As if to rub salt in the wound, the planning inspector's office saw fit to use the Christmas holiday period as a good time to bury bad news. The outcome of the appeal hearing was published on the inspectorate's online portal yesterday without any formal notification sent to us as local members or to the businesses and residents of Castle Eden who have fought so hard for three years to fend off Dignity's plans to construct an unneeded crematorium in a location that is so clearly unsuited to any development of this nature. We see this discourtesy as an insult and a snub to the people of Castle Eden.
Naturally we are desperately disappointed that the planning inspector chose to disregard just about every argument put forward by objectors at the latest appeal hearing, preferring instead to come down firmly on the side of a company that has no concern at all for the well-being of the businesses or the safety of the residents of Castle Eden. Our true feelings cannot be reflected accurately on a public blog accessible to innocent young eyes so we feel it better to leave our comments at that for the time being.
However we cannot allow this development to go ahead without a fight. We will arrange to meet residents' representatives next week to plan a way forward in the struggle to keep Castle Eden untainted by this unwanted, unneeded and unsafe development.
For full details of the planning inspector's decision go to www.planninginspectorate.gov.uk using the case reference number 3146228 in the search bar.
Full details of our involvement to date in the campaign against Dignity's crematorium proposals can be tracked by typing Castle Eden Crematorium in the search bar on this blog site.