Action group guilty of making false claims about my golf club

2:17pm Wednesday 30th April 2008

UNDERSTANDABLY, there has been much media coverage during the past few years on the subject of waste being used for golf course works.

A majority of the coverage has included subjects and comments such as tax evasion, environmental disaster, landfill waste on green belt, national scam, wholesale destruction and pollution of our Green Belt, unscrupulous operators profiting from polluting the environment, all of which are highly emotive comments and, therefore, need to be substantiated.

Many of these comments have been made by Theydon Bois and Abridge Action Group which, as far as I am aware, was established to stop the activities of one particular golf development at Blunts Farm in Theydon Bois.

However, I understand their objective, achieved with the help of the Environment Agency and Epping Forest District Council's planning enforcement department, was justifiable.

My concern is that this group has significantly expanded its objectives and is making unsubstantiated and unjustifiable comments regarding golf course developments generally where inactive waste is being re-used in accordance with the government's desire to re-use waste that doesn't need to fill landfill voids.

My ongoing developments at North Weald Golf Club were recently attacked by the group for "multiple applications" and "significant inconvenience to North Weald residents".

I corrected these inaccuracies.

Hopefully, we all recycle elements of our domestic waste which do not need to occupy valuable landfill space.

What I am doing at North Weald Golf Club is no different. I am not an unscrupulous operator, I am not creating an environmental disaster, I am not evading tax, I am not profiting from polluting the environment.

I am striving to improve the facilities at North Weald Golf Club utilising a recycling scheme (not a scam) in the hope that one day my business will be respected as one of the best golfing facilities in the South East of England and profitable.

I have been fully supported by my neighbours, the district council's planning department, North Weald Bassett Parish Council and the Environment Agency.

I will be delighted for any readers to contact me to arrange to visit the site and ask questions about the work to alleviate any concerns.

It is a shame that members of the above-mentioned action group refuse to acknowledge, let alone take up, the invitation.

My email address for anyone wishing to visit is andy@northwealdgolfclub.co.uk.

Andrew Lloyd-Skinner, director, North Weald Golf Club.

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