There are very few places left in Newark where wildlife can be experienced in such abundance, making the lake an intimate and life-changing place for adults and children who visit. Our birdlife is in serious decline too. - Populations of UK native birds are 11% lower than they were in 1970. - Balderton Lake is an important site for Kingfishers. These small unmistakable bright blue and orange birds fish from riverside perches. They are listed as a Schedule 1 species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, meaning no activity which could disturb them between March-August is allowed. - Due to populations severely declining in Britain or because they are considered under threat of global extinction, the red list of Britain’s most endangered birds has recently increased to 70 species. - Iconic birds to Balderton Lake including swift, housemartins, starling, mistle thrush, house and tree sparrows are on the 'Birds of Conservation Concern' red list. - Birds on the amber list including greylag goose, mallard, woodpigeon, sparrowhawk, wren and song thrush have all been recorded feeding, nesting, residing on and visiting Balderton Lake. Further concerns we have on YMCA using the lake for leisure activities - Habitat will be destroyed and removed to provide the infrastructure and access to the water at peg 16, including storage facilities. - To access peg 16, people will have to carry boats across a busy Sustrans cycle route – posing a significant hazard to users and cyclists. - Water sports will have a detrimental effect on the habitat and wildlife using the site. - Water sports will create noise pollution and water disturbance to residents and visitors of the current tranquil site. - The quality of the water is not safe enough for canoeists due to high levels of excretion from the waterfowl, fish and small mammals that live in and on the banks of the lake. Please sign our petition calling on Balderton Parish Council to save our important wildlife legacy, for both the wonderful species that depend on this habitat and residents and visitors who value this tranquil site at the heart of Newark. This petition is supported by residents of Balderton (Save our Wildlife and Nature – SWAN). As well as signing this petition we also encourage you to write your concerns to Balderton Parish Council.

Aquind must be stopped. This project erodes our democratic rights. It is no longer simply a planning issue and goes beyond the significant impact it will have on local communities. Aquind's planning application must be refused on the grounds of an unfeasible route through a densely populated island city with unique wildlife areas and green spaces ending in a National Park. The negative impact on traffic, residents and wildlife is too great. The people of Portsmouth, communities along the route, Portsmouth City Council and Portsmouth’s Tory and Labour MPs unanimously oppose this project yet Aquind consistently dismisses these concerns. It is also unnecessary and surplus to the Government's own projected interconnection needs; by the time it is operational (in up to 7 years' time), it risks being redundant. The massive data cable it wants to lay alongside the high voltage cables falls outside the planning remit. There has been no proper scrutiny as to whether Aquind is an appropriate company for such a significant national infrastructure project. The Tory party has taken over £1.5 million in donations from Aquind-related sources. Nearly 1 in 10 Tory MPs took donations. The BBC Panorama and Guardian investigation into the Pandora Papers financial leak raised questions about the murky financial dealings of Aquind's owner, Viktor Fedotov – questions that the Tory party has not answered. The Business Secretary has even written letters of support to Aquind during the planning process. Any decision made can't possibly be impartial. Communities should not be cut off from decision-making by the cosy relationships business and ministers create with their political donations from opaque offshore companies, revolving doors and contracts for mates.

Signing this petition will help guide us Reservoir users towards shaping the future of Edgbaston Reservoir that WE want and take a stand against BCC's tokenistic consultation processes. The resa is a Local Nature Reserve loved by its users, and should be valued in terms of its huge contribution to our wellbeing, not something which can be repeatedly cited by the council for financial exploitation by developers. Together, we can look after and shape our reservoir. You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone.

In the lea of the Lincolnshire Wolds, down a single-track lane, lies a tranquil haven. Deer, owls, bats, lapwings, skylarks and countless other wildlife depend on this rural habitat. Wide grassy verges are mini eco-systems brimming with native flowers and insects; it is an area rich in bio-diversity, enjoyed by countless tourists, cyclists, walkers and riders. Drilling for oil in this location is proposed by Egdon Resources. This industrialisation of our countryside will bring pollution in the form of noise, air, light and traffic to nearby residents and villages. It will adversely affect the well-being and safety of local people. Our country roads are not safe thoroughfare for numerous HGVs and other site traffic. If Egdon discover oil, the damaging exploitation may continue for up to 20 years, flying in the face of our international commitments to limit global warming. Despite initially being granted permission in 2014, and notwithstanding numerous time extensions, Egdon have not yet commenced work on the site. A dark cloud of uncertainty has already hung over local residents for seven years. This is unfair and unreasonable. It should not be allowed to continue. A group of local people keen to protect our community and our environment have come together. Through our collective conscience, and fully recognising our responsibilities to future generations, we oppose this development. The COP 26 summit drew global attention to the climate & ecological emergency. Lincolnshire County Council seeks to ‘lead the way’ through the implementation of its Green Masterplan which aims to, “find innovative solutions to global climate issues”. In this context, a proposal to embark on new fossil fuel exploration in our countryside is unfathomable. “Sustainable development” is defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Exploration for new fossil fuels does not fulfil that criteria; it brings immediate local harm and represents future global devastation. By signing this petition, you inform Lincolnshire County Council that you object to the development outlined in planning applications PL/0167/21 and PL/0168/21, and urge them to refuse permission. Anyone can sign our petition but please also tick the check-box if you live, work or study in Lincolnshire. Thank you.

UPDATE, MARCH 2023 Thanks to everyone who signed the petition to save the M&S building on Oxford Street. It has become an extremely high-profile case attracting national media attention and supporters including the actor Kristin Scott Thomas, the TV presenter Griff Rhys Jones and the writer Bill Bryson. Since we launched the petition a lot has happened, as you will know from our email updates. We made a video, we smashed our crowdfunder, we held a lecture at the Royal Academy, we issued a report documenting the campaign. And, of course, we fought a two-week public inquiry against M&S on heritage and sustainability grounds which could have far-reaching consequences for our demolition-first approach to development. The planning inspector’s recommendation is now with the Secretary of State who has the final say. His decision is expected “on or before 3rd May”. Find out more in our report, The Battle for M&S Oxford Street: Why This Landmark Case Matters, which you can download from our website. And thanks again for your support – we couldn’t do it without you! If you’d like to know more about our work and how to help SAVE Britain’s Heritage please visit our website. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The demolition and rebuild of this 6-storey building would pump 39,500 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. This handsome landmark building has characterised Oxford Street for almost 100 years, helping shape one of London's most famous and historic streets. In September this year M&S announced it was ramping up its ambitious green agenda, seeking to cut a third of its carbon emissions by 2025 and be fully net zero by 2045. Now the company board risks betraying its own carbon targets in the midst of a global climate crisis. According to M&S’s own planning documents, the projects carbon cost of 39,534 tonnes of CO2 would require the planting of 2.4 million trees to offset its impact. If the former Oxford Street department stores of House of Fraser, Topshop Debenham’s can all be refurbished for office and retail use, why can’t M&S follow suit? We therefore call on the Chairman and CEO of M&S do the right thing by history, and by future generations. Save and re-use this building and show your customers and investors that M&S is serious about sustainability and its own net zero commitments. M&S must seize this opportunity to boost their green credentials and keep this part of London’s heritage in the process. Built to a high specification, this prestigious building is ready for adaptation and repurposing to suit a variety of uses, and capable of lasting another 100 years. Under the proposals, designed by architects Pilbrow + Partners, the unlisted 1929 art deco landmark is set to be bulldozed along with two extension buildings to be replaced with a 10-storey retail and office building. Despite substantial local and national opposition, and a listing bid from the Twentieth Century Society, the plans were approved by Westminster City Council on 23rd November 2021, with a £1.2 million ‘carbon offset’ payment to be made by M&S to the council. It’s not too late for M&S to think afresh and respond to the concerns of Londoners and customers, through saving and reusing M&S Marble Arch. www.savebritainsheritage.org www.c20society.org.uk

Stop Incineration in the North East (SINE) is shocked that such an old-fashioned way of dealing with waste is even being considered. At a time of unprecedented threat to local air quality and the global climate, our Councils are pushing a scheme that will: · Pollute the local area, releasing deadly dioxins into the air, water and soil, plus furans, cadmium, and other particulates. · Concentrate all waste management vehicles in the region into one location creating traffic chaos and increasing air pollution · Emit vast quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that will contribute to climate breakdown. We don't yet have the technology to capture this carbon dioxide. Waste incineration in 2019 “gave rise to 13% of greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity generation, even though it produced only 2.4% of the UK’s electricity”. (Koppelaar, Guardian, 16.11.20) · Emit tiny particles of carbon into the atmosphere that lodge deep in lung tissue · Emit NOx and SOx into the atmosphere that also cause lung damage and asthma · Create a market for waste, incentivising waste production. This will drive down the value of recycled materials and act to reduce overall levels of recycling (as resources in waste can be burned instead) · Cost councils £millions more than they currently spend on waste management. The money will have to be found from somewhere. · Incineration Tax may be applied by the government, and is likely in such a long contract, but isn’t taken into account. The local health impacts created by incinerators are much worse for people on lower incomes as the facilities are normally sited in areas with high levels of deprivation - as is the case with the Redcar facility. Though modern incinerators are equipped with technology that reduces dioxin levels, they are not completely removed. Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause reproductive and developmental problems, damage the immune system, interfere with hormones and also cause cancer. What stage are the plans at? This climate-killing project quietly slipped through the early stages of planning unnoticed. It was granted Outline Planning Approval in 2010 through a delegated decision made by officers without public consultation and little scrutiny of any kind. Construction was due to start in December 2021, but delays have meant that companies have yet to put in bids to build the incinerator. What should be done instead? Once the incinerator is built your council will be locked into a 45 year contract, forcing us to keep paying, year after year, for the incinerator to pollute. In the future, any council that does the right thing and helps people and businesses cut their waste will face financial penalties. That’s just plain wrong! Stop Incineration North East supports positive ways forward to manage our waste in a safe and sustainable way. Food waste - There is a government requirement that food waste be collected separately from 2023/4, and anaerobic digestors with methane harnessed for energy already exist within the region; more can be built on a local, modular basis. A fraction of the cost could set up repair and re-use arcades in central locations. Recycling is going down in the NE, partly driven by the market for waste created by incinerators, but we can instead improve household recycling. Reduce packaging - Everyone has a job to do in cutting out unnecessary packaging, manufacturers, retailers and us, the consumers. The problem is that burning waste lets manufacturers and retailers off the hook, leaving us to pick up the bill. Repair and reuse - Products are often too hard to reuse or repair. We need products that are designed to be opened and fixed. What’s more, repair shops and spare parts should be zero VAT rated. Recycle - Only when something can’t be reused or repurposed should waste then move on to be recycled. This monster incinerator will burn through our plans for a more sustainable and safe future for the North East. We call on the Council Leaders from these authorities to cancel the planned build of the Tees Valley, Durham County and Newcastle incinerator at Redcar. We call on the Council Leaders to put our health and planet first and produce a Regional Waste Strategy designed around the need to transition to a circular economy. SINE is a group of organisations working together to stop the incinerator.

Each year animals experience prolonged panic, injury and too often death here on our animal rescue site purely at the hands of those setting off banging fireworks without regard for the harm they cause. This issue is prevalent across the country, an annual practice which can run from October into the New Year. Banging fireworks are still legally sold in the uk unlike some other forward moving countries which aim to protect those badly affected and in doing so make a significant contribution to the progress of environmental refinement. The misery which banging fireworks cause to animals, their owners, the elderly and vulnerable people is both unfair and unnecessary. Fireworks should be made enjoyable for everyone. No one should suffer because of fireworks. We Must Ban The Bang.

Rewilding schemes have been successful in the UK and with the study and upholding of the schemes, even more so. Rewilding is an important step in tackling climate change and biodiversity loss which has been affecting Hampshire county, it allows for the natural growth of spaces so that nature can thrive in it once again. There are many unused Council owned areas such as brownfield sites or unsustainable spaces that could be used for rewilding and so we are calling for Hampshire county council to put these spaces to good use during a climate and ecological emergency through specialist rewilding schemes. We need the community support, it is so important to have schemes like this in place to provide space for animals and plants that are rarely available these days due to human take over. Support this campaign today to start change!

If residents do not express how strongly they feel about these issues, the three parties responsible will continue to pass the buck and there will be no appropriate action to tackle the existing risks to health and safety.

Some of the reasons why this application must be refused are:- • Visual Impact of a building the height of a 12 storey block of flats with two 28 Storey high chimneys on the Arun Valley and South Downs National Park • New Houses or Incinerator. 1500 houses are planned close by – they are not compatible. • Local road network is unfit for the lorry movements generated • Potentially Harmful Emissions • Noise and Light Pollution • Approx. 275,000 Tonnes of CO2 generated per annum • Energy produced is neither green nor renewable • Incineration significantly reduces recycling rates INCINERATORS ARE A CLIMATE CHANGE DISASTER In a few minutes, this video explains why so-called “Waste to Energy” Plants (Incinerators) are a Climate Scam https://youtu.be/gg4iN5sbuc8

On Tuesday 12 October Councillors voted to cut down the trees and replace the grass with tarmac for a proposed extension to the London Road Car Park of net 21 extra spaces. The trees, next to Newark’s public library, are some of the oldest in the town centre. For decades they have provided a leafy welcome to residents and visitors. The area of grass under the trees is one of the last remaining public green spaces close to the town centre. This upsetting decision has been made despite: -Car parking occupancy in Newark is about 60% - A site visit on 24th October 2021 generated 108 bat calls recorded over a 40-minute time frame. The level of Bat activity strongly suggests hibernation roosts in the roof of the building and in the surrounding mature and veteran trees. - The trees are protected by Tree Preservation Orders - A promised car parking review has not yet taken place - A promised public consultation has not taken place - A 2018 petition signed by 1,700 local people the Council opposed the decision - The Council declared a climate emergency in July 2019 - Over 600+ Newark residents and visitors have been peacefully protesting via a family picnic, candlelight vigil and rally in October. To make matters worse, derogatory comments about local campaigners and the trees were caught on microphone at the recent meeting with a council officer saying ‘are the chainsaws on the way’. We understand the council is under pressure to balance the needs of residents and visitors. Our message is - it’s not too late to change your mind. Twentyone parking spaces won’t solve the need for future parking but these trees cannot be replaced in our lifetimes. Nor is there any new green space close to town to replace what is being lost. This decision is a lose-lose for local people. Please sign our petition calling on Newark and Sherwood District Council to keep our urban green space protected for residents and visitors to enjoy for future generations.

Pollinators are essential to a healthy countryside and agricultural production, but recent pesticide use has caused a reduction in the overwintering success of honeybee hives, has driven 40% of wild bee species from large areas of the countryside, and has contributed to butterfly declines. This ecological damage reduces pollination services and crop yields. The current pesticide approval process does not protect pollinators. In 2010 the Government concluded that pre-approval tests for pesticides would not protect pollinators, but the UK has yet to introduce any new tests to help ensure that future pesticides are pollinator safe. Current approval tests for pesticides only look at short term effects on Honeybees. While the law says that pesticides that cause unacceptable harm to the environment must not be approved, if new chemicals are approved without adequate data then a blind eye is being turned. Risk assessments of pesticides must be independent and scientific, and the public must have the opportunity to participate in this important environmental decision making. The ‘Protection of pollinators from pesticides’ clause will achieve these outcomes and help to save bees and other insects. The Environment Bill was amended by the House of Lords to include a clause that directly protects our bees and other pollinators. Clause 75 will ensure that the long-term effects on bees and wild pollinators are carefully considered before pesticides are approved for use. We're calling on the government to adopt this clause, without the need for a vote in parliament.