Pollution red alert?
Tuesday 27 June 2023
As we all know, Gordon Ridgewell has a photographer’s eye for the natural world, but it also roves beyond to man-made phenomena, where he clearly has mixed feelings. “I was sat in the garden on Sunday at 5pm and had my own Red Arrows show. They were displaying at Duxford’s summer show – or Pollution […] Read more >
Let’s Talk Trash: Braxted Park festival will put the focus on litter
Friday 16 June 2023
We all dislike litter, so an event being held at Braxted Park, near Witham, next month should lift the spirits. The Let’s Talk Trash event on Tuesday, July 18, is a “climate action anti-litter festival” for youngsters aged 11-13, with more than 300 pupils from the Plume Academy in Maldon taking part in a range […] Read more >
A heavenly word?
Friday 16 June 2023
Gordon Ridgewell: “After doing a few jobs in the garden I fell asleep in the chair outside and was woken by this red kite heckling me. “I looked up, thinking my late wife Megan had floated down from heaven telling me to wake up and get on with it. It was so real. Luckily, I […] Read more >
Leave it for the birds?
Friday 16 June 2023
We’ll just have to take ace photographer Gordon Ridgewell’s word on this one! “I took a ride to Hatfield Forest now the weather has turned better,” he tells us. “I was quite surprised that at 88 I can still pull the birds – they imagined I had something they wanted. “It was more jackdaws than […] Read more >
Big builders exploiting loophole to push greenfield developments through on appeal, CPRE research shows
Tuesday 13 June 2023
Deep-pocketed developers are winning on appeal against cash-strapped councils by exploiting a planning loophole Individuals and firms proposing small-scale projects have far less chance of successfully challenging planning decisions – the system appears weighted in favour of big builders Major developments on greenfield land use the ‘five-year housing land supply’ rule to override Local Plans […] Read more >
Wild about rewilding
Tuesday 6 June 2023
A cheery offering from photographer Gordon Ridgewell: “I captured these poppies this morning. Audley End estate has rewilded a small field just off Chestnut Avenue – so-called as it’s really a country road lined on both sides with chestnut trees.” Read more >
Planning seminar: the highlights from a fascinating day
Monday 5 June 2023
Andrew Wood, former CPRE planner, returned to his former haunts (spiritually if not geographically) when he led a workshop in Chelmsford entitled How the planning system works, and how to influence it. Held at the Essex Record Office Conference Centre, Chelmsford, on Friday, May 19, the workshop proved an undoubted success as everyone present got […] Read more >