As reported earlier, only one objection was submitted to the registration of this application, that being from Bath and North East Somerset [B&NES] Council.
A formal notice dated 16th July 2010 setting out the reasons for the objection has been received from B&NES.
In response to this notice, a robust and detailed challenge has been submitted and it is understood that it will be considered by the Council’s legal department at a meeting to be held on 16th September 2010, with a view to deciding what further action should be taken.
We understand that if as a result of our challenge the application is considered to be valid, a Non Statutory Public Inquiry will be held at some time in the future, presided over by a duly appointed Inspector, who will at the end of the inquiry report his findings directly to B&NES Council.
It is likely that the Inspector’s report will be considered by an appropriate committee of the Council and a decision then made as to whether the Newbridge Meadows should be granted Village Green status.
As readers will no doubt be aware from previous postings on this website, B&NES have already granted themselves Planning Permission for a Park and Ride Car Park to be constructed on part of the area of land being considered for registration as a Village Green and, it was thought that this action could influence any decision made concerning Village Green status.
It has now been established that the Planning Permission already granted for the Park and Ride Car Park will not in any way whatsoever have any effect on the making of any decision concerning Village Green status. The Officers of the Council, the Non Statutory Public Inquiry Inspector and the appropriate committee of the Council which will make the final decision, will follow the letter of the law in dealing with the application, purely on the merits of the application.
Unless the Council withdraws its objection, it is likely that the Public Inquiry will proceed after a period of time, to allow us to prepare our further detailed submissions to the Inspector prior to the actual inquiry.
The area under consideration is scheduled as a ‘Nature Conservation Area’ and an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’ with good reason.
The attention of the Council and our Member of Parliament Mr Don Foster has been drawn to the following.
It is well known that the world is in a state of ‘Ecological Meltdown’ with plants and animals missing two international targets for the continuation of the species.
Over 1,000 species are under ‘Special Protection’ but their decimation continues.
The habitat for many of these species is ‘Lowland Meadows’ such as the Newbridge Meadows, and since World War II, 97% of these Meadows have been destroyed, causing the cessation of very many species.
One in Five Plants in the United Kingdom form the basis of human life and these plants are fertilised by the action of bees and other insects.
Over a quarter of Bumble Bees are in danger of extinction due to the loss of habitat, with half the Honey Bee population having been decimated since the 1980s due to the loss of habitat.
As you will no doubt already know, pollination of plants takes place by the action of Bees, Butterflies and other insects visiting the flowers of the plants to gather nectar and, pollen from the flowers is then transferred to them. They then visit other flowers and deposit the pollen onto them and, fertilisation takes place. Without this action, pollination would have to be carried out by hand, a completely unthinkable situation with estimates of costs provided by the University of Reading running at over £1.5bn per year. This would of course increase the cost of basic food such as bread and even in this relatively wealthy country of the U.K, very serious health and other issues would develop.
For these reasons and many others, we cannot just take Nature for granted. If the pollinators are destroyed it will eventually see the destruction of the human race.
These comments may seem to those unacquainted with the situation concerning Nature, to be ‘outlandish’ but we and many other knowledgeable people in the field of ecology do assure you that if areas of land such as the Newbridge Meadows are not preserved then humanity will suffer, maybe not in our lifetimes but for those future generations.
As you will no doubt know, the Government is paying farmers to preserve hedgerows and strips of land adjoining their fields, half a billion pounds having been spent already, in order to provide habitat for pollinators and other wildlife to continue to exist and, provide an essential part of human life.
B&NES Council now have an excellent opportunity of continuing the policy of the Government in retaining habitat areas for wildlife, by supporting the application for the Newbridge Meadows to be a Village Green and by so doing, preserve the existing habitat for wildlife and at the same time continue the use of the Meadows for the inhabitants which has existed for at least 76 years.
We have seen the demise of many species of plants, animals and insects and we cannot allow this to continue.
The clock is ticking faster every day; now is your opportunity to at least slow it down !
We have been advised by B&NES Council that although the Meadows is the site of a proposed Car Park, this will not have any effect whatsoever on the way the application is considered by them or by an Inspector appointed to oversee any subsequent Public Inquiry and, that any report submitted by the Inspector to the Council will again be considered purely upon the merits of retaining the ecology and the granting of the Village Green application.
We again wish to thank all those who have submitted support and evidence of use of the Meadows, some for well over 70 years to the present time.
We hope that Registration of the Meadows will in fact take place to enable this and future generations to use and enjoy such a beautiful and rare area scheduled as Green Belt Land, a Nature Conservation Area and an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
We will of course keep you advised on how this matter proceeds.
