Thursday 27 January 2011

Down The Woods

Forests are all over the news, especially the Forest of Dean (Which I think is somewhere that cabinet ministers have second homes). The Coalition wants to sell forests to make some cash and it appears that dog walkers do not like it. They are right to object. It is a bad idea. Once you sell something, you can't really control what happens to it. Thatcher sold off the council houses; now there is a lack of affordable housing. The coalition wants to sell forests it will result in a lack of open places for the public to enjoy, the only people that benefit are a privileged few, who would own what once belonged to many.

I am equally worried by another coal-ition; UK Coal. A planning application has been received by Durham County Council for an opencast coal mine in the Pont Valley. This area of woodland may be smaller than the Forest of Dean but it is no less important to the people of the surrounding area. I have always loved going 'down the woods' it was always an adventure, and still is. An opencast coal mine will prevent future generations from experiences that might shape their future. The woods are where we form our ideas about our place in our environment, to deprive future generations of that opportunity, just as it is wrong to deprive future generations of a University place or a free hospital bed. But more on those later...

Object to the Pont Valley opencast by writing to Claire Teasdale, Durham County Council, County Hall, Durham, DH1 5UL or add to the Pont Valley network website

4 comments:

Unknown said...

The plan to sell off Englands forests(Scotland and Wales can keep theirs) has gone through parliment, voted for by 'liberals' and tories despite a lack of public support. We must not give up he fight to save our forests, they have promised a consultation, when they consult me I will tell them exactly what I think...

David Lindsay said...

Welcome to blogging.

We have been here before. "You can't possibly want to save British Rail, can you? Anything would be better than that, ha ha ha." To which the answer should have been, "How would you know? You have never used public transport in your lives."

But they are back, still imagining that absolutely anybody could run a library or even set up a school. But now minded to put that dementia into practice. And now scoffing that, "You can't possibly want to save the Royal Mail or the Forestry Commission, can you? Anything would be better than that, ha ha ha."

The Beeching-style slashing of libraries, and now also of NHS facilities, should kill off once and for all the idea of either the Conservatives or the Lib Dems as the voice of the countryside. Will it? And if it does, then who will fill the gap thus recognised, at long last, to exist?

Unknown said...

Councillors voted unanimously today to refuse planning permission to UK Coal to opencast at Bradley. This was AGAINST the recommedation of Claire Teesdale the planning officor in charge, who wrote in the paper that it would; "have no adverse effect on the environment"!!!. A victory for local activism!

http://www.pontvalley.net/

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