How the politicians line up

Keith Simpson MP has been consulted in his surgery and has offered his support for the campaign to save Bintree Woods. Mr Simpson contacted the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on our behalf. At the end of September 2008 a reply was received from Jeff Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Farming and Food and Animal Welfare. In his letter to Keith Simpson Mr Rooker largely reiterates the case of the Forestry Commission but does say two interesting things.

First, in connection with ‘the minerals planning process…after reviewing the number of sites…it became clear to the Forestry Commission…that there are adequate reserves without the need to consider areas with high environmental constraints’.The fact that the Forestry Commission is pressing ahead with the proposals to destroy Bintree Woods means that it (and DEFRA) does not consider the woods to have such ‘environmental constraints’. This is astonishing and means that literally no environment in the UK is safe from development. After all, Bintree Woods has been enjoyed by generations, is home to all kinds of wildlife, borders an EU-designated Special Area of Conservation, and its trees fix some 430 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere a year.

Secondly Mr Rooker states, ‘the planning process is best placed to…make the decision on the most suitable sites’. In other words, it’s up to Norfolk County Council. This is of course ridiculous as the woods are owned by DEFRA and maintained by their subsidiary organisation the Forestry Commission. The county council would not even be considering the proposal to destroy the woods if the Forestry Commission hadn’t put it forward.

Rupert Read, prospective MEP for the Green Party, supports the campaign against the proposals.

April Pond, prospective MP for the Liberal Democrats in the new Broadland constituency, joined the barrow march against the proposals and fully supports the campaign.

Ingrid Floering Blackman, Norfolk County Councillor for the area, has visited the woods and expressed her support.

Bill Borrett, Breckland District Councillor, has declined to support any aspect of the protest on the grounds of conflict of interest. A relative, Mrs A. Borrett, has submitted a proposal for mineral extraction at Hoe (MIN 28).

The Bintree, Billingford and North Elmham Parish Councils have representatives on the Combined Parishes Group, the group set up to fight the proposals.

Our elected representatives can only know how strongly we feel about the proposals if they are informed. The Combined Parishes Group has contacted them, but the more they hear from members of the public the clearer they will be that there is huge opposition to these disastrous plans. Let them know directly what you think.