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Contact Us
Snoasis Concern
01473 833317
support@snoasisconcern.com

Who are sNOasis Concern?

sNOasis Concern is community action group consisting of Suffolk residents and business people concerned about the impact of the proposed SnOasis developments at Great Blakenham. We are a non profit making group, open to all and funded by donations and fund raising activities. Members range from business people to environmentalists from local soccer players to craftsmen.

Our first major goal was to ensure that specific goals are to ensure that Secretary of State 'called in' the SnOasis application for a public inquiry so that all of the facts can be properly examined and assessed by independent experts. This has now BEEN ACHIEVED thanks to overwhelming public support.

Our second major goal is to convince the Inspector at the Public Inquiry to rule that:

  • The visual impact of any development is minimal
  • Visitor numbers are capped to allow reasonable traffic flows on surrounding roads
  • The developers build an access road to the site from the A14 and make substantial improvements to the A12/14 interchange
  • The unique and endangered wildlife in the quarry and surrounding areas are appropriately cared for and maintained
  • The Special Landscape Area surrounding the site is not degraded
  • Noise and light pollution levels are kept within acceptable norms
  • Any development allowed in the area is sustainable

What is actually being proposed at Gt. Blakenham? There are 3 planning proposals that have been presented to Mid Suffolk District Council. These are:
  • A proposal by Onslow (Suffolk) Ltd for a large, residential winter sports complex (SnOasis) to be built in the former Blue Circle Masons Quarry. This development would be the second largest leisure development in the UK after Wembley Stadium.
  • A related proposal by Onslow (Suffolk) Ltd for an additional railway station at Gt. Blakenham. This is linked to the SnOasis proposal.
  • A proposal by Persimmon homes to build houses on the former Blue Circle factory site and related MOD land at Gt. Blakenham
What is the current position? Mid Suffolk District Council have discussed the proposals and by a narrow majority, voted to be ‘minded to approve’ the applications at a public hearing held on April 20th and 21st this year. The proposals were subsequently sent to the Government Office East at Cambridge (GO East) for ratification who decided that there were sufficient grounds to recommend that a full Public Inquiry be undertaken .
No date for the Inquiry has yet been set, but we expect this to be in early 2007.

Support our case at a  Public Inquiry.
Initial support for SnOasis is rapidly dwindling as people realise that they have been conned. The final plans are nothing like the initial outlines presented to the public. There is no new access road, the main buildings will be a huge blot and the landscape and local people or the economy will not benefit much from the developments.
To tame the SnOasis 'monster' and get a development that we can all live will take a lot of money to hire a first class legal team, planning experts and professionals. The developer has stated that he will spend "about a million pounds" to put his case to the Inquiry, so if you are concerned about SnOasis please help us build a fighting fund by donating money. Either e-mail us with pledges of donations to support@snoasisconcern.com or send cheques made payable to SnoasisConcern Ltd to:

Graham Brand
Treasurer, sNOasisConcern
Hackneys Corner House
Gt. Blakenham
Ipswich IP6 0LG

Your donation, large or small, will be acknowleded with a receipt if required