I attended a meeting at BVT this morning where we were informed that the Environment Agency had served legal papers on the Trust to allow them to drill test borehole in Weoley Hill Park I (Fox Hill to the Bristol Rd) against the Trusts wishes they are taking legal advice. They intend to start this on the 23rd May.
They are exercising draconian legal powers that should only been used in an absolute emergency, say an sudden flooding on a major river where a landowner refuses to cooperate.
There is no such threat here and they have made no effort to discuss this with the Trust. I was shocked by this but it is obvious that the Agency has commissioned the Arup’s plans at a cost of £366,000 plus the ridiculous letter to 24,000 houses costing in excess of £14,000 and now has gone too far to turn back and is determined to proceed. I have submitted an FOI to ascertain the cost of these new works
The “consultation” to date has been inept. The Agency were ill prepared, had no knowledge of the area and obviously hadn’t been here before. I had to point out to their lead for the “Bourne Project” that the plans involved straightening the Woodbrook and hiding it in a covered culvert.
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Weoley Hill Village News 