The lake under threat is Thrupp Lake at Radley, which, together with its smaller companion lake, form the centrepiece of Oxfordshire’s newest County Wildlife Site. This recently acquired status represents a long-awaited official acknowledgement of the ecological value of the site, as it is now, to wildlife, and is a vindication of the efforts of many ecologists and naturalists, who include some of the top names in the County, if not in the country, and who have, over the past several months, been painstakingly surveying and cataloguing its wildlife.

The results are impressive, with the species list over 1,400, of which 46 are nationally rare, scarce or vulnerable (Red data and notable species). A further 134 are locally rare and 15 UKBAP priority species have been identified.

The lakes themselves are hard-water low-nutrient (oligo-mesotrophic) waters supporting a variety of unusual plant species known as stoneworts. This makes them UKBAP priority habitats, which means that they are rare and should be preserved wherever possible. The area is frequented by a number of legally protected species, including otter, water voles, bats, kingfishers, and many other birds, all of which would be harmed by the proposals. Whilst the new wildlife site encompasses some 2 square kilometres, and contains a wide range of different habitat types (including some that are far less species-rich, such as restored and unrestored areas of PFA) all of this interest is concentrated within the relatively small area, of about half a square kilometre, around the lakes themselves. This site is regarded, by some experts, on account of its exceptional biodiversity, as meriting national status.

The lakes and their surroundings are also a cherished local amenity. They are used for recreation by local people, the vast majority of whom are strongly opposed to the plan.

After kicking an earlier planning application into abeyance in 2005, opponents of Npower’s plans, under the banner of Save Radley Lakes, have mounted a vigorous campaign against the current planning application to try to persuade the Power Station to adopt alternative, less harmful and more sustainable ways of disposing of its surplus ash.

11,500 people signed a petition and over 3,000 sent written objections to Oxfordshire County Council. The issue has received much coverage in local media, and has recently obtained coverage in the National Press and on National Radio. In the face of all this, RWE npower remains intent on destroying the Lake and, through the application of corporate and political pressures that only a major utility company can wield, has persuaded the Conservative-led Oxfordshire County Council to ignore the express wishes of its electorate, and grant the power station permission to proceed with its vandalistic practices. However the proposal goes against the Local Development Plan on one or more policies and therefore has been referred to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Ruth Kelly, for a decision on its determination.

The Radley Lakes Affair is not a minor local issue.

In fact, it should be a cause célèbre for the whole nation because of what it says about how much we care for our environment and because it encapsulates virtually all of the current environmental issues, such as waste reduction, sustainability, reducing carbon emissions and protection of the natural environment; and because it exposes grave deficiencies in the implementation of our policies for dealing with these matters, and the inability, in such cases, of local democracy to prevail over corporate power.

If we cannot lift a finger to save the Radley Lakes, then God help the rest of the planet!