Alan is a driving force behind LHAG, being treasurer and also, crucially, being unflagging in his analysis of all the legal aspects of the case. He comments, “When formal notices of “a development at Bury Hill Wood, Holmwood” were sent to Coldharbour residents in February 2009, I went to Pippbrook to see the papers and discovered that (a) the development was an oil well and (b) it was neither at Bury Hill nor in Holmwood but here in Coldharbour – and that it was due to be determined in less than three weeks! I e-mailed the village and LHAG was born out of the resulting packed public meeting held in the JV Hall on 1 March 2009.”
Janet is a tireless analyst of case documents, including the 2000+ letters of objection to SCC. Her unstinting promotion of the campaign has significantly helped raise awareness amongst residents of Dorking and beyond.
Max has the ecological focus of the campaign close to his heart. A long-time member of numerous ecological charities, Max can always be relied upon to tell you about the birds and the beasts of Leith Hill!
Stuart is Coldharbour Ward’s Parish Councillor. He has an extensive knowledge of the local community, which means that he always knows the right people to talk to in order to keep the campaign moving.
Patrick and Charlotte were originally invited to co-chair the LHAG fundraising committee but are now valuable members of LHAG itself, with Patrick acting as chair. They first got involved with the oil application through the Woodland Trust when still living in Abinger Hammer. After moving to Coldharbour, they were asked to head up the LHAG fundraising team, which was established to raise funds for the Public Inquiry.
The Wider LHAG Team
Stephen is LHAG’s barrister. He has been ranked in Chambers and Partners, Legal 500 and Legal Experts for a number of years for his expertise in planning, licensing and employment law. Stephen has been identified as one of the country’s top rated planning juniors in the 2011 survey of practitioners in Planning magazine (3rd highest in the country for barristers called to the Bar in 1999 or since).