Battle begins on lakes' green status (From Herald Series)

Battle begins on lakes' green status

3:00pm Wednesday 28th March 2007

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THE public inquiry into an application to grant village green status to Radley Lakes, near Abingdon, starts on Monday and is scheduled to last four days.

An evening session has been set aside between six and eight on Monday to hear evidence and submissions from witnesses and interested parties unable to attend during the day.

The inquiry, in the new pavilion at Radley College, will start at 11am on Monday and 10am on subsequent days.

The inspector presiding will be Vivian Chapman, a senior barrister. After hearing evidence, he will decide whether Radley Lakes should be registered as a town or village green under the Commons Registration Act 1965.

Mr Chapman will submit his report and recommendation to Oxfordshire County Council and then the council's planning and regulation committee will make its decision.

Last July, the committee granted RWE npower permission to create an ash lagoon at Thrupp Lake to enable Didcot power station to dispose of pulverised fuel ash it is unable to recycle.

If village green status is granted, it would protect the area from any form of development and npower would have to rethink plans to dump 500,000 tonnes of spent fuel ash.

Company spokesman Kelly Brown said: "If the application is successful, then we will have to look very seriously at the impact it would have on the station's ability to generate electricity 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

RWE npower will set out to produce evidence from former and current landowners to show that lakes formed in former gravel pits near Radley have not been used for recreational purposes for at least 20 years.

Simon Wells, who will represent the company, said: "We believe we have a strong case to put to the Inspector to oppose the application. We can demonstrate that this area, which is largely water, has not been used over the last 20 years for activities that would enable it to be registered as a town or village green."

The application to protect the area has been lodged by Jo Cartmell, of Abingdon. She is a member of the Save Radley Lakes group.

Twenty witnesses will be called to give evidence. Mrs Cartmell and Save Radley Lakes will be represented by barrister Philip Petchey.

Mrs Cartmell said: "Our case is that, as of right, the lake has been used as an area of recreation for at least 20 years and should be retained.

"It has been used by anglers, bird watchers, walkers, and people have swum in the lake. I live not far away and took my children there for years. It's a precious treasure for wildlife and recreation, and should be preserved."

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