Mar 25th, 2015
Saving Ancient Woodland from National Grid Development
By Alexander Lusted
38 Degrees member Kirsty is running a campaign to save part of our Ancient Woodland from being cleared – here’s the story in her words:
With only 2% of Ancient Woodland left in the uk, my partner, my best friend and I decided to club together and purchase a section of “Ancient Woodland” in Broadoak, Canterbury in order to conserve it, to preserve and protect it.
The woodland had been used as a rubbish dump, and this was the first thing we dealt with. Adjacent to the woodland is a piece of open land with a natural pond which has established its own ecosystem, attracting Great Crested Newts along with wild Ducks and Geese..
The woodland itself houses several protected species including bats, Dormice, nesting Nightingales, English Bluebells and Orchids, amongst other protected flora – and is itself protected by a preservation order.
National Grid’s Richborough Connection proposal includes a 40 meter wide avenue through the Northern section of Kemberland woods to house pylon cables. This will destroy the very ground that classes this woodland as “Ancient”, cutting the trees down, and re-planting others that won’t grow as high so as not to interfere with the overhead power lines.
In doing this, they would not only destroy the woodland floor which is an irreplaceable ecosystem, but also a very crucial and priceless habitat for declining wildlife. National Grid say they will rehome the bats and existing protected species but we know things are not that simple, and animals and protected species will be massively impacted.
Currently The Woodland Trust are backing this petition, and are writing a letter of opposition to the national grid ‘in regards to this proposed route’; but the campaign continues!
If you agree that this woodland should be protected, please sign Kirsty’s petition:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/ancient-forest
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If there’s an issue close to your heart that you’d like to campaign on, you can set up your own petition here:
