A Victory… but the fight continues! Keep Shepherdswell Well Action Group met tonight (Thursday 7 November) and discussed the news that Coastal Oil and Gas (COG) has withdrawn their application to test drill for coalbed methane in our village and at sites in Guston and the old Tilmanstone mine near Eythorne. All agreed that this is a victory for local people. It is a victory for our campaign. The company and Kent County Council have been shocked by the strength and breadth of the opposition. They hoped to push through their plans with the minimum of fuss, as they did previously with the application to drill at Woodnesborough. Instead hundreds of people in Shepherdswell have turned up to meetings and sent letters of objection. Four Parish Councils covering the areas of the applications have objected to the plans. The intervention of the Environment Agency, which described their application as lacking in ‘awareness and knowledge’, was decisive. In effect, the company had no alternative but to withdraw their application to consider a series of objections raised. We demand that their permission to drill on the Woodnesborough site is now withdrawn by KCC – as similar objections can be raised about its threat to the environment. The COG polluters have been forced to retreat but they have ‘advised that they intend to collate the additional information requested and resubmit their applications in due course’. In other words, they plan to regroup. They will be back. Keep Shepherdswell Well agreed that we will celebrate our victory, but that we will also step up our preparations for the next stage of the fight. A strategy for the next phase of the campaign was agreed. This included: • New editions of the newsletter • A Christmas celebration to inform the village of the next stage of the campaign and to raise funds • A campaign to help establish action groups in other local villages • A legal strategy • Lobbying and media strategy • Establish telephone trees and links to help protect our village in the event that the application is granted Meanwhile, let’s celebrate with this great anthem from the Oysterband You can bring your JCBs You can bring your drills and your drivers Youve got the might But youve got no right Well be there, well be there, well be there! youtube/watch?v=-Pa2U39OROo
Posted on: Thu, 07 Nov 2013 23:12:00 +0000
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