Northmoor Lock: Replacing the Weir

13th July 2010:Follow up from Weir Action Group Open Session

Appleton Market

Sunday 11th July 2010

Many thanks to all those who took the opportunity of visiting the display the WAG had at the market Sunday and the feedback and comments you made.

For those of you not able to attend here is what’s happened since our last website update on 27th June

Meeting 9th July with Nicola Blackwood MP at Northmoor Weir to show her the whole site and explain our concerns for proposed works by the Environment Agency: loss of heritage; cost: minimum £2.3m and lack of research into alternative methods of assisting with the removal of the paddles. Work to be carried out due to Health and Safety concerns with little thought given to the Health and Safety of Appleton residents even when challenged by the parish council and WAG in March 2010.

Display stand at Farmer’s Market Sunday 11th July

Presentation of feedback from meeting held on 10th June between the EA and WAG concerning why the weir needs replacing – and alternatives investigated. Further presentation of health and safety issues for lock keepers given by the EA.

Presentation of feedback from meeting held on 14th June between the EA and WAG concerning access along proposed route A420, Oaksmere, Eaton Road, Badswell Lane and Lock Hill Lane – alternative routes investigated but rejected by the EA on grounds of excessive extra costs

Printed letter for residents to sign stating why the work on replacing the weir shouldn’t go ahead – 50 signatures were collected. People will be calling door to door in the next few days with these letters for you to sign if you didn’t manage to sign one at the market.

These letters are to go via Nicola Blackwood to David Cameron – Constituency MP for Northmoor along with the WAG Response to the Environment Agency’s Plans to replace Northmoor Weir.

There is a Petition for non residents to sign to accompany the above letters and document. 25 signatures so far – from market visitors and campers at the lock. If you would like a copy of the non-residents petition for e.g. for family, friends etc. please let us know

Model of paddle and rymer weir as it now is

Photographs of the weir circa 1915 and now – changes to be seen: a large tree, an electricity pylon

Model of the new proposed weir

Photograph of Pinkhill Weir which is of a similar appearance of the proposed one for Northmoor Construction drawings of proposed weir

Projected figures for lorry movements for the 2 years that the work would take – numbers of lorries given per week are for a round trip therefore 20 lorries, in real terms that’s 40! Traffic survey being undertaken by EA* sometime before the end of the school term.

WAG is also carrying out it’s own independent surveys.

Offers of help received To go door to door collecting signatures on letters

Contacting Tax Payers Alliance re: waste of money

Willing to help with extra traffic surveys

To follow up on history of Northmoor House, Lock and Weir site.

We still need your help

• More door to door deliverers
• More signatures

If you would like further details of any of the above, please contact us via the website or leave a message in the shop.

* Information received Monday 12th July: traffic survey to be carried out on Wednesday 14th July by Capital Traffic on behalf of the Environment Agency: 7-10am, 12-2pm, 3-6pm

27th June 2010: WAG has been working very hard since the project was postponed and here is an update of where we are now with the campaign.

We were unable to speak to the EA for the election period - which cost us 6 weeks of valuable consultation time. Following a public meeting at Appleton Village Hall in May we decided to split into two groups - one to look at traffic issues, one to look at the proposed replacement of the weir. Both groups are agreed that the main objective is to STOP the rebuilding of the weir at Northmoor.

In mid June the EA gave presentations to each group. The traffic group discussed alternative routes for the traffic into the village as well as the risks involved to the community and the infrastructure of the village. The weir group were given further information regarding the EA's evidence on Health and Safety as well as details regarding the cost of alternatives to the proposed project, and reasons why these alternatives were not pursued.

Over the last 2 months we have done a huge amount of research and feel that we have a really good case for challenging all aspects of the weir replacement, as well as the proposed volume of traffic it would cause in the Village. We've now got to the point where WE NEED YOU, we would like to share the evidence we have, then get everyone working towards getting the EA to permanently stop this work - whether you can actively help with the campaign, take some time to contact decision makers, or just tell a friend! Here is a good place to start: http://spendingchallenge.hm-treasury.gov.uk/

So, in order to share the evidence and research we have, there will be a WAG display at the Appleton Community Market on Sunday 11th July, 10am - 1pm at Appleton Village Hall. Please do come along and have a chat, pick up some suggestions as to how you can help and help us get the replacement of our unique Paddle and Rymer weir stopped. For those of you who can't get to the market we will be posting info on www.appletonwitheaton.co.uk and on Facebook.

The replacement of Northmoor Weir will cost over £2.5million of tax payers money. With the new government pledged to making major cuts in public spending WAG feels strongly that this is NOT the time to be spending money on such projects. The EA have not only a local, but a national, obligation to find a more cost effective, less environmentally and culturally intrusive, solution to this issue.

IF the replacement of Northmoor Weir does go ahead the extra traffic planned poses a very real threat to the health and safety of our community; the EA had, and still have, a responsibility to address this when considering the overall motives behind this work.

Nick Withers, on behalf of WAG

Keith Hutchence appointed as communications link 

Keith Hutchence has been asked by Simon Hughes, the Thames West Area Manager at the Environment Agency (EA), to liaise between the Appleton and Eaton communities and the EA. His previous projects have included managing the public consultation on the Oxford Flood Risk Management Strategy.

Before joining the Environment Agency, Keith was a News Editor of the much-missed ITV Central News that used to be broadcast from Abingdon with Wesley Smith, Anne Dawson and Hannah Shellswell. He decided to leave when the Central South franchise was taken over by Meridian in 2007.

Keith is married and has a son at university. He is a parish councillor in South Oxfordshire and is Vice-President of his local cricket team. We will, of course, publish updates on our Northmoor Lock pages. For further information, please contact carol.bateman45@talktalk.net or nick.withers@btconnect.com

An Open Meeting was held in the Appleton Village Hall on Wednesday 5th May 2010

 Letter from Barry Russell of EA following the Open Evening

on Tuesday 23rd March 2010 in the Village Hall

Backgound to the events

A Newsletter was issued by the Environment Agency at the end of February 2010 to the residents of Badswell Lane and Town Furlong setting out its plan for the modernisation of the Northmoor Weir. They also advised of need for parking restrictions to be put in place on Badswell Lane from April to October this year and next. Double yellow lines from Eaton Road Junction to just past the Tennis Courts on the even number side and Parking restrictions in place from Eaton Road Junction to Junction with Town Furlong on the odd number side. These restrictions will be in place from 8am - 5pm Monday to Friday and 8am - 1pm Saturday. There will also be movements of large lorries through the village for 2 years during the April to October period, entry to the village is provisionally set for Oaksmere. 

This spring and summer the Environment Agency is making improvements to Northmoor Lock by replacing the old weir with modern motorised gates for health and safety reasons.

The Parish Council called a public meeting on Monday 8th March 2010 and the Weir Action Group was formed.

The Environment Agency held an Open Evening on Tuesday 23rd March in the Appleton Village Hall when several EA staff met with over 100 concerned residents.

On 26th March 2010 the WAG issued a News Release to the local media and local and national politicians.

Tuesday 30th March 2010: Simon Hughes, Area Manager, Thames West Area, announced to a WAG meetingt in the Plough that EA ould delay the implementation of the Northmoor Weir Project for one year in order to facilitate discussions with the Appleton Community.

Tuesday 30th March: Joint News Release between WAG and EA issued to the media and local and national politicians.