Looks like we'll all be bushcraft tourists if this comes to pass.. Very sad state of affairs regarding the countryside..
BBC News Story
BBC News Story
I read the news today, oh boy!
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andyn
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
What a lovely article to read first thing in the morning.
Its the unfortunate truth of what will happen at some point.
The way i see it is that we live on, lets face it, a very small island with a large modern day population with an ever growning amount of disposable income. There just isn't enough space for everyone to have everything that they want. I can't think of many places left in England where I could go and not be just a couple of miles from a farm, small hamlet/village or a small town. As more and more farmers are forced out of business their land will eventually be used for housing or industry developement as the demand is so high.
The amount of green belt developement that has been signed of it some counties is scary.
Eventually all the towns will merge together pretty much like London/Surrey/Kent/Sussex do now.
Where I live in Hampshrie at the moment (one of the counties that has been doomed with a lot of new developement) despite being a large town, I can still drive for just 10 minutes and be surrounded by farm land and countryside. Won't be long and i'll be directly connected to Reading/Winchester and Southampton.
Lets just hope some bright spark finds a way to stop it before its too late.
Makes me a tad sad just thinking about it.
Its the unfortunate truth of what will happen at some point.
The way i see it is that we live on, lets face it, a very small island with a large modern day population with an ever growning amount of disposable income. There just isn't enough space for everyone to have everything that they want. I can't think of many places left in England where I could go and not be just a couple of miles from a farm, small hamlet/village or a small town. As more and more farmers are forced out of business their land will eventually be used for housing or industry developement as the demand is so high.
The amount of green belt developement that has been signed of it some counties is scary.
Eventually all the towns will merge together pretty much like London/Surrey/Kent/Sussex do now.
Where I live in Hampshrie at the moment (one of the counties that has been doomed with a lot of new developement) despite being a large town, I can still drive for just 10 minutes and be surrounded by farm land and countryside. Won't be long and i'll be directly connected to Reading/Winchester and Southampton.
Lets just hope some bright spark finds a way to stop it before its too late.
Makes me a tad sad just thinking about it.
I think the problem is too many people.
Population density in America is 27 people per square km.
Scotland has 65 per sq km (and falling).
France is very densely populated indeed. 106 per sq km.
And England? 383 and rising. I'm not surprised the country is disappearing.
Population density in America is 27 people per square km.
Scotland has 65 per sq km (and falling).
France is very densely populated indeed. 106 per sq km.
And England? 383 and rising. I'm not surprised the country is disappearing.
Hello W.W. just read the BBC report, scary eh! There is much pressure up here on The Chilterns. Can tell when it has been a busy weekend by the litter dropprd in the middle of nowhere by nameless walkers,tissues, crisp packets drink bottles etc, not difficult to take home! Light pollution is greater than that of twenty years ago so to see the stars clearly there must very little cloud to reflect it and that is not now untill the very early morning (2 am) On the bird side the R.S.P.B. did a survey in two locations here and the results were encouraging. Thrushes have started to recover locally as farmers have realised indiscriminate spreading of slug pellets was not the way ahead 
When i was a lad (15), most of the old men still alive had been to to London. That was once in 1914 and they could see no reason to go again as it was expensive,noisy,smelly and a very long way. Nowdays the journey is considered just an every day thing and the majority of people who now live in these dormitory villages commute daily into London and think nothing of it and the consequences. Thousands of cars piling down the lanes. Destroying what the countryside was once all about. Peace,fauna and flora. They are all caught up in a madness that they call progress and if you ask why they look at you as if you come from another planet.
My positive thought is if this craft movement makes people more aware of the simple things that do not necessarily have to cost fortunes, can be made by hand and locally sourced, creating satisfaction to all who partake,a window can be created and maybe those with the madness will see that as a way forward.
When i was a lad (15), most of the old men still alive had been to to London. That was once in 1914 and they could see no reason to go again as it was expensive,noisy,smelly and a very long way. Nowdays the journey is considered just an every day thing and the majority of people who now live in these dormitory villages commute daily into London and think nothing of it and the consequences. Thousands of cars piling down the lanes. Destroying what the countryside was once all about. Peace,fauna and flora. They are all caught up in a madness that they call progress and if you ask why they look at you as if you come from another planet.
My positive thought is if this craft movement makes people more aware of the simple things that do not necessarily have to cost fortunes, can be made by hand and locally sourced, creating satisfaction to all who partake,a window can be created and maybe those with the madness will see that as a way forward.
This one one of the reasons I got out of the Southern rat race and moved to a lovely village up in the lowlands of Scotland. This is an environmental conservation area, so there is no chance of develpoment during my life time (famous last words). Any house that goes up for sale here is snatched up by the next day. I get to roam the hills and woods up here at will. No one around the area appears to be interested in the countryside (obviously there are a few of us, but when you grow up in the sticks you want to get as far away as possible).
We have a really famous church (Kirk) in the village that has a lot of history. It is not readily advertised through Historical Scotland to prevent too many tourists turning up that could/would destroy the nature of the village itself.
Its a big shame really that are countryside is slowly being eroded by development and over use, as always it is down to financial burdens. It is up to us to look after our green and pleasant land's for our future generations and do something about it.
We have a really famous church (Kirk) in the village that has a lot of history. It is not readily advertised through Historical Scotland to prevent too many tourists turning up that could/would destroy the nature of the village itself.
Its a big shame really that are countryside is slowly being eroded by development and over use, as always it is down to financial burdens. It is up to us to look after our green and pleasant land's for our future generations and do something about it.
It's a frightening article alright. I heard a piece about the report on Farming Today this morning. But there is something constructive that each one of us can do.
If you feel that local decisions taken by a developer, Housing Association, planning authority or government agency may have a negative affect on 'your' bit of the environment, write to your local MP or your Local Authority.
It has never been easier to challenge the different levels of authority constructively about any decisions which you feel may impact on natural resources. A little bit of awareness about the Freedom of Information Act, Planning Policy Guidance, Section 106 legislation etc can really make the authorities stop sit up straight and then sweat quite a lot while having to justify and explain how and why they made a particular decision.
Government is this really huge big herd of animals (sadly not as eco friendly though
) with lots of independent parts - it plods along with each bit trying to make it's own agenda better but occasionally one animal doesn't necessarily talk to the next Dept that it might affect by following a particular policy say
.building a squillion new houses in an already crowded and resource scare part of the country without considering flood plain/water/sewerage issues.
I'm still waiting for my Local Authority to explain why I can't walk in my local secluded woods without quad bikes and scramblers buzzing past me. Start quoting things like 'Sustainable Communities plans', or 'Cleaner Greener Safer Communities policies' and 'LA inspection' and they suddenly think really hard about what it is that they are doing.
If more people did this they have no choice but to listen and respond to thier concerns. But ultimately the pressure on their resources is rocketing and the need for roads, houses, etc is only increasing.
There is no simple answer.
I think I'd like to build a log cabin in Canada about 200km from anywhere Because London sucketh !
I wonder how Ditch Monkey is doing ?
http://ditchmonkey.blogspot.com/
If you feel that local decisions taken by a developer, Housing Association, planning authority or government agency may have a negative affect on 'your' bit of the environment, write to your local MP or your Local Authority.
It has never been easier to challenge the different levels of authority constructively about any decisions which you feel may impact on natural resources. A little bit of awareness about the Freedom of Information Act, Planning Policy Guidance, Section 106 legislation etc can really make the authorities stop sit up straight and then sweat quite a lot while having to justify and explain how and why they made a particular decision.
Government is this really huge big herd of animals (sadly not as eco friendly though
) with lots of independent parts - it plods along with each bit trying to make it's own agenda better but occasionally one animal doesn't necessarily talk to the next Dept that it might affect by following a particular policy say
.building a squillion new houses in an already crowded and resource scare part of the country without considering flood plain/water/sewerage issues. I'm still waiting for my Local Authority to explain why I can't walk in my local secluded woods without quad bikes and scramblers buzzing past me. Start quoting things like 'Sustainable Communities plans', or 'Cleaner Greener Safer Communities policies' and 'LA inspection' and they suddenly think really hard about what it is that they are doing.
If more people did this they have no choice but to listen and respond to thier concerns. But ultimately the pressure on their resources is rocketing and the need for roads, houses, etc is only increasing.
There is no simple answer.
I think I'd like to build a log cabin in Canada about 200km from anywhere Because London sucketh !
I wonder how Ditch Monkey is doing ?
http://ditchmonkey.blogspot.com/
P Wren said:
Me too! I'd love to do that...
[waaaaaay off topic]
Just read an interesting book "Into the Wild" - it's the true story (and anaylsis of..) a guy called Chris McCandless, whose body was found in alaska, starved to death.. Not the greatest book i've ever read, but he was a wanderlust, get out there, turn my back on the city kinda guy... Woeful tale though of being underprepared and how simple mistakes can cost you your life...
[/waaaaaaay off topic]
I cope with lack of easy access to open country from here in London by practicing bushcraft a little in the city. There is a fire place in my garden. I hunt out wood from local parks and my allotment. Various useful plants grow in my garden. When I travel about I often look out for useful plants. I have been known to try to light a fire with what I can find within 50 yards of a BR station while waiting for a train (if the platform is deserted). Although the city light cuts out a lot of the stars I can still use the moon and sun and the pole star to navigate by.
the main reason for the increase in house building in the SE is not an increase in population but changes insocial trends such as divorce and leaving the parental home earlier meaning that there are many more single person households. Anyways if you want to be part of the solution, you could look here...http://www.vhemt.org/
I prefer replacement rate breeding (one for one) as a more realistic option but must admit I do like their style.
I prefer replacement rate breeding (one for one) as a more realistic option but must admit I do like their style.
I'm sure glad I live in the states but we don't have any square kilometers here, much less hectares.
I happen to live about twenty miles or a little less from the White House. Yet just a few miles from the house in one direction or another are one lane bridges, log houses (old ones, too) and a fair amount of woodland. But don't get me wrong, there is plenty of development and the open spaces (and woodland) are fast disappearing. At the same time, there is resistance to what is locally called "infilling," which is new construction of vacant city lots. It is funny when I recall how people complained in my home town in West Virginia (think Northumberland), which had fewer than 10,000 people, about the traffic and lack of parking.
So, there is a lot of new development further out. The city is ringed by circles of suburbs. People are commuting as much as 75 miles one way to work, mostly by car.
I live in what you might call the second rind of suburbs and am lucky to have a lot of woods and parks near home. There is no building on a lot of land in my neighborhood because it is designated as "flood plain." It is actually a long way from being a flood plain but the better land for building homes was used up a long time ago when there was still a real Lord Fairfax living here. The Lord Fairfax I am referring to was the last peer living in Virginia, as far as I know, and his estate was near Front Royal, which I referred to in another post this morning. It is outside the northern end of Shenandoah Park, where I have most of my outings.
The woods near my house have a lot of wildlife, short of bears and lions, though bears have been spotted in the county. There are foxes, deer, beaver and groundhogs, not to mention squirrels and rabbits. Sooner or later there will be coyotes here but I doubt wolves will be here anytime soon. It provides a good place to try out hiking and camping ideas, and to keep in shape by carrying a pack over a realistic trail. It wouldn't be a good place to have a fire but you could easily try your hand at shelter building.
The only thing is, it can be a little boring to visit the same nearby place too often, since one of my chief interests in the outdoors is simply to go down a trail I've never visited before.
I happen to live about twenty miles or a little less from the White House. Yet just a few miles from the house in one direction or another are one lane bridges, log houses (old ones, too) and a fair amount of woodland. But don't get me wrong, there is plenty of development and the open spaces (and woodland) are fast disappearing. At the same time, there is resistance to what is locally called "infilling," which is new construction of vacant city lots. It is funny when I recall how people complained in my home town in West Virginia (think Northumberland), which had fewer than 10,000 people, about the traffic and lack of parking.
So, there is a lot of new development further out. The city is ringed by circles of suburbs. People are commuting as much as 75 miles one way to work, mostly by car.
I live in what you might call the second rind of suburbs and am lucky to have a lot of woods and parks near home. There is no building on a lot of land in my neighborhood because it is designated as "flood plain." It is actually a long way from being a flood plain but the better land for building homes was used up a long time ago when there was still a real Lord Fairfax living here. The Lord Fairfax I am referring to was the last peer living in Virginia, as far as I know, and his estate was near Front Royal, which I referred to in another post this morning. It is outside the northern end of Shenandoah Park, where I have most of my outings.
The woods near my house have a lot of wildlife, short of bears and lions, though bears have been spotted in the county. There are foxes, deer, beaver and groundhogs, not to mention squirrels and rabbits. Sooner or later there will be coyotes here but I doubt wolves will be here anytime soon. It provides a good place to try out hiking and camping ideas, and to keep in shape by carrying a pack over a realistic trail. It wouldn't be a good place to have a fire but you could easily try your hand at shelter building.
The only thing is, it can be a little boring to visit the same nearby place too often, since one of my chief interests in the outdoors is simply to go down a trail I've never visited before.
We have had the problems in our little village. For years there used to be the Agricultural Reserach Centre. This was sold to Dow Elanco (as in agent orange etc).
Last year they decided to leave the village, and applied for permission to build 44 houses on the site. The minister stepped in and said that there was adequate room for 493 houses.
This would treble the size of the village in one fell (foul) swoop. This is a village with one pub. No school. No shop. No parking for the number of cars already in the village. Roads of inadequate width.
Fortunately this plan fell through. But, another "company" is applying for permission for the following two choices:
93 houses, or
93 OAP homes.
Not happy.
Last year they decided to leave the village, and applied for permission to build 44 houses on the site. The minister stepped in and said that there was adequate room for 493 houses.
This would treble the size of the village in one fell (foul) swoop. This is a village with one pub. No school. No shop. No parking for the number of cars already in the village. Roads of inadequate width.
Fortunately this plan fell through. But, another "company" is applying for permission for the following two choices:
93 houses, or
93 OAP homes.
Not happy.
andyn
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
weekendwarrior said:
Sounds Idealic to me too, but Isn't this the whole source of the problem? "I want to do this" but the problem is so do 200,000 other people.
E.g. I want to mirate to England or...I want to move down South/to London to work.
I too would love to live somewhere like Canda or New Zealand and I know a lot of other people who talk about doing the same thing. Eventually those countries will be full too and we'll be looking for somewhere else to go.
I love to say I know the answer, but every opinion will just offend or upset someone else. In theroy we should all be free to go where we want. But at the same time tighter regulations about where one can live could help . But that means forcing people to live in a particular place and banning them from everywhere else. Its just so confusing
when you really think about it too hard.I feel sorry for the government to be honest, they can't please everyone on every descison.
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