As you will be aware Bridge have now lodged their appeal against the original rejected planning application for the original large scale design. This is the plan that was unanimously rejected by committee earlier this year.

Is has been decided that this appeal will be heard as a Public Inquiry not a hearing which means there will cross examination of evidence and witnesses over a 10 day course next February 2024.

As a community we can submit evidence against this application and also gives us the right to bring our own legal representation and witnesses to the hearing, as well as cross examine any evidence brought by Bridge.

We are already sourcing legal representation and hope to confirm someone in the coming days, we will also need to pay other expert witnesses for their attendance during the inquiry.

As a team we firmly believe that we have a good chance of winning and RBC will be resolutely defending the reasons it was rejected at committee. However we also know from our meetings with Bridge that The Box is cheaper to build and would make them more money, so it is clear they will pursue this application and if successful this is most likely the one they will build. So it feels timely to remind you that our independent transport assessment estimated over *900 HGV’s a day* would be generated by that build.

We also know that The Box will be built for one thing, a distribution centre and that it will ruin our neighbourhood.