Monthly Archives: June 2015

Rampisham Down planning permission called in for Public Inquiry

Posted on June 30, 2015 by Miles King

Good news today from the Department for Communities and Local Government. New Secretary of State Greg Clark has decided that West Dorset District Council’s extraordinary decision to give planning permission for a 50ha solar farm on a Site of Special … Continue reading →

Posted in public inquiries, Rampisham Down, Solar Farms, SSSis, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

Rampisham Down in Flower: what British Solar Renewables don’t want you to see

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Miles King

I thought it would be a good idea to see how Rampisham Down was looking as we have had some good weather and the site had received some (not enough but a start) grazing in the winter to remove some … Continue reading →

Posted in British Solar Renewables, community heat and power, lowland acid grassland, Rampisham Down | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Mown Down or Gone to Seed: the confusing world of verges and churchyards

Posted on June 18, 2015 by Miles King

Mowing and not mowing the grass is making the news in the South West of England this Summer. Police were informed after a churchyard nature area was “accidentally” mown by contractors in Cornwall. According to the Western Morning News the … Continue reading →

Posted in churchyards, mowing, road verges | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

half-baked ONS mix up their semi-natural with the semi-improved

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Miles King

The Office for National Statistics has produced some infographics to celebrate World Environment Day. This has left the BBC statistics editor somewhat bemused.  As the UK’s natural capital was calculated to be worth £1.5 trillion in 2011 (I expect it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in grasslands, ONS, statistics | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Make with the Rake

Posted on June 11, 2015 by Miles King

After seven hours raking on monday, my back is just about ok now. I had asked the Council to come and do a partial early cut of Maumbury Rings. And they did. As they haven’t managed to commit themselves (yet) … Continue reading →

Posted in grasslands, greenspace, management, maumbury rings, meadows | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Defra budget takes another hit; farmers worried they may have to pay for the Badger Cull

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Miles King

Defra received a further cut to its budget last week, shaving another £83M off. This is on top of the already planned £200M cut to take place this financial year. The Defra budget has declined by around 25% since 2010, … Continue reading →

Posted in badgers, Defra, NFU | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

The Solar Farm Gold Rush is over

Posted on June 5, 2015 by Miles King

            This spring it was almost as though there was a gold rush around here, but the gold was a very generous public subsidy for private landowners to build solar farms; and the subsidy magically … Continue reading →

Posted in British Solar Renewables, community heat and power, Rampisham Down, renewable energy, Solar Farms | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Verging on the Spectacular

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Miles King

Roads and wildlife have a complex relationship. Roads can still cause damage and destruction to wildlife and nature. But roads and other infrastructure can also create the opportunity to let nature thrive. Just down the road from us is the … Continue reading →

Posted in road verges | Tagged , , | 26 Comments