I objected to the enlargement of the Industrial Estate because of the woodland which surrounded it. The woodland surrounding the yard was broadleaved, predominantly birch but also oak and holly. The Forestry plantation behind is conifer, regularly logged and pretty useless for wildlife.
The Council could have retained some of this woodland but they didn't. Interestingly the Council did not consult their ecologist over this planning application, which in 2008 was a requirement. This area would now, under the policy of Environmental Networks, be a core area. This is what it looked like.
This is what it looks like now
The buildings go to the boundary and stand out even worse because the land is a lot higher than the Forestry woodland. The Forestry have clearcut this area, so this is what you see from the Forestry path. Not a great advert for Shropshire Council's idea of sustainability.
It's not helped by the fact that the companies didn't bother to put the hedges in which were Conditioned, but these hedges were only to the west with nothing allowed for the north side. The above photo shows some of the west and north side of the industrial estate.
There should be a hedge here of native species. There isn't. They simply didn't plant it.
So am I just whinging about this? No. When it was impossible to protect this area the only way to help the wildlife which use this area was to put in my own wildlife area. This uses the two acre field behind our house.
The birches in the top picture will have to be cut back because of the electricity cable which goes straight over the field, but a lot will remain. We have a new hedge to the east of the field, planted native trees and shrubs in the bottom section and fruit trees at the highest point of the near field.
The alder copse at the northern end of the field has a huge bramble patch in it and behind it for nesting birds. Birch trees, a cherry tree , guelder rose, hazel, alder buckthorn,a hornbeam and a rowan have also been added to the east but it is tricky land because the water table is very high in places. I tried a lime but it clearly hates it here. More fruit trees are also down there in the higher areas.
The field is cut once a year and cleared so it can be used by nesting birds in summer and there is plenty of grass seed for them. The grass is cleared to try to encourage wildflowers in the future.
Luckily when my father left the company he secured the orchard area next to the bungalow and the last remaining small area of the original woodland, which is also being enhanced.
These are the oldest trees remaining.
To keep this area viable though the industrial estate has to drain. We lost six of our largest young birch trees in 2010 because our drainage was impaired and they heaved - these were 50 footers.
Young trees my father planted in the copse of old trees died when we were first flooded out, so
I cannot plant trees and enhance our land if our neighbours actions are killing the trees I plant.
It is also pointless to enhance an area for wildlife when these are erected
These could be angled down and cowled, but they're not. We have a constant battle even when planning conditions stipulate cowled, downward facing lights, because this isn't what they actually put up. These lights unfortunately are not Conditioned and even though Darwin Group knows bats use this corridor they have not altered them. More on this elsewhere.
Again, though, , I am acting where possible to protect our land as much as I can.
Behind the fruit trees is a new leylandii hedge to attempt to screen what is a bat corridor from the high powered lights shown above and other high powered lights to the west of the industrial estate. It's currently around 10 feet tall but will have to be higher. It has been topped so the increase will be gradual. It's more important now to get it to thicken up to provide a screen as the lights currently shine through it.
So can companies co-exist with nature in the countryside? No they can't. Even though when Parry's owned the land we had no high powered lighting and the wood remained as a buffer, when land changes hands it only takes one company that just doesn't care to damage an area far in excess of the land it owns. Allow this development near woodland and the end result is a degraded environment and loss of species.
We had brown long eared bats in our loft for as long as I can remember, and I remember finding one in a cabin in the yard. Since the lights went up we haven't seen one because they cannot cope with lights. We have pipistrelles and noctules, but woodland bats will be decimated in time if the Government and local authorities don't wake up. There is no going back once planning consent is granted, and Councils will not enforce conditions after a few years anyway.
I estimate I have lost months out of my life dealing with the planning applications for this industrial estate, but if I don't then all this work is effectively for nothing.
The Council could have retained some of this woodland but they didn't. Interestingly the Council did not consult their ecologist over this planning application, which in 2008 was a requirement. This area would now, under the policy of Environmental Networks, be a core area. This is what it looked like.
It's not helped by the fact that the companies didn't bother to put the hedges in which were Conditioned, but these hedges were only to the west with nothing allowed for the north side. The above photo shows some of the west and north side of the industrial estate.
There should be a hedge here of native species. There isn't. They simply didn't plant it.
So am I just whinging about this? No. When it was impossible to protect this area the only way to help the wildlife which use this area was to put in my own wildlife area. This uses the two acre field behind our house.
The field is cut once a year and cleared so it can be used by nesting birds in summer and there is plenty of grass seed for them. The grass is cleared to try to encourage wildflowers in the future.
Luckily when my father left the company he secured the orchard area next to the bungalow and the last remaining small area of the original woodland, which is also being enhanced.
To keep this area viable though the industrial estate has to drain. We lost six of our largest young birch trees in 2010 because our drainage was impaired and they heaved - these were 50 footers.
Young trees my father planted in the copse of old trees died when we were first flooded out, so
I cannot plant trees and enhance our land if our neighbours actions are killing the trees I plant.
It is also pointless to enhance an area for wildlife when these are erected
Again, though, , I am acting where possible to protect our land as much as I can.
Behind the fruit trees is a new leylandii hedge to attempt to screen what is a bat corridor from the high powered lights shown above and other high powered lights to the west of the industrial estate. It's currently around 10 feet tall but will have to be higher. It has been topped so the increase will be gradual. It's more important now to get it to thicken up to provide a screen as the lights currently shine through it.
So can companies co-exist with nature in the countryside? No they can't. Even though when Parry's owned the land we had no high powered lighting and the wood remained as a buffer, when land changes hands it only takes one company that just doesn't care to damage an area far in excess of the land it owns. Allow this development near woodland and the end result is a degraded environment and loss of species.
We had brown long eared bats in our loft for as long as I can remember, and I remember finding one in a cabin in the yard. Since the lights went up we haven't seen one because they cannot cope with lights. We have pipistrelles and noctules, but woodland bats will be decimated in time if the Government and local authorities don't wake up. There is no going back once planning consent is granted, and Councils will not enforce conditions after a few years anyway.
I estimate I have lost months out of my life dealing with the planning applications for this industrial estate, but if I don't then all this work is effectively for nothing.
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