-----Original Message-----
From: Ron Harvey
To: n.vasilev@richmond.gov.uk; cc@ccar.co.uk
Cc: Serge Lourie; David Dawson; David Done; lawrence.huntingford@rutcht.com; cllr.jcoombs@richmond.gov.uk; cllr.bking@richmond.gov.uk; cllr.wtreble@richmond.gov.uk
Sent: 24/10/02 13:50
Subject: Mill Farm / Farm Road land contamination


 To Mr. Vasilev (Land Contamination Officer, LBRuT), Mr. Clive Chapman
(Architect) and whosoever it may concern: 

 Dear Sir,

   for your interest, further to our discussions yesterday, please note the text appended below, a part of a letter that I sent to the Richmond and Twickenham Times, 23rd Dec, 1997. 

 Albeit that we spoke yesterday as if these are matters in the public domain, please also be aware that at that time it was a matter of some considerable concern to me that the contamination report at issue was supposed to have passed through a committee (chaired by Councillor
Lourie) with press and public excluded, and would not have come to light at all but for my unusual level of interest and consequent representations.

 In view of this, and recent events, I would be especially interested to ascertain, as a definite matter of fact, if there has ever yet been any officially demonstrable attempt to compare the land contamination levels of the two adjacent sites, the Mill Farm Site and the Farm Road flats. 

 Sincerely,

    Mr. Ron Harvey

 75 Farm Road, 
 Hounslow, 
 (LB Richmond)
 TW45PH,

 020 8755 3587    

===============================================

 Text:

 "... The recent consultation exercise caused some concern because of indications that some persuasive and persuaded intentions had already overcome any objective, investigative concern. 

For instance, a direct public question established that the Council had made no attempt to compare the results of the recent Mill Farm soil survey with one conducted last year on the adjacent housing site, the Farm Road flats, built on land with a similar previous use, hence, unsurprisingly, similar results.

Similarly, a second question established that there had been no attempt to asses critical levels of contamination for use as open land,  or public open space, a remarkable lapse of responsibility, given that, de facto, the land has been used as such for three decades, as an adventure playground. 

The Mill Farm survey therefore lacks credibility, in terms of public safety. Interested parties are invited to inspect our copy of the other one to compare, for themselves, the nature of the data.  The limited number of samples taken recently and the nature of the sub soil diagrams may lead them to share a suspicion that the later survey was conceived mainly as an investigation of the foundation requirements for building purposes, at the ratepayers expense, perhaps with a particular developer in mind, who might not be unknown to or a million miles away from the chair of the meeting, Cllr. Lourie who was not reluctant to express the view that expressions of anxiety over soil contamination had been so "very helpful". The price of the land, hence the profit for some particular party will reduce in proportion to the amount of fuss raised over the issue.

Common sense invites some doubt about the contamination issue. Mercury is considered to be the worst hazard, with one part per million in the soil supposedly precluding housing development, but your dentist will routinely fill teeth with amalgam containing 500.000 parts per million! ...

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