Michael Pope - Chair, Downlands Action Group.
What happened?
“I first learnt of the application to develop Downlands Farm in December 2006. It soon became clear that developers with less than perfect applications choose December as a good month in which they hope they can bury bad news, with locals by and large making preparations for Christmas.
“This application was no exception: it was for 750 houses and an industrial estate spreading over a High Weald character landscape and on to an ancient common, all surrounded by ancient woodland, incorporating a rich mosaic of precious habitats, and sited adjacent to a gem of a Site of Nature Conservation Importance owned by the Woodland Trust, called Lake Wood.”
What did you do?
“Motivated by the desire to prevent the destruction of our special local environment, and inspired by the local knowledge built over 25 years by the ecologist Dr Martyn Stenning who is warden of Lake Wood, we formed an informal committee to oppose the development. I became chairman, appearing to have more time than others since my retirement!”
What happened next?
“We decided that the best way to create local awareness of the threat was to petition locals on their doorstep. In a semi-rural location we felt we did well to raise some 450 signatories for the petition in a limited time.
“By this time, I had also become aware of the wonderful reservoir and network of support there is for campaigns that seek to save us from the worst excesses of predatory developers.
“When Uckfield Town Council came to discuss its response to the appeal, our efforts and speakers persuaded the Council to recommend, this time unanimously, that it be rejected.”
And so to Inquiry…
“It was only when the developers decided to appeal against Wealden Council’s refusal that we felt we should put our campaign on a more formal footing. We appointed officers, with an executive committee. This gave us an even sharper focus, and we intensified our petitioning activity; presenting the Inspectorate with nearly 1100 signatures of objection. We appeared on a ten minute item on BBC South East local television as well, and generally sought to raise local awareness of the threat.
“Then I and a few other doughty campaigners from the Downlands Action Group sat through a total of eight weeks of appeal hearing (there were two other appellants in this disjointed and unwieldy conjoined Inquiry).”
What’s happening now?
“All parties now have until mid September 2008 to make their closing submissions to the Inquiry in writing, whereafter the Inspector will make his report and recommendation to the Secretary of State, who will then publish her decision. If her decision is made on the basis of planning policies and not politics, there is only one logical decision that she can make, and that would spare Lake Wood and our precious local environment the threat of progressive degradation.”
What support did you get?
“It seems that those who should be the true guardians of our environment, the Environment Agency and Natural England, have neither the resources, time nor structure properly to examine even large scale proposals such as this one.
“It was therefore a great relief to encounter the substantial encouragement we received from the Woodland Trust, the CPRE, the Sussex Ouse Conservation Society (SOCS) and other wildlife and conservation organisations, from whom we received support and advice at meetings, both private and public, as well as website and other publicity exposure.
“The Woodland Trust joined our speakers at the Wealden District Council meeting, at which the application was refused. We had regular visitors from the Trust and SOCS at meetings, and shared the benefit of a lawyer and planning consultant with the Woodland Trust”.
Final Thoughts
“This campaign has helped to create a greater sense of community locally, and I have made good friendships with a number of very committed and interesting people.
“I just hope that the efforts of everyone involved will not prove to have been in vain, for all of us have come to an even greater understanding and appreciation of our rich environment through this process, and the degree to which our natural heritage is vulnerable if we do not take it upon ourselves to seek to protect it.”