Category Archives: public land

What are we waiting for?

Reading George Monbiot’s book on re-wilding has made me think a great deal about what would need to change in Britain in order for us to restore nature to something like a sustainable level, and to give it the resilience it will … Continue reading

Posted in agriculture, biodiversity, conservation, environmental policy, farming, Floodplains, George Monbiot, grazing, management, public land, rewilding, semi-natural, uplands, wolves | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From Prosperity to Action in 25 years

In 1989 Margaret Thatcher’s Government published Roads for Prosperity. This White Paper set out plans for  “The largest road building programme since the Romans” with plans for a 12 lane M25, an outer M25 from Harwich to the M4 near … Continue reading

Posted in biodiversity, climate change, deregulation, Forestry Commission, public land, regulatory reform, road verges, transport | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What do Pollinators need?

Last week, after a long time coming, The Government announced at a Bee Summit, that it would prepare a national pollinator strategy, to be published this November. This is thanks mainly to the efforts of Friends of the Earth, who … Continue reading

Posted in agriculture, bees, biodiversity, ecosystem services, environmental policy, farming, Forestry Commission, grazing, greenspace, housing, meadows, public land, regulatory reform, road verges | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

A profound Sense of Anxiety updated

As someone who suffers from anxiety from time to time, I know what the warning signs are. And the last week of political activity has definitely left me with a sense of almost dread about what is happening to our … Continue reading

Posted in agriculture, anti-environmental rhetoric, biodiversity, biodiversity offsetting, Charities campaigning, climate change, environmental policy, farming, GMOs, grazing, greenspace, housing, Owen Paterson, public land, regulatory reform, transport | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Victory at Lodge Hill raises questions about brownfield first and sale of public land

It’s always good to write about a victory for the environment, especially these days. I was frankly amazed to read on Martin Harpers blog that the Planning Inspector had concluded that Medway Council’s core strategy was unsound because they had … Continue reading

Posted in biodiversity, biodiversity offsetting, deregulation, environmental policy, housing, meadows, public land, regulatory reform | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One man went to mow….managing public space for wildflowers

Have you ever been stunned that a nice patch of wildflowers on a road verge, village green or park gets mown down just when it’s at its peak of beauty and utility? Me too. So I was delighted to see … Continue reading

Posted in bees, biodiversity, greenspace, management, meadows, public land, road verges | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments