Following a similar format to the one in Acton Bridge a fortnight previously, Weaverham Parish Council's Meeting on Monday 19. January 2004 started earlier than usual, so that representatives of National Grid and Network Rail could address the PC and members of the public on the subject of the proposed Trackside Feeder Station in Weaverham and Substation in Acton Bridge. They also showed a 'virtual reality' display of the substation from various angles. This was widely regarded as giving a sanitised impression of the development, significantly understating the appearance of the replacement pylon.

We counted about eleven personnel from the developers, but there was an exceptional audience of local residents, estimated by The Guardian newspaper at 150, listening to the debate and asking their own questions. This is a remarkable turnout on a such wet and windy winter's evening.

For the Parish Council, Cllr John Freeman gave a cogent but impassioned response, criticising many aspects of the proposed development as inappropriate and insensitive, and challenging the developers to think again. He was followed by Cllr Richard Gorrill, who is also a Vale Royal Borough Councillor. In the best Blue Peter tradition, Cllr Gorrill produced scale models of the existing and replacement tower which he had "prepared earlier", clearly showing the enormous increase in bulk and visibility that the new structure would represent. This played very well with the sympathetic audience.

There was strong support for the Substation Action Group's second public meeting in Weaverham Community Centre, on Friday evening (21. November). This followed the same "drop in" format as the first meeting in Acton Bridge on 14. November. New visitors brought the total number of our feedback forms to over 200, almost all of them offering help and expertise to support the campaign.

Weaver Vale MP Mike Hall attended, and listened to the feelings expressed by opponents to the proposed Green Belt location of the substation and feeder station. He again made clear his unequivocal support for the Action Group's campaign against the "so called substation on Green Belt".

The event was reported in the local press, with quotes from Mike Hall MP.

Weaver Vale MP Mike Hall (pictured below) spent a full hour with the Group before the public meeting began, to offer advice, and his unequivocal support for our campaign. Mr Hall had also attended the National Grid / Network Rail "event" in Weaverham in September, and remarked that it was "totally and utterly misleading" for the developers to describe their proposal as a substation. He seemed well briefed and very enthusiastic about the work we were doing, and undertook to make some detailed enquiries on our behalf.

We counted 115 visitors who returned our feedback forms, about 90% of them from Acton Bridge, plus of course the SAG members and helpers. This remarkable turnout would represent some 20% of the Acton Bridge Electoral Roll. That shows, as clearly as anything can, the strength of feeling within the local communities about this proposed substation : disbelief at the Green Belt location and industrial scale of the development, followed by outrage!

A supplementary display event was held as part of the Acton Bridge WI's annual Soup and Sandwich lunch on Saturday, and a further dozen or more villagers expressed their concern and completed our feedback forms. We've also had several e-mails and letters of support.

The Substation Action Group found that many of our visitors have specific expertise or contacts in the communications, electrical engineering, legal, media, and planning fields, and without exception were willing to offer detailed advice and technical support for the campaign, or just to help delivering leaflets or putting up posters. Among the suggestions made were that the CPRE may be able to offer specific advice on campaigns to save the Green Belt, and that there may be a case under the Human Rights Act to prevent the proposed development, on the basis of its impact on the quality of life and amenity of residents. A local Barrister has kindly offered to do some preliminary pro bono work on this, on behalf of the SAG.

The display boards will be on show at a similar meeting in Weaverham Community Centre on Friday 21. November between the same times, 6pm to 9pm. Over 3,000 specially printed flyers have gone out with the Weaverham News to advertise the second event. Our Weaver Vale MP, Mike Hall, was briefed by the Action Group on Friday 14th, and has confirmed that he will be present at the Weaverham meeting from about 7pm, following his constituency Surgery.