28/02/2022
The impact of climate change on our planet’s fragile ecosystems are now obvious and intensifying. We have just experienced the violence of storm Eunice followed by Franklin. The highest winds ever, over 110 MPH, were recorded at the Needles and we have to expect even more extreme climatic events and sea level rise threatening our vulnerable Peninsular and coastal villages.
Concreting over our green fields is now no longer an option. We are the most biodiversity depleted country in Europe and our wildlife is struggling. Church Road is part of a natural wildlife corridor running from the AOB to the protected RSPB areas of Medmerry and Pagham. In the Church Farm Lane and on the Stubcroft fields we are fortunate to have pockets of undisturbed land where our wildlife can survive, thrive and avoid domestic predation. The dark sky area surrounding our threatened fields make it an ideal territory for our nocturnal creatures - bats, owls and birds of prey
A recent UN report said if humanity wants to avoid catastrophic environmental damage we need to reduce our carbon emissions by half in the next 13 years and yet we are fighting a planning appeal to replace productive arable fields with a high density housing estate requiring heavy industrial manufacturing of cement and chemicals which are producing 32 pc of the worlds current CO2 emissions
Science and research has proven that further development on the Peninsular is not sustainable at this time. I would suggest we should start placing a proper value on nature which has sustained us here so well during the difficult times of Covid lockdown and helped to preserve our health and wellbeing. It is essential that we should think ahead for our future generations and protect our wildlife and biodiversity.
Instead of growing housing estates in unsustainable areas and destroying ancient boundary hedgerows and productive farmland we should be encouraging our local landowners and farmers to re wild and plant native trees for the future of our planet.
Trish Mackinnon
28th February 2022
Manhood Peninsula Action Group - MPAG
SOSCA Save Our South Coast Alliance
Gillian Keegan
Michael Gove
Chichester District Council
Chichester Observer
