Wakefield is a special village known from coast to coast because of its charm and natural beauty, its quirky festivals and talented artists, its pubs and eateries, outdoor recreational activities, and of course the Wakefield steam train and legendary Black Sheep Inn. It is no wonder that Wakefield's success both in terms of a place to visit and a place to live are built on these unique characteristics. Wakefield's popularity over the past decade has attracted tremendous growth and fuelled a thriving recro-tourism economy.

Unfortunately, not all of the recent development opportunities are in keeping with Wakefield’s character and desire for sustainable development. Despite being hugely unpopular (81% opposed), the Mayor and Council have expedited the creation of an industrial park on the doorstep to the village without study or justification. In Council’s haste to accommodate private companies, there have been many missteps and ethical breaches, culminating in the expropriation of private land for resale to private businesses. Not only does this threaten Wakefield’s character and recro-tourism economy, it is also an affront to basic democratic rights of those who live here.

Styro Rail Inc., in their pursuit of a larger facility and cheap land, has been a driving force behind this project and indeed has been instrumental in motivating council to ignore proper planning and consultation. This is why We demand that Styro Rail Inc. cease any construction activities in Wakefield and consider moving its new facility to one of the many empty industrial parks in the region.

If you support the above demand, please sign this petition. It will be delivered by hand to Styro Rail On April 4th, 2011.

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