I live in Pinewoods and, with other members of our hamlet; we are starting to build our case against The Sandpit Proposal. I suspect that within the villages of Longworth & Hinton Waldrist there is a wide range of talent and expertise relevant to the environmental aspects of the excavation. To aid our research and build our argument we would appreciate information and knowledge from experienced and/or qualified sources on the issues listed below. Maybe somebody will know of expertise from outside of the villages that would be prepared to assist.

Traffic

·        Is there a Highways or Traffic Engineer who would be able to predict the effect of the additional daily lorry movements on local roads, the A240 junction and the county infrastructure?

·        Is anybody able to assess any proposal for altering the A420 junction that Hansons may put forward to establish if it will solve the likely issues?

Sound

·        Is there an Acoustics Engineer or somebody experienced in the management of external sound control who can predict the levels of noise and the degree of sound intrusion?

·        Is anybody able to prove (or disprove) that the earth bunding, that Hansons will offer to provide, will actually reduce the effect of the noise pollution?

·        Does anybody know the legal and advisory sound requirements that will apply?

Wind

·        Is anybody able to predict the effect of the strong westerly wind blowing over the loose soft sand?

·        Does anybody have access to a wind tunnel??

·        Has there been any research into the amount and distance that soft sand can be blown?

Water Levels

·        Is there a Land Drainage Engineer that can assess the possible effect on the adjoining market garden?

·        There are two streams that are fed by water run off from these fields, is it possible to predict if they will run dry?

·        Is there a Geologist who can confirm Hanson’s borehole findings as to the depth of the water table and advise on the loss of local wet areas?

Ecology

·        Is anybody qualified to predict the effect on the surrounding woodland, fields and streams?

·        Can they assess the variety and quality of the existing flora and fauna on and around the fields, in String Copse and in the pond on the track to Farmlands?

·        Can anybody discover a rare moth, a great crested newt, a protected plant or the last remaining dodo?

Agriculture

·        Can any of our farming friends professionally predict the quality of the land after reinstatement?

·        Can they advise on how the fields will be farmed if they are formed in dishes with high banking around the perimeters?

Visual Impact

·        Do we have a landscape artist or somebody experienced in 3D computer modelling who could prepare artistic/graphic representations? These could be used to interpret Hanson’s intensions to show Committee members what the interim stages and the final outcome and its impact on the countryside will be.

Rights of Way

·        The footpath diversion will be a separate issue, but it will be useful to know the number of people that use this footpath link between Hinton Waldrist and Longworth/Southmoor and for what purposes.

And finally,

·        Is there anybody who actually works in the aggregate industry that would be prepared to explain what the interim and final effect on the environment would be?

There are probably many more issues that will arise, meanwhile if anybody can help please contact me at - [email protected] or 01865-821345.

Thank you.

Graham Caswell,

Graham Caswell B.A. (Hons), Dipl.Arch (Oxford), RIBA