LEGG had prepared an opening statement to set the tone and direction of the meeting and this had been circulated to the expected participants well before the meeting took place, In the event, given the last-minute arrival of the promised answers to our 8 questions, an alternative statement was read at the beginning of the meeting.
LEGG response to answers provided by SCDC, L&Q and HE.
“We acknowledge receipt of the response provided to our questions. The response arrived 6 days later than promised despite numerous reminders, and reached us only 6 hours before this meeting. This, as you must have known, has made it difficult for us to give due consideration to the document we received.
“That said, there is very little in your response that is new and no indication that you are prepared to apply any fresh thinking to the issue of the environmental impact on Longstanton of the Northstowe development. This is a matter of regret.
“In the simplest terms, the situation is this. Groundwater features and amenities in Longstanton have ceased to be viable. This has never happened before in living memory, irrespective of prevailing weather conditions. The onset of the problem coincided precisely with the start of dewatering on the Northstowe site and it continues to the present, despite varying climatic conditions. From SCDC we have received various explanations and promises all of which have proven to be without merit.
“Your current document in response to our questions reiterates what has been said previously. It is, indeed, a restatement of the ‘it didn’t happen’ … ‘it’s only temporary’ … ‘it wasn’t our responsibility’ … ‘anyway, it was all done by the book’ … excuses we have been subjected to for the last seven years. It is a classic example of obfuscation: if the issue can be dodged for long enough it will go away.
“In recent weeks, a succession of SCDC councillors and officers have publicly stated their commitment to ensuring that new developments are made with due attention to environmental impact and the need to respect the capacity of the region’s water supply. Longstanton’s misfortune, it seems, has been a significant factor in making environmental issues a political hot potato. Unfortunately, so far as Longstanton is concerned, the damage has already been done. It is now time to establish exactly what went wrong and to consider what may be done to remedy the current damage.
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