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Response by Transition Wilmslow to Planning Application 15/0064M

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Response by Transition Wilmslow to Planning Application 15/0064M Response by Transition Wilmslow to Cheshire East Council on Planning Application 15/0064M, for variation of planning conditions and the restoration of the Lindow Moss peat extraction site. Summary Transition Wilmslow wishes to support in principle this application for variation of planning conditions on planning permission 5/97/0758P for restoration of the Lindow Moss peat extraction site, also known as Saltersley Moss. We very much welcome the prospect of an end to peat extraction and the restoration of the extraction site. However, we have reservations about certain aspects of this proposal, as submitted. We have made suggestions (as numbered recommendations in bold within the text) about how the negative impacts of the proposal could be mitigated and also about how the proposal could be strengthened, in a positive way, so as to assure the desired outcomes. We request that these observations are taken into account in determining the application, with its associated Restoration Scheme and replacement planning conditions. We recognise that this application is inextricably linked to planning application 15/0016M for demolition of existing buildings and construction of 14 detached family houses on the Lindow Moss Peat Farm, at Moor Lane, Wilmslow. We will comment separately on the housing application (15/0016M) but we understand that cessation of peat extraction and progress of the restoration scheme on Lindow Moss is conditional on approval of that application. We have some reservations about application 15/0016M but we will also give that application our conditional support, in order to secure an end to peat extraction and the restoration of the peat extraction site. Transition Wilmslow and the New Vision for Lindow Moss Transition Wilmslow is part of the Transition Towns movement in the UK, which seeks to promote community action to improve the sustainability and liveability of their localities. We have given a high priority to developing a ‘New Vision for Lindow Moss’ which seeks to promote the restoration of the peatland core and the conservation and interpretation of that and the wider Lindow Moss landscape. This wider area is broadly congruent with the Lindow Moss Landscape Character Area, M2 in the Cheshire County Landscape Character Assessment (Cheshire County Council, 2008) which has been formally adopted by Cheshire East Council. 1 The New Vision for Lindow Moss was developed through a Workshop in April, 2014 which involved key government agencies (Natural England, English Heritage and the Environment Agency), Cheshire East Council, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Saltersley Common Preservation Society, user groups and local residents. The Workshop was convened by Transition Wilmslow and facilitated through a pro-bono contribution from the consultants ARUP. The New Vision is summarised below: Lindow Moss is one of the most significant peatland landscapes in Britain and yet it remains abused, neglected and officially unrecognised. Through this New Vision those who care about the future of Lindow Moss are coming together as the Lindow Moss partnership to restore, conserve and celebrate this uniquely important landscape. This will involve: Cessation of peat extraction and restoration of the peat working area to create an attractive natural habitat and to re-establish the Moss as a carbon sink Protection of the wider historic landscape of Lindow Moss Improved access for recreation and exercise, for all ages and abilities Creation of an area where flora and fauna can flourish and be appreciated Interpretation of the rich natural and human history of the Moss, including Lindow Man, to enhance education and understanding Establish a ‘green tourism’ destination whilst maintaining its natural character Recognition of Lindow Moss as a Green Infrastructure Asset in the Cheshire East Local Plan and a ‘green lung’ for the people of Wilmslow and beyond R1: This application (15/0064M) presents an opportunity to secure a key objective of the New Vision, namely cessation of peat extraction and restoration of the peat working area to create an attractive natural habitat and to re- establish the Moss as a carbon sink. For this reason it has our in principle support. However, this proposal needs to be seen in the broader context of a ‘multifunctional landscape’ as reflected in the range of objectives which comprise the New Vision. In preparing our response we have read the Planning Application Document, the Environmental Statement (Volume 2: Main Report), the Restoration Scheme and supporting documents. In preparing our response we have drawn on the expertise of advisors in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University and the Faculty of Humanities in the University of Manchester, but the views expressed are entirely those of Transition Wilmslow. We begin with comments on the planning policy context: Policy context for the application The Planning Application Document sets out very clearly the policies which the applicants consider to be relevant in the Local Development Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).The key objective of both is to promote sustainable development. 2 Transition Wilmslow’s objects are also about improving the sustainability and liveability of our local community. The current use of Lindow Moss for peat extraction is fundamentally unsustainable and a planning application for such an activity would not be countenanced in the modern era. Furthermore, the planning conditions imposed by Cheshire County Council, under the ROMP provisions of the Environment Act 1995, make matters worse over much of the site by requiring backfill with inert waste and restoration to agriculture. That is particularly inappropriate on a site of national importance for heritage conservation and with huge ecological potential, situated as it is in a key location between the Meres and Mosses Nature Improvement Area to the south and the peatlands of the Mersey Basin Natural Area.to the north. R2: We therefore strongly support an initiative that will bring the current land- use to an end, rescind the inappropriate planning conditions and restore the site, and we consider that this constitutes the ‘very special circumstances’ which are needed to justify residential development on Green Belt land on the adjoining Peat Farm site (Application 15/0016M). In recent months we have liaised closely with Richard Turner OBE, the archaeologist who led the discovery of Lindow Man in August, 1984. Rick Turner supports our approach to the application and has authorised us to include the following quotation from his closing remarks to the Lindow Moss Day School, held at Wilmslow Guild on October 18th, 2014: “Lindow Moss’ more recent history is of peat cutting and the reclamation of the margins of the site. Together with its prehistoric past, this forms an important cultural landscape extending back thousands of years. As we have heard today the moss is still in a condition where it can be recreated as a lowland raised mire, something that will require the same skill and imagination shown by the artists described above. Lindow is not a bare brown prairie like those found at Thorne Moors and Chat Moss. It retains its sense of enclosure and mystery. We are at a critical moment in the future of Lindow Moss as the planning designation of the site is being determined. In five hundred years do we want the burial place of Lindow Man to be similar to that of poor King Richard III? The choice is between a landfill site covered by dull rye-grass fields or a vibrant habitat buzzing with unusual plants and animals. We have the chance to return Lindow Moss into a place that Lindow Man would have recognised, and in which he met his end. His bust has stared impassively over our proceedings today. If he were able to speak I am sure he would be saying ‘the time is now’ and ‘the people are here’ to make this happen”. The Planning Application Document lists the NPPF policies which the applicants consider relevant to this application: NPPF Policy 8 is about Promoting Healthy Communities R3: The Lindow Moss landscape is already heavily used for recreation and countryside access. The proposal to secure the northern E/W footpath as a permissive route, together with the main E/W track through the middle of the site is helpful. In addition we would like to see consideration of disabled access 3 and specific access provision for the public to the Lindow Man findsite (see proposals below under ‘Restoration Scheme’). R4: We commend the statement at Para 6.3.10 of the applicants’ Environmental Statement that: ’the bulk of the restored site would be wetland and as such public access could easily be accommodated without both an unacceptable risk to health and safety and unnecessary disturbance to the habitats created. Well designed wetland areas are well adapted to prevent unauthorised access whilst providing the public with views across the restored site from paths and viewing points.’ Part of the charm of Lindow Moss is its lack of formality and we would otherwise dread the prospect of the proliferation of fences, keep out signs and red and white plastic hazard tape. We would like to see endorsement of the applicants’ approach written into the terms of reference of the proposed Restoration Committee. NPPF Policy 10 is about Meeting the Challenge of Climate Change The NPPF seeks to ‘support the transition to a low carbon future in a changing climate’, which is also one of the key objectives of Transition Wilmslow. At present peat is exported from the site and the fossil carbon within it is then oxidised to CO2 and released to the atmosphere. Furthermore, peat working requires lowering of the water table within the site which accelerates peat oxidation within the Lindow Moss landscape. Following successful restoration to a bog habitat Lindow Moss will once again function as a carbon sink, capturing 1.2-2.6 t CO2 equivalent per hectare per year (IUCN, 2011).
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