Centre Parcs taking over Warren Wood

Warren wood is known to us for the splendid Moneypot Hill which has one of the most interesting landscapes and lovely views in our area. It's not a real hill of course as Bedfordshire is pretty flat but it's a wonderful vantage point on a clear day. In future we won't have access to this area but will instead have a new path alongside the main road. We'll also have to put up with more noise and light pollution, unreasonable levels of traffic and much more activity generally in what's already a busy, noisy county where it never really gets dark, between the M1 and the A1. Why? Because of a new Centre Parcs holiday village that has finally got the OK to go onto Green Belt land because our Government has over-ruled local planning decisions. There are allegedly 'special circumstances' and economic and employment gains top the list but ecological considerations are allegedly also taken into account.

Aside of losing one of my favourite walking areas what concerns me are the values implicit here - that someone at national level who doesn't give a damn about rural Bedfordshire knows better than planners and communities at local level. That "It will attract a greater number of visitors to local sites and amenities in and around Bedfordshire." is automatically perceived as a good thing. To me it's consistent with Government's plans for economic growth rather than sustainable development. There's such a lot of papering over of the many potential adverse impacts ....swamping of local villages which will have smaller communities than this village, dominating the area with a Centre Parcs culture which has no sensitivity to local history and culture, taking over the whole wood not a part of it as with other Centre Parcs villages, the huge potential impact of increased traffic and new traffic infrastructure in an area that's already being significantly disrupted in this way. Extra employment? Yes - but according to newspaper coverage at the time of the appeal that won't necessarily be of local people or even people currently in the UK. It's also setting a precedent for building on green belt land and limiting public access to the countryside.

There are also unacknowledged opportunity costs - just because the woodland is a bit run down at present does not mean that it can't be managed more effectively for biodiversity and for public use in future rather than fenced off for extra weekend travel and tourism. Like with road building, I'm convinced that the result of providing this kind of amenity will encourourage extra trips rather than replace people's holidays abroad.

No doubt Centre Parcs and the Woburn Estates are well connected at Westminster whereas local people aren't. It's been a common pattern in our County for years that local planning decisions get over-ruled at national level. It smacks of arrogance and corruption to me not balanced judgement.

The invisible women

Hilary Spurling's review of Virginia Nicholson's book 'Singled out - how two million women survived without men after the first world war." in Sunday's Observer has stayed with me this week. Shocking to hear that the Daily Mail in 1921 commented that 'the superfluous women are a disaster to the human race'. At that time these women could not count on marriage or starting their own families, as so few men returned from the war. Nor could they count on reasonable employment or a career, as the men returning reclaimed jobs done by women in their absence. Of course it's in context of so many dying through war or flu so perhaps many were just glad to be alive? Difficult to know now. It sounds like a sad sad time for so many men and women and makes me think what a lot we take for granted today. Sobering to think these events took place less than a century ago.

Greek forest fires

So sad to hear about the forest fires of Greece this year, particularly the loss of lives. Even having spent time there these past few years, I can only begin to imagine the disruption to people's lives and livelihoods. Must be very hard to start again after such tragedy. A lot of issues here. According to this news article Greece has had 120 forest fires this year compared with 52 in 2006. A particularly bad year....but I'd no idea that so many occurred each year.

The Cumbria Way

We made it! Eleven of us, adults and children - 72 miles from Carlisle to Ulverston through the Lake District. Mixed weather, wonderful wild places and great to walk with good friends who just accept you as you are.

Tranquility maps

We've been looking at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE's) tranquility and light pollution maps. Sad to see the decline in some areas and pleased to hear about their campaigns.

Interesting site

Technology, Entertainment, Design or TED is a site that aims to spread ideas by making talks and performances available from their annual conference, where a wide range of 'thinkers and doers' are challenged to give the talks of their lives. Those I've looked at are well done and there's an interesting range of themes. Thanks to Graham Jeffery for the link.

Nighttime again

Following up Peter Brown's comment on this blog about what sounds like an intriguing book from Roger Ekirch called At Day's Close: a History of Nighttime' I came across this review of it which I found thought provoking - both in terms of what we've lost but also perhaps in terms of what we've gained. For many of those in service for instance the 'nighttime hiatus' referred to must have been one of the few times they could call their own.