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Leave it for the birds?

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

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

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

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 >

A prickly customer

A prickly customer

Tuesday 30 May 2023

As we ended last week with a Gordon Ridgewell special, so we shall begin this. Over to the great man himself… “I let the dog out last night just before going to bed and had to go and investigate after a lot of barking. After turning on the floodlights, I found that Jako had got […] Read more >

The Big House

The Big House

Friday 26 May 2023

A nice little sign-off for you at the end of the week with this image of Audley End House from photographer Gordon Ridgewell: “The Big House was looking nice as I drove past – I just had to stop to add another shot to my collection,” he tells us. Read more >

Rooftops and car parks can power the country to more than half its solar energy targets, finds new CPRE report

Rooftops and car parks can power the country to more than half its solar energy targets, finds new CPRE report

Friday 26 May 2023

More than half of the solar panels required to hit government net-zero targets could be fitted on rooftops and car parks, a new report for CPRE, the countryside charity, has found. The research, by the UCL Energy Institute, shows that decarbonising the grid requires far less land than previously feared. The government is advised to […] Read more >

Of clouds, cow parsley… and No Mow May

Of clouds, cow parsley… and No Mow May

Wednesday 24 May 2023

A man for all seasons is photographer Gordon Ridgewell… and also not one to shy away from a controversial opinion or two! “The cow parsley is blooming good this year, but it’s not easy driving along some of the single-track roads up here, especially when the rain comes from those dramatic clouds and it almost […] Read more >

Light pollution means vast majority of us can’t enjoy wonder of a properly dark sky, CPRE’s Star Count shows

Light pollution means vast majority of us can’t enjoy wonder of a properly dark sky, CPRE’s Star Count shows

Wednesday 24 May 2023

Light pollution affects the vast majority of the population, with three-quarters of people in the UK finding their view of the night sky obscured, new data has shown. The results of Star Count 2023, released by CPRE, the countryside charity, find only 5 per cent of people can enjoy the wonder of a truly dark […] Read more >

Join us for a free talk: ‘How the planning system works, and how to influence it’

Join us for a free talk: ‘How the planning system works, and how to influence it’

Wednesday 10 May 2023

We have something rather special for you this month – a FREE planning seminar. Andrew Wood, former CPRE planner, will be giving a talk entitled How the planning system works, and how to influence it at the Essex Record Office Conference Centre, Chelmsford, on Friday, May 19. For the event we will use real-world examples […] Read more >

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