Letter to Aldershot News 4/9/00

Sir,

Blackwater Valley Friends of the Earth (BVFoE) was very disappointed to see the profits of a multi-national put before the interests of local people when the TAG Airfield Proposal was rubber stamped by the Development and Management Committee on August 30. This was despite a brave defence by Charles Fraser-Fleming obviously one of the few councillors in Rushmoor to be bothered by the environmental and safety concerns to the residents by this damaging development.

BVFoE was equally disappointed to see the slurs cast both on the group and the local people by the Rushmoor Council propaganda machine the day before the vote (Farnborough Mail front page, 29/8/00). According to your article, Rushmoor officials (unnamed) "also point out that of the 1200 objections (received on the proposal) at least 500 of them were based on, or influenced by, an emotive leaflet distributed by BVFoE", thus implying that these residents had written their objections because of 'scare mongering' and not because they were intelligent, independent thinking citizens who had assessed the facts for themselves. The implication furthermore being that Rushmoor Council officials had simply dismissed these 500 objections. If this is the case it makes a mockery of the planning application process in Rushmoor.

In addition, according to these unnamed officials, our supposedly emotive leaflet accused councillors of being "in TAG's pockets". However, as any householder of the 6,000+ homes that were leafletted and who has retained their copy can testify, no such statements were made or even implied on the leaflet.

BVFoE denies that our leaflet was emotive but was merely stating the facts and serving as a wake-up call to how detrimental to the environment and the quality of local life this development will be. We still stand behind all our claims made on the leaflet, claims that will now, it appears, sadly be turned into reality when the Swiss based multi-national TAG Aviation come to town.

Rick Kimber

Press Officer

Blackwater Valley Friends of the Earth