Campaign For The Protection of Rural Wales - Pembrokeshire

Spring is here but it is not all good news

2012-02-18T16:43:00.002Z

Today the sun is shining, in the garden the birds are singing to attract mates and to build to build nests.I drove around the country lanes no birds, hedges all flailed with no seeds or hiding places for insects, rye grass fields with no flowers which grow seeds, no insects dead..
Fifty million fledgeling birds will be killed by over indulged domestic cats.Those that survive will be shot and trapped as they fly over our fellow European Countries,Countries that ignore all conservation legislation and indulge in an orgy of slaughter of all migratory birds.
Then we have misguided do gooders who "manage" wildlife habitats and destroy all they seek to promote.
Pembrokeshire wet valleys are being cleared by incomers who tidy up the hedges and country lane verges.
See previous blog

What is happening to this country lane and untouched woodland

2012-02-18T16:37:00.000Z

What is happening to this country lane and untouched woodland

2012-02-18T16:20:00.001Z

Traditional Celebrations

2011-12-29T16:17:00.001Z

This year 2 Rocky Park was burnt down yesterday. Each time PCC Planning is closed for a public holidays someone sets fire to or demolishes listed properties standing in the way of redevelopment. Truly a Pembrokeshire tradition.

South Quay Pembroke

2011-09-28T02:59:00.000Z

C and G builders have been seen on site but no one will tell us what is happening. We hope it is to make the listed buildings in the ownership of PCC weatherproof and to stop further decay.

National Trust Stackpole

2011-09-10T17:55:00.000Z

The money grubbers and short back and sides brigade the tidy and pernickety are about to cut down more trees at Stackpole to park a few more cars.
The value of the estate lies in the mature trees with their capacity to nurture many different organisms. The National Trust puts people in town shoes and free running dogs first.

The depression continues

2011-09-08T09:56:00.000Z

Either PCC are not advertising planning applications or there are not any. The only way to find out is by looking for notices tied to lampposts or gateposts..
We understand that South Quay Pembroke
"negotiations are about to be concluded with a preferred developer Allied Land"
Are we to be told what is happening only after it is concluded with no chance of comment by local people.
This is the center of Pembroke the setting for the Castle and the one public open space.

Water spray why

2011-04-30T18:32:00.000Z

Stackpole Estate

2011-03-24T15:03:00.003Z

Once upon a time not long ago an attempt was made in the interests of Health and Safety to Crown Reduce the gigantic beech trees
Magnificent towering, all my lifetime they have shed branches but have been a unique habitat for all organisms.
Nobody has to penetrate the woods, with binoculars rare organisms can be seen.
I have been ill but we walked in the woods.
Clear felled how was this decision taken by what reasoning was it taken.Natural regeneration allowing fallen timber to rot and provide a rich habitat for many species, but no clear felling, this was the most majestic stand of beech trees in Wales.
The National Trust has taken a decision to exploit the earning potential of the estate by making wide paths clearing the understory and felling every dying branch. Increasing and charging for car parking and opening "visitor facilities"
.
LOOK AT IT AND WONDER.TRULY A FORE RUNNER OF THE CONDEM GOVERNMENT PHILOSOPHY WHERE EVERY ASSET SHOUD BE MADE TO PAY ITS WAY
Pembrokeshire is being opened up for development, in the process historic landscapes are being destroyed, wild life flailed to an inch of its life and all winter food reserves destroyed.Or is it because they have installed a woodchip heating system.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

2010-12-12T17:13:00.000Z

Operate dogs exercise and lavatory areas, one free running dog will clear all the sea birds from this feeding area.
This photograph was taken when all the dog lovers were doing their Christmas Shopping.
Beaches are for birds not for dog owners, PCNPA are failing in their duty of conserving wild life.
There should be a notice saying all dogs should be on a lead but these have been taken down on PCNP and National Trust land.
One woman with a dog on a lead walked across the top of the beach not one bird took off.
One man let his dog off the lead and cleared the beach. Dogs are destroying wildlife they must be controlled.

Winter Food For Birds

2010-12-12T17:02:00.000Z

A thrushes anvil a very rare sight in 2010

Birds have been feeding from this cow pat, there are very few in fields during the winter. If the animal producing this has been wormed with a systemic vermicide the bird will probably die

The Condem Anarchy

2010-12-09T11:58:00.003Z

The more we hear the more we fear for the future. Planning Legislation is being dismantled by stealth with little or no consultation.

We should have been able to rely on Liberals and Conservatives to value our historic natural and built inheritance.

Remember the period where Redwood as Secretary of State For Wales suspended all listing and granted demolition and development appeals despite opposition by Local Government Charities and Conservation Campaigning groups in Wales.

All we hold dear and all we have fought for over the years is being destroyed by a government which has no mandate for which most of us did not vote .

Do not rely on the media the BBC chooses which items to publicise. The media are cash strapped and no longer carry out proper research.

The World Service, The Parliamentary Channel with live uncensored debates are our only source of the facts, even then we have to rely on leaked circulars, Orders in Council and items deposited in the House of Commons Library.

We have no chance of keeping up with EU Legislation, which can be prioritised for adoption by National Governments.

So how do we move forwards?

Pembrokeshire County Council Planning Department

2010-10-26T19:10:00.000Z

This was not a tree

Pembroke Rocky Park

2010-09-23T20:24:00.004Z

This is in the Conservation Area. PCCs crusade to destroy each open area and cover every last space in cod traditional ticky tacky.These are not trees according to the Planners. despite the legal definition , they prefer to call them scrub with no conservation value.

Add caption

Built in mid nineteenth century in a Conservation Area said by CADW to be worthy of retention, listed incorrectly. At the site meeting the Planning Officer behaved appallingly.

At the Planning Meeting the Planning Officer and the Chair did not follow PCCs own guidelines for the conduct of planning committee Meetings.

Pembroke Mill Pond

2010-09-04T20:09:00.001Z

More disasters with public money by 21C

These reed beds are increasing the rate of silting up bringing the conversion of the pond into car parking ever nearer. This was salt water a breeding place for Bass and Mullet and home to sea Trout salmon and Lampreys, now inhabited by illegaly introduced coarse fish.

Castle Pond Pembroke

2010-09-04T19:05:00.001Z

Banks
Total weedkiller, agricultural runoff in the water.
Note one pair of breeding swans have claimed the whole pond and have killed twenty plus interlopers. And many duckling .
Compare this density with the hundred swans resident in the Mill Pond.

Pembroke Castlepond

2010-08-09T13:35:00.001Z

This is Castle pond after 21C have planted reed beds in a once salt water environment they will only survive if the Barrage (illegal man made barrier, Environment Agency) is kept closed. This conflicts with the EU Directive to reopen Pembroke River to migratory fish by 2015. If 21C introduce alien freshwater species to this water as in the Mill pond they should be prosecuted.

Pembroke ponds updates ignorance rules OK

2010-08-08T11:48:00.001Z

The whole area smells of dog urine the public lavatories close at 6pm in the touris season so now it smells of the stench of human urine.

tArgricultural run off each time it rains This is water used by children for organised canoing This is after C21 have planted the area with freshwater vegetation showing the increased rate of siltation.Several years of total weedlkiller and frequent mowing has removed all plants from this wide area along the footpath leaving a green concrete dogs lavatory. The tarmac path is one and a half meters wide.More recently planted vegetation showing the rate of siltation. C21 have applied for public money to turn this into an "amenity area" destroying more natural vegetation in a wildlife refuge.

This cottage has been refused planning permission to rebuild compare this with the application to build four houses a hundred meters away.Degraded polluted of no wild life value. How not to maintain a historic site

Pembroke

2010-08-08T10:47:00.001Z

Grossly oversize, alien design visualy obtrusive compare with the similar building causing PCNPA problems at the Parrog in Newport.
Apparent storage of builders supplies obtrusive car parking screening vegetation cut down.

Pembroke Pembrokeshire County Council failure

2010-08-08T10:42:00.000Z

This shows the lack of enforcement of planning Conditions in a Conservation Area
I photograph the site at regular intervals,all that happens is that the owners have put up a sign keep out private road.

East End Square speeding traffic killing pedestrians

2010-08-01T15:55:00.001Z

Thi is the vision for the pedestrian in the next picture for pedestrians crossing East end Square to and from the east of Pembroke Taking his life life into his own hands Another nasty "engineered solution" to the Conservation Area of the historic town of Pembroke (see previous blogs)

REMEMBER we were threatened with legal action by Pembrokeshire County Council for publicising the lack of pedestrian safety in the original plans (which have not been altered) submitted for approval.
The engineered limestone walls are completely unnacceptable to CADW see the next blog PCC can do it if they care they treat Pembroke with contempt.

Orielton Wall

2010-08-01T14:00:00.001Z

Pembrokeshire bank

Lower wall using local stone and lime mortar

Affordable Housing

2010-07-31T14:23:00.000Z

There is not and never could be a Legal definition of Affordable Housing. Built examples range from those out of reach of all the local young people to those that are only affordable by huge public subsidies, by local government housing associations and local make work bodies.
Affordable is site specific let alone Parish or County criteria. I am reminded of the early debates about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. A futile exercise.
This is not the answer to local housing problems. Wales has always exported its young,more survive localy than at any time in the past. Does it make for happy successful communities, young people existing on State benefits and make work low paid non jobs.

Coalition Planning Law Changes

2010-07-23T11:58:00.000Z

Coalition changes announced in Parliament apply to England. Planning is devolved. BUT the annual financial settlements can constrain the Wales Assembly Government and other bodies in Wales without no local input.
It is important that we are aware of this and critically examine all Coalition Legislation and make our concerns in Wales clearly to the Wales Assembly.
For example 25 "affordable houses".who defines affordable.
This is site specific.
Planning referenda to be held at the same time as local elections. planning meetings are now held monthly with a fixed timetable so the proposals as announced will slow planning.
Many parishes in Wales would be overpowered by twenty five new houses. Who decides about the adequacy of local services.
Who controls consolidation of ground protection of watercourses traffic flow parking and so on.
This is yet another unthought out Policy with unforseen consequences.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority

2010-06-18T12:00:00.000Z

Today I experienced the extremely unpleasant result of a series of questionable decisions by the Authority.
We have walked down the road to East Block House from the upper road for sixty years. Today the new owners have erected Keep Out Signs and ordered me off their Land.
We asked very politely if we could continue, but were told turn around and leave now, when I asked why we were told "that they had problems with the villagers".
When was the footpath diverted who owned the land at the time.
Why is the vehicle road now locked. Where does the land attached to East Blockhouse finish.