The Planning Inspector has rejected comprehensively Mr Alston's appeal against the loss of his abstraction licences
In simple terms the Inspector has found after the three and a half week Public Inquiry held in April in Norwich that:
– ecological change confirms that the Fen is in danger
– increasing acidification is the cause
– water abstraction is the most likely explanation by reducing the flow of alkaline groundwater to the Fen
– our fen management is good and not the cause of the problem
– there is no overriding public interest that Mr Alston should not lose his licences
You can read the Planning Inspector’s detailed report by clicking on Delve into the Issues,then on The Case for a Public Inquiry
It is remarkable that after eight years the Environment Agency, Natural England,the RSPB and now the Planning Inspector all agree the scientific analysis put forward by our experts!