Act to make nature reserve a reality
IN JANUARY it will be five years since a plan for an exciting new Nature Reserve just south of Heathrow was published.
This was the fruit of a great deal of hard work done by local people over a number of years.
At the time we thought gravel company Cemex , the local landowners, were on our side and were sincere in their apparent wish to help us realise our dreams.
Now we are not so sure. Repeatedly we have asked both the company and local planners what progress is being made. Repeatedly we have been ‘fobbed off ’. In addition the original plan has been shorn of many of its most interesting features.
Hopefully Boris Johnson’s new environment proposals will encourage local councillors to ‘up their act’ on this and other green issues. It is certainly clear that incentives are required here and elsewhere to encourage nature restoration.
This is particularly relevant to the Heathrow scheme as a good part of it relates to farming. Critically we are still waiting for details of the environment and land management agreements that will replace the EU subsidies which aim to reward those restoring natural features in the landscape.
Hopefully Cemex and the planners will now stop dragging 30 their feet on all this.
On November 30 at the Spelthorne Joint (Borough/County) Committee – meeting virtually – there will be a question on the reasons for the delay. With any luck we’ll get some explanations and a positive lead about how our hopes can be fulfilled.
Andrew McLuskey, Paul Jacobs
North Surrey Green Party