You would have thought after all these years that Aggregate Industries’ hydrogeology consultants – now going under the name of Wood, previously Amec Foster Wheeler, previously AMEC – would understand the water environment around Straitgate Farm, and in particular how the mediaeval fishponds, that are so important for the setting of Grade I listed Cadhay, derive their water. You would have thought the Environment Agency, having visited Cadhay, would also know.
Since we posted Professor of Hydrogeology says ‘ANY quarrying at Straitgate would cause problems’ in May, and Professor rebuts EA’s response to his report. Has the EA got it all wrong? in July, and EA wants AI to address Professor’s water concerns in August, Aggregate Industries' consultants have indeed attempted to address Prof Brassington’s concerns – in this document – and the Environment Agency is seemingly content that all is now well. The fact that the Environment Agency has discounted the advice from a Professor with 50 years' experience of hydrogeology in favour of consultants working on behalf of an aggregates giant set on digging as deep as it can, speaks volumes. The Environment Agency now says:
Having reviewed the further information submitted [from Wood in response to Prof Brassington’s report and correspondence] we maintain our position in respect of this proposal. We have no objections to the proposal only if the conditions we have previously recommended are included on any subsequent planning permission. We are pleased to note that Aggregate Industries have no objection to Cadhay House Spring being included within the Section 106 agreement.
It’s unlikely to be the end of the story, but plainly the Environment Agency didn’t read the entire memo, because Aggregate Industries has promised more.
We have previously posted about the mediaeval fishponds at Cadhay, most recently that the Devon Gardens Trust objects and Historic England gives assurance that “importance of Cadhay” will be recognised. The Devon Gardens Trust wrote:
The water supply to the fishponds comes from a spring located just below the extraction site at Straitgate Farm, a mile to the west of Cadhay. The fishponds have relied on the spring as a source of water for over 500 years. If the proposed extraction disrupts the spring and the water supply, the fishponds which are an essential and important feature of the gardens at Cadhay, will be turned into a quagmire, to the considerable detriment of the historic designed landscape.
Aggregate Industries’ water consultants make great play that the fishponds are 2km from Straitgate, but clearly still don’t understand how they work. They claim:
The ponds are situated in a body of River Terrace Deposits and likely owe their existence mainly to the presence of shallow groundwater, with water levels being mostly maintained by groundwater supply from relatively local recharge to the Otter Sandstone and potentially high storage in the River Terrace Deposits.
They clearly don’t understand that the clay-lined ponds are totally reliant on springs emanating from just below the proposed extraction area at Straitgate Farm. They clearly don’t understand that water to the ponds is fed by this leat:
The Devon Minerals Plan has made clear that:
Any proposal should include provision for alternative supply in the event of derogation of private water supplies resulting from mineral development.
However, notwithstanding the fact that AI's legal assurances for alternative water supplies are “unfit for purpose”, and notwithstanding the fact that an alternative source may not be available in the event that any quarrying causes problems, and notwithstanding the fact that any proposed remedy could be too late anyway, Aggregate Industries – who previously had been unwilling to include Cadhay (neither its spring, nor its ponds, nor its wetland habitats in ancient woodland) in a Section 106 covering alternative water supplies – has now apparently had a change of heart:
Aggregate Industries have consistently maintained that the potential effects on Cadhay House Spring, the mediaeval fishponds (which are 2km from the proposed extraction area) and the wetland habitats will be negligible. However, Aggregate Industries have no objection to these being included in the Section 106 agreement.
Our emphasis.
Aggregate Industries – just as with some of our politicians – will now seemingly promise anything, deliverable or not, in order to get this planning application over the line.
