Successful campaign to remove Shagbrook from Surrey County Council's minerals plan.

8.00.00pm GMT Tue 14th Mar 2006

Peter Lambell on Reigate Heath

I would like to congratulate CAMEL on their successful campaign to remove Shagbrook from Surrey County Council's minerals plan.

Although this is undoubtedly great news for the residents of Reigate, there are of course many other proposed sites in Surrey where campaigning against extraction continues.

The County Council's Conservative Executive has determined that the level of minerals extraction in Surrey should be set at 2.24 million tonnes annually.

The Liberal Democrat Group on the Council have called for a reduction of this level to 1.75 million tonnes, a reduction we believe is necessary to avoid mineral workings near homes or in areas of outstanding natural beauty, but not so low as to have an adverse effect on the construction industry.

I would urge Simon Harding to support this reduced target to help protect other parts of Surrey from the damage that CAMEL have so successfully prevented at Shagbrook.

Peter Lambell

Reigate Liberal Democrat FOCUS Team