Wednesday 14 December 2011

Environmen​tal destructio​n in Mossley


Dear Citizen of Tameside,

I understand that your time is very valuable but there is a situation that I feel I should bring to your attention. I am writing to inform you of an incident that happened on Saturday 10th December which has caused an unacceptable situation that has deeply affected local wildlife and a group of residents, in Mossley, Lancs.

My name is ***** ***** and I am writing to as many people as possible because I feel that I need to create as much publicity as I can, so that this issue can be rectified and will not arise again in the future.

THE BACKGROUND

There is a piece of ground to the rear of our row of terraces that has naturally developed into a beautiful wildlife sanctuary over the last 40 years. The area has a severe gradient and was filled with 30-40ft spruce, rowan and willow trees that attracted many birds to roost, rest and breed and an enormous variety of plants and wild flowers, such as foxgloves, primroses, bluebells, ferns, etc. and many types of moss and lichen. The range of birds and animals was astounding for a small, urban area. We had song/mistle thrushes, tits, finches, wagtails, collared doves, blackbirds, owls, bats, voles, frogs, newts, toads, butterflies, bumble bees, etc. As residents, we understood that it was not our land and that we were extremely lucky and proud to back onto it. We had an understanding with the owners that we would keep the edges that touched our garden neat for them. They had tried to get planning permission twice but were turned down on account of buildings looming over our properties and the single track road that a fire engine could not access. We told the owners, several times over the years, that we would be willing to buy the land off them to keep as a natural environment but they refused.

SATURDAY 10th DECEMBER

We were awoken at 8:30am to the sound of chain-saws and the frantic knocking of our neighbours. We looked out and half of the landscape had disappeared to the rear. These neighbours have lived here for 27 years and were obviously extremely traumatized. The local councillor Paul Dowthwaite was informed and turned up soon. He was very supportive and understanding and wished there was more he could do. We went up to the top at Roughtown Road to speak to the workers. A man who was there spoke to us and said he'd bought the land a year ago and he was going to put in for planning permission for some garages. We continually questioned him over why he needed to destroy the whole landscape if he had not yet got planning permission and he insisted that he had to in order to do a survey of the land. We said it was so drastic and that there were other ways to do a survey such as GPS but he said "lasers don't go through trees", which I found to be very dismissive and un-cooperative. He also said "it's no big deal" but when questioned about if there were changes at the back of his house he went quiet. We asked why he had not informed us about his proposed activity and he said "if I went round telling you all, it would have dragged it all out for months". He told the workers to carry on but one of the neighbours said he would not let it happen and stood in front of the trees. The new owner said that it was his land and that if we prevented work then he would call the police, which after a few minutes he did. The police turned up and were also understanding of the situation but said that we have no legal rights and we should go. We offered to buy the land now with the trees still on it from the new owner but he came up with an unrealistic amount.

The area has now been decimated but we feel such an immoral act cannot go unnoticed and are certain that such severe environmental destruction/vandalism should not be swept under the carpet. We feel that at the very least, there should have been a wildlife survey of the ground before any changes. We are also worried that, as he is going to put in for planning permission, the land will be assessed as it is, rather than as the amazing green space and wonderful habitat it was. As a group of residents, we are unsure where to go from here, so I am informing various media and environmental groups to seek advice and hopefully gain support and therefore restoration of the area.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. TMBC Chapter 13 Conservation & Environment.

30 comments:

Tameside Citizen said...

You have to feel sympathy for the residents who are the victims here. The person who has took it upon himself to destroy this idyllic spot may yet live to regret his actions. There is a relatively new scam doing the rounds which involves unscrupulous agents selling land as development land, but it is not development land.

The residents of Mossley should read up on land scams and take legal advice to see if the new owner of this land is actually entitled to develop it in the way he intends.

Just because an individual holds the title to the land, it does not necessarily mean they have free reign to develop it as they choose. It is worth scrutinising what is and what is not permitted on this site very carefully.

Ingram MAC-10 said...

More immigration and immigrant led population explosion equals more land pressure. Any of these residents who failed to vote anti-immigration deserves what they're getting.
The latest rocketing unemployment figures were 'analysed' in the media today without a single reference to the previous and STILL ongoing immigration/cheap labour tsunami, all this in the middle of dreadful economic circumstances.
The country is run by spineless, insane traitors who should all be executed.

NCB said...

We had a similar problem a number of years ago when someone built a substantial property to the rear of our house in Broadbottom. The person who had bought the land thought that because the land was now his own, he could do whatever he liked with the trees, so he started chopping some of them down. We pointed out to him that what he was doing was illegal, as some of the trees were subject to 'tree preservation orders'. He was fairly reasonable in the end.

Some years later this same guy became national headlines when he was fined over £20k (yes, £20k) for trying to dodge a speeding ticket by concocting the most unbelievable criminal conspiracy involving a make-believe Bulgarian, but that's another story.

~~~~~~~ said...

That is very unfair Ingram. Immigration is not an issue in Mossley. We are a close knit community and we trouble nobody. Thanks for the advice from Tameside Citizen and NCB.

Alf Garnett said...

IMMIGRATION IS NOT AN ISSUE IN MOSSLEY ? yes well lets hope they build lots of new homes on there and fill them with immigrants and inrich mossley ? coz its you all up there that keep votin for it . HA HA HA LOL

Anonymous said...

I agree lets get these areas built up for new comers (nice people)
Lets get Broadbottom lined up for racial enrichment. Longdendale needs to be hit with immigrants.
Lets get the fire started.

Sorry guvner, we're full up said...

A new city the size of Manchester will have to be built every year for the next 20 years to accommodate immigrant arrivals. Britain is getting no bigger so room has to made on existing land to accommodate the newcomers. The situation is a national catastrophe as we are in real danger to losing vast swathes of our green and pleasant land to building developments. However, because the doctrine of Political Correctness now has a strangle hold on every aspect of public life, and therefore reasoned debate on the issue of immigration = overcrowding = more building is strictly forbidden. So sadly this means that until the people cast off the shackles of PC and start to discuss the cause of the problem of never ending building rather than the symptoms, we must learn to live with less green and open land and more brick and concrete.

How much building is needed to house Britain's immigrant arrivals?

Anonymous said...

British people are not worth saving, racial/immigration/cultural enrichment of places like Mossley can't come fast enough for me.

NCB said...

Yes, a lot of people think they can do whatever they like with trees on their own land. Wrong!

Google 'tree preservation orders', and get in touch with TMBC about it.

Bob the Builder said...

It maybe that they have done nothing illegal in clearing their land. Not all trees and shrubbery are protected. So you may have to accept that as a new landowner what they have done is perfectly legal. However it doesn't mean they will get planning permission for developing the land.

Yellow nation said...

England is ALREADY over 340% more densely poulated than France. This means for France to have the same number of people per square mile (as England currently has) it's population would have to increase from 65.8 million to 224 million. Imagine a France with a quarter of a billion people because that's the situation England is in NOW. And it's getting worse all the time with mass immigration and the immigrant population explosion. Land pressure like the example in Mossley will get worse and worse until the braindead, head in the sand masses wake up, grow some brains and balls and start doing something about it.

Muck spreader said...

Yes the Cotswolds, Home Counties etc need a mass influx of Somalian, Pakistani, Congolese etc immigrants to enrich them. It's not fair that these areas should miss out on all that violent crime, drug dealing, corruption, child grooming, new mosques, kebab houses, bent elections, Halal slaughterhouses, minicab firms on every corner, (c)rap music blaring out from cars, the opportunity to feel like a foreigner in your own country, shit driving, untaxed, uninsured cars, every other person jabbering away in a foreign language, the stink of stale curry, masses of kids everywhere etc etc.
The Tory shires are missing out and it's not fair.

Rupert said...

Classic post above. Lol

New England said...

Wait for the olympics, the gateway to the UK land of milk and honey for masses of illegals who'll come and never leave.

Vote Labour, You Know It Makes Sense said...

Thought provoking, but wrong, comments from Yellow Nation and Muck Spreader. The people love Labour. We will walk tonights parliamentary by-election because we are the party the people love. They love our policies and they love us as people.

BNP Meltdown said...

The inexorable decline of the BNP continued in yesterday's Feltham and Heston parliamentary by-election.

All the minor parties marginally increased their shares of the vote with the exception of Nick Griffin's toxic faction. The floundering fascist group managed to lose supporters even after (perhaps because of) a high profile campaign in the area.

UKIP increased their share of the vote as they continued to catch the mood of the right-wing fringe voter far better than Fat Griff's increasingly wacko sect.

It's difficult to see how the BNP can sink any lower - in electoral terms that is!

FELTHAM and HESTON
Lab 12,639 (54.42%, +10.79%)
Con 6,436 (27.71%, -6.32%)
Lib Dems 1,364 (5.87%, -7.87%)
UKIP 1,276 (5.49%, +3.45%)
BNP 540 (2.33%, -1.21%)
Green 426 (1.83%, +0.74%)
Eng Dems 322 (1.39%)
People Before Profit 128 (0.55%)
Bus-Pass Elvis Party 93 (0.40%)

Jack Crossfield said...

Who is this BNP Meltdown buffon? Not very objective is he. What about the Lib Dems, if the BNP has faded the Lib Dem vote has totally collapsed. It's good to see Labour are still winning because the working class need a strong voice during these tough times.

Another thumping win for Apathy UK said...

The Apathy Party whose support has risen to a record 71% were the true winners.

The Labour candidate was elected with just 54.4% of a 28.8% turnout, and that means that only 15.67% of the electorate voted for them.

Less than 1 in 6 of the electorate actually voted for them, yet they now claim to have a mandate to rule, such is our flawed electoral system.

The establishment is quite happy about the situation. As long as there is no effective opposition, they will screech with delight whenever one of their candidates wins whether it is on a 1% turnout or 100%.

Anonymous said...

Labour are the only credible party. People can do the sums and work out percentages but that's democracy. It's not apathy but reality. And the team over the winning line will rule. This ConDem coalition is a blip and Labour will be back.

Come back Michael Foot... said...

If the party that nearly wrecked Britain are let back in to finish the job it confirms the fundamentally inferior nature of the electorate be they traitors, cowards, cranks, weirdos, cretins or the apathetic.
Even allowing for the patheticness of the electorate it's hard to believe anyone would vote for Ed Miliband as Prime Minister.

Chimps T for twat Party said...

If the electoral rules were changed and you had to pass a basic current affairs, history and intelligence test before being allowed to vote. And you had to have been resident here for ten years and possess good skills in spoken and written English before going on the electoral roll, Labour would be down to about thirty seats.

Anonymous said...

Thirty votes you mean.

Anonymous said...

Born and bred in UK. Got a good university degree and post doctorate. Speak well. Good job. Voted Labour all my life. Get real you lot.

Anonymous said...

@BNP Meltdown

I can smell a Labourite a mile off. Griff might be fat, but being a typical Labour lemming I think you need for someone to point out to you that your own party's leader aint that pretty either. He talks like one side of his mouth is stapled together, and together with his brother Dave the two freaks would make good look-alikes for Bert & Ernie out of Sesame Street.

I saw his performance at PMQs yesterday - pitiful. Recycled lines ("isn't very good at it") that no-one failed to spot. And in the polls still behind an unforgiving Tory-led government that has savaged almost all corners of Labour's cherished 'state'. You'd better hope that things do indeed get a whole lot worse before they get any better, because at this rate you'll have another 18 year stint in opposition.

And with the radical muslim youth not following in the voting habits of their parents, and with the new white working class chav generation concerned only with gangsta rap and weed, in the long-run things really can only get worse where Labour are concerned. Merry christmas.

Alf Garnett said...

let the BNP go on the TV and lets see what happens to labours vote then ? your a bent load of cunts

Globalise schmobalise said...

Anonymous 16:18, you and the other 29.
Tell us WHY you vote New Labour (the Labour Party that supposedly stood up for British working people no longer exists). Are you in favour of mass immigration? Chronic financial mismanagement? Monumental waste and profligacy? Political correctness and all the other myriad disasters they visited on us?

Labour Die. said...

Ed Miliband, it's hilarious, he hasn't even got the guts to get rid of Harman and all the crew of same old same old failures, cranks and vote losers, Cooper, Flint, Balls etc.
Labour sold their soul and principles to an election winning conman in '94 as the alternative was another defeat and annihilation. At least he had the charisma to fool a few million cretins, since he left they've got nothing and are now talentless, rudderless and directionless.
Look at their current appalling poll ratings, in the middle of dreadful economic circumstances when they should be making hay.
If it wasn't for the massive number of state sector parasites, the few remaining deluded OAPs, 'community' votes, parasites, a few 'intellectuals' and morons they'd be an irrelevant fringe party.
With the rebalancing and reduction of constituencies and removal of Labour's unfair advantage let's hope they get the real kicking they deserve at the next general election.

LABOUR LEMMINGS said...

From today's Telegraph...

"One of Ed Miliband’s key communication aides has left her job following a series of disappointing public performances from the Labour leader...
Ms Hazarika's departure follows criticism of Mr Miliband from some of his own MPs and complaints about his lacklustre performances in the Commons... Some of Labour’s most senior MPs have privately accused their leader of missing “another open goal” in the weekly exchanges in the Commons...
Senior Conservatives, including the Prime Minister, are said to believe that his performances as leader of the opposition have been so bad that it would be in the Tories’ interest to keep him in his job.

Ian Dean said...

He lost the leadership election to his almost equally weird brother David but it was rigged by the unions, who now own the Labour Party, so their man Ed the freak won and is now nominal leader.

Incredible to think that twelve and a half thousand voted for such a shambolic party led by a non-entity, but then Seema Malhotra was standing in a ward that is at least 35% Asian (at least 27,000 out of an 81,000 electorate). Makes you wonder if they could still only get a pathetic 15% of the electorate to vote for them how many English people voted Labour? Very few I would imagine.

Talula said...

TC, where exactly is the land? Did the person specify?