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Dear [FIRSTNAME]
Bishops Waltham Action Group was formed following the Annual Parish Meeting on 22nd April 2009 as a response to the proposal for a new Sainsbury's store at Abbey Mill.
Our aim is to campaign against the proposed development as inappropriate to the site and the needs of the village.
The action group believes that the plan for a Sainsbury's in Bishops Waltham is not a done deal and that residents of this community can make a real difference in determining the future of Bishops Waltham.
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NEWS
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EIA NOT REQUIRED
Winchester County Council have decided that an Environmental Impact Assessment will not be required for the Abbey Mill site. The EIA is determined on very specific guidelines which the council felt did not apply to a supermarket. This is not good news, as the final planning application can now proceed more quickly. However planners assure us that this is not unusual, and so the fight goes on.
[An environmental impact assessment (or EIA) is a way of providing decision makers with information about the effects that a given project could have on the environment considering natural, social and economic aspects. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider the ensuing environmental impacts to decide whether to proceed with the project.]
SAINSBURY'S PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Some of you have been in touch regarding how to respond to the Sainsbury's public consultation leaflet that you should have received through your door this week.
Be aware that your answers may affect the final planning application. We would encourage as many of you as possible to leave blank section 2: "Which aspects of the proposal do you most like?" and respond to Section 3: "Which aspects of the proposal do you least like?" with your concerns and fears regarding traffic, noise, environmental impact, and the affect on local businesses and the character of the town.
Sainsbury's are also holding their public consultation this week at the Bishop's Waltham Free Church in Basingwell Street (Behind the car park). If you have any further questions or concerns regarding the development you can express them at these sessions. The dates are:
Thursday 23rd July - 14:00 to 20:00
Friday 24th July - 14:00 to 20:00
Saturday 25th July - 10:00 to 16:00
BWAG LAUNCH NEW WEBSITE
We now have a new website for you to keep up with the latest developments in the fight to save Bishop Waltham's future; http://www.bwactiongroup.org.uk/ Have a look, and be sure to tell your friends and neighbours. You can also download from this site your very own "Say No To Sainsbury's" poster.
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WHAT CAN YOU DO?
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Every Newsletter we hope to provide you with a couple of quick things you help us with:
DONATIONS
BWAG are all volunteers, determined to mount the best campaign we can, however the need for professional help is now imperative. We will have to employ a planning consultant to advise and move our campaign forward.
We urgently need to raise funds in order to be able to pay for professional planning and legal expertise so that a robust and thorough formal objection can be made against the forthcoming planning application in what are expected to be very tight timescales. Funds are also needed to pay for the cost of producing leaflets to be circulated to 12,000 homes in the area.
If you would like to make a donation then you can either do this by credit or debit card via the Paypal donate button on the new website http://www.bwactiongroup.org.uk/ (Paypal will handle the payment securely, BWAG does not receive any card details). You do not need a Paypal account.
Alternatively you can also donate via cheque. Cheques should be made payable to Bishops Waltham Action Group or BWAG. Please send these to; BWAG, 2 Merlin Mews, Houchin Street, Bishops Waltham, SO32 1AR
A local chartered accountant, is BWAG's treasurer. All funds are held in a bank account with Barclays Bank in Bishops Waltham. Five committee members are signatories to that account and everything to do with the account has to be authorised by two people.
PETITION THE PRIME MINISTER
If you haven't already, you can sign our petition to the Prime Minister by following the link below:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/bwactiongroup/
We had a terrific response from the last newsletter, but still need more. If we get 500 signatories the Prime Minister has to respond. Anyone with an email address in your household can sign, and we can safely report that providing the Government with your email does not result in lots of spam!
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SUCCESSES AND THANK YOUS
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Despite the downpour at the start of the day, thanks to all the residents of Bishops Waltham and surrounds who turned up to support their local traders and the Hampshire producers at the Hampshire Farmers Market. Events like this are great fun and help keep money in the local economy.
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