Hands Off Hartlebury Common

#971: -

Saw it too, I'm glad I'm more enlightened. Nothing but simplistic nonsense, just tv fodder.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b011w6nj/?t=20m40s

I suggest that people watch it too with particular reference to the NE blokes suggested cure for a dried up moor.

Is this guy serious?

The BBC are in partnership with NE (open spaces campaign)

Ne does the work, implements the scemes, the BBc are on hand to film the happy volunteers etc.

Commercial tripe, nothing more. If you are that impressed, you can stand in the main carpark and read the sign boards for free.

Thanks for your comment GUEST, keep watching telly. Below is a similar scheme to the "Creating corridors of heathland" in the programme.

One of the earliest objections I can find relates to the proposal in 1996 by Surrey County Council to permanently fence the perimeter of the North side of Chobham Common for the purpose of "conservation grazing" on the open heathland. A Commons Interest Committee was formed locally to protest the proposal, forcing it to a public inquiry in February 1998 (2). The decision by the Planning Inspector to refuse permission was accepted by the Secretary of State, but not surprisingly English Nature was (3):
“extremely disappointed with this decision, which has allowed the management of this internationally important wildlife site to take second place to misplaced fears about accessibility and appearance"

In 2002, Surrey County Council handed over management of the common to Surrey Wildlife Trust. It was not long before their approach to management galvanized local opinion against them when objection was taken to the destruction of swathes of woodland in a plan to drive two corridors through Monks Walk Wood by clear felling through to join up the heath on either side. Representatives from Chobham Parish Council, the Chobham Society, the Chobham Common Preservation Committee and Chobham Common Riders’ Association wrote to the Trust saying they would have to rethink their continuing with the consultation on the plan (4):
“The failures by SWT call into question whether it is possible to have any rational constructive dialogue with your organisation and we shall be discussing this problem with our respective organisations — particularly whether we should withdraw from the so-called consultative process — in the next few weeks.”

Come forward six years to 2008 and the Surrey Wildlife Trust was consulting again on their management plan, but because of the contention of previous years, they brought in a consultant to manage the “Chobham Stakeholder Engagement” (5). It is no surprise that the consultation document presents grazing in a favourable light amongst a range of management options (6). The Countryside Access Forum of Surrey County Council expects to see the draft management plan in April 2009, after which it will go out for public consultation. Thus just over ten years on from the public inquiry on fencing, expect another row over fencing on Chobham Common.

Heathland restoration very quickly became a bandwagon that many Councils and NGO’s willingly jumped upon. One of the largest areas away from the Surrey heaths were those in Dorset, where the enthusiasm of one RSPB worker in 1999 got the better of him as he felled trees on the Dorset County Council-owned Avon Heath Country Park in five areas that were not covered by a Forestry Commission felling license.

Steve McCarron