Further to my blog about the proposed siting of wind turbines close to Lyveden New Bield I now understand he National Trust, English Heritage and East Northamptonshire Council have made a joint legal challenge against the decision to give planning permission. The proposal would see four 126.5m wind turbines built within the setting of the Grade I listed site, a place described by the Planning Inspector who granted approval for the plans as “probably the finest example of an Elizabethan garden [with a] cultural value of national if not international significance”.
After planning permission was initially refused by the local Council, the development was given consent on appeal in March. The three organisations started legal proceedings on 23 April under section 288 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. It is extremely rare for EH and NT to pursue legal action and it is the first time that East Northamptonshire Council has ever taken a case to this level.
Fiona Reynolds, director-general of the trust explained the decision to take the matter to the Administrative Court: “We fully support renewable energy and have made our own commitment to halve our dependence on fossil fuels by 2020. We have also backed a number of wind proposals where scale and setting have been considered appropriate. However, the decision to allow a development of this size so close to one of the country’s most treasured historic places is both damaging to Lyveden New Bield and could have serious implications for other heritage sites across the UK.”
Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of EH, said: “Our challenge to his decision is not simply about the balance of professional judgement between heritage and renewable energy. The Inspector did not adequately take into account the contribution that Lyveden New Bield’s historic and rural surroundings make to its immense significance.”
There’s a tidal wave of applications to build new turbines swamping the country at present as manufacturers and developers look to cash in on government incentives. Take a look at this CPRE map showing wind farm locations superimposed with CPRE’s tranquillity map of England (http://bit.ly/K4g2OA) and wind farm locations with protected landscapes (http://bit.ly/I5dajN) – interesting viewing.

I don’t know a great deal about pig farming but I’m not short on common sense. So I was amazed when I heard this week that a new European directive requires farmers to reduce by just a millimetre or two the gap in the slatted floors on which their pigs shuffle about. The EC believes a gap wider than 18mm in concrete slatted floors could see pigs getting their legs caught. However, many older British pig floors were designed to imperial measurements, with a gap of ¾ inch or 19 to 22mm. It is understood that about 9.5 million pigs in Britain are reared on concrete slatted floors and the National Pig Association says that provisional estimates are that the cost of replacing and disposing of the old floors could cost up to £28m. I’m all for animal welfare but really, will a millimetre or two make any difference? No one I contacted was able to let me know how many pigs have suffered over the years because of ‘imperial’ slatted floors. Perhaps you can ask your MEP. Come on Defra, put an end to this nonsense – side with our pig farmers and tell the EU what they can do with this particular part of  their directive.

The day I received notification from the Wildlife Trusts telling me how wildlife was at risk from the drought conditions, it was pouring down outside and the deluge has only just stopped this morning (Monday). Reservoirs are full in my area and – as mentioned before in my blogs – millions of gallons of excess water is simply flowing back to the sea instead of being utilised or redirected to areas in need.
Dorset Wildlife Trust warns of streams drying up in the county, and wildfire damages a nature reserve managed by Cornwall Wildlife Trust. Helen Perkins from the trust tells me: “As the drought conditions worsen, we are hearing of a new crisis for wildlife each day. Dorset Wildlife Trust has reported that sections of winterbournes, small streams which normally flow in winter, did not flow at all last winter, so fish couldn’t spawn there. In some places although fish did spawn, their eggs were threatened with exposure by the drying conditions so water levels had to be raised.  Now, the fry could still become entrapped or dry out. Good weed growth is needed for their food but low flow restricts this growth, which is a worry.
“These conditions are also leading to additional threats to wildlife, for example through increased fire risk. Sadly, Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s Roseannon Downs nature reserve recently suffered an arson attack, likely to have destroyed butterfly larvae and reptiles such as slow worms and lizards. With wildlife under so much pressure, it’s crucial we all take steps to protect it by reducing water use whenever we can. With an extended period of drought on the cards we must look further ahead and develop long term solutions to water stress, likely to become a more regular feature of life across large areas of the UK. Government must ensure sustainable approaches to water use are integral to the planning and building of new homes and businesses. Water metering and water efficiency measures should become the norm for all new and existing properties.”
We should not wait until the next drought crisis before we implement the more fundamental and longer-term changes that are needed.
The Wildlife Trusts have produced a factsheet on helping wildlife in the garden cope with drought. To download it visit: www.wildlifetrusts.org/drought-and-wildlife.

The Badger Trust has challenged the Government’s decision to cull badgers in England and this will now be reviewed in the High Court in June. In a bid to stem the spread of TB amongst cattle, plans were made in In December for a cull of badgers in pilot areas. DEFRA, which commissioned the cull, claims that the incidence of TB could be reduced by 12-16% over nine years. But on a technicality the Badger Trust, points out that the Protection of Badgers Act says licences to kill can be granted for ‘preventing the spread of disease’ – the trust argues that the slow-down in the rate of increase, or ‘reduction in new incidence’, projected by DEFRA does not qualify as ‘prevention’. The trust also argues that government plans for trials to involve ‘free shooting’ of badgers in pilot areas – shooting them as they roam – is likely to be ineffective or a hazard to public safety. It adds that, after the pilots, farmers may be forced to trap badgers before shooting them which it says could be ten times more expensive than free shooting. The trust also says the guidance given to government agency Natural England (which Defra has tasked with issuing culling licences) is unlawful. There are no plans to cull badgers in Scotland and Northern Ireland and earlier this year, the Welsh Assembly announced there would be no pilot cull and instead opted for a five-year vaccination programme. One farmer suggested to me this week that cattle spread TB to wildlife. The sooner progress is made on a vaccination for cattle the better for all concerned.

When I donate a little of my hard-earned (honestly, it really is hard-earned!) cash towards an appeal such as the upkeep of an ancient building, as I did recently, I expect all of the money to be used for the purpose for which it was intended. I do not want 20 per cent of it taken away through VAT by the government for them to spend how it wishes. Country churches and other rural buildings maintained by charities need every penny they can get to help preserve our heritage and teach our children about the past. Yes there are anomalies – and loopholes being exploited – in the current VAT system but it seems the government is assuming that everyone is on the fiddle. Give me a (tax) break.

Driving home from a football match one night recently I decided to take the high route through a place called Mountain. It’s appropriately named as the village sits high above the city of Bradford and the views across much of the West Riding are extensive. Despite being April there was still quite a bit of snow stacked against the drystone walls. But what caught my eye most of all was the incredible amount of street and shop lighting stretching out across the valleys below Mountain. I read last week that In 2010 councils collectively spent £529 million on street lighting which accounted for around 5-10 per cent of each council’s carbon emissions. I also understand that in the new planning reforms (National Planning Policy Framework)  local councils will be encouraged to plan to reduce light pollution, by encouraging good design, planning policies and decisions to control lighting. With such national guidance in place and funding in short supply surely local authorities should now start to take a serious look at whether they really need to keep all those lights switched on.

Recently I’ve been spending some time putting together an exhibition relating to Countryman’s sister magazine, the Yorkshire Dalesman. Just before the outbreak of the Second World War Dalesman founder Harry J Scott visited J W Robertson Scott (no relation) in the Cotswolds to learn a bit more about magazine publishing, Countryman having been established some dozen years earlier. Although Harry didn’t think the Countryman style or JWRS’s philosophy were suitable for his own publication, they were in agreement that good quality artwork was essential. Over the years both magazines built up a wonderful collection of work by a great variety of artists. Much of the Countryman collection has been broken up over the years as ownership has changed hands but there’s enough remaining of the Dalesman material to put on a fine exhibition. For anyone who is in the area or fancies a trip to Yorkshire please drop in and see the work at The Museum of North Craven Life, The Folly, Settle BD24 9EY. The exhibition runs between April 3 and July 1, Tues 10.30-4.30; Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun and Bank Holidays 12.30-4.30. 01729 822361. www.ncbpt.org.uk/folly

The National Trust  have this week expressed fears for heritage sites after the go-ahead was given to the development of four large wind turbines, each measuring 125 metres in height, near to the nationally important Lyveden New Bield in Northamptonshire. Lyveden is one of the trust’s most iconic places, described by the Planning Inspector as ‘probably the finest surviving example of an Elizabethan garden with a cultural value of national if not international significance’.
Despite this he concluded that greater importance should be placed on meeting the regional and national targets for renewable energy rather than protecting the setting of such an important place.
Fiona Reynolds, the trust’s director-general commented: “This decision is a landmark case which undermines the protection of our heritage sites. The National Trust sees this development having a substantial impact on the setting of a historic site of the highest designation. It provides a clear indication that our cultural heritage is at great risk from inappropriately sited wind turbines and wind farms. If the impacts here are not such to amount to substantial harm on our nation’s heritage it is difficult to conceive where they would be.
“Lyveden New Bield’s unique, unfinished lodge and gardens are both Grade I listed and the site is designated as a scheduled monument. Together the site has the highest heritage designation possible, putting it on a par with places like Hampton Court. The Inspector clearly agrees that Lyveden New Bield is a hugely important historical site and that the turbines will have a significant impact on its setting.  This decision is not only damaging for Lyveden New Bield, but for the credibility of onshore wind proposals which must be located, designed and on a scale that avoids compromising the special qualities of their locality.”
Whilst the National Trust strongly believes in the need to increase renewable energy generation, as a trusted guardian of places of historic interest and natural beauty it has a duty to do all it can to ensure developments are of an appropriate scale and location. The four 125 metre wind turbines will be just 1km from Lyveden New Bield, and they will be visible from almost every part of the estate. The trust is currently seeking advice on how to proceed.

The government will shortly finalise its National Planning Policy Framework, the most important shake-up of the planning system for almost 30 years. Its publication date is unknown, but the Government has said it will be issued before the end of March. Speculation is that its publication may coincide with the Budget (21 March).  “Perhaps this would be a good day to bury bad news, or to incorrectly assert that the overriding purpose of the reformed planning system is to deliver economic growth,” suggests the CPRE.
There is wide agreement that the planning system needs to be reformed to improve public involvement. It is also generally accepted that in some areas we need to increase housing supply, including affordable rural housing, and support the sustainable development of rural businesses.
However, following the release of the draft framework it became clear that some parts of the Government, particularly the Treasury and Department for Business, wanted to change the role of planning to make it a tool for facilitating economic growth above all else. Many believed the draft to be unacceptably biased in favour of short term economic considerations and not enough weight to the environmental and social purposes of planning. I wait anxiously to see how this government values our countryside.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and the Wildlife Trust (WT) have welcomed the announcement by the Government of 12 Nature Improvement Areas (NIAs). The establishment of NIAs was a key commitment in 2011’s Natural Environment White Paper, The Natural Choice and they will restore habitats and create new areas for wildlife. There were 76 bids for the money and of the 12 selected, 11 of them were WT areas.
A CPRE spokesman informs me: “We hope this will be just the start of a process. As well as making a success of these first NIAs, we should all – government, local councils, communities and voluntary groups – look at how we can create many more in the future. Landscape-scale conservation of the natural environment, as recommended by Sir John Lawton in his Making Space for Nature report, will demand ambition, vision and, in the longer term, more resources from government.”
However, CPRE warned that the Government’s ambition for a new approach to protecting nature across England could be undermined if it doesn’t get its planning reforms right. The spokesman continues: “If we want to make our countryside as a whole better for nature, NIAs and other protected sites are important, but they are only part of the picture. The bits between these sites matter just as much – no-one wants a landscape of isolated nature sites with degraded countryside in between. So it is very worrying that the Government’s proposed national planning policies drop wording that gives countryside outside designated sites such as National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest proper planning protection. Failing to protect this ‘ordinary’ countryside will make the recovery of wildlife and the natural environment harder, not easier. The Government now has a final chance to support its own vision for NIAs by ensuring protection for the undesignated countryside in the final National Planning Policy Framework.”
The WT also believe that for NIAs concept to be successful, the National Planning Policy Framework must provide explicit guidance to planning authorities on taking a more strategic and integrated approach to the natural environment.
The Country Land & Business Association (CLA) are more caution. The CLA welcomed the NIAs while stressing the plans to create new havens for wildlife and restore habitats must not stifle development. CLA North Regional Director Dorothy Fairburn says: “It is good that the Government has committed itself to encouraging farmers and land managers to work collaboratively with local authorities and other groups. We have long argued for this landscape-scale approach of working to address environmental challenges such as improving water quality, and addressing the decline of some of our native wildlife. We are pleased these partnerships are being promoted to get the best for landscapes and biodiversity at a local level.”
However, Miss Fairburn added that NIAs must secure innovative new sources of funding if their ambition is to be realised. “Environment Minister Richard Benyon has assured CLA members that NIAs will not be used to stifle economic development so it is vital these areas are not underpinned by additional local planning constraints because this was never the intended approach.”
The 12 NIAs are:
Birmingham and the Black Country Living Landscape
Dark Peak
Dearne Valley Green Heart
Greater Thames Marshes
Humberhead Levels
Marlborough Downs
Meres and Mosses of the Marches
Morecambe Bay Limestones and Wetlands
Nene Valley
Northern Devon
South Downs Way Ahead
Wild Purbeck