The StopVeoliaInLincoln campaign has launched a JustGiving fundraising page, and donations can now be accepted – please help us raise the £10,000 we need to fight Veolia’s appeal on their Long Leys Lincoln site! You will find the JustGiving fundraising page online at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stopveoliainlincoln or you can link to it from the long-leys.org or http://stopveolia.org sites. Please take a look, donate if you can, and – most important – tell all your friends so they can support us too. Don’t assume they have seen this.
You’ll have many questions about this fund, so I’ll try here to answer those I can think of. If there are still things you want to know, email me CHRIS TAYLOR at ct@clara.net and I’ll get the answers and publish them so everyone can see them.
If you would like email updates so you can be amongst the first to hear of any developments, sign up for this free service on long-leys.org/subscribe.
With many thanks –
CHRIS TAYLOR
Email: ct@clara.net
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS…
How much do we need to raise, and what’s this money for?
Why do we have to do this?
Why us – isn’t it someone else’s responsibility?
Why is it so important?
How do I contribute to this fund?
How much should I give?
Who is looking after the money? Is it safe?
What happens if we don’t need everything we raise?
Why are we asking for the money by October 1st?
Who is ‘Emile’ whose picture is on the website?
How much do we need to raise, and what’s this money for?
We aim to raise £10,000, and expect to spend it commissioning expert reports on the main issues around the Veolia planning appeal including noise, odour, etc., and to brief a barrister to fight the legal aspects of the appeal. We believe it’s a realistic target. We have taken the best advice we can (including from Dale & Co. Solicitors, and planning consultants Open Plan Consultants Ltd.) and they have told us it is reasonable. But a barrister, for example, will charge depending on how much time they’re needed – a public inquiry lasting a couple of days will cost less than if it lasts a week, and we have little control over this. We don’t want to come back to you and ask for more money, but we cannot rule this possibility out altogether.
Why do we have to do this?
We need the experts and professional legal representation if our voice is to be heard in the appeal process. The matter may be won or lost on aspects we mightn’t even think about, and that’s where we need the expert help; their clarity will help to remove our passion and emotion from the process (though these have a place as well!). Be assured that Veolia and the County Council will have similar or better representation, and we must be prepared to fight at that same level. Everything we’ve done so far has been funded privately, but now we’re talking about larger sums and this is too much to ask of a handful of generous helpers.
Why us – isn’t it someone else’s responsibility?
Others will fight alongside us, but if we want to stop this we have to fight too. There is real value in showing the appeal process that we care. If we leave it to, say, the County Council, then the Inspector may think we don’t mind very much what happens. We know that’s very far from the truth, and have to demonstrate that – and by paying for these experts we show we’re taking it seriously, as well as gaining the real benefits they will bring.
Why is it so important?
This is not just about Veolia, it’s about the whole future of the Long Leys Road area. There is no doubt that we will see development here in the future, and we believe that if Veolia wins its appeal, then that development, in the heart of our Urban Village, will be industrial, with the noise, traffic, and other disturbances that will come with that. No-one will want to build houses near a waste transfer plant. But if Veolia loses again, then we could see residential property instead. Which would you prefer? However much we might like the idea, things will not stay the way they are for ever…
How do I contribute to this fund?
It’s easy! Find the JustGiving website at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/stopveoliainlincoln and follow the instructions. Your debit or credit card is all you need. You’ll be asked for your email address so you can be sent a receipt, and your address so we can identify the general areas the money is coming from. These details will NOT be published. You’ll also be asked for your name, but you can choose whether or not this appears on the page, and you can also choose whether the amount you give is seen or not. You can be completely anonymous if you wish. The crowdfunding website is operated as a commercial business, and we pay the owners £5 for each £100 donated. We believe this is a reasonable price to pay for the high level of transparency it allows.
How much should I give?
As much as you can reasonably afford, please. We’re suggesting £50 per household should reach our target, but if you can’t afford that, we’ll be very happy to receive whatever you can spare. And of course if you like to give more, we’ll be most grateful. You can give more than once if it’s easier – say £25 now and more next month. If we raise more than our target, we can maybe get more and better experts on our team.
Who is looking after the money? Is it safe?
The money will be held in a Long Leys Residents Association (LLRA) bank account, and this fund is specifically overseen by independent trustees including County Councillor Rob Parker and Solicitor Richard Dale of Dale & Co., as well as the LLRA’s own scrutineers. It’s safe, and it’s transparent – you can see from the website how much money is coming in, and if you have any concerns about how your money is being held or spent, we’ll be happy to show you the detailed accounts.
What happens if we don’t need everything we raise?
In this happy circumstance, first, it allows us to commission more or better expert reports, or legal representation. If at the end there’s still a positive balance, we’ll move any unneeded money across to the LLRA funds where it can be spent for the community benefit. We all know there’s a ‘wish list’ of projects we’d like to spend money on…
Why are we asking for the money by October 1st?
At the moment it’s difficult to predict timescales. The best we can suggest is that our public meeting is likely to be mid September, and by then we’ll have a better idea of dates for the official public inquiry. It’s entirely possible that inquiry could be next springtime – but we will need to submit our expert and consultant reports and paperwork well before then, possibly before the end of October. The 1st October date – which could move to give more time – is simply the date we might well have to start paying legal costs. We will also present a more credible case to a barrister if we can show we have the funds to pay them – so there is some urgency to build up a good balance.
Who is ‘Emile’ whose picture is on the website?
Emile van der Zee – who will also send you an email thanking you for your contribution – has been a key member of the campaign to stop Veolia since it started towards the end of last year. His name and picture are on this website simply because he set it up – as he has before, with the petition to protect the ‘Urban Village’ designation: that too was Emile’s work. He also brings a lot of support (a further 350 homes) from the West End side of the Common, where he lives.
Thank you for your support – please pass this on to your friends and contacts!
Leave A Comment