1 March 2006 - Water Shortages Likely Consequence of Sand Quarries

With hosepipe bans and other indicators of water shortage likely during the summer, we face the extraordinary prospect of no longer being able to take tap water for granted. Sutton & East Surrey Water have reported that for the first time since records began in 1910 an observation borehole which they use to monitor water supply, is now dry! A major threat to this basic resource is the extensive sand quarrying throughout Mole Valley. At Shagbrook in Buckland, for example, up to 1.6 million gallons of potential drinking water are consumed every day to transport and wash sand before being pumped as waste into the River Mole.

Besides being a waste of an increasingly scarce natural resource, this water wastage is devastating nearby Reigate Heath. Hydrology reports commissioned by CAMEL show that the water table beneath this Site of Special Scientific Interest has dropped by some 6.5 metres. The Environment Agency has strongly condemned further mineral extraction until the water table has recovered. This could take many, many years, even if quarrying stopped today .Besides reducing the water supply, quarrying and the consequential landfill activities within Mole Valley threaten to contaminate such water as remains.
A quarry in The Common Field between Betchworth and Brockham could cause further damage to the water table and the River Mole by drawing down contaminated water from landfill sites at Pebble Hill. The water supply, the ecology of the River Mole and Surrey landscape are all under threat from short term planning, driven by unrealistic government targets. The consequences will scar Mole Valley for ever.

Surrey County Council's Executive Committee will be considering the mineral development proposals at a meeting on 14 March. Thereafter will be a 6 week consultation period and we urge everyone to support Camel's attempts to preserve the Mole Valley countryside. At the AGM of the Brockham Green Village Society, on 14th March in the Middle Street Cricket Pavilion, Professor Seeley will be discussing the impact of mineral extraction in the area and what it could mean to every one of us.

For further information please contact: Nick Caddick, 07970 884003.

Parish Magazine Betchworth - February 2006
 

22 February 2005 - PRESS RELEASE -- For immediate release

Surrey County Council give CAMEL the hump

Residents in Mole Valley have submitted, ahead of the deadline of 28 February, its technical report to Surrey County Council on the proposed Surrey Minerals Development Framework. If the framework is approved, it could lead to well over 100 acres of countryside between Dorking and Reigate being turned into open cast sand mines and landfill sites.

The report has been produced by residents under the banner of the Campaign Against Mineral Extraction and Landfill (CAMEL) and its planning and environmental advisors RPS plc. Covering the key designated areas at Betchworth Common Field and Shagbrook, Reigate Heath, the report highlights a number of key issues which Surrey County Council need to consider properly.

Critical to the proposed development is the County Council's apparent disregard for guidelines set by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) which is at the heart of the mineral extraction plan. According to the guidelines, Surrey County Council should produce detailed plans based on sound research to determine the full effects and environmental impacts. A recent meeting with officers of the Council indicated that the Council were unlikely to prepare such detailed plans in the future.

The County Council's reluctance to commission accurate and detailed reports for the Betchworth and Shagbrook could also be in contravention of statue law on the environment, which requires a full environmental impact assessment to be made taking into consideration the short and long term impact of their proposals.

Additionally, the report highlights the finite nature of the reserves which are clearly not conducive to a sustainable environmental policy.

CAMEL said, "The report, covering Betchworth and Shagbrook, is extensive and hard hitting and underlines the inappropriate action of the Council in making such environmentally devastating decisions without proper and full assessments."
"The disgrace is that it has been up to the residents from Dorking to Reigate to take the Council to task by spending considerable money and resource to fight ill considered and potentially illegal proposals."

Final comments from residents must be received by Surrey County Council before February 28th and can be sent to: Minerals Local Plan Team, Surrey County Council, County Hall, Kingston-upon-Thames KT1 2DY

Notes to editors

Picture Caption:
Left to right: Nick Snook (Deputy Chairman CAMEL Shagbrook), William Snook, Peter Shakeshaft (Chairman CAMEL), Paul Tanner (Deputy Chairman CAMEL Betchworth), Corky Gormly and 'Mo' the camel

CAMEL
Campaign Against Mineral Extraction and Landfill is the action group formed by residents of Betchworth, Buckland and Brockham to resist plans by Surrey County Council to extract sand from open cast mines at the Common Field, Betchworth (OS Ref: TQ 207 501) and Shagbrook, Buckland (OS Ref: TQ 232 504). It is a voluntary organisation and comprises a range of professionals living and working in the area.
Peter Shakeshaft, Chairman
Paul Tanner, Deputy Chairman Betchworth Common Field
Nicholas Snook, Deputy Chairman Shagbrook, Buckland
David Evans, Treasurer

RPS Group plc
RPS Group have been commissioned by CAMEL to prepare technical reports against proposed open cast sand mines at Betchworth and Buckland. The company is Europe's leading environmental consultancy, providing advice in respect of development planning, transport planning, environmental assessment, risk management, water services, oil and gas expertise, health and safety and environmental engineering.

For further information please contact:
Nick Caddick 07970 884003

7 February 2005 - CAMEL meet with SCC

In a highly unusual move by Surrey County Council, last week, officers from the Minerals and Waste team attended a meeting with members of the CAMEL committee. In a four and a half hour meeting, during which time the Council’s officers were given tours of the sites at the Common Field, Betchworth and Shagbrook, Reigate Heath, the concerns of CAMEL were highlighted showing, at first hand, the real impact of such proposed developments.

In a frank and positive exchange, the Council’s officers were receptive to the views expressed by CAMEL and CAMEL’s planning and environmental advisors, RPS plc, officers acknowledged inaccuracies in the preliminary assessments, but refused requests for those assessments to be corrected.

Officers also indicated that no on-site testing or investigation would be undertaken during the formulation of the County’s Mineral Development Framework; instead, this would be left to developers who may wish to implement the plan, following its formal adoption by County. CAMEL expressed astonishment that such a far-reaching Framework would therefore be founded upon the superficial, desktop investigations upon which the preliminary assessments were based and which had already been shown to be flawed.

Surrey County Council confirmed that around 1,000 letters had been received in protest and with days left until the deadline at the end of the month, we are urging everyone from Dorking to Reigate who concerned by the proposed development to write now. For minutes of this meeting, please click link below.

Minutes of Meeting between SCC RPS and CAMEL 28th January 2005

14 January 2005 - Deadline looms for submission of letters

With little more than a month to go before the cut off date for reaction to the proposed open cast sand mining at Betchworth Common Field and Shagbrook, now is the time to stop prevaricating and get those letters written!

For those of you who have already put pen to paper, well done! But it is not all over yet!

Since the proposals for open cast sand mines were made public in October a lot has been achieved, not least the formation of CAMEL - the Campaign Against Mineral Extraction and Landfill.

This body of residents and professionals from Brockham, Betchworth and Buckland have been tirelessly fighting for the benefit of all the communities and it needs your support! To date we have successfully

10 November 2004 - Organised Campaigning

“Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.”

(A Native American saying)

I am indebited to Ian Wilson of the Betchworth Parish Council for the above quote.

If you are not aware, Surrey County Council have designated six potenial mineral zones (PMZs) in Betchworth and Buckland as part of the Surrey Minerals Replacement Plan.

They will all affect the residents of Brockham, however the most immediate issue is the Common Field which lies to the east of the village between Betchworth and Brockham, referred to as PMZ55.

The site is some 45 acres (180,000 sq metres) and the plan is to extract some 700,000 tonnes of sand. When sand has been extracted it is undoubted that the area will then become a landfill site.

The impact on the environment and the quality of life for the residents of all villages will be drastically changed.

Two action groups have been created on which representatives from Brockham Green Village Society and the Parish Council will stand:

The Betchworth 'Four Weddings and a Sandpit' team will be primarily targeting PMZ55, the Common Field, and
The Buckland 'Sand Action Group (SAG)' concentrating its efforts on PMZ60 at Shagbrook and preparing technical arguments for PMZ56-59.

The two groups will communicate closely with one another to maximise use of funding and avoid duplication of effort. A significant amount of work has already been started and it is important that evryone in Brockham supports their actions.

The most useful part that can be taken is to write immediately to Surrey County Council. ALL YOUR LETTERS COUNT. In fact if you have friends or visitors to the area get them to write to. Try not to use standard letters - write something from yourself, it doesn't have to be word processed!

Letters should be addressed to:

Roger Hargreaves,
The Minerals Plan Team Leader
Surrey County Council,
Room 389 County Hall
Kingston-upon-Thames
KT1 2DY

The full report on the Potential Mineral Zones can be found at: www.surreycc.gov.uk. Either go through ‘Minerals Development Framework 2004 – 2016’, or put ‘PMZ stakeholder meetings’ in the search engine.