PRESS RELEASE

Haddenham ‘Say No to Mereham’ Group Update


Date: 28th August 2007


Since its establishment the Haddenham ‘Say No to Mereham’ Group has been active in supporting opposition to the planned development of 5,500 houses (long term plan up to 7,500 houses) at the Mereham site between Wilburton and Stretham. The following actions are being taken and encouraged.


Petition: A petition will shortly be available on the ’10 Downing Street’ web site and on paper in local shops. Other public gatherings which provide opportunities to sign are being explored and will be announced.


Signs: A supply of signs is available. All residents of Haddenham are being encouraged to download and display the window sign from www.eastcambs.gov.uk/mereham or put up one of the campaign placard signs in their garden or other open space. In Haddenham these can be obtained from Julie Parr - 01353 741380.


Public Meeting: All residents of Haddenham are being encouraged to register to speak at the Public Enquiry in the Arkenstall Centre on 9th October. You may pre-register with Lynette Duncan at Persona Associates – the appointed meeting programmes co-ordinator at:

Lynette Duncan

Programme Officer ~ Mereham PI

Email:

Tel 01403 217799

M 07855 649904

Persona Associates

West Point

Springfield Road

Horsham

W. Sussex RH12 2PD


We want you to speak about how this proposal will affect village life, traffic past your house, your ability to get to work in the morning and home at night, parking in Ely especially at the railway station, the environment, increased flood risk, increased light and noise pollution, increase crime risk, increased workload for medical and emergency services, increased workload for Social Services, increased accident risks at known black spots such as Witcham Toll and any other items that will affect you and your way of life.


Co-ordination: Working through Cllr. Bill Hunt, we are very keen to ensure there is a co-ordinated response from the residents all the villages in the area and from Ely. This is going to have a far bigger impact on our lives in this area than any other current issue and we wish to work with other environmental protection groups who may have a similar cause and whose interest we have in common. Wherever you live, if your village does not already have a co-ordinated group, please feel free to contribute to ours.


News: We are organising news drops and posters throughout the village. We urge all our residents to look out for these and read them.


Did you Know?: We are analysing the Mereham proposal in its entirety with the objective of exposing the planning gobble-de-gook it includes. W will be regularly keeping you amused with ‘facts’ from the application in a ‘did you know?’ format. The first one is printed below.


Did you know that RSS14, the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) Sustainability Appraisal Report. (2004) includes sustainability objectives? One of these objectives is to


Improve the water quality of rivers and ground water supplies.’


The Mereham development will apparently meet this objective because, in the words of the application ‘Current agricultural pollution of watercourses on site will be prevented by the development.’


In other words spreading tarmac on fields prevents agricultural pollution.


With facts like these who needs credibility?



Ends.