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To: John Morea, CEO: Scotia Gas Networks Ltd.; Southern Gas Networks plc; SGN Commercial Services Ltd.; SGN Connections Ltd. and SGN Contracting Ltd.

Why is Scotia Gas, a national gas distributor, supporting the unauthorised Crouchland Biogas plant?

SGN (Scotia Gas Networks) are petitioned to stop supporting the unauthorised Crouchland Biogas Ltd. industrial gas plant by removing all SGN owned equipment installed and being used without appropriate planning permissions at the Crouchland Biogas site located at Crouchland Farm, Rickmans Lane, Plaistow, West Sussex.

Why is this important?

Why is a national gas distributor, continuing to partner with an unlawful industrial gas plant? Why does SSE, a national energy firm who own 50% of SGN, condone this? The Timeline:
• 27May16: Crouchland seeks adjournment to EA case. Worthing Magistrates Court agrees to 24 June.
• 17May16: Traffic Inquiry reconvenes. Decision pending.
• 11-12May: Appeal against Cert. of Lawfulness is heard. Decision pending.
• 29Apr: The EA announce legal proceedings against Crouchland Farms Ltd in relation to Dec 2013 pollution of the River Kird. Crouchland Farms Ltd and Crouchland Biogas are linked; Leon Mekitarian is Director of both and Angus Cameron resigned directorship of Crouchland Farms in 2013. No announcements yet on 2015 / 2016 significant pollution incidents.• 29Mar: P.O.R.E receives a letter stating “The Gas Alliance Group (including Gas Bus Alliance) no longer take any Biomethane from Crouchland Farms Ltd or Crouchland Biogas Ltd.” and threatening legal action should villagers “communicate any information ... contrary to this statement”. The signatory is Tony Griffiths, former General Manager of MAN UK bus operations.
• 29 Mar: Barry Evans resigns from Crouchland Biogas.
• 16Mar: Another significant pollution incident occurs and while a cleanup in progress, SGN disassociate themselves stating Crouchland is separate and they have no corporate responsibility for the actions of this ‘autonomous’ company. All contrary to CEO John Morea’s 2013 Annual Report to shareholders, that Crouchland was SGN's partner; and from an email to WSCC 28Aug2014 supporting the retrospective planning application, stating "Our pioneering partnership with Crouchland Biogas..." And even though SGN have a fixed and floating charge on the property and undertakings of Crouchland Biogas Ltd, a company that has had multiple breaches of their EA Permit, has caused significant and serious pollution events, is operating without planning permission and is the subject of an ongoing Traffic Commissioners Public Inquiry.
• 4Mar: Crouchland Biogas apply to the EA to vary an environmental permit involving substantial change (EPR/CB3208XJ/V002).
• 12Jan2016: Farm Fuel Ltd called to a Traffic Commissioner enquiry for breaches to their Operator’s licence, effectively using the farm as an unauthorised Operating Centre.
• Nov2015: Plaistow & Ifold and Kirdford Parish Councils –with- The Plaistow Village Trust and P.O.R.E unite in opposition to launch a planning fund for expert / legal representation at the 4 Appeals.
• Oct: Crouchland lodge appeals with the Planning Inspectorate against the Enforcement Notices (to dismantle all equipment installed without planning permission and to stop operating as a commercial biogas plant); retrospective planning refusal and the Cert. of Lawfulness.
• 1Sep: WSCC issue a Certificate of Lawfulness EXCLUDING the conditioning and export of gas, importation of waste and any other materials for anaerobic digestion and many items of development.
• 16Jul: CDC issue 2 Enforcement Notices with staggered compliance dates for cease of use of the land and 6 months for the remaining requirements (PS/13/00015/CONCOU).
• 23Jun: The Environment Agency attends a pollution incident to 1km of an adjoining farm’s watercourse which has significant impact on the ecology and the ability to water livestock.
• 16Jun: CDC inform WSCC they strongly object to granting a Certificate of Lawfulness.
• 2Jun: WSCC pass CDC responsibility to investigate and serve Enforcement but are clear that multiple breaches of planning have occurred.
• 26May: Crouchland apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness for the proposed use as an AD facility with UNRESTRICTED throughput of imported waste or other material and the export of gas and digestate (WSCC/036/15/PS).
• 7Apr: WSCC issue a Decision Notice REFUSING retrospective planning.
• 4Mar-To Date: Despite planning refused, expansion continues. Ofgem confirm SGN Commercial Services owns equipment enabling gas conditioning and exportation in 'Farm Fuel' HGVs to SGN’s Portsdown Hill, Portsmouth injection facility.
• 3Mar: WSCC planning committee REFUSE the retrospective application on multiple grounds.
• WSCC receive 431+ objection letters (including from 7 Parish Councils / CPRE) and 1050+ people sign a petition, requesting refusal of retrospective planning.
• Unauthorised commercial operations continue with extremely high numbers of HGV and other traffic movements through Parishes.
• Oct2014: Inexplicably, WSCC Planning Officers withdraw enforcement notices leaving communities exposed to continued, excessive and inappropriate activity and HGV movements.
• 4Jul: Crouchland submit a retrospective planning application (WSCC/042/14/PS).
• May: The respected Crouchland Farm Manager (former NFU Deputy) resigns.
• Apr: WSCC serve 2 Enforcement Notices (against the erection of unauthorised anaerobic digestion equipment and the change from an operation ancillary to a farm use, to a waste use) requiring the illegal commercial activity to cease.
• Mar2014: After years of complaint of the expansion by stealth and material-change-of-use from an agricultural, farm-related operation into a waste development WSCC serve a Planning Contravention Notice.
• Mar2013: SGN sign a 20year contract BEFORE Crouchland obtain planning permission.
• 1Jan-Jun2013: Professional investors join as directors and/or shareholders: Barry Evans and Ewen ‘Angus’ Cameron (a cousin of PM David Cameron).
• 2012: Plaistow & Ifold Parish Council notify CDC of development/engineering works being undertaken without planning.
• 16Nov11: Leon Mekitarian appointed Managing Director.
• 20Apr11: Crouchland Biogas Ltd. incorporation - William Luttman-Johnson (registered owner of Crouchland Farm) as Managing Director.
• 2007-2008: Crouchland dairy farm with 750 Holstein Friesians, obtains planning consent (with local support) from CDC for an On-Farm AD unit to produce electricity to grid.

How it will be delivered

An email will be sent to Scotia Gas CEO and a Press Release issued.

United Kingdom

Maps © Stamen; Data © OSM and contributors, ODbL

Links

Updates

2016-06-07 13:45:42 +0100

• 27 May 2016: Crouchland solicitors asked for an adjournment to the legal case against them by the Environment Agency. They requested until the end of July but Worthing Magistrates Court agrees to 24 June.
• 17 May 2016: The Traffic Inquiry into Farm Fuel Limited reconvened. A decision is pending.
• 11-12 May 2016: The Appeal against the Cert. of Lawfulness was heard in Chichester. Teh room was full of QC's, barristers and solicitors. A Decision pending.

2016-05-10 13:37:29 +0100

The ENVIRONMENT AGENCY has initiated legal proceedings against Crouchland Farms Limited, in relation to the pollution of the River Kird in December 2013. The matter is due to be heard at Worthing Magistrates Court on 27 May 2016. Crouchland Farms Ltd. and Crouchland Biogas Ltd. activities are inextricably linked; Leon Mekitarian is director of both and Angus Cameron (Chairman, Crouchland Biogas Ltd.) was previously a Director of Crouchland Farms Ltd. No news yet from the EA on the other significant pollution incidents of 2015 and 2016.

2016-04-12 13:11:23 +0100

Barry Evans resigned his directorship from Crouchland Biogas limited on 29 March 2016. It is not yet known if he has also relinquished his shares in the company.
https://www.facebook.com/poreorg/posts/1701879656718639:0

2016-04-02 17:15:30 +0100

Actress, Julie Walter's with her farmer husband Grant Roffey, go public: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3511059/Julie-Walters-war-biofuel-plant-near-rural-idyll-Actress-blasts-facility-killing-wildlife-emits-stench-strong-people-t-sit-gardens.html

2016-03-26 10:01:31 +0000

P.O.R.E is fundraising to fund the legal representation at the four Crouchland Biogas appeal hearings. We welcome any further donations of items or services for the auction which will run for 7 weeks. Please Email with details of your auction item donation.
http://www.jumblebee.co.uk/crouchlandbiogasappealsfundraisingevent#none
The auction will conclude at 6pm on Thursday 21st April 2016.

2016-03-26 09:11:18 +0000

Crouchland Biogas appear to have engaged a new PR company to replace their last one, ironically named 'Local Dialogue'.
26 March: The latest one, Alpaca shares the same directors as Aardvark, who are the environmental consultants for Crouchland Biogas. It will be interesting to see how Alpaca try to spin an environment polluting plant like Crouchland Biogas into a good news story. Their name, Alpaca Communications, suggests there might be even more pulling of wool over eyes.

2016-03-26 09:10:36 +0000

SGN have tried to disassociate themselves from Crouchland Biogas Ltd and have stated that CBG Ltd is an ‘autonomous company’; separate from SGN.

SGN feel they have no corporate responsibility for the actions of this ‘autonomous’ company’, which their Chief Executive Officer Mr John Morea, proudly reported in his 2013 Annual Report to shareholders, that Crouchland Biogas Ltd was SGN's ‘partner’.

SGN just happen to have a fixed and floating charge on the property and undertakings of Crouchland Biogas Ltd, the ‘autonomous’ but nevertheless ‘partner’ company that SGN apparently have no corporate responsibility for; albeit a company that has multiple recorded breaches of their Environment Agency Permit, has caused significant and serious pollution events, is operating without planning permission and is the subject of an ongoing Traffic Commissioners Public Inquiry. Readers can draw their own conclusions.

2016-03-26 09:10:19 +0000

23rd March update on the pollution; from the Environment Agency: We would like to thank the community again for all the information and support that you are providing related to this incident. The clean-up operation is ongoing and the operator continues to reduce the amount of pollutant by tankering. We have had an increased presence on site working to mitigate any further impacts on the local environment. Our monitoring will continue over the bank holiday and we will provide updates on the ongoing response. We are using all our available regulatory powers to ensure the operator continues to comply with our instructions including the disposal of the pollutant. Despite the improving situation we are still warning that people and animals should stay away from the polluted area whilst our emergency response is ongoing. We continue to work with our enforcement teams to ensure the operator complies with the conditions of their permit. We will keep you updated as this situation evolves.

2016-03-26 09:09:25 +0000

Our comment back to them is:
"It does rather seem that when you, along with Crouchland Biogas Ltd. and the Gas Bus Alliance Ltd. were promoting the benefits of biomethane, you were calling each other 'partners', including your CEO - John Morea - in the SGN annual report. Now that Crouchland Biogas Limited is receiving so much negative publicity, it seems that the 'partnership' has been replaced with an arms length / nothing-to-do-with-us approach. You SGN, are the conduit that allows Crouchland Biogas to introduce their biomethane into the national grid! I’m afraid that your attitude is slightly dated and closer to the times when retailers used to wash their hands of suppliers actions. I think you’ll find that in today's climate, the right thing to do is to take responsibility for your suppliers actions and not wash your hands."

2016-03-26 09:09:10 +0000

When SGN were asked why they have partnered, for 20 years, with Crouchland Biogas, they replied:
"Crouchland Biogas Ltd. (CBL) is an autonomous company separate from SGN. Our responsibility is to ensure the green biogas CBL produces is of the correct specification and quality and is fit for use in the UK’s gas distribution system. We were very sorry to hear about this latest incident involving the Environment Agency and of course note your concerns. However, the ownership and operation of the site remains the responsibility of CBL and it is that company you should seek to speak with directly regarding their operations affecting your community."

2016-03-26 09:06:47 +0000

21 March: So we now have tankers of the pollution being returned to Crouchland Biogas from the affected streams, in the same tankers that export the digestate away from the plant. But with the lagoons so totally full (above their freeboard levels - see photo) - where on earth are they going to put it all?
Presumably they will have to dump it all into lagoon 1, which was just meant to be dirty water, like lagoons 2 and 4 (which we now know have digestate in because they have leaked and polluted our lands!)
Then they will have digestate in every lagoon - and Mr Mekitarian will have to admit that there are no longer any agricultural lagoons left which just contain dirty water.
The lagoons need closing down as Crouchland Biogas have clearly shown over and over again that they cannot manage their polluting digestate.
Come on EA. Everyone will be behind you! You have enough evidence by now. You know you have not been told the truth.

2016-03-26 09:06:07 +0000

Have you seen the comment from SGN on the pollution incident? https://www.facebook.com/SGNgas/posts/1691357614437510 "SGN Thank you for your post. Crouchland Biogas Limited (CBL) is an autonomous company separate from SGN. Our responsibility is to ensure the green biogas CBL produces is of the correct specification and quality and is fit for use in the UK’s gas distribution system. We were very sorry to hear about this latest incident involving the Environment Agency and of course note your concerns. However, the ownership and operation of the site remains the responsibility of CBL and it is that company you should seek to speak with directly regarding their operations affecting your community."

2016-03-26 09:05:46 +0000

BBC News coverage tonight, especially for the many interested parties around the country.
Feel free to comment on Ed Sault's report under the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neWqtWfB_cg&sns=em

2016-03-26 09:05:10 +0000

19 March: This morning's update.
Crouchland are continually pumping out the pollution 1.5 kms downstream from the spill - multiple loads which will continue for days
BBC filming all morning - coverage on BBC news -TONIGHT 6.25PM
Contamination of the Ancient Woodland continues beyond this point into Ifold, where the EA are now setting up other points on private land from which to pump out the pollution.

2016-03-26 09:04:46 +0000

Take a moment to comment at the bottom of the County Times article:
http://www.wscountytimes.co.uk/news/local/plaistow-farmer-devastated-as-land-set-aside-for-lambing-is-polluted-1-7284772