East Northants District Council Development Control Committee decided, about half an hour ago, to refuse planning permission for a 70 holiday cabin development at Fineshade Wood. I think it was 11 against and one abstention with none in favour (2 members absent and the Chair and Vice chair not voting). The grounds for refusal were…
BLOG POSTS
Not so Fine Shade (6) – the council decides
The future of Fineshade Wood is becoming a local cause celebre with national resonance. My Guardian blog has, so far, been shared on social media about 2000 times, and received over 150 comments (mostly shocked at what is going on there). The e-petition on this subject has passed 3000 signatures. The chief executive of the…
Quiz
OK – time for another little quiz, thanks to the wonder of Birdtrack. The list below is a birdlist from a site I have visited many times, not primarily to see birds, but then you can’t help but see birds if you have your eyes and ears tuned in. Mallard Pheasant Grey Heron Red Kite…
Not so Fine Shade (5) – privatisation by the back door?
This is a piece I have just had published on the Guardian website which puts Fineshade into the wider political context. Why has the FC allowed Forest Holidays to submit a planning proposal with such inadequate data? Where are those who opposed forestry privatisation when it was proposed by the front door, now it is…
Squeal, squeal, trill, croak – but not a peep.
A walk around Rainham Marshes RSPB nature reserve last week was a great pleasure. The weather wasn’t bad and the birds weren’t bad either. There were supposed to be huge flocks of Marsh Harriers darkening the sky, but I didn’t see a single one. It was a day more for listening than looking, actually. A…
Not exactly how I would have put it, but…
This e-petition is protesting about the back-door privatisation of our forests with Fineshade as an example. It’s not really worded in the way I would have worded it, and I’m not sure that it is aimed at the correct government department either, but the gist is right and I have signed it with pleasure. Maybe…
Not so Fine Shade (4)
Many people have contacted me over the role of NGOs in the Fineshade case. It’s not universal, but there has been a lot of criticism of the Woodland Trust for being very keen on ancient woodland, and being very keen to be paid to plant completely new woodland, but being a bit ambivalent about spending…
Oscar Dewhurst – Arctic tern chick
Comments Off on Oscar Dewhurst – Arctic tern chick
Oscar writes: Another taken on the Isle of May. Before the boat docked at the island we could hear the calls of Arctic Terns at their breeding colony. Unfortunately you had to walk along a path through the colony to get to other parts of the island. They are fiercely protective and will dive-bomb intruders, so…
Sunday book review – Horus the Peregrine Falcon by John Miles
This book is aimed at children but I’m just a big kid so I enjoyed it too. Horus, a young Peregrine, lives in London and visits many well-known London landmarks. The point is made that he may be safer in the city than if he ventured onto a grouse moor (which did make me smile)….
Saturday cartoon by Ralph Underhill
Stephen Hawking warns that attempting to contact aliens could invite disaster.