what?

Secondly, a few weeks ago we asked all the Spelthorne Councillors their opinion: Should Kempton Park’s Green Belt status be retained? We showed you what they said over the preceding two weeks. Another reply has arrived:

Cllr Richard Smith-Ainsley Con Laleham & Shepperton Green (Chair, Planning Committee)

You will have received responses on this from the Leader and portfolio holder.
Your requested yes/no answer is not something I can provide as you fail to submit all of the ranges of scenarios that might occur between now and any time in the future.
As you know there is also the issue of brownfield land within Green Belt and greenfield land within Green Belt. There are also issues regarding ‘inappropriate development on the Green Belt’ and ‘very special circumstances’ having to be demonstrated in order to justify such development.
So asking for a simple yes/no response is a request that cannot be expected to receive any answer that would be meaningful.
As a member of the Planning committee I cannot give an answer which might prejudice me were any application to come forward for any type of development in Green Belt.

And before we go: Visit us at http://www.keepkemptongreen.com, Like our Facebook page, and Follow us on Twitter (links to both on the website).

Regards, as always

Alan Doyle

For Keep Kempton Green