Bury St Edmunds protestors win battle over water meadows

[The Land Is Ours]

Originally sent by: "john.matthissen" <john.matthissen at ntlworld.com>



Chapter 93 in the continuing saga, for those who missed the 
newspaper.  More news and pictures at www.BuryGreen.org.uk


Protestors' victory in water meadows fight

By James Mortlock
February 23, 2001

ENVIRONMENTALISTS fighting plans to build a road through the heart of 
idyllic water meadows have won another crucial court battle in their campaign.

A High Court judge ruled yesterday they should be allowed to appeal against 
the latest decision to grant the controversial road planning permission 
which the campaigners claim would wreck the tranquillity of the Bury St 
Edmunds beauty spot.

Delighted pensioner Doreen Tilley, who has been the driving force of the 
campaign against the scheme by brewing giant Greene King, appealed last 
night to St Edmundsbury Borough Council to revoke the permission before the 
appeal process, known as judicial review, begins in April.

She was thrilled by the judgment which comes two years after the protesters 
had the original planning permission for the road quashed by the High Court 
after a similar review.

Mrs Tilley, who is particularly passionate about saving a colony of 
endangered water vole on the meadows, said: It s wonderful news and 
hopefully it won t come to judicial review maybe the council will see sense 
and think again, that would be fantastic.

The water meadows are a vital part of our town s flood defences and no more 
of the area should be allowed to be built on to avoid turning Bury into a 
flooding timebomb.

Fellow campaigner Simon Harding said the decision had breathed new life 
into the five-year fight against the road, planned for the meadows off 
Cullum Road.

I have never thought this campaign could be won because of the water voles 
or great crested newts in the area because Greene King can put in measures 
to protect them, but when you start talking about possible flooding of 
people s homes, it s a different ball game.

Joy Bowes, head of legal services at St Edmundsbury Borough Council, 
confirmed the campaigners had again won the right to take the issue to 
judicial review. However, she said the court had ruled the actual review 
process would not begin until April 24. Miss Bowes said the council s 
barrister had argued the application for judicial review was premature as 
its officers were still investigating whether there was anything wrong with 
the environmental information used in the second planning decision, as was 
claimed by the protesters.

She added as the council had yet to formally hand Greene King written 
planning permission, the issue was still in the hands of the planning 
committee. It will not necessarily come to the judicial review, said Miss 
Bowes.

Greene King spokeswoman Frances Brace said the court had dealt the people 
of Bury St Edmunds a triple whammy.

They will have to fund the protesters court action as taxpayers, as local 
rate payers they will be funding the council s defence and all the time 
they have to tolerate our lorries outside their front doors, she added.





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