Protester considers judicial review over Go Ape (From Daily Echo)
When news happens, text SDE and your photos or videos to 80360. Or contact us by email and phone.
Itchen Valley Country Park Go Ape! decision could be contested in the courts
4:53pm Wednesday 9th December 2009 in News
Protester considers judicial review over Go Ape
PLANS for a controversial high-wire adventure course in a Hampshire country park may have to survive a judicial review.
Lower Itchen Fishery owner Lyndsey Farmiloe is on the verge of taking legal action because she believes there should have been an investigation into how the Go Ape attraction will affect her business.
Councillors on Eastleigh council’s Hedge End, West End and Botley local area committee voted nine to two in favour of the proposal for Itchen Valley Country Park on Monday night after a heated five-hour debate.
That decision is likely to be rubber-stamped at a full planning meeting of the Liberal Democrat-dominated council.
Lyndsey’s business sits just 30 metres away from the proposed location of Go Ape. She believes the noise generated will put off anglers.
She will meet with her solicitor on Friday to discuss her options.
“We’re very unhappy with the way it has been conducted,”
said Lyndsey. “Our concerns have not been listened to, our amenity has not been considered sufficiently, the councillors have no idea about fishing and don’t bother to find out.
“Based on that and the evidence put to the council, which they chose to ignore, we have to look seriously at a judicial review.”
The Friends of Itchen Valley Country Park, led by Margaret Raff, said they were unlikely to contest the decision aside from a formal complaint to the Borough Council that was submitted last week.
Eastleigh Borough Council did not wish to comment on a judicial review until any formal proceedings were made.
Speaking about the decision to approve the plans, council leader Keith House said: “This is an exciting proposal to provide a terrific adventure and fitness activity to attract more people to the park.”
Comments(19)
freemantlegirl2
says...
5:16pm Wed 9 Dec 09
G0Rf
says...
5:39pm Wed 9 Dec 09
Jammy Donut
says...
6:13pm Wed 9 Dec 09
StEmmosfire
says...
6:30pm Wed 9 Dec 09
kev63
says...
8:28pm Wed 9 Dec 09
tzarina
says...
8:53pm Wed 9 Dec 09
Reality-man
says...
8:56pm Wed 9 Dec 09
Quite Frankly
says...
9:25pm Wed 9 Dec 09
Councillors voted nine to two in favour of the scheme. The decision is subject to the receipt of a Biodiversity Management Plan, contributions to local transport initiatives and various other conditions including protection of trees, drainage and hours of use. Council officers and Go-Ape will now discuss a timetable for opening the course.
And when it opens, I'll be there to enjoy it.
stickymcglue
says...
9:51pm Wed 9 Dec 09
Condor Man
says...
10:38pm Wed 9 Dec 09
josh_drakester
says...
11:30pm Wed 9 Dec 09
Crazywolf
says...
7:47am Thu 10 Dec 09
kev63 wrote:But isn't the main problem with politicians that they listen to TOO MANY minorities and the silent majority rarely get heard? If in this case they have gone with the majority then surely that's good democracy!!
Absoluteley agree with the first comment, having had dealings with Eastleigh bc I also beleive that they are indeed the mafia, they NEVER listen to the "little man" they NEVER listen to the minority (it's easier to go with the majority, less hassle and a lot less work), they will NEVER get my vote again, they are full of false promises!
What is YOUR ideal? Only the things YOU like get through, regardless of what everyone else wants?
SotonNorth
says...
8:49am Thu 10 Dec 09
Shoong
says...
9:58am Thu 10 Dec 09
Mr BCB
says...
10:22am Thu 10 Dec 09
wilson castaway
says...
1:12pm Thu 10 Dec 09
Duckorange
says...
2:17pm Thu 10 Dec 09
wilson castaway wrote:Exactly. People moaned when they built Monkey World next door to the Tank Museum and the Winfrith Nuclear Reactors.
Go-Ape is not a primate equivalent of Butlins Holiday Park and will not be used by actual apes form Monkey world or Marwell zoo.So whats the problem?
And have mutant, heavily-armed apes taken over the world? No. They have not.
In your face, protesters!
concernedofstdenys
says...
7:29pm Sun 13 Dec 09
This week Chorley Council have been guilty of 6 counts maladministration and 3 counts of injustice for not consulting people properly over Go Ape. A Modus Operandus perhaps? It ain't the only one in UK. FOUND GUILTY! Go Ape admitted that it did not consult the fishery even though its in a Council policy document that the park should work closely with them.
What a familiar story.....
http://www.thisislan
cashire.co.uk/news/4
790823.Fight_goes_on
_for_Go_Ape_proteste
rs_in_Rivington/
I expect the Audit Commision are mistaken, they shouldnt really have been found guilty, just moaners? Like the Woodland Trust about the designation of the woodland. Just moaners.
The Friends are not contesting it Freemantlegirl. See www.saveitchenvalley
park.org
Perhaps they dont like it but they don't have a 50 year old family business to lose as does the fishery. The motorway clearly does not put people off of fishing because the evidence is she has a viable business. I have fished there and it is not loud, simply go walk to the bridge over the river and you can see for yourself. Dont listen to the muppets. Motorway noise is something you get used to and block out and it really aint bad anyway. It is not same as sudden shouts of 300 people a day (the councillor said 30 max repeating a bare faced lie!).The 2 councillors who bothered going to the fishery voted against. Any explanation for that Freemantlegirl? At Moors Valley GO APE IS totally brilliant I LOVED IT BUT the council idiot whose idea it was to bring Go Ape to Itchen should have noticed that at Moors Valley there are hundred acres of trees EVERYWHERE and the course is fabulous because of that. Then they should have noticed it aint like that at IVCP River Copse is tiny by comparision - THEN it would not have cost the taxpayer all this money to date. Dock it out their salaries!!!!!
Environmental evidence did not back the project, the woods are far too small and Go Ape told a million half truths (30 a day my ar**). The Woodland Trust, the Wildlife Trust, Natural England, the Bat group, Chris Packham etc etc all objected! But the council made the objections go away like Kaiser Sosay! They used all their resources to alter the plans and promise until there could be no objections, they wanted this project SOOOO much. Do you think your private planning application would get that kind of treatment? ALL the wildlife bodies objected, if it was a suitable site (like Moors Valley and all the others) would they have had to work that hard? Na, it would have sailed through. I will go and I will LOVE IT but it will be bloody obvious to anyone with a brain its in the wrong place, it will be crap compared to Moors Valley and all the old dears wont go to the park anymore cos they will hate the noise and the fishermen will be upset. But hey "in your face protestors!" much better to be selfish huh? Feels great being such a selfish ar**. YEAHH
chapelsaint says...
5:07pm Wed 9 Dec 09