Covid-19
Of jabs and pumps…
Thursday 7 October 2021
No one catches the spirit of the age quite like photographer Gordon Ridgewell. Last month he went to Saffron Walden leisure centre for his Covid booster, benefiting from “a shot in both arms with the flu jab included”. It was also the time of the fuel crisis, hence the wry observation “Almost as many people […] Read more >
Decisions, decisions: how does planning work during the pandemic?
Wednesday 24 February 2021
The Covid-19 crisis has curtailed public involvement in almost all aspects of life, so it is important for us all to see that fairness and the democratic process do not suffer as a result, as a CPRE planner explains… Are you still getting your say at planning committee? Since Saturday, April 4, 2020, councils have […] Read more >
How lockdown drove more people to the countryside… and produced more litter
Tuesday 22 December 2020
It can’t come as a surprise to anyone who loves the countryside that one of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic has been a shocking increase in litter. More than a third of adults in England (38 per cent) have seen more litter near to where they live since the start of the pandemic and […] Read more >
Snap, snap, jab! Camera wizard Gordon takes the fight to Covid
Tuesday 22 December 2020
It’s clear photographer Gordon Ridgewell, of Our Lovely Essex fame, is intending on sticking around and entertaining us with his images for some considerable time yet! He informs us: “I had the jab at 1.30 on Saturday. It was like a military operation at Saffron Walden Leisure Centre. About 50 volunteers were helping, with six […] Read more >
Inspector dismisses developer’s pandemic claim in appeal against Tiptree homes refusal
Thursday 17 September 2020
A developer has failed in its appeal against Colchester Borough Council’s refusal of plans for 255 new homes in Tiptree. Bloor Homes had argued that the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic meant the council could not demonstrate it had a five-year housing land supply, claiming important sites were now “undeliverable”. However, the planning inspector […] Read more >
Protect our green spaces, government is urged in lockdown survey
Monday 18 May 2020
Despite us living under the strictest social-distancing measures we’ve ever experienced in the UK, there has been an increase in community spirit and appreciation for local green spaces and countryside during lockdown, according to new research. Commissioned by CPRE, the countryside charity, and the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (WI), and carried out by Opinium, […] Read more >