It is gratifying to see that where Spear’s leads, others follow. This time, we are not thinking of our economic coverage (which called the credit crisis a year early) or our early emphasis on philanthropy, but on our Save Britain’s Historic Landscape campaign
It is gratifying to see that where Spear’s leads, others follow. This time, we are not thinking of our economic coverage (which called the credit crisis a year early) or our early emphasis on philanthropy, but on our Save Britain’s Historic Landscape campaign.
Yesterday the Daily Telegraph launched their Hands Off Our Land campaign, which, while not as eloquently titled as ours, at least has its heart in the right place. As we have warned repeatedly, there are many blights to the ancient forests, historic houses and idyllic landscapes of Britain.
Wind farms threaten both England and Scotland, as the Earl of Cromartie writes in an impassioned essay. The HS2 train line, which is supposed to bring Birmingham that much closer to London (which is desirable why?), will tear up stretches of the countryside and tear down historic houses. And all of this change neglects the vital connection between our heritage and the economy (in more ways than is obvious).
The Telegraph’s campaign is focused on the planning system and the government’s proposed change so that there will be a presumption of success in applications. This would be damaging to the green belt and could allow development to rage out of control. Of course, we need to balance our lack of housing stock against this, but an automatic yes is dangerous.
So we welcome the Telegraph, now rallying to our cause. It’s going to take a combined effort to preserve our historic landscape.