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Oil drilling disaster at Markwells wood

Friday, 9. October 2009, 18:16:27

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Environmental pressure group the South Downs Society hit out at today’s decision (13 May 2008) by West Sussex County Council to approve an application by Northern Petroleum to prospect for oil in a beautiful part of the Downs near the border between Sussex and Hampshire.

The company has been given a three-year permit to allow drilling in Markwells Wood, an area of ancient woodland north of Rowlands Castle. Environmentalists say this is unacceptable in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and designated National Park.

Said Society Director Jacquetta Fewster, “The damage to habitat, destruction of trees and hedgerows, the visual impact of the drilling tower and its lighting, construction of a new access though the wood, noise from vehicles: all of this is just inappropriate in the Downs where people go for peace and quiet.

“You can say this is only for three years but it’s still very damaging and could lead to commercial working of any oil that’s discovered – and who believes that’s going to look right in the National Park?”


My comment,

As the pressure for Hydro-carbon energy increases and the carbon fuel itself decreases, the hunt is always on to drill for more. With the advent of peak oil - some say that it was in late November, 2005, the desperation to find new oil wells will continue over the next few years. It is expected that by 2019 the world will be producing 10 percent less oil than the biggest year of production - 2003. From 1996 until that year anual growth amounted to on average 0.6 percent and is now in "Terminal Decline". The chances are that you are not aware of the impending catastrophe of shortfalls in oil production and you certainly will not get the truth from Governments or indeed Opec - it is not in any of their interests for us all to know. Look at what happened a few years ago in Britain when the price of petroleum spiked at the petrol stations - near panic! As oil becomes ever more dificult to extract, so it becomes even more expensive and meanwhile demand is booming - so it is really important to know just how much we are willing to sacrifice for an energy source that we are all adicted to, like some drug and yes I do have a car and use petrochemical products like everyone else in the western world. In other words, do we really want to destroy our countryside - especially when it is in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty such as the Sussex-Hampshire border and also is an area of ancient woodland. West Sussex County Council has not backed the Campaign to include this whole Wealden area into the proposed National Park and now has given permission for this outrage. I live on the Worthing-Clapham border and may well see Titnore ancient woods devestated for housing that we do not have the infrastructure for. I can only conclude that the County Council has a very low priority for ancient woodland and the creation of it`s own National Park. The sooner people wake up to this the better!



Below is the cover of my current favorite book on Peak Oil: Hubberts Peak: the impending world oil shortage



Anyone interested in the latest thinking on Peak Oil should read this crucial breakthrough report by a conglomorate of UK Companies called Peak Oil Task Force. I quote their opening statement in their first report:

Foreword, by Lord Oxburgh, former Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell.


"There isn’t any shortage of oil, but there is a real shortage of the cheap
oil that for too long we have taken for granted. During the 20th century,
cheap oil - $20 – 30/barrel in today’s terms - allowed the internal
combustion engine to replace the steam engine and sparked a
transport revolution that fostered and fed the innate human desire to
travel. We loved it.
By the middle of the century warning bells began to ring and some
such as King Hubbert began to point out that world oil was a finite
resource and furthermore that it was possible to estimate how much
remained. At the time Hubbert was regarded by many as a crank and
the industry line was that new discoveries would continue to replace
what had been used. We now know differently.
A great deal more oil has been discovered since Hubbert’s day but his
basic thesis still holds. The difference is that today, with more
exploration and more sophisticated exploration tools, we know the
Earth much better and it is pretty clear that there is not much chance
of finding any significant quantity of new cheap oil. Any new or
unconventional oil is going to be expensive.
A more immediate concern is that today the world supply of oil is only
just meeting demand and this is keeping the price very high. Earlier this
year the price nearly hit $150/per barrel and even with the subsequent
fall back below $100, the forward price is high. These prices partly
reflect short term market jitters about political instabilities and
vulnerability of supplies to natural or man-made disasters, but more
fundamentally there is a concern that even though supplies may
increase they may not increase as rapidly as the demand from large
developing countries. It is this looming prospect of an early overhang of
unsatisfied demand that is keeping forward prices high. All that could
change this view of the future is a major world economic recession, and
even the effects of that on demand have to be put in the context of a
rapidly rising global population.
There is also another change from the past. Today around 80% of the
world’s oil and gas reserves are controlled by governments through
national oil companies. This is in marked contrast to a couple of
decades ago when international oil companies had the major influence.
Disregarding the potential use of fuel supplies as political levers, it is
entirely reasonable that national governments should have legitimate
policies different from those of oil majors when it comes to exploiting
the natural resources of their countries. They are starting to regard their
shrinking oil and gas resources as something to be husbanded. King
Abdullah of Saudi Arabia recently described his response to new finds:
“No, leave it in the ground … our children need it.” In other words, even
those who have less expensive oil may wish to exploit it slowly and get
the best possible price for it – a marked contrast with the past when oil
was sold in a highly competitive market for little more than it cost to get
it out of the ground.
Today’s high prices are sending a message to the world that words
alone have failed to convey, namely that not only are we leaving the era
of cheap energy but that we have to wean ourselves off fossil fuels. For
once what is right is also what is expedient - we know that we have to
stop burning fossil fuels because of the irreversible environmental
damage they cause, and now it may be cheaper to do so as well!
The problem is that in the developed world our power and transport
infrastructure is based almost entirely on fossil fuels. With the best will
and the best technology in the world this will take decades to change.
In the pages that follow you will read the views of some of those closest
to the oil industry. In the past these views might have been regarded as
heretical. But they are not and their warnings are to be heeded".

More from that amazingly honest report can be found at: http://www.peakoiltaskforce.net/ and download from their pages the report "The Oil Crunch" in PDF format.


I recommend the books "Hubberts Peak, the impending world oil shortage" and "Beyond oil, the view from Hubberts Peak", both by Kenneth S. Deffeyes. Also "Twilight in the desert: The comming Saudi oil shock and the world economy", by Mathew R. Simmons. oil is a complicated subject so be prepared.

I also recommend downloading the documentaries: "The 11th Hour", "A crude awakening: The oil crisis",
"Crude impact" and "An inconvenient truth". All excellent viewing and foretelling the imminent demise of mankind and his environment unless he changes his ways immediately - something I do not believe is possible now but who knows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please also go to:
http://www.mikeruppert.blogspot.com/
The above blogspot is more concerned with Peak Oil and 911 - are the 2 linked in some fantastic way?
Peak oil is a facinating subject and one we should all be aware of. recent petroleum increases have mostly been because of a shortfall in production, something that is only going to become more of a problem as oil is harder to extract and demand increases beyond supply capability!

I also recommend that interested people use the following link: http://www.dhushara.com/book/diversit/rf/speciesb2.htm or go to: http://www.Rainforests.net

Please leave your comments and you can also email me at: kirklincoln@hotmail.co.uk

Kirk Dickenson
Below is a clip about Peak oil


Below are a couple of video clips of T Boone Pickens, Oil expert, talking about Americas` impending energy crisis.



Below, a video of one of the pre-emminent authorities on Peak Oil, Dr Colin Campbell discussing the problem.



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A news clip of Matt Simmons, whose book (Twilight in the Desert - the comming Saudi Oil shock and the world economy) has helped to blow the lid of the comming energy crisis.


Finally, a movie about how Cuba survived their early awakening to "Peak Oil" albeit by Russia cutting off their cheap, subsidised oil imports due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and Saudi orchestrated cheap oil that was partly to blame for Russias bankcrupsy.



Below is a map of Northern Petroleums view of the Weald Basin, West Sussex & Hampshire - God help us if they find any more oil in this lovely area, apparently there are 27.5 million barrels of oil in place at the Markwells Wood site!

Below left is a brilliant book that I am reading at the moment published in 2005. If matt Simmonds is correct that Saudi Arabias 4 Super Giant Oil fields (Ghawar - Kink of Kings, Safaniya - off shore, Berri and Abqaiq) are in decline then the world needs to worry. Saudi is the only country with any spare capacity to meet any worldwide emergency and keep up with growing demand, now, thanks to the credit crunch demand is approximately 4 million barrels a day down - temporarily! A must read book for anyone seriously interested in Crude Oil, it is easy to read and fascinating too.

Crude Oil and the environment - is a dwindling Oil supply the greatest thing that could happen to the planet?


August 4, 2008
The world’s maximum oil output peaked about three years ago, an industry expert from Texas said. Mathew Simmons, a consultant from Houston says that Saudi Arabia’s largest oil field, Ghawar, is in decline and that sustainable global production reached its peak in May 2005.

Simmons argues the current price of oil — about $125 per barrel — is too low, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. Other experts have different peak production time lines.

Christophe de Margerie, the chief executive officer of French oil company Total has said maximum global output capacity is about 100 million barrels of oil a day, which means rising demand will exceed the world’s maximum possible production in less than 10 years, the Post reported.

In a report issued this month, the International Energy Agency said making up for declining oil production in established fields would take more than 3.5 million barrels a day of new production.

In the United States, production peaked in 1970 at 9.6 million barrels a day, which covered most of the country’s needs at the time, the Post reported. Production has declined to 5.1 million barrels a day, covering about 42 percent of the country’s demand.

How much oil is there in place around the world? Use the link below to find out but figures do not reflect the recent discoveries by BP (Tiber Field) in the Gulf of Mexico or elsewhere in Iran (aprox 8 billion barrels) or even Western Greenland: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2009/jun/10/oil

Anyone interested in the history of Crude Oil should read the book "The Seven Sisters", cover pictured - it tells the story of the original seven big independent oil company's and how they shaped the world. Printed in the mid seventies it is still very relevant and a must for oil enthusiasts!


However, with the emergence of large oil company's assets being nationalized, as in Aramco being taken over by the Saudis and renamed Saudi Aramco, there are some say now seven new sisters, all company's owned by their country's - nationalized! The following article is written by Nicholas a Vardy

The New Seven Sisters: The World's Most Powerful Oil Companies

Coined by Italian energy magnate Enrico Mattei, the term "Seven Sisters" referred to the seven international oil companies that dominated the world's oil production after World War II. Their ranks included Standard Oil of New Jersey, Royal Dutch Shell, Anglo Persian Oil Company, Standard Oil of New York, Standard Oil of California, Gulf Oil and Texaco. Mattei could not have imagined how the power would shift away from these Titans barely half a century later.

Today, a whole new group of oil and gas companies have become today's Titans. The "New Seven Sisters" -- selected recently by the Financial Times (FT) -- highlights how largely state-owned companies from the emerging world have become key global players in oil and gas. The FT ranked the New Seven Sisters on the basis of resource base, level of output, company's ambition, scale of their domestic market, and influence in the industry. In order of prominence, they are Saudi Aramco, Russia's Gazprom, CNPC of China, NIOC of Iran, Venezuela's PDVSA, Brazil's Petrobras and Petronas of Malaysia.

The New Seven Sisters control about one-third of the world's oil and gas production and reserves. In contrast, descendants of the Seven Sisters -- ExxonMobil and Chevron of the U.S. and Europe's BP and Royal Dutch Shell -- produce only about 10% of the world's oil and gas and hold just 3% of its reserves. And if anything, the New Seven Sisters are set to grow even more powerful. The International Energy Agency (IEA) calculates that over the next 40 years, 90% of new supplies will come from developing countries.

The New Seven Sisters: The Saudi Prince... And His Little Sisters

With 25% of the world's oil reserves and with nearly triple the capacity of any other group, Saudi Aramco is the world's largest and most sophisticated national oil company. Think of Saudi Aramco as the world's self-appointed central banker of oil -- turning taps on when there is a shortage of global supply -- and off when prices are falling below its comfort level.

In 2002, Saudi Aramco launched its most ambitious expansion program in a generation. By investing $50 billion over 15-20 years, Saudi Aramco aims to boost production capacity from 11 million barrels to 15 million barrels per day, thereby consolidating its position as the world's most powerful oil company.

Although less powerful than the Saudis, the other sisters now dominate the familiar Western majors in terms of influence. Russia's Gazprom is the industry bad boy, never reluctant to flex its muscles on the battlefield of business. China's CNPC owns 88% of PetroChina and is active in about 20 countries from Azerbaijan to Ecuador. NIOC, Iran's national energy company, has partnerships with Italian, French, Dutch and Norwegian companies and collaborates with Chinese and Russian groups. PDVSA is Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's political pawn. The company's profits are subsidizing London commuters. Brazil's Petrobras is a global leader in finding and producing oil from deep waters. Petronas is Malaysia's national oil company and may be the slickest and most commercial organization of the bunch.

The New Seven Sisters: Natural Resource Nationalism

Saudi Aramco's dominant role in oil and gas has long been accepted by the Western majors. But the recent rise of smaller national oil companies has caught them off guard. By the end of 2006, Russia's Gazprom and PetroChina had become the second and third most valuable listed energy groups in the world, overtaking companies such as BP and Shell. ExxonMobil now remains alone at the top.

Even more disconcerting is national oil companies in Russia and Venezuela systematically clawing back control of their natural resources. Scenes of Western oil majors' chief executives traveling to Moscow and Caracas to head off expropriation of oil fields they thought were theirs is now a regular occurrence. The last time this happened in the 1970s, Western majors decamped from the developing world back to North America and the North Sea. But with oil supplies drying up, that's no longer possible. A few years ago, the Western majors had hoped that Central Asia would provide an alternative. Today, the euphoria of the late 1990s-2000 has subsided, as the region has not lived up to initially high expectations.

The New Seven Sisters: "Bottomless Piggybanks?"

Some of the New Seven Sisters have become little more than their home country's bottomless piggybank, funding politically expedient social ventures. The poster child of irresponsible profligacy is President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela who spends two-thirds of PDVSA's profits on his populist social programs. The result? PDVSA's production capacity has fallen from 3.4 to 1.5 million barrels per day since 1999. In Iran, NIOC cannot boost its oil production or fix its refineries because its profits go toward keeping gas at 40 cents per gallon for Iranian consumers. In Russia, too, little of Gazprom's earnings go towards upgrading Russia's antiquated, leaking pipeline system.

This mismanagement has global consequences. The IEA estimates that the world is falling 20% short of making the investment needed to ensure adequate energy supplies for the next 25 years. And governments' unwillingness to allow their national oil companies to reinvest profits back into industry is the primary culprit.

Among the New Seven Sisters, only Saudi Aramco, Petrobras, and Petronas have turned themselves into international players able to compete with the likes of BP, Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell. That's why the revenues of the new Seven Sisters noticeably lag those of the Western majors.

The New Seven Sisters have the natural resources. The Western majors have financial resources and technical and managerial know-how. At some point, the New Seven Sisters will need the help of the Western majors to develop their reserves. But once their fields decline and they can no longer produce as much oil and revenue as they want, it might just be too late.



It is now some 8 years since the Enron scandal & it is scandalous that I had not read the book "The smartest guys in the room. The amazing rise and scandalous fall of Enron", so I decided it was well overdue. I was not disappointed. You really have to take it all in; the sheer greed of the senior management but also the pure suspension of reality. This book reads like a who's who of brilliant minds gone wrong with power and money lust. Anyone who has not experienced this fascinating book should order it now - I have to say it has been one of my favorite all time reads.


















A new report from the UK Energy Research Centre UKERC Report Finds ‘Significant Risk’ of Oil Production Peaking in Ten Years 08.10.09: A new report, launched today by the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), argues that conventional oil production is likely to peak before 2030, with a significant risk of a peak before 2020. The report concludes that the UK Government is not alone in being unprepared for such an event - despite oil supplying a third of the world’s energy. The report finds that we are entering an era of slow and expensive oil as resources get harder to find, extract and produce. Major new discoveries, such as those announced recently in the Gulf of Mexico, will only delay the peak by a matter of days or weeks. Simply maintaining global production at today’s level would need the equivalent of a new Saudi Arabia every three years. Report author Steve Sorrell According to the report’s chief author, Steve Sorrell, senior researcher at UKERC, “In our view, forecasts which delay a peak in conventional oil production until after 2030 are at best optimistic and at worst implausible. "And given the world's overwhelming dependence upon oil and the time required to develop alternatives, 2030 isn't far away. The concern is that rising oil prices will encourage the rapid development of carbon-intensive alternatives which will make it difficult or impossible to prevent dangerous climate change.” The report defends more optimistic estimates of the size of oil resources but notes that much of this is in smaller less accessible fields which may only be produced relatively slowly and at high cost. It also highlights the accelerating decline in production from existing fields; more than two thirds of current crude oil production capacity may need to be replaced by 2030 to prevent production from falling. Steve Sorrell: “It makes no sense to provide precise forecasts of when a peak in oil production will occur. The data is unreliable, there are multiple factors to consider and a ‘bumpy plateau’ seems more likely than a sharp peak. But we can say that the window is narrowing rapidly. The effects of global oil depletion will depend greatly on the response from governments and on the scale of investment in new energy technologies.” UKERC’s report is the first study to take an independent, thorough and systematic review of the evidence and arguments in the ‘peak oil’ debate. It addresses the following question: What evidence is there to support the proposition that the global supply of ‘conventional oil’ will be constrained by physical depletion before 2030? Download the report and supporting technical papers from UKERC’s website or request a hard copy by contacting Angela Knight by email or on 020 7594 1574. Notes to editors The UK Energy Research Centre is the focal point for UK research on sustainable energy. It takes an independent, whole-systems approach, drawing on engineering, economics and the physical, environmental and social sciences. The Centre's role is to promote cohesion within the overall UK energy research effort. It acts as a bridge between the UK energy research community and the wider world, including business, policymakers and the international energy research community, and is the centrepiece of the Research Councils' Energy Programme. For more information or to set up an interview, please contact Lex Young or Patricia Luna by email or on 020 7594 1573. A new report from the UK Energy Research Centre UKERC Report Finds ‘Significant Risk’ of Oil Production Peaking in Ten Years 08.10.09:




Opec: Global oil demand to grow to 106 million bpd in 2030

Opec's president Jose Botelho de Vasconcelos said today (November 2009) the group sees global oil demand growing to 106 million barrels per day in the period from last year to 2030, up 20 million barrels.

"The latest projection in Opec reference case...sees world oil demand rising by 20 million barrels per day to 106 million barrels per day between 2008 and 2030," Reuters quoted Botelho de Vasconcelos as saying. "Projections are based on present trends and expected patterns of behaviour, the reality may turn out to be different in an uncertain world."

Opec’s monthly report last week raised crude demand to 750,000 bpd compared with its projection of 700,000 bpd the previous month, a Reuters report said.

It said most signs pointed towards gradual growth in fuel consumption, but there were risks to the downside. The group’s Angolan president also said $80 per barrel is not high but a good price for oil.



The narrative of a long-lasting oil glut
Spare capacity in OPEC countries increased from 1 to 4 million b/d from July 2008 to April 2009, and since remained at that level according to the Energy Information Administration (excluding Nigeria, Iraq and Venezuela). This 3 million b/d increase in spare capacity matches well with declining OPEC oil production of 3.01 million b/d from July 2008 to April 2009. But, from April to August 2009 production increased by 476,000 b/d while spare capacity remained stable, showing a divergence. My conclusion: investments in new capacity are still sufficient to compensate production decline in peaked fields in OPEC. Another way to tabulate this is through total OPEC production capacity,
OPEC Capacity 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009*
Total million b/d 31.42 32.55 34.54 35.97 36.20 36.50 37.23 37.51
Additional yoy`000b/d 1130 1985 1430 235 294 733 280
calculated by adding estimated spare capacity on top of monthly production. Using EIA figures this gives the following annual increase in OPEC total production capacity and year on year changes:
The slow down from 2005 appears remarkable, but I would argue that spare capacity figures from 2002 to 2005 are incorrect, because the increase in production was caused by turning on the taps at existing fields. As new investments mainly compensated declining production, actual spare capacity was much higher, and net capacity additions from new fields was in a similar range as from 2005 to present. In the coming years to 2012 higher additions to OPEC capacity are to be expected, based on current projects, in comparison to increases between 2004 and 2008. Hence if decline continue at the same rate as before, OPEC capacity will increase significantly. If at the same time demand increases only at a sluggish rate, a glut of capacity lasting beyond a couple of years occurs, driving down oil prices to near OPEC production cost levels. The end result may be that we hit peak oil production capacity somewhere early to mid next decade because of ensuing underinvestment, but that the effects will only become apparent several years after capacity peak due to low economic growth.

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"THE DOWNLAND SHEPHERDS"

Tuesday, 29. July 2008, 17:12:32

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The photos to the left are views of Holt Farm, Clapham, from my back garden

"The Downland Shepherds" is a delightful book and very special to me as the Author, Barclay Wills, lived in Worthing, West Sussex for most of his life. It tells the story of many famous Shepherds of the South Downs in the early part of the 20th Century. Sheep farming then was very different - indeed the Downs themeselves would be almost unrecognisable today. He tells of Sheep Folding and the chimes of Sheep Bells; of the last teams of Sussex Oxen ploughing the fields; the Shepherds ancient crafts, traditions and folk songs. Of the Shepherds year of caring for the Sheep in all weathers through to Lambing and Findon Fair and it`s importance.

Written nearly a hundred years ago, it tells the story of the Downs in their glory as they will never be again. Oh well, they are yet still a delight to behold.


Kirk Dickenson
Sheep belonging to Oscar E.Pyle of Southdown Farm being driven from Angmering and meandering over Long Furlong on the way to the Findon Sheep Fair on 14th September 1935. Oscar Pyle owned a famous Southdown flock.

An Austin pulls over for them, 1936

These photographs are shown by kind permission of Valerie Martin - www.findonvillage.com
and these and more can be seen in the Findon Village Antiquities section of her website at
http://www.findonvillage.com/0169_the_50_50_chance.htm

The following pictures can be purchased at: http://www.westsussexpast.org.uk/pictures/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive2&dsqCmd=Overview.tcl&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqSearch=(((text)=%27south%27)AND((text)=%27downs%27))&dsqPos=0&dsqNum=10&PF=No
West Sussex Past Pictures is an excellent website which has thousands of past photos and pictures of Sussex. The Library Service has recently bought a vast private collection and are doing a superb job of cataloging them.

Sheep on the South Downs c1914
A downs Shepherd near Brighton c1920
Circa 1910
Findon Sheep Fair c. 1930
Sheep on South Downs near Poynings c1905
Sheep at a Dew Pond on the South Downs c1932[IMGRIGHT=http://files.myopera.com/blackpatch[IMGRIGHT=http:

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Applesham Farm Open Day

Tuesday, 3. June 2008, 15:45:30

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To sign the online petition to include the Western Weald within the boundaries of the proposed South Downs National Park go to:: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/western-weald


On Sunday, 1st June 2008, Applesham Farm, on the South Downs just west of the river Adur, had an open day. About 50 people, all ages including kids were treated to a farm tour. The Passmores, Hugh and Chris, conveyed us about their idylic landscape on a trailor pulled by a tractor. After the tour, in which many questions were asked about their particular style of farming, we repaired back to their farmstead and had an excellent BBQ, including farm produced lamb sausages and beef burgers. Hugh and Chris were most excellent hosts and I for one enjoyed the whole experience. This event was organised by the South Downs Society and indeed their Director, Jaquetta Fewster and her partner were in attendance.

Apllesham Farm is a fine example of how modern day, responsible farming can still be carried out.

Following Extract from: The Future of the South Downs, Edited by: Peter Brandon and Gerald Smart.

The farm covers 850 acres (344 hectares) in a great shallow coomb on the eastern flank of the chalk hills between the river Adur and Findon Valley. It also has some 36 hectares of aluvial brook land beside the river Adur - this is the only part of the farm that has changed dramatically since WW2.

The main farm comprises 760 acres (308 hectares) of free-draining, loamy soils on the rolling downs of the upper chalk. Some 540 acres (218 hectares) are in the main rotational farming system, a further 73 hectares in permanent pasture, and the remaining 16 ha taken up by woodland, scrub, ponds, roads and buildings. The farm has 3 main enterprises:

Cereal production, quality winter wheat and spring barley for the seed and malting markets; beef production based on a hundred-head herd of pedigree Limousin suckler cows which are out all year; and, a traditional sheep flock of 420 breeding ewes made up of a nucleus of pedigree Lleyns and a main productive flock of Lleyns cross bred with Texels. They are lambed out of doors in a pen made from straw bails

This part of the farm can truly be described as mixed farming and corn, beef and sheep are the 3 farm enterprises that have characterised farming on the Downs over the years. Very few farms now remain on the Downs that have this mixture; many have gone over to continuous cereals whilst others have become solely livestock farms. The mixture of enterprises is one of the keys to the very high standards of environmental management.

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South Downs Public Inquiry latest news

Monday, 21. April 2008, 14:15:21

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The South Downs Campaign (SDC) [1] will be bringing the main body of its evidence on the Western Weald to a close this week at the re-opened South Downs National Park inquiry, showing how the area has the necessary qualities to be included in a National Park. On Tuesday 22nd April, Professor Robert Tregay [2], an expert on nationally designated landscapes, will be appearing on behalf of the SDC. His appearance rounds off a week of presentations to the inquiry in which the SDC provided substantial new evidence for the Inspector to consider [3].



Throughout last week, the SDC showed many times that the advice given to the Inspector by his Landscape Advisor was fundamentally flawed and often without any evidence to substantiate it. The SDC’s work was co-ordinated by Margaret Paren who has worked tirelessly over the past year, in a voluntary capacity, to gather the necessary evidence to create a convincing case as to why the Western Weald should be part of the South Downs National Park. She was supported by many of the SDC’s member organisations, including in particular: CPRE, the Ramblers’ Association, the Council for National Parks, the South Downs Society, Liss Parish Council, The Petersfield Society and the Woolmer Forest Heritage Society. The SDC is also grateful for the support it has received from numerous individuals who have given up their time to gather evidence.



The SDC hopes that Professor Robert Tregay’s appearance will greatly strengthen SDC’s case by convincing the Inspector that there is a substantial body of opinion, including professional opinion, that believes that the South Downs National Park should look forward to the 21st century and include the Western Weald.



Robin Crane, Chairman of the South Downs Campaign, said:



“We were very fortunate in being able to commission Professor Robert Tregay to appear as our expert witness at the re-opened South Downs Public Inquiry. He is regarded as one of the most distinguished landscape consultants in the UK. He has the added advantage of having spent several years studying the area when he worked for the Countryside Agency on the initial South Downs National Park proposals. His knowledge in this area has been a real boon to the Campaign’s case and will help convince the Inspector of the need to revisit his conclusions regarding the Western Weald.”



Margaret Paren, Vice-Chair of the South Downs Campaign, said:



“Last week was an incredibly busy week, presenting evidence on nine different topic areas. It went very well and we put to the Inspector a significant amount of new evidence. We are confident that we have presented a strong case for including the Western Weald and that the Inspector will take it into account when he considers his new recommendations. After the appearance on Tuesday of Professor Robert Tregay, all we can do is to remain vigilant to ensure that if anyone tries to claim that the Western Weald should not be in the National Park, that their evidence is firmly rebutted.”

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