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Monthly Archives: December 2014
Leaving Footprint, starting something new
Today is my last day at Footprint Ecology. I’ve had a very interesting 18 months here, working on a number of management plans, a variety of Habitat Regulations Assessments, the protection of Lodge Hill and Rampisham Down, researching and writing … Continue reading
Viscount Matt Ridley: The New King Coal
I have written many times (eg here, here and here) about Viscount Matt Ridley. Ridley styles himself as “The Rational Optimist”, is brother in law of former Secretary of State against the Environment Owen … Continue reading
Posted in climate change, Denialists, Matt Ridley, Uncategorized
Tagged climate change, coal, Matt Ridley, Owen Paterson
13 Comments
plus ça change plus c’est la même chose
Just in case you were thinking that under the new Common Agricultural Policy, following its lengthy and expensive “reform” process, that there are more requirements on farmers to deliver public goods for their extremely generous payments (paid for by taxpayers … Continue reading
Lodge Hill: Statement to the House of Commons
Originally posted on Mark Reckless | UKIP:
Mark Reckless (Rochester and Strood) (UKIP): It is a privilege to follow the hon. Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce), who I am sure speaks for the whole House in her moving and compelling contribution.…
Posted in housing, Lodge Hill, Mark Reckless, Uncategorized
Tagged housing, Lodge Hill, Mark Reckless
1 Comment
Rampisham Down SSSI Solar Farm: latest developments
I’m taking a close interest in two major developments on public or former public land, threatening newly designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Lodge Hill, and Rampisham Down. In the case of Lodge Hill, the local Council officers recommended the … Continue reading
Posted in Lodge Hill, Rampisham Down, Solar Farms, SSSis
Tagged Lodge Hill, Rampisham Down, SSSIs, West Dorset District Council
4 Comments
Lodge Hill latest: Housing Minister Lewis ruins Christmas for Medway Planning Committee members
The battle of Lodge Hill has gone a bit quiet since the Rochester and Strood byelection, when all the candidates except Labour were clamouring to be seen as the one true defender of Lodge Hill, despite the fact that both … Continue reading
Posted in Brandon Lewis, Eric Pickles, Lodge Hill, Military Land, Natural England, RSPB, SSSis
Tagged Brandon Lewis, George Osborne, Lodge Hill, Medway Council, SSSIs
1 Comment
New Model Army Garden Cities?
Abercrombie’s County of London Plan A while ago now (5 or 6 years), I was involved in helping the previous government develop their greenspace plans for Ecotowns. Yes it was a disastrous policy because the places … Continue reading
Posted in Lodge Hill
1 Comment
The strange case of the missing 10,000ha of Dartmoor Training Area SSSI
A couple of weeks ago, the Government released a list of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in public hands, in response to a question from Caroline Lucas. The list indicated that over 70,000ha of Defence owned land was SSSI. That’s … Continue reading
a new nature blog 
Can we stop the 6th Great Extinction?
Here’s a longer version of the piece that has gone on Comment is Free today. Scientists suspect we are entering the sixth global mass extinction. How can we tell, and if we are, what can be done? The august journal … Continue reading →