Protests over green belt plan

Callum Brodie • Published 29 Nov 2008 09:00 0 Comments

Residents in Wraysbury have risen up in protest against a local waste management company who want to develop on Green Belt land in the village.

Around 100 campaigners brought Charles Morris lorries to a standstill at the Hythe End site as part of a peaceful protest organised by the Hythe End Action Team (HEAT).

Charles Morris have now withdrawn their application to replace three existing Portacabins with a permanent two storey building on the Green Belt area which is also used as a flood plain.

But campaign leader Charles Collins does not expect this to be the end of the matter. He explained: "Charles Morris have been a thorn in the side of residents for a number of years now, they have absolutely no consideration for us.

"They seem intent on doubling the volume of traffic on the site and we have had enough. We held a peaceful protest and prevented the lorries from accessing the site. We've got a long history with Charles Morris and I'm sure they'll be back with new plans in the near future."

The Hythe End proposal was due to be heard before a Royal Borough planning committee on November 26 but the company pulled out at the last minute as they had not yet been given the go-ahead by the Environment Agency.

Mr Collins, continued: "The village suffered severe flooding in 2003 and this land is vital to protecting against a repeat of that.

"During our protest one of the lorry drivers tried to block us in, which was very foolish as it meant no emergency vehicles could access the site. When the police arrived they told him to move on."

One previous clash with Charles Morris occurred two years ago after HEAT had complained about a contract with BAA which involved the company crushing concrete in the area. Eventually BAA chiefs backed down and awarded residents £80,000 in compensation.

Charles Morris were unavailable for comment.

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This article appeared in Royal Borough Observer 28 Nov 08

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