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02/11/08
Cultivations, carried out mainly late and night and weekends, have led into a fairly good autumn sowing season. Level seed beds seem to have encouraged a good even germination and emergence of the OSR and Winter Wheat seedlings. Our main concerns now are with pigeons and slugs; the recent very cold weather seems to have deterred the former pest and encouraged the later. Vigilance is essential if we are to stop any problems developing to affect the crop establishment. Increased seed rates, were one expensive response to the pressure on the slightly later than usual sowing (even though we had finished by the middle of October, the usual starting time for my grandfather).
Nothing can be done, it seems, about a more determined and dangerous pest that has been troubling us over recent nights. Good neighbourliness does not seem to concern some members of our local ‘travelling’ community. Yet again they have been driving over our seedbeds with their powerful 4x4 vehicles in pursuit of their ‘traditional’ sport of Hare Coursing.
Other forms of hunting in this country have been either prohibited or strictly regulated, but some members of our local authorities seem to be so fearful that they might step on some spurious ‘racial’ or ‘human’ right, that they will not enforce the law when it comes to the rogue elements of this community. Useless telephone calls from the fields; identification information which led directly to a local encampment; threats of violence and large amounts of rutting to already wet soils have had no impact on getting Police officers to the scene of the crime.
It is therefore truly ironic that the consultation period on yet another ‘traveller’s site’ has just started which could result in some of our land being ‘compulsorily purchased’ to meet the ‘aspirations’ of unnamed individuals who want to be near to their ‘friends’. Suggestions can be made to modify the existing plans on the Dacorum Council website (www.dacorum.gov.uk) from November 3 till December 15.
Versions of the ‘truth’ seem to be as numerous as the untimely snowflakes which fell last week, as the Council is still insisting on ‘short listing’ sites based on the discredited, and plainly wrong, land use classification in the Scot Wilson report on Gypsy sites.
Environmental officers are aware of the major local problem of fly-tipping of light building waste and hedge material, but do not seem to want to target the fleets of unmarked vans which cruise around our lanes laden with all sorts of associated rubbish. Regular readers will have seen the pictures, I have tired of taking any recent ones, but the Environmental Agency still seems reluctant to stop these vans and ask for their ‘Waste Disposal Licences’ and documentation.
Yet in making these comments about the failure of the authorities to help me ‘enjoy my life and property’ (European Human Rights), I have probably courted claims that my concerns are racially motivated.
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Nothing sums the ‘Alice in Wonderland’ situation better than this picture, courtesy of Live Maps, that shows a vibrant, but bureaucratically non-existent private travellers site on our southern boundary (bottom right hand corner). Individuals living in the dozen, or more, caravans, are not included in any official papers, if they were to be, the situation would be instantly resolved.
Careful plans for a fully productive half-term break from school have all been crumpled up by the wet and cold weather. Evenings now break into the working day and I still have so much spraying to do; my personal daylight hour driven clock seems to be at odds with the Greenwich Time-pip world of schools and offices. Independence for Scotland, could allow the northern peoples of these islands to retain GMT whilst those of us in the south could enjoy permanent BST. Needless to say, it would be nice if an Independent Scotland could free us of the resentments and politicians in Westminster who seem to blame all of Gt. Britain’s problems on the English.
Despite all of the above moans, I feel fairly chirpy. Every kind word from close friends puts ‘things’ into perspective.
Even my battles with the educational establishment seem to be ponderously moving to a conclusion, if only by inaction and default. Discretion prevents me from giving full details yet as a ‘government’ job in these perilous times is quite a comfort; but I hope that I can explain my concerns about the ‘Resilience’ part of the ‘Every Child Matters’ in the near future!
Persistent mist and drizzle have made my daily walk around the farm most unappetising, so it will be off to the gym for a good, but gentle, work-out on my troublesome knee.
30/11/08
Finally, we have caught up!
It has been a very long and tiring trudge through this summer and autumn but the crops are sown and sprayed. So all that is left is to keep the pigeons and pests at bay whilst pondering if it was sensible, in the present economic circumstances, to plant at all.
We seem to be under attack from all fronts. The same local authority that complained that a cross field path (through wheat) was not the correct width, is now planning to steal from us, two possible caravan sites to meet the ‘aspirations’ of Travellers. Compulsory Purchase powers will be used, if euphemistically ‘necessary’, to acquire the land.
Agnells, the field in question is clearly defined as Green Belt, is prone to annual flooding and has many environmental features which are monitored by TAG, the BTO and scientists from Rothamsted research centre.
The very narrow ‘consultation’ process is under way at present, and finishes on the 15th December 2008. Any comments on the proposals would be welcome. I have put up notices in the field in question and include them in this blog:
“Site Allocations – Supplementary Issues and Options Paper (November 2008)
I have recently visited the Dacorum District Council planning office and spoke at length with an Officer. I raised several points about my concerns over the considerations of sites D15 and D19 for proposed Traveller sites. We agreed that I should add comments, where appropriate, to the online consultation and provide follow up comments by email:
1. Both of the proposed sites are in areas liable to regular annual flooding. The large rural catchment area of Lovetts End – Wood Farm – Eastbrock Hay – Gaddesden Row feeds a ‘dry’ river and springs (in Dodds Lane). On several years in living memory, the river has run from near to Bridens Camp to the Redbourn Road. This flooding would make access difficult and living conditions unpleasant.
2. Both of these sites have no easy nearby access to mains sewer or mains water.
3. This field, Agnells Hill, has been planted with hedgerow plants and is surrounded by ELS environmentally enhanced field boundaries. The resultant mix of permissive footpaths, and mixed planting of tufty grasses, herbs, bushes and trees have resulted in a recreational walking area for the residents of Grovehill and Woodhall farm as well as providing habitats for a diversifying mix of indigenous flora and fauna. The benefits of these areas are regularly monitored by TAG, BTO and Rothamsted.
4. Land use of these sites is recognised by DEFRA as agricultural and was wrongly classified as ‘permanent pasture’ in the Scott Wilson report.
5. A local authority report, in the past, had suggested that this area to the north of Hemel Hempstead would benefit from environmental enhancement which we, as the owners, have readily undertaken for the benefit of all of our existing community. It provides a natural and clearly definable boundary to the ‘Green Belt’ established around Hemel Hempstead New Town.
6. The consideration of the concentration and distribution of sites has been distorted by the lack of inclusion in any consultation papers of the privately run Tullochside caravan site. This is curious, as the managed sites of Ver Meadows and Three Cherry Trees, which flank Tullochside and the proposed sites, are mentioned. This suggests that numbers of local users of these sites and local facilities and amenities has been seriously underestimated.
7. Suggestions that the Three Cherry Trees site will be closed to facilitate industrial or housing developments are also not mentioned in the consultation documents.
8. In the past, Dacorum District Council has suggested that it would be unwilling to use ‘compulsory purchase powers’ to acquire land from land-owners.”
Gypsy and Traveller Sites
This area of our precious GREEN BELT is being actively considered for development as a site for multiple caravan pitches.
The consultation process ends on 5.15 on Monday 15th December 2008.
Please make your views known to the Planning Office of Dacorum Borough Council:
Spatial Planning
Planning and Regeneration
Dacorum Borough Council
Civic Centre
Marlowes
Hemel Hempstead
Hertfordshire
HP1 1HH
01442 228771 (Fax)
Development.plans@dacorum.gov.uk
www.dacorum.gov.uk
I felt quite resentful when the planning officer, having denied the existence of the privately (well) run Tullochside site, tried to suggest that my concerns could be considered ‘racist’ by some, and that ‘peoples aspirations to live in this area should be met, as there are already 70,000 residents’.
The family farm has been much changed since the compulsory purchase orders of the 1960’s for Hemel Hempstead New Town; yet we have worked with the community in schools and, on the ground, to find ways of living well together.
Interesting times ahead I fear.
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