“The Masterplan isn’t dead. It’s going ahead as planned. Nor is the Beacon safe from development.”
The Keep Penrith Special (KPS) campaign group says the announcement from Eden District Council (EDC) that they are withdrawing development on the Beacon itself has been misreported in some newspapers and by some broadcasters.
The KPS group says; “This is important as many residents of Eden District have now assumed the Masterplan is dead as a result of this misreporting. Of course that was entirely the intention of Eden District Council when they made the announcement at the end of last week.
“EDC told Cumbria Crack that ‘Analysis of the engagement responses will focus on the material that relates to other aspects of the Masterplan’. That simply confirms that the woeful Masterplan continues its course.”
The KPS campaign group claim that the Consultation (which EDC have renamed an engagement after receiving a Legal Opinion from a leading Planning Barrister that the Consultation was woeful and falls far short of the requirements for a legal consultation) cannot be relied upon in any way to demonstrate support or otherwise for the Masterplan.
Adrian Hill, Spokesman for Keep Penrith Special said: “It is a great pity that the announcement by Eden District Council was reported in an unbalanced way by some in the media, particularly ITV Border without them approaching us first. The result is that Keep Penrith Special will have to work even harder to ensure that the people of the District understand what is actually being planned.
“We regret that we have no choice but to start the process of litigation against EDC. However, we are not prepared to see the beautiful Eden Valley scarred forever and Penrith suffer. 3,000 plus people have seen our video available on our website showing them not only the staggering beauty of our beloved valley but also the wanton destruction that would happen. Whilst withdrawing the Beacon itself is welcome most of that destruction would still continue were this plan to be adopted.
“EDC will have to reply to our solicitor’s Pre Action Protocol letter, they will have no choice about doing so. There are a number of questions we have asked EDC that have remained unanswered for far too long.’
“It must be made absolutely clear the Masterplan is still happening, the consultation is still taking place, and people only have until Friday 2nd November to voice and action their concerns by signing the KPS campaign petition and returning the pre-paid postcard that every household in the CA10 & CA11 postcodes will receive from today, Monday 22nd October onwards. Why is this important?
“BIG Plans, need a BIG response.
“Links to the petition and video can be found at www.keeppenrithspecial.org. More than 2,276 people have signed the online petition and 100’s of wet signatures have been collected since the launch.
“We also urge all Eden residents to follow and like our Facebook page @keeppenrithspecial. This provides up to date news and will also keep you entertained.”
For more information about the Penrith Strategic Masterplan visit www.beaconvillages.co.uk
