GARD Newsletter for parishes June 2025

GARD Newsletter for parishes June 2025
NEWS round-up and plans:

May: GARD held more short ONLINE INFO SESSIONS for non-members. We were pleased with participation and will be planning more. If you would like a recording of the talk sent to you, email gard.secretary@gmail.com The GARD AGM is on 30th May 8pm Millennium Room, Steventon Village Hall.

June: JOIN US at Millets for the GARD and CPRE anti-SESRO Petition Action Days – Friday June 13th, Weds June 18th. The Petition will be presented to the Secretary of State on Thursday 19th June. The JUDICIAL REVIEW takes place on Weds / Thurs 25th/26th June. We’ll know the result some time in July and put it on the GARD website at once. If we succeed, there should be a Public Inquiry with open and unbiased scrutiny. This is what we have been asking for for over a year. If we don’t succeed, Thames Water proceeds to apply for the Development Consent Order (2027, to be decided in 2028).

PUBLICITY: tell the Secretary if you’d like to display a banner or poster. Online leaflets are available about Groundwater effects, GARD’s thoughts on a smaller reservoir and a comparison on Thames Water’s claims versus reality.

THE PETITION: Sign the GARD / CPRE Petition for a Public Inquiry Stop Thames Water’s costly mega-reservoir – fix the leaks! | 38 Degrees currently about 6,100 signatures. Tell your friends to sign – bring it to 6,500 before it goes to the government in June.

FUND RAISING: GARD needs to raise funds for its ongoing Campaign. The legal costs for the Judicial Review are very high and have absorbed available resources. Please contact us with your ideas or offering your expertise. Donation details are below.
Thames Water will be pressing on with their publicity and ‘consultation’ in the summer, with glossy brochures full of pictures of sailing on Farmoor or on imaginary lakes. Look out for their dates (not yet known) and go to all the events to express your views.

ACTIONS FOR YOU NOW: Join GARD, sign the Petition, attend a GARD Online Info Session, like and share GARD’s Social Media posts. Write to your MP and Councillors (County, District and Parish). For email details see last month’s Newsletters or contact the GARD Secretary gard.secretary@gmail.com

Derek Stork, Chairman GARD