The Public meeting will now be at the IP-City centre at the top of Wherstead Road.

The Council Executive today considered the application for the Southern Cement expansion.  They were told in no uncertain terms by the Council officers that they could do … nothing.  There will be a fuller report in the Evening Star tomorrow, and I can’t do shorthand.  Some highpoints:

• Des Pawson put across the case very well, showing damning evidence that dangerous cement dust was being passed through Ipswich already
• Paul West, who hears the noise along with his constituents, and Philip Smart, whose constituents hear the noise, talked for their constituents who are becoming increasingly aware of what is ruining their sleep
• Councillors were very angry with the arrogance and dismissive attitude of Southern Cement and Uniland, and it’s quite clear that if they can do anything to scupper Southern Cement, they will.
• The decision will be made after the public meeting
• The council officers are quite clear that there will be an increase in the number of times that residents will be kept up if they are allowed to expand
• At the end the council leader Liz Harsant said that she was suffering from the noise – something she had kept quiet from everyone

Remember the Council executive will be hearing arguments for and against whether Southern Cement should expand its operations.

It will be at Grafton House in the Orwell Room, 15-17 Russell Road, at 6pm Tuesday 22^nd September.You can get a map here:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=Grafton+House+Ipswich&ie=UTF8&ll=52.054259,1.143179&spn=0.008075,0.027509&z=15&iwloc=A

If you let me know about whether a lift will be needed then I can see about getting lifts arranged.

It is very important to tell your friends and neighbours.

I’ve been trying to contact Southern Cement for a while now, as some of you will know without much success. I’m firmly of the opinion that the best solution all round is for them to voluntarily look for a solution that will enable people to get a night’s sleep.

Last week I thought I was finally getting somewhere when after a couple of attempts to talk to them by phone they called back and asked me to email them, which I promptly did. So after a couple of reminders I got this response from Barry Neale, their UK manager, on Monday:

“Dear Mr Spencer,

I am not able to enter into discussions with you or your group at this stage.”

…and that’s it.

If they were a teenager they’d have an ASBO.  If they were a family they’d be evicted.

Remember the meeting on Tuesday.

The Ipswich Council executive has agreed to consider a petition from the Wherstead Road residents association.  They are opposing Southern Cement’s application to build a new silo and asking the Council to refer this decision to a democratic body. Unfortunately the Council cannot consider the noise as a reason to oppose the extension of the plant. However we are opposing it on the grounds of dust.

We have been told by councillors from both the Conservative and Labour parties that it would be a good idea to get a large number of people to turn up, so please come along and get your friends to come along. It will be in the Orwell Room at Grafton House, 15-17 Russell Road, Ipswich at 6pm on Tuesday 22^nd September. You can get a map here:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=Grafton+House+Ipswich&ie=UTF8&ll=52.054259,1.143179&spn=0.008075,0.027509&z=15&iwloc=A

If you let me know about whether a lift will be needed then I can see about getting lifts arranged.

It is very important to tell your friends and neighbours.