Dear Hazel and Hilary,

I am writing to urge you to take action in the light of the recent decision of the High Court, which overturned the Inspector's decision to confirm the enforcement notice in respect of Backdale Quarry in the Peak District National Park. This decision will in effect allow the destruction of 350 hectares of beautiful and highly visible landscape in the heart of the Peak District. It is clear that the future of Longstone Edge is now a national issue, and one that cannot be resolved by the National Park Authority acting on its own. The planning system has failed to deal with the issue, and the Authority does not have the resources to revoke the 1952 permission without Government support. Every week, the Peak District is visited by thousands of people from the surrounding conurbations in the North and Midlands, as well as from further afield. We will be dismayed if the Government fails to act decisively to defend the National Park. We are also aware of the irony that having established their statutory right to access to open country, the destruction of Longstone Edge means that footpaths are cut, the Edge cannot be traversed, and views from hundreds of square miles of open country will be ruined. I urge you to seek leave to appeal the High Court's decision in the Court of Appeal. While it is clear that delay in introducing the 'stalled review' regulations has not been helpful, I believe that these regulations cannot themselves bring about a satisfactory conclusion on Longstone Edge within a reasonable timescale given the current pace of destruction. However, their early implementation and use might help reduce the cost of revocation. I hope that you will now introduce these regulations without further delay. I believe that dealing with Longstone Edge has not been helped by the splitting of responsibility for minerals planning and for National Parks between two Government Departments, which in my view emphasises the need for you to work closely with Hilary Benn on this matter. I urge you to take action now to protect the Peak District National Park from years of further permanent destruction.

You can contact me by email (preferably - to save resources) or at the following address:

Title

*

Mr Mrs Miss Ms Dr Other None

Please choose a title

Country

 

Select country ____________________ United States Canada Japan United Kingdom Australia Germany France Switzerland Italy Netherlands ____________________ Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antartica Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia & Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Terr. Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Isl Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, Democratic Rep. Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote D'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Isl. (Malvinas) Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Terr. Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey, C.I. Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard and McDonald Isl Holy (Vatican City) Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey, C.I. Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic Peoples Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxemborg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Isl Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova, Republic of Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherland Antilles Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Isl Northern Mariana Isl Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestinian Terr. Occupied Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Samoa San Marino Sao Tome & Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia South Sandwich Isl Spain Sri Lanka St. Helena St. Kitts & Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent & Grenadines Suriname Svalbard & Jan Mayen Isl Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad & Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Isl Tuvalu U.A.E. U.S.Minor Outlying Isl Uganda Ukraine United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City State Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Isl (British) Virgin Isl, (U.S.) Wallis & Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen, Republic of Zambia Zimbabwe

Please enter your country

Friends of the Earth is a collective name for Friends of the Earth Trust, registered charity 281681, company number 1533942, and Friends of the Earth Limited, company number 1012357, both of which may use the above information. In both cases the registered office is at 26-28 Underwood Street, London, N1  7JQ.