Although it is still the middle of the summer - sort of -, we are preparing for the winter coppicing programme and planning the next stages of woodland management. The winter should see a major change to the western side of the wood as we remove the very old over-stood hazel and return it to a coppicing cycle. This will involve more wire fences with self-closing gates but ultimately the wood will benefit from the rejuvenation of this area. Further opening up of the rides will be a priority and the southern section will have enough standards removed to provide birds and butterflies with improved habitat. A sitting area is to be created in this southern section where it should be possible to watch birds and butterflies from the relative comfort of log benches made from the cut standards.
Sunday the 19th July was the summer Open Day and thankfully it stayed dry all day.
Whilst there were very few birds to be seen, some 14 species of butterflies did make an appearance and as usual, the flowers were of interest to the 65 visitors who toured the woods. This has been such a poor year for weather that butterflies are few and far between. However, the sight of Silver-washed Fritillaries dashing around looking for mates was quite spectacular. Lucky visitors saw three or four Purple Hairstreaks in the very top of the trees and the White Admiral that is increasingly found in the woods. For the second year running there was a Scarlet Tiger moth in the car park displaying both the black and cream spotted upper wings and the bright scarlet that shows in flight. Ringlets are common and there were sightings of Comma, Holly Blue, Gatekeeper, Large Skipper as well as the more common "whites and browns".
The dormouse boxes have provided nesting for over 350 fledglings this year but we would prefer them to be used for their original purpose. Due to the coppicing history and characteristics of the woods, there is a shortage of nesting sites for birds and bats, hence the use of the boxes instead. We propose to collect a variety of nest boxes to be put up in the wood to encourage breeding, and also to be visible to the public where possible. If anyone has any old boxes that could be renovated or wishes to donate a particular box I should be glad to hear from you. David Tucker: Telephone 01725 552026.
Finally, it is good to hear from Colin Morris that the rare male Bechstein’s bat ringed in the wood last year, has returned to the same area but due to the weather, other species are not numerous. With some more sunshine everyone could be happy!
It was exactly a year ago that I wrote in this piece about the proposal for a telecommunications mast at Cobley Farm, Woodyates. The Parish Council's Plans Committee had concluded that there was no logical reason why Mercury, the company seeking planning permission, could not share the Orange mast at Vernditch, just two miles away, and therefore avoid spoiling another piece of our precious area of outstanding natural beauty. But what a difference a year makes! Surprisingly, the Plans Committee this year has not objected to the new proposal for a mast at Cobley Farm. This is even more baffling when I remember that last year most of the Parish Council signed a petition supporting objections to the proposals.
Inevitably, the decision raises a number of questions about the Parish Council's support for the AONB. In the Parish Council's objections to the District Wide Local Plan, there was certainly no comment on, or indeed any problem with, paragraph 6.93 which commits the District Council to reject any construction or structure which does not enhance or maintain the AONB - this, in fact, was the main argument put forward by the District Council's planning committee in rejecting last year's application for the telecommunications mast. Nor was there any suggestion of the Parish Council's lack of commitment to the AONB when it was asked to comment on the AONB's Officer Working Group Issues Report. On the contrary, there was a positive approval of the objectives of the Working Group in seeking to raise awareness of the AONB, its basic character and the issues that are relevant to its future conservation and enhancement. There can be no doubt that the Plans Committee's decision reverses any commitment the Parish Council has or ever had to protect the beauty of the land which surrounds and encompasses the parish.
Probably the most worrying aspect of the whole saga was the decision not to invite the objectors to the fatal Plans Committee meeting. I have always believed that the basic strength of the Parish Council was in its closeness to the community. What it did was always on behalf of the community, it was there to listen to and support the community. This belief has been somewhat dented by the actions of the Plans Committee, especially when it knew that there were more than one hundred letters of objection to the proposed mast, and the petition it was presented with last year should have suggested that any future proposals for siting a mast at Woodyates were bound to be controversial. All controversial issues in the past have demanded a public meeting, why this one was different will never be known.
As I write this piece, amended plans are being examined, but this may just be a clever ruse to eliminate the original objections, because time is limited when planning application amendments are processed. Nevertheless, the objectors may gain a crumb of comfort from the fact that our District Councillor has committed himself to support the objections. Whether the Plans Committee can help to resurrect the Parish Council's commitment to the AONB remains to be seen.