The recent flooding in Southern England and Wales has highlighted the need for a more holistic approach to flood management, rather than blocking with sandbags and concrete. Reintroducing managed ditches to control standing water that work alongside hedgerows will also prevent soil erosion. Not only will it create valuable habitats for the dwindling song bird population, it would help increase biodiversity as a whole, and create a more permanent source of sustainable employment through the reintroduction of traditional rural crafts.

Over 200 riders a week use the site, and around 50 of these are part of a Riding for the Disabled group. Based at Throstles Nest Farm for 35 years, the site is also home to a pony club.

In March 2013 in the face of a great deal of opposition from local residents the London Borough of Enfield agreed to allow L&Q Property developers to build 231 dwellings on a heritage site in Cockfosters, North London. This site is 10 acres of Ancient Woodland containing Ancient Oaks and other trees hundreds of years old. It is also home to two European protected species, 6 species of bats and great crested newts. Other animals including badgers and foxes also make their home here. There are stag beetles, hedgehogs, water fowl, butterflies (one of which is on the endangered list), there is protected flora. There are two ponds, both of which are mentioned in the Domesday Book, and a Roman well. The planning consultation was flawed but we did not have the money to take on such large corporations in the High Court. Now, despite conditions being placed on the developer, they are already felling trees and planning demolition of the existing buildings next week. Natural England placed a condition on them when they granted the licenses for the bats and newts that NO work could be undertaken until a rigorous search of the site was undertaken between March and May. The developer and Enfield Council are clearly circumnavigating this condition and doing as they please. Enfield Council and Natural England MUST enforce these conditions.

Given that the Scottish Government is currently undertaking a planning review, this petition is evidence of public disaffection and the need to ensure public faith in the planning process faithful to the spirit of the recently legislated Community Empowerment Bill which states: “Scotland’s people are its greatest asset, and best placed to make decisions about their future... Our belief in local self- determination, through a strong Scottish Parliament, strong local authorities and strong communities, is the key principle... At its heart, community empowerment is about communities taking their own decisions about their futures”. The exceptional natural landscape and outstanding World Heritage architecture of Edinburgh is cherished by locals and visitors alike, yet the City today faces the greatest assault on its heritage since the failed Abercrombie plan for massive city-centre redevelopment of the late 1940s. Numerous large developments have taken place in recent years such as the Waterfront, Fountainbridge, Quartermile, South St Andrew Square, which have courted much criticism, most notably in the damning article “Scotland’s decaying capital city...” published Feb 2013 in Foreign Policy by Professor Richard Williams in which he stated, “Edinburgh has some of Europe's shoddiest attempts at urban regeneration”. In spite of a stated commitment to “co-operation, fairness, accountability and responsibility” and a pledge that, “this is a Council that will listen to, and work with, local people.... there needs to be strong process for looking at the quality of how the Council has reached decisions so that there is genuine scrutiny and questioning of the actions it has taken", widespread disillusionment continues to undermine the credibility of the Council. In the case of "Caltongate/ New Waverley" the Council showed flagrant disregard to the concerns of the local community and wider objectors, flouting local and national planning guidelines. The cumulative effect of controversial 'developments' is now putting the City's most prestigious accolade at risk, the World Heritage Status: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/31/edinburgh-world-heritage-status-in-peril-developers Rather than uphold their duty to the City and Her Citizens it is evident that elected representatives and officials are beholden and enthralled to an unsustainable, discredited system of speculation and endless economic growth, on a finite planet, showing favour to large private interests who appear to hold considerable sway over policy and decision making rather than reflect actual public need. Such a reality is an affront to democracy and does much to damage public faith, divide communities and undermine long term social well being. Two hundred years ago the legacy of our ancestors was the New Town of Edinburgh. How will our descendants 200 years hence judge us? “Think Global, Act Local" Patrick Geddes

We understand the need for Sellafield to routinely cull animals on site in an effort to contain the spread of radiation. However, if as Sellafield says the deer have not entered the site and are not contaminated in any way then surely a more humane solution would be to permanently remove the new double fencing in the woodland area and instead reinforce the original fence another way. As well as preventing the "need" for a cull, this would be a goodwill gesture and would benefit the whole ecosystem of the woodland. Roe Deer ... are native to this country and part of Europe’s Rewilding project. The roe became extinct in England during the 18th century, but survived in parts of Scotland. Now they are back and are a joy to see with their velvety eyes and elegant forms. They do exaggerated leaps high in the air (pronking) when running but not high enough to scale the new Sellafield fence trapping them. There is a season for shooting animals. But Sellafield propose to cull these deer out of season in February/April over 15 days, shooting approximately one deer a day. In other words this cull will take place when the females are likely to be carrying young. The New Fence... costing millions of pounds encloses woodlands previously open and accessible to deer . The government, through the Department of Energy & Climate Change, has ordered the second fence in, they say, the face of a rising threat to “sensitive” installations worldwide from Al Qaeda. The “new” fence stretches 11 miles around the Sellafield plant. Rather than culling the deer a solution would be to remove the double fence at the woodland allowing the deer free access. The original fence could then be reinforced another way instead of being double at that point. Sellafield Reprocessing Plant is... the reason for the Government’s extreme nervousness with 120 tonne stockpile of plutonium. Quite rightly the UK Government gets hysterical if other countries want to produce plutonium. Plutonium is the material necessary for nuclear bombs. Reprocessing is a toxic liability producing ever more plutonium requiring these expanding fences manned by armed nuclear policemen. The bleak and awful plight of the wild deer is a metaphor for the rest of us - the nuclear industry will give us nowhere to run. Please Sign the Petition to Free the Sellafield Deer Lets Work to Contain and Cull Nuclear - and Free the Deer British Deer Society - Close Seasons for Deer http://www.bds.org.uk/close_seasons_for_deer.html Security fence at Sellafield http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/extra-security-at-sellafield-1.964864 Plutonium Mountain http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qm4pt Roe Deer Pronking http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng0xOhP69Gs Sellafield Statement http://www.sellafieldsites.com/2014/01/sellafield-ltd-statement-wildlife-management/ Sellafield's Running Deer - Nowhere to Run http://mariannewildart.wordpress.com/2014/01/23/sellafields-running-deer-no-where-to-run-on-cumbrias-unearth/

Peter Lilley has been accused of lying and making deliberately misleading statements regarding fracking and its safety on national television (Channel 4 news 26/1/14). He was unable to adequately defend his statements. It is vitally important that any minister involved in such a sensitive area be trustworthy. He also has a conflict of interest as he is employed by Cayman Islands-based oil and gas company Tethys Petroleum and so has a vested interest in promoting fossil fuels and not investing in their alternatives.

Horizontal hydraulic fracturing, ‘fracking’, is a way of extracting oil and/or gas. Water, sand and toxic chemicals are injected at high pressure into underground rocks to shatter them. This releases the gas/oil which can be collected. But investing in carbon-intensive fossil fuels is a distraction from the need to decarbonise our electricity supply. And it's hazardous. Studies show that fracking pollutes water supplies (with arsenic and lead), causes earthquakes, and spoils local communities. And there are nightmare stories coming form the States. Like in the town of Dimock, PA, residents have reported their water turning so brown that it stains crockery. Their water was later found to contain methane, and a host of toxic chemicals. But it gets worse. "My son had sores up and down his legs from the water." " My daughter... would have to get out the of the shower and lay on the floor." Those are the words from Greg Saunter, a local resident, whose water supply was shut off for his own good. He cannot shower in his own home. Or drink water out of his taps. Fracking has ruined his life. It cannot happen here. We call on the council to preserve the quality of life of its residents, and reject all planning applications for fracking.

Described as the most considerable development in the area “since the 12th century”, the "Caltongate/ New Waverley" development of the Waverley Valley represents one of the finest inner city real estate opportunities in the country. Having suffered as a blighted gap site for almost 10 years development is well overdue, yet the proposed plans have been marred with widespread opposition and controversy, falling well short of a fitting exemplar vision. Those individuals and local interest groups that have thus far objected to this masterplan have been ignored and subjected to a process of attrition, in spite of the Council's stated commitments to “listen... and work together with local communities” and “conserve the City's built heritage”. Hundreds of documents have had to be considered without clemency shown by the Council for extending public consultation. This has put great strain on those members of the public engaged with the process which significantly contributed to the recent collapse of the Old Town Community Council. The extensive grounds for objection are as follows: The proposed development represents a grave threat to the UNESCO World Heritage status of the Old Town due to inappropriate and insensitive design that is contrary to local planning guidelines. Inexcusable neglect of listed buildings within the World Heritage designation, including council housing fronting on to the Royal Mile and the Canongate Venture building. Threatened demolition of previously well used and valued public listed buildings. Significant loss of revenue from public buildings which have lain empty for over 5 years in favour of private speculative interests. Failure to achieve 'Best Value' in the transfer and sale of public assets. E.g. The Jeffrey Street arches which are to be “sold by way of a 125 year internal repairing and insuring leasehold basis on a peppercorn rent”. Due diligence has not been satisfactorily demonstrated. The proposed development will lead to fundamental 'leakage' in the local economy, compromising existing local businesses, in particular the City's many small, independent guest houses. An over provision of hotels, offices, pubs/clubs and retail outlets. Controversial planning decisions, granted in the face of overwhelming public opposition, lapsed but subsequently extended in favour of private economic interests, in contravention of policy. Sale to previous developer deemed “illegal” by European Commission. Failure of developer to honour bond that would have mitigated against the adverse affect of blight from this proposed development.

** UPDATE** - 17/03/14 - Thanks for pressure from 38 Degrees members, Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin confirms Camden Town section of HS2 project will be axed: http://www.camdennewjournal.com/news/2014/mar/transport-secretary-patrick-mcloughlin-confirms-camden-town-section-hs2-project-will-b However, the new plans to redevelop Euston are more damaging than first thought. We need the petition to keep growing to pile up the pressure!** Camden is a vital contributor to the UK's economic success, contributing 1% of its GDP. It is home to hundreds of small businesses and the world famous Camden market, which is one of London's most visited tourist attractions. Yet the current plans for HS2 will rip Camden apart for no real national benefit. The reason is two-fold. 1. HS2 Ltd is planning to link the existing HS1 service at King's Cross St Pancras to the new HS2 interchange at Old Oak Common. It has chosen to do this by rebuilding the North London line between the two points and installing two new lines. Although 6.3 km will be tunnelled, 2.3km will run straight through the heart of Camden, unnecessarily causing devastating loss and damage. 7 bridges will be demolished or rebuilt; homes and shops will be demolished; 1 national freight line lost; 13 new construction compounds, 2 major engineering head houses and numerous material stockpiles will be built. Camden Lock Market, one of the UK's top tourist destinations, will be lost or ruined. Losses to Camden's famous creative industries are estimated to be in excess of £600 million, plus 9000 jobs. The scale of construction is gigantic. There will be significant road closures and traffic construction fanning out from Camden to Bloomsbury and Swiss Cottage for over a decade, plus an extra 600 lorry movements per day. Residents' health is at risk: there are no plans to protect them from adverse air quality, dust, vibration and noise levels. But it does not have to be this way. Tunnelling the link under Camden would either negate or massively reduce all the other impacts and cost the government only £170 million. 2. The problems in Camden will be compounded by the rebuilding of Euston station, and surrounding areas, to accommodate HS2 trains. This work will also be on a massive scale. Whilst we support redevelopment in this area, the plans currently proposed by HS2 Ltd are the most destructive under consideration, and will cause massive damage to the surrounding area including the demolition of 250 homes and the probable bankruptcy of the much loved Bangladeshi restaurants in Drummond Street. Traffic will be gridlocked over a wide area. There will be up to an additional 1000 lorries on the roads every day. We urge the government to adopt an alternative scheme - such as Double Deck - which would cause a fraction of the damage and create a world class station that the UK can be proud of. Overall, direct losses to Camden from HS2 construction work will amount to £1.01 billion. Indirect losses have not been calculated. Over ten years, the gross domestic output (GVA) affected by HS2's current plans is estimated to be £49.8 billion, which will have a significant impact not only on Camden, but on the wider UK economy. Camden Conservatives support Camden Council's cross-party opposition to the impact of HS2 on Camden

This is not a scare story: Beverley's beloved common, Westwood, is under threat. There is a proposal to allow temporary access across a portion of the Westwood to permit the developers easy access to the old Westwood Hospital Site. If this were to happen this would set a precedent that could then be used by other developers to access other potential development sites adjacent to the Westwood, such as the Grammar School, Minster School, Archery Field, East Riding College, Longcroft Lower School, Longcroft Higher School and potentially Grosvenor Place. If any such access is granted, it is unlikely that it will ever be removed completely and damage will be done to the integrity of the Westwood as well as its fauna and flora: trees will be cut down, hedges broken through and grasslands compacted and altered forever. This, over time, will result in the loss, piece by piece, of the Westwood we know: a Westwood we have a duty to pass on to our children in the condition we inherited it. Beverlonians have protected our commons for centuries, are we really going to throw this away for the sake of six or so lorry movements per day over 18 months? If we do, we would be betraying those who fought for these commons in the past. There is a vociferous, ill-informed campaign promoting the idea of access across the Westwood, however, the emotive campaign they are running is full of omissions. The facts of the case are set out below. Town Route: Problems Congestion in the narrow streets; Increased traffic movements on these streets; Increased noise for the residents. Westwood Route: Problems The route of this access road will cross and damage ancient common land; The route will damage the existing grassland; The route will involve the removal of a section of species-rich hedgerow; The route will involve the removal of a small tree; There will be increased traffic movements on the Westwood; The temporary road will set a precedent. Town Route: Mitigation Measures The developers have said they will limit lorry movements to 12 per day during demolition ( c. 2 months); The developers have said they will limit lorry movements to 6 per day during the construction phase, 16 months; The developers will use a small lorry; There will be no lorry movements during the rush hours nor at school pick-up and drop-off times. Westwood Route: Mitigation Measures The developers say they will re-instate the grassland; They will replant the hedge; They will replant the tree. It would appear that the problems associated with the town route can be easily mitigated against and the very small number of lorry movements per day is more than reasonable, especially when you take into consideration the number of movements there used to be when the Westwood Hospital was open and when the new housing estate is built. These movements included ambulances, delivery vehicles, skip lorries, gritting lorries and patients being picked-up and dropped-off. Concern has also been raised regarding the danger to schoolchildren at Minster School. The developers appear to have taken this into account in their plans and will schedule no lorry movements during the rush hour or at school pick-up and drop-off times. In truth the biggest risk to school children is local residents speeding along The Leases or rat-running up Central Avenue and Thurston Road to get to Cartwright Lane. In terms of the access across the Westwood, there appears to very little that the developers can do to mitigate against the damage they will cause. Whilst they have said they will reinstate everything they damage, in ecological terms this is easier said than done and, in most cases, is impossible. Their route will destroy a species-rich hedge which cannot be replaced in our lifetimes. The problem of precedent cannot easily be undone, once the access route has been constructed. This will encourage other developers to do likewise in order to develop other sites, more difficult to access than the old Westwood Hospital site, by insisting on temporary access across the Westwood. This would open-up areas, such as Grosvenor Place and Minster School to development pressure.

Hillside Animal Sanctuary has offered to re-home feral goats from the eastern shore of Loch Lomond to prevent them being culled. Hillside urged RSPB Scotland to halt the cull, which is being carried out to protect Pollochro Woods. The area is viewed as a site of special scientific importance. RSPB Scotland have previously said they would consider alternative solutions in March, but that the cull will continue until then. They are now saying that they will continue with the cull in September. Wendy Valentine of Hillside Animal Sanctuary said it had offered to give the goats a home for the rest of their lives rather than have them shot. Ms Valentine, whose sanctuary in Norfolk is home to more than 2,000 rescued animals, added: "It is a shame that an organisation that is set up to look after the welfare of animals should take a stance that goats should be culled. "We have rounded up herds of Highland cattle that have gone wild and Highland ponies, so goats would not be any different. We have 70-80 of them already. Hillside's offer to re-home the goats follows an approach from the Scotland For Animals charity, which has also enlisted the help of Humane Wildlife Solutions, a Borders-based company specialising in pest control without killing. John Patrick, from Scotland For Animals said: "We have presented a do-able option that is not going to cost them (RSPB Scotland) any money. "I would have thought they would have jumped at the offer if they really are pro-conversation, pro-nature and pro-wildlife."

Our Ancient Woodlands have evolved over hundreds of years and cannot simply be replaced by new plantings of trees, no matter how many trees are planted for every one destroyed in an ancient woodland. These Ancient Woodlands have very complex relationships, for instance between some of our rarest Orchids and Fungi. But there are many such relationships which cannot be replicated in a new planting. These complex relationships between trees, flowering plants, insects, birds, mammals, amphibians, worms, nematodes, bacteria and fungi would be destroyed if the destruction of these Ancient Woodlands were to be allowed.