DEFRA Vs HOUSING

CONSERVATION?

 

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Great Crested Newts are a protected species, but will conservation law be enough to stop the voracious appetite of developers and a government strapped for cash, from ignoring the duty to conserve and act sustainably, in the quest to concrete over the countryside - come what may?

 

 

 

 

 

Is this a potential battle royal between departments, as Steve Reed of DEFRA should be fighting to protect the natural environment, which Angela Rayner is doing her best to cut what she sees as red tape, and build, build build. Though, the houses proposed for this site are not genuinely affordable units. They are executive homes for landlords to rent for profit, while those who are caught in the rental trap, cannot pay those rents without help from the benefits system, which in turn is bankrupting many councils. Those who have not secured land for low cost (self-build or social) housing.

 

The developers of the field at Lime Cross in Herstmonceux have applied for a pipe to drain the field of natural surface water, through a pipe (presumably) under Church Road or Chapel Row, into a field on the opposite side of the road, into Lime End Farm.

 

This begs the question, why didn't they apply to build on land at Lime End Farm in the first place? If they (the council and the developers) had considered alternative sites from the outset, it is thought they'd not have given the Lime Cross site a second glance. Where it is beset by multiple problems. Not least of which is the inadequate site lines of the proposed junction. An accident waiting to happen.

 

If it is that the farmer who owns Lime End Farm is now willing to allow polluted water onto his farmland, then presumably that land will not be suitable for grazing of cattle or sheep. Thus, may as well go into the development melting pot. The only problem being that the A271 is not suitable for this kind of increase in traffic. Not without a bypass of the village.

 

The proposed re-routing of natural water flow will have the effect of starving the two long established ponds in Lime Park of water, eventually desicating those ponds that are reliant on the water from the adjacent field to keep: Ducks, Moorhens, Toads, Herons, Fish and Great Crested Newts alive. We wonder if a proper study has been carried out, where it is alleged that Southern Water demolished Badger Sets, claiming to have conducted a study. But in fact that study was defective, and the company have refused (so far) to provide a copy for inspection.

 

For the cost of two stamps, two sheets of A4 paper and 2 envelopes, you can alert these Honourable Members of Parliament to the issues locally.

 

We would urge residents of Herstmonceux Village, who might be concerned as to over development, routinely recurring potholes, the loss of dog walking and most of all, the threat to wildlife, to write to the Ministers concerned in the following (suggested) terms:

 

 

 

Dear Minister's,

 

FAO: The Rt Hon Angela Rayner MP (Deputy Prime Minister)
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government 

House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

&

 

FAO: The Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP
Secretary of State Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs DEFRA

Seacole Building 

2 Marsham Street 

London

SW1P 4DF


Re: Urgent Action Required to Protect Wildlife and Natural Habitat from Housing Development: WD/2024/2257/MAJ

I hope this letter finds you well.

 

I am writing to draw your urgent attention to a pressing conservation issue in Lime Park, Herstmonceux, where housing development company's are planning to divert the natural surface water supply from two mature ponds that are critical habitats for several species, including the legally protected Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) and Common Toads (Bufo bufo).

The proposed development would redirect all rainfall from the adjacent fields at Lime Cross, away from these ponds, risking the drying up of these vital aquatic ecosystems. As you are aware, Great Crested Newts are listed as a Priority Species under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and are protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. The disruption of their habitat, especially in light of ongoing climate change-induced water level drops, poses a severe threat to their survival.

Key Arguments for Conservation:

Legal Protections: The Great Crested Newt is protected under both UK and European legislation, making it illegal to disturb, harm, or destroy their habitats. Any action that jeopardizes their habitat would be in direct violation of these laws.

Ecological Importance: These ponds support a rich diversity of wildlife, including ducks, moorhens, and various amphibians, playing a crucial role in the local ecosystem. The loss of these ponds would have a cascading negative impact on biodiversity.

Climate Change Considerations: With climate change already affecting water levels, it is imperative to conserve natural water bodies that serve as crucial habitats for wildlife. Disrupting these ecosystems would exacerbate the negative effects of climate change on local biodiversity.

Sustainable Development: While development is essential, it must be balanced with environmental conservation. There are sustainable alternatives that can be explored to ensure the protection of these habitats while meeting development needs.

Given the above points, I urge you to intervene and recover the planning application submitted by the housing development company. It is essential that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be conducted to fully understand the consequences of this project on the local wildlife and habitats. Additionally, alternative solutions that do not harm these vital ecosystems should be considered.
 Such as alternative sites for genuinely affordable house building, including the field at Lime End Farm, that the surface water from Lime Cross, it is proposed should be diverted towards, together with a Bypass, so as not to exacerbate the pothole situation in the Village of Herstmonceux, any further. And so avoiding use of the proposed (dangerous) junction near a brow of a hill on the A271.

Your prompt attention to this matter would be greatly appreciated by the local community and conservationists who are committed to protecting our natural heritage. I am confident that with your support, we can find a balanced solution that upholds our environmental responsibilities while supporting sustainable development.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Yours sincerely,

 


[Your Name and Address]

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

A pond habitat has to be mature to support Herons and Ducks. This picture is of a Heron in Lime Park. In the second pond, there are Great Crested Newts. The area also features Toads, Fish and Moorhens. A Heron was seen on ice this (January) when the pond froze over. Our conservationist was too slow to get a picture.

 

 

 

   

 

 

These pictures were taken of a toad in Lime Park in September 2022. They are a regular feature in Lime Park, somehow finding their way into an outbuilding at the Museum every year, and they are most welcome.

 

Toads spend most of their adult lives on land, only returning to ponds to breed. It's natural for them to explore and inhabit terrestrial habitats, including areas near human dwellings.

Toads have permeable skin and are prone to drying out. Outbuildings, especially those with damp areas, crevices, or shaded spots, provide ideal refuge from the sun and dry air. They offer a cool, humid environment that helps toads retain moisture.

During the colder months, toads seek safe and frost-free places to hibernate. Outbuildings, such as sheds, garages, and cellars, can offer suitable overwintering sites, with spaces under floorboards, in piles of wood, or within cracks in walls. The field and Museum building is also home to Bumble Bees, and the surrounding trees; Bats.

 

 

 

 

Latimer Homes and Clarion Housing Group applied in October 2024, their application was held to be valid on the 18th of December 2024. At time of writing we are thus in the 'Consultation' period, ending on the 7th February 2025. After which any objections will not be considered. Time is thus of the essence, if you want your views to be counted!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Official government advice is to refuse applications with the potential to harm protected species, but if nobody objects, proposals that are defective in terms of surveys, etc., are likely to be passed. So, please, if you like the local ecology and would prefer that the wildlife presently enjoyed is conserved for future generations, write to your local member, and/or Wealden District Council's planning department to have your say.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE TWO ENDANGERED PONDS - ALREADY SUFFERING FROM A LOSS OF WATER FLOW DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, THE PROPOSAL TO DIVERT SURFACE WATER FROM THE ADJACENT FIELD IS TANTAMOUNT TO A DEATH SENTENCE FOR THE FLORA AND FAUNA THAT PRESENTLY ENJOYS THE HABITAT. YOU CAN WALK THE FIELDS AND SEE POND NUMBER ONE, THAT FEEDS POND NUMBER TWO - WHICH IS NOT VISIBLE FROM PUBLIC FOOTPATHS. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, GOOGLE MAPS SHOWS THESE BODIES OF WATER - WHICH YOU CAN CHECK FOR YOURSELVES. THESE ARE THE SAME GEOGRAPHICAL AREA, IN DIFFERENT VIEWS: MAPS & SATELLITE.

 

 

THE TWO ENDANGERED PONDS - ALREADY SUFFERING FROM A LOSS OF WATER FLOW DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, THE PROPOSAL TO DIVERT SURFACE WATER FROM THE ADJACENT FIELD IS TANTAMOUNT TO A DEATH SENTENCE FOR THE FLORA AND FAUNA THAT PRESENTLY ENJOYS THE HABITAT. YOU CAN WALK THE FIELDS AND SEE POND NUMBER ONE, THAT FEEDS POND NUMBER TWO - WHICH IS NOT VISIBLE FROM PUBLIC FOOTPATHS. BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, GOOGLE MAPS SHOWS THESE BODIES OF WATER - WHICH YOU CAN CHECK FOR YOURSELVES. THESE ARE THE SAME GEOGRAPHICAL AREA, IN DIFFERENT VIEWS: MAPS & SATELLITE.

 

 

 

 

POISON WATER SUPPLY - THEN THERE IS THE MATTER OF THE ANCIENT WELL THAT IS THE ONLY SOURCE OF WATER FOR HERSTMONCEUX MUSEUM, THE PROPOSED HOUSES, CONTAMINATION FROM HERBICIDES, PESTICIDES AND HYDROCARBONS IS A CRIMINAL VIOLATION OF THE 'OFFENCES AGAINST THE PERSON ACT OF 1861' SECTIONS 23 AND 24 - IN THE MAKING. ALL THOSE HELPING THE OWNERS OF THE FIELD SUPPLYING THE WELL, MIGHT WELL BE GUILTY OF A CONSPIRACY IN THE MATTER.

 

 

POISON WATER SUPPLY - THEN THERE IS THE MATTER OF THE ANCIENT WELL THAT IS THE ONLY SOURCE OF WATER FOR HERSTMONCEUX MUSEUM, THE PROPOSED HOUSES, CONTAMINATION FROM HERBICIDES, PESTICIDES AND HYDROCARBONS IS A CRIMINAL VIOLATION OF THE 'OFFENCES AGAINST THE PERSON ACT OF 1861' SECTIONS 23 AND 24 - IN THE MAKING. ALL THOSE HELPING THE OWNERS OF THE FIELD SUPPLYING THE WELL, MIGHT WELL BE GUILTY OF A CONSPIRACY IN THE MATTER.

 

 

 

 

Please copy and paste the draft wording into your word-processing document, and modify as you see fit, so as to be comfortable with the language used. Please see the links below to the applicable law (statute & regulations). And be warned, both Statutes and Regulations are very long and complicated. Reading will take some time, thus try to look only at the applicable sections.

 

Thank you all in advance, for your time looking at this extremely important local issue. : )

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now that is what we call rewilding. The oak tree in the middle of this field, and others dotted around the perimeter have been seeding rather well. The tall grass and other shrubs are providing homes for much wildlife. The hope is that, apart from footpaths and historic rights of way, that this becomes a focal point for family walks, ramblers, hikers and dog walkers in the village of Herstmonceux.

 

 

 

PERCENTAGE OF CONSERVATION AREAS IN ENGLAND

 

As of 2019, 2.2% of England making up 2,938 km2 (1,134 sq mi) is a conservation area, 59% of which are rural, and 41% are in urban areas.

The current legislation in England and Wales, the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (sections 69 and 70), defines the quality of a conservation area as being: "the character or appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance". 

TYPES

Conservation areas can be found across a wide a range of urban and rural UK locations. For example, in the historic centres of town and cities such as Alexandra Palace and Park; model housing estates; historic mining, fishing and transport areas e.g. Crosby Garrett; and rural villages such as Osmotherley.

It is the role of the listed building process to protect individual buildings, and it is common for many listed buildings to also be located within designated conservation areas where those individual buildings make a contribution to the special architectural or historic character of the area.

Current Government planning policy on conservation areas is laid down (for England) mainly in section 12 'Conserving and enhancing the historic environment' of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and (for Wales) in Welsh Office Circular 61/96 – Planning and the Historic Environment: Historic Buildings and Conservation Areas.

There are additional planning controls over certain works carried out within the conservation area. For example, demolition within conservation areas requires consent. The designation does not preclude development from taking place, but does require that developments preserve or enhance the historic character of the area, for example by ensuring that newly constructed buildings are of a high quality design. Conservation area status also removes some permitted development rights that apply in undesignated areas.

In England, conservation area consent was abolished by the ERR Act (1) and replaced with a requirement for planning permission for demolition of a building in a conservation area (1). In Wales, the requirement for conservation area consent remains. The circumstances in which such planning permission is required and the consequences of failing to apply for it when it is needed are the same as applied to conservation area consent.

 

 

 

 

Who has ever heard of a Bakery with electric machinery when horse drawn deliveries were the norm? Herstmonceux had electricity well before most large towns, because of Major Charles de Roemer, who also manufactured seaplanes for the British Admiralty (Royal Navy) in Eastbourne, from 1911 to 1924. Lime Park had the benefit of a stables, coach house and forge for a farrier. A farrier is a specialised blacksmith who makes shoes for horses, out of wrought iron or steel.

 

 


DESIGNATION

Local authorities are chiefly responsible for designating conservation areas. They can designate any area of 'special architectural or historic interest' whose character or appearance is worth protecting or enhancing. Local and regional criteria are used, rather than any national standard. In exceptional circumstances, Historic England can designate conservation areas in London, but it has to consult the relevant Borough Council and obtain the consent of the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport. The Secretary of State can also designate in exceptional circumstances – usually where the area is of more than local interest.

Local authorities have additional powers under planning legislation to control changes to buildings in a conservation area that might usually be allowed without planning permission in other locations, for example changing the appearance of windows, adding external cladding or putting up satellite dishes.

Large conservation areas are sometimes subdivided into identity areas, which cover groups of buildings and features having similar character and appearance.

Enforcement of conservation areas varies, dependent on the resources and priorities of the local authority, and many fail to meet expectations. A conservation area may have a conservation area advisory committee, a non-elected body of people, some of whom may be expert, who are concerned about the conservation in the particular area. Historic England maintains an "at risk" register which includes conservation areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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CONSERVATION AREAS ARE DESIGNED TO ENHANCE AND PRESERVE SPECIAL HISTORIC, SCIENTIFIC AND ARCHITECTURAL INTEREST - WORLD HERITAGE SITE - HERSTMONCEUX MUSEUM