The Leith Hill Action Group (LHAG) was set up in early 2009 to oppose a planning application to explore for oil or gas in the Surrey Hills AONB. In May 2011 Surrey County Council refused the application and in December 2011 an appeal was lodged by the applicant against the decision. LHAG has since been granted Rule-6 status to be a full party alongside the applicant and SCC in the planning inquiry beginning on July 10th 2012 at Dorking Halls for 8 - 10 working days.
Our Mission
Our mission is to preserve this fragile area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and protect it from this inappropriate type of development. We believe that the same potential deposits can be explored from a less sensitive site.
Our Objective
To persuade the planning inspectorate to dismiss the appeal on the same grounds that Surrey County Council refused the original application (see Documents pages).
We believe that less sensitive sites exist served by more robust infrastructure to cope with the associated HGV movements. It is not our intention to 'sterilise any potential deposit' by preventing exploration as we appreciate the national need to secure domestic energy supply. The applicant should undertake any temporary exploration activity in a responsible way, avoiding any long term damage to the local environment, even if it involves extra cost.
Whilst the application is for temporary operation there is no doubt that there will be permanent environmental damage, especially to Coldharbour Lane, and significant disruption to residents and visitors of this popular beauty spot and Knoll Road in Dorking.
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Fundraising
We need to raise £50,000 by the 10th July to pay for legal fees and expert witnesses. This is obviously a tall order so we would be very grateful for any donation you feel able to make. Please see the Donations Page for details of how you can do this by direct bank transfer or cheque. Alternatively, you can use the PayPal donation button below to pay by credit card, debit card or PayPal account.
The LHAG Totalizer shows our fundraising total to date:
