Wokingham Conservatives came out today and met with protestors in Shinfield to stand up against the proposal for a new gravel extraction site and cement facility by Cemex. The Wokingham paper came today to speak with residents and representatives and our members came out to support. This comes after Thursday where a Climate emergency was voted in at Wokingham Borough Council.
Over 300 residents have commented online against the proposals and our local councillors needed to join in to provide support. Residents’ complaints include increase of traffic / higher risk of flooding and residents are also now struggling to sell their homes and downsize if needed.
Gregor Murray executive for Climate Emergency said "Going forward I will be pushing the planning committee to consider the environmental impact of all applications as part of their deliberations. There are three key questions here;
1) is there a short/medium terms risk to local air quality?
2) is there a long-term negative impact on our carbon footprint and ability to achieve carbon neutral by 2030? &
3) is there any potential risk to the long-term health of our residents from pollutants or particulates?
This application fails on all of these questions and therefore, in my opinion, is not worth the risk it poses to our residents."
Hilary Pollock a Shinfield Resident said - "Having experienced a local quarry growing up in west Oxfordshire, I know
first hand the dust and disruption that a quarry causes. I am therefore
opposed to the gravel pit application at Bridge Farm based on my first hand
experiences."
Anthony Pollock said "Barrie and I opposed the gravel pit at Bridge Farm when it first appeared
over 10 years ago and as a result it never saw the light of day.
I continue oppose the new application even more vehemently since there are
now more residents in Shinfield adversely affected by this application. It
is inconsistent with the plans for housing developments, will cause
additional traffic congestion and the worsen residents quality of life."
Cllr Parry Batth Executive Member for Environment commented "I was pleased to support the residents in their fight against the plan by Cemex to extract gravel and sand from Bridge Farm as this will congestion to local traffic and spoil the beautiful countryside that the local residents enjoy.
If you would like more information or to find out how to make your complaints heard please visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/271748089919902/ or feel free to contact us direct.
