Peak Park Thank Community
8 April 2009
The following email speaks for itself...
Dear All,
I am writing on behalf of the Authority to express appreciation for the support of the local community over the Backdale case.
Following the recent success at the Court of Appeal, the Authority, at its meeting on March 27, formally recorded its thanks to the local community and to the national alliance of environmental groups which the local action group Save Longstone Edge put together to strengthen our case at national level.
Authority chair Narendra Bajaria said: “Their support has been absolutely essential, and we must thank them for their continuing and sustained hard work and commitment to the cause – it is much appreciated.”
Jill Gorvett, of the Save Longstone Edge Group, spoke at the meeting, urging the Authority to take swift and careful action to bring an end to the desecration of Longstone Edge.
The Authority now expects any working at Backdale to be in compliance with the Court of Appeal ruling. You may already know that there is activity at the site; we are monitoring closely and are in contact with the company. Perhaps inevitably there are differences of view of how the new judgment applies. I trust you will understand that I cannot give you details at this stage.
The companies have a month from the date of the judgment (March 18) to petition for leave to appeal to the House of Lords. We know that Bleaklow Industries Limited is submitting a petition.
On a related but separate legal matter the High Court has dismissed an appeal by the operators MMC against a VAT and Duties Tribunal decision in 2008 following a case brought against the company by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs.
We have been invited to attend the SLEG public meeting later this month (April 23rd, 7:30pm Calver Village Hall), so I hope to attend and meet some of you there.
Regards,
John Lomas, Director of Strategy & Development, Peak District National Park Authority