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Category Archives: grasslands
National Meadow Day
It’s National Meadow Day. I hadn’t noticed until today when I saw this piece on the BBC Earth website. The piece kindly references a report I wrote for Plantlife and the Wildlife Trusts about meadows back in 2002, called “Green … Continue reading
half-baked ONS mix up their semi-natural with the semi-improved
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
Make with the Rake
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 greenspace, Maumbury Rings, mowing
2 Comments
Rampisham: BSR antics force council to defer planning decision
Today was decision day. The culmination of nearly two years work; West Dorset District Council were finally going to decide whether to give planning permission for a 40ha area of over 100,000 solar panels to be constructed on a Site … Continue reading
Posted in EIA, grasslands, Rampisham Down, Solar Farms
Tagged British Solar Renewables, EIA, planning, Rampisham Down, Solar Farms
2 Comments
The CLA in Wales cares more about protecting meadows than CLA in England
a wildflower meadow (c) Miles King In these days where devolution is in the air, it’s worth considering how differently two UK countries use regulation to protect wildlife. This press release from the Country Landowners Association Cymru, was picked up … Continue reading
Posted in agriculture, CLA, deregulation, EIA, grasslands, Wales
Tagged CLA, deregulation, EIA (Agriculture), meadows
5 Comments
Mark Reckless MP: destroying Lodge Hill will undermine national SSSI protection across the country
Part of Lodge Hill’s military past: a fictitious Newry Road with Iraqi posters (c) Miles King Rochester and Strood MP Mark Reckless is nobody’s fool. You may remember that earlier this year I wrote about his tirade against coastal … Continue reading
Save Lodge hill for its Scrub and its Magazines
military history: a one man concrete pill box at Chattenden (c) Miles King I am naturally rather depressed that Medway Council unanimously voted in favour of the planning application to build 5000 houses on Lodge Hill and Chattenden Barracks, … Continue reading
Posted in grasslands, Lodge Hill, public goods, public land, SSSis
Tagged Development, History, Lodge Hill, SSSIs
5 Comments
Panic Ploughing
The BBC revealed yesterday that grasslands had been ploughed up, thanks to the European Commission’s Common Agricultural Policy proposals on “greening” – oh, the irony – to protect grasslands from being ploughed up.The EC had made the fatal mistake of … Continue reading
The Supergrass that betrays real Environmental Goods
I was intrigued by this headline in Farmers Weekly (where else?) – “£2.5M boost for grass that helps prevent floods“. What can it be? A panacea for all our flooding problems – is it superabsorbent? Is it a climate change … Continue reading
Solar Farms and Grasslands: A cautionary Tale.
Rampisham Down Masts Anyone who has lived in West Dorset for more than five years will immediately recognise the extraordinary landmark that was the Rampisham Down Transmitting Station. A large array of very tall Masts on one of the most … Continue reading
a new nature blog 