John Fleetwood, local Tree Warden and editor of Broadsheet (the Broadland Tree Wardens Newsletter), has written a feature article on Thorpe Woodlands and the Friends in this month's Newsletter; I'm pleased to say its readership includes all the local Councillors. I thought you'd like to have a chance to read it:
Broadsheet 086 - September 2010 with FTW article
Photographs of Thorpe woodlands, their varied habitats, plantlife and wildlife all taken by friends and supporters. most taken between 2010 and 2013
Excellent piece John. I'm glad all the Broadland Tree Wardens can read it and get a better appreciation of the pressures that such land, valuable for wildlife, biodiversity, landscape character and general human sanity, is under in our region.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there is a tendency to believe it can never happen on your patch, but the real truth is that with such strong pressure for development as exists in the East now, nowhere can be taken for granted as being 'safe' from house building and other development pressures.
Of course for us, on the edge of one of the fastest-growing cities in the UK, the pressure can seem damn near intolerable and often we are forced to sacrifice one thing to save another. It has been suggested that the recent decision to endorse the Brown's Farm development will lessen pressure to approve this one which we know is in the pipeline. That remains to be seen.
The old playing fields at the NU site will no doubt soon be built on, (although the trees are already safegarded) and there are tremendous pressures for development all around the north and east of the city.
This is why proper, open, scrutiny must be made of the decisions being taken by the GNDP and a fresh start is needed when new plans are drawn up.
Marion
TSA Tree Warden