This means that there will no longer be a public enquiry which was scheduled for January 2008. The owners of Parsonage Golf will now have two years to comply with the two enforcement notices or be prosecuted.
They will have to fill the voids with materials already on site, they can not import any more waste, it is unlikely that they would wish to export any waste. A statement detailing their methodology for the filling of the voids will be agreed by EFDC.
They will not be compelled to complete the golf course, in fact they have indicated to EFDC that they now no longer wish to complete the course.
TBAAG had been granted Rule 6 Status by the Planning Inspectorate for the enquiry. This is not granted lightly and would have given us third party status. We would have had more time to give our evidence and an opportunity to cross examine the appellants representatives. This status was granted to us because the Planning Inspectorate recognised that we had a considerable amount of evidence and spoke for a large number of villagers in Theydon Bois and Abridge.
TBAAG have over the last few months spent a considerable amount of time preparing a Statement of Case and a Proof of Evidence in preparation for the enquiry.
We can only assume that the appellants withdrew their appeal because they no longer feel they could win. We can assume that the receipt of the impelling Statements of Case from both EFDC and TBAAG aided their decision.
We can also assume that our statement which included evidence that an average of 250 lorries per day visited the site, three days of video evidence of lorry movements and an hours worth of photographic evidence which clearly displays the livery on the sides of some of the lorries, carried substantial findings. Photographs of oil drums, metal, tarmac, tyres and sand sewerage sludge being dumped illegally on site. As well as a statement from a serving police officer that evidenced that dumping was still occurring after their permit to do so was withdrawn by the Environment Agency.
They withdrew their appeal before receiving our 70 page 25,000 word Proof of Evidence document, but they had probably seen the TBAAG video that was played three times on the Channel 5 News on 26 September - please view the link if you missed the broadcast. And perhaps they became nervous after being contacted by a reporter from the Mail on Sunday for a comment on an upcoming article.
news.five.tv/your_news_your_story.asp?id=759&fid=2
Perhaps the developers will now concede that we will not allow them to further pollute our Metropolitan Green Belt, perhaps they concede that they have made enough money from putting the health and safety of the people of Abridge and Theydon Bois at risk.
This may be a victory, residents may have won this round, but we are sure these 'unscrupulous' developers will have another trick up their sleeves.
Their permission for a clubhouse expires in December, their compromise application EPF/2195/06 is incomplete and likely to be refused and they have seemingly lost their appetite to complete their original application EPF/0765/99.
Whatever their intentions, they will have to re apply for permission to EFDC. And whatever they have planned everyone will now be looking very closely at the detail of any new application from this development team who are so keen to ruin our countryside and Metropolitan Green Belt.