NEWS IN BRIEF – RESISTING
- New Open Cast Coal Mine Site Occupied
- Titnore woods victory!
- Transition Heathrow Land Grab & Permaculture Garden set up New Open Cast Coal Mine Site Occupied The Blair House open cast coal mine site in Fife, owned by UK Coal, has been occupied by 25 activists, causing contractors to cease felling trees and aiming to put an end to UK Coal's plans to mine. Despite receiving 150 objections, and no letters of support, Fife Council granted UK Coal permission to mine 720,000 tonnes of coal over the next four and a half years. This threatens pollution, noise, loss of recreational access and negative health impacts for the community surrounding the site – which includes the Black Wood Wildlife site, once an ancient woodland and now filled with birch forest and oak trees. The site is also home to a number of animals listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, and holds Great Crested Newts, a European Protected Species. Combustion of all the coal extracted would lead to the release of 2.11 million tonnes of CO2, with the mining process itself adding more to this figure. This site has been occupied two months following the eviction of Mainshill Solidarity Camp, and two weeks after the Defend Huntington Lane camp in Shropshire first stopped work by occupying another UK Coal proposed open cast coal mine site. It is one of 20 others in Scotland to have been recently granted planning permission. “If we are to have any chance of limiting dangerous climate change and protecting communities from carbon-intensive industries, direct action must be taken as councillors, mining companies and the government have shown their unwillingness to solve the problems we face.” Link: http://coalactionscotland.noflag.org.uk/
http://defendhuntingtonlane.wordpress.com/
Titnore woods victory! After nearly four years of treetop occupation, it seems that Titnore woods has been saved. On 15th March, Worthing Council voted to deny the planning application that would have destroyed the ancient woodland to make way for the construction of a complex comprising over a thousand homes as well as a new road, school and health centre. However, Titnore's not out of the woods yet (ahem), as the development consortium will file an appeal. In similar cases appeals have often been successful, with local council rulings overturned from as high up as the secretary of state. Celebrations have been further dampened as a Camp Titnore resident has commenced a hunger strike at Lewes prison. After being charged with “obstructing a police officer” when police officers entered the camp on March 5th, Jack Rumbold was released on bail conditions that banned him from returning to Titnore, leaving him homeless. With nowhere to go Rumbold demanded his re-arrest on the 17th March and has been refusing food in the hope that the authorities will reconsider his excessive punishment. Links: www.theargus.co.uk/news/5062278.Plans_for_homes_next_to_Worthing_s_Titnore_Woods_voted_down/?ref=mr
www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/03/447685.html?c=on#comments Background:
www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=3504
www.protectourwoodland.co.uk/
Transition Heathrow Land Grab & Permaculture Garden set up Community activists from Transition Heathrow have squatted an abandoned market garden in Sipson, one of the villages under treat from Heathrow airport expansion. The construction of a third runway at Heathrow would demolish more than 700 homes around Sipson, Harmondsworth and Harlington, and will leave many more homes uninhabitable as they find themselves at the end of a runway. Transition Heathrow intend to provide a physical barrier to the construction of a third runway at Heathrow airport, whilst simultaneously building community-controlled solutions to climate change and peak oil. Heathrow resident Amy Summer said, "We've been fighting the threat of the third runway for years, and it's blighted our community. This kind of action not only helps stop expansion but also helps regenerate the area, providing local skills, green jobs and organic produce instead... There's no point in growing your own veg if it's going to be covered in tarmac by BAA. At the same time there's no point in community resistance if there's no community left to defend. We have to do both." With massive support from local residents, the group have been clearing the site, which had previously been used for car scrapping, and are calling out for people to join them in a days work on the site. For more information email info@transitionheathrow.com or call the site phone on 07890751568. Link: www.transitionheathrow.com/
- Titnore woods victory!
- Transition Heathrow Land Grab & Permaculture Garden set up New Open Cast Coal Mine Site Occupied The Blair House open cast coal mine site in Fife, owned by UK Coal, has been occupied by 25 activists, causing contractors to cease felling trees and aiming to put an end to UK Coal's plans to mine. Despite receiving 150 objections, and no letters of support, Fife Council granted UK Coal permission to mine 720,000 tonnes of coal over the next four and a half years. This threatens pollution, noise, loss of recreational access and negative health impacts for the community surrounding the site – which includes the Black Wood Wildlife site, once an ancient woodland and now filled with birch forest and oak trees. The site is also home to a number of animals listed on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, and holds Great Crested Newts, a European Protected Species. Combustion of all the coal extracted would lead to the release of 2.11 million tonnes of CO2, with the mining process itself adding more to this figure. This site has been occupied two months following the eviction of Mainshill Solidarity Camp, and two weeks after the Defend Huntington Lane camp in Shropshire first stopped work by occupying another UK Coal proposed open cast coal mine site. It is one of 20 others in Scotland to have been recently granted planning permission. “If we are to have any chance of limiting dangerous climate change and protecting communities from carbon-intensive industries, direct action must be taken as councillors, mining companies and the government have shown their unwillingness to solve the problems we face.” Link: http://coalactionscotland.noflag.org.uk/
http://defendhuntingtonlane.wordpress.com/
Titnore woods victory! After nearly four years of treetop occupation, it seems that Titnore woods has been saved. On 15th March, Worthing Council voted to deny the planning application that would have destroyed the ancient woodland to make way for the construction of a complex comprising over a thousand homes as well as a new road, school and health centre. However, Titnore's not out of the woods yet (ahem), as the development consortium will file an appeal. In similar cases appeals have often been successful, with local council rulings overturned from as high up as the secretary of state. Celebrations have been further dampened as a Camp Titnore resident has commenced a hunger strike at Lewes prison. After being charged with “obstructing a police officer” when police officers entered the camp on March 5th, Jack Rumbold was released on bail conditions that banned him from returning to Titnore, leaving him homeless. With nowhere to go Rumbold demanded his re-arrest on the 17th March and has been refusing food in the hope that the authorities will reconsider his excessive punishment. Links: www.theargus.co.uk/news/5062278.Plans_for_homes_next_to_Worthing_s_Titnore_Woods_voted_down/?ref=mr
www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/03/447685.html?c=on#comments Background:
www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=3504
www.protectourwoodland.co.uk/
Transition Heathrow Land Grab & Permaculture Garden set up Community activists from Transition Heathrow have squatted an abandoned market garden in Sipson, one of the villages under treat from Heathrow airport expansion. The construction of a third runway at Heathrow would demolish more than 700 homes around Sipson, Harmondsworth and Harlington, and will leave many more homes uninhabitable as they find themselves at the end of a runway. Transition Heathrow intend to provide a physical barrier to the construction of a third runway at Heathrow airport, whilst simultaneously building community-controlled solutions to climate change and peak oil. Heathrow resident Amy Summer said, "We've been fighting the threat of the third runway for years, and it's blighted our community. This kind of action not only helps stop expansion but also helps regenerate the area, providing local skills, green jobs and organic produce instead... There's no point in growing your own veg if it's going to be covered in tarmac by BAA. At the same time there's no point in community resistance if there's no community left to defend. We have to do both." With massive support from local residents, the group have been clearing the site, which had previously been used for car scrapping, and are calling out for people to join them in a days work on the site. For more information email info@transitionheathrow.com or call the site phone on 07890751568. Link: www.transitionheathrow.com/
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