Category: Campaigns

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Act now on a “licence to destroy” nature

Referring to the Planning & Infrastructure Bill now before parliament, Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts says:

“The so-called Nature Recovery part of the Bill is a Trojan horse – it’s a misnomer because, in reality, it is a licence to destroy. It replaces vital nature protections with a weaker substitute, … [and so] …  it puts irreplaceable habitats and threatened species at risk.”

Craig is not alone, Beccy Speight, RSPB chief executive, says:  

“… the Bill in its current form will rip the heart out of environmental protections and risks sending nature further into freefall. … The evidence clearly shows nature isn’t a blocker to growth. The government has identified the wrong obstacle to the problem it’s trying to overcome, and that has led it to the wrong solutions.”

Beccy’s claim that nature is not a “blocker to growth” is backed by the recent report, Planning & Development: nature isn’t the problem.

Even the government’s own body, the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), has warned that the Planning & Infrastructure Bill will cause “environmental regression”.

The Yare Valley Society believes the Planning & Infrastructure Bill threatens the community’s ability to protect the green space corridor of the Yare Valley. The Bill weakens the present requirement that a development should deliver a “net biodiversity gain”. It allows developers of small and medium developments (the majority) to transfer measures to mitigate environmental damage away from the development site to elsewhere. This means it reduces the likelihood of new developments near the Valley having green spaces that could serve as stepping stones, to link the corridor with the wider green ecology network. One final aspect is that it reduces the protections to globally rare chalk streams, of which the River Yare is one.

Beside the river Yare – a globally rare Chalk Stream Photo: John Elbro

For an overview of what environmental groups are pressing for in the Bill, go to Wildlife and Countryside Link .

Please act now by writing to your MP.

Go to the Wildlife Trusts website to do this easily. It strengthens your message if you can tell your MP why Green Space and Wildlife are important to you personally, ideally by mentioning the Yare Valley.

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Progressing the UEA Boardwalk Replacement

The old boardwalk UEA Photo

In common with many UK universities UEA have been grappling with budgetary challenges and are not able to provide the cost of a replacement boardwalk. Instead UEA is making its contribution towards a replacement by providing the services of its staff to seek funding from other sources.

UEA ‘s success in securing funding for the cost of the design of the boardwalk has already been announced. A fully costed design is a necessary first step in preparing a bid for further funding to finance the removal of the old boardwalk and the construction of the new.

At the recent UEA meetings with the Yare Valley Society and other stakeholders on the design of the boardwalk, there seemed to be a general consensus on many of the features the design might include viz.:

  • Follow roughly the same route as the existing boardwalk
  • Be about 1.2 m wide with some wider passing places
  • Be wheelchair friendly
  • Be constructed of recycled plastic for longevity and low maintenance
  • Have a reliable non-slip surface -not chicken wiring

Other features raised in the discussions included signposting and the provision of dog poo bins.

How you can help

The UEA is calling upon local communities to show their commitment to replacing the boardwalk by raising an initial amount of £2 000. This will enable UEA to seek further construction monies from various funding sources.

A big thank you to all who have contributed

towards the £1 100 raised to date

More than halfway there!

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Conservation Volunteers May Programme

Nothing scheduled for the Yare Valley this month, but plenty of opportunities to volunteer elsewhere with the first shots being fired in the Himalayan Balsam campaign.

Mark Webster writes:

“Well the May blossom (hawthorn flowers) is already out, and now so is your May programme! Given the already-VERY-warm-and-dry weather you may well have cast your clout* already, but there are usually spare waterproofs on the minibus just in case!

Some of you may be surprised (delighted?) by the relative absence of Himalayan Balsam pulling this month, but don’t worry, there will be more of that in June, now that the funding to control this invasive weed has been confirmed for another year: hooray!  It’s a job that keeps us off the streets – and onto some lovely stretches of riverside.  Instead this month we have waymarker posts to install ( a good task for those of your who want to leave your mark on the landscape, as the recycled plaswood posts are likely to be pretty much eternal).  We have also got a lovely long trip to lovely quiet Barmer (a good one for fans of Norfolk’s famous round tower churches), the chance to discover hidden garden heritage in Lowestoft, a free café lunch at the always interesting Blue Boar Lane, plus continuing our stately progress across the superb hidden wetland at Flordon, and a brand new site at Poringland Woods (although some of you may remember it from such courses as our woodland training day a couple of years back).

Oh, and not forgetting our ever-popular Jolly Trips for Volunteers – 5 fun days out as a reward for everyone’s hard work!  People don’t have to have been out with us every week to attend, but please don’t make these the first time that anyone comes out with us!  Booking is required for these days, either by emailing mark.webster@tcv.org.uk or texting 07740 899 691.

I do hope to some of your clients this coming month.

Mark.

*Ne’er cast your clout till may is out = don’t leave your winter clothes off until the Hawthorn (aka the May Tree) is in bloom.

Join us whenever you can, we do not require any regular commitment to attend.“

The full May Programme is here.

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Conservation Volunteers Programme April 2025

This month is unusual for having no work for the volunteers scheduled in the Valley. What is on offer is free bus travel to other places on the programme. Next month there will be some “jolly trips” for volunteers. Ideas so far include a boat trip, Blickling/Felbrigg, and Sheringham / the North Norfolk Railway, but more ideas are welcome for the usual 5 days of fun. Keith’s monthly letter and programme are here.

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McCarthy Stone green space link to Strawberry field opens

The last obstruction to accessing the McCarthy Stone green space has now been removed, opening up more possibilities for circular walks in the Valley. In the original plans a stile was proposed for this access point, but YVS argued that a stile was inappropriate for a green space adjacent to a development for the over 55s.

New Strawberry Field/McCarthy Stone green space link. No stile!

The green space has been extensively planted, and so hopefully in a few years’ time the rather stark view from the Strawberry Field into the green space will be softened.

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Landscaping in the Yare Valley

After much delay planting is now underway on the green space adjacent to the McCarthy Stone development on the Bluebell Road.  The landscaped area will have links to the Strawberry Field and to the Yare Valley Walk and will open up opportunities for new green circular walks.

The planting of trees and other environmental mitigations for achieving biodiversity net gain for the development were a condition of the planning approval. From the start of the development the Yare Valley Society has pressed for the completion of the landscaping of the green space and the other required ecological improvements. It has monitored its progress, and provided reports to the Norwich City Council Planning Department. A recent survey by YVS found that most of the environmental mitigations are now in place. Some, such as hedgehog gaps in the boundary fence, and boundary hedgerow infill planting, are still outstanding, and are being followed up.

At most points of entry to the green space there is fencing, and it is probably as well that general public access is restricted until the planted meadow areas have been given time to become established. People have been seen inside the area already. There are surfaced paths, and it is to be hoped they remain on the paths and treat the newly planted areas with respect. Moles already have access:

A mole explores its new environment

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Conservation Volunteers Programme February

The Conservation Volunteers reach out to some new sites this month, together with no less than three SSSI sites. In the Yare Valley they will be cutting and raking in the UEA reedbeds on Monday the 24th February. A letter from the team Leader, Mark Webster, and the full programme of activities is here.

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Conservation Volunteers January Programme

The conservation volunteers spread their wings still further with half a dozen new sites added to their programme this month. No work planned for the Yare Valley, but plenty of opportunities to become involved elsewhere. The organiser Mark Webster writes: “While the birds are having a rest from breeding, for us it’s full tilt on habitat improvement works over the winter, with a focus on ponds, woodlands and heaths, including three designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) at East Ruston, Swannington Upgate, and Flordon.” His full letter to Volunteers together with the this month’s Programme is here.

All are welcome to come along and get active!

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Sowers and the Reapers

The Yare Valley Meadow Makers has recently been busy preparing the ground for next year’s crop of wildflowers. A lot has been done, and a large area of UEA meadows is now ready for seeding.

Preparing the ground
Taking a break

In the upper picture, look beyond the workers and to the right and you will see lurking in the background “The Reapers” Three in all, they are an addition to the Sainsbury Centre Sculpture Park.

A Reaper up close

The Artist Ivan Morison says “In gaming circles Reapers are a synthetic-organic alien race, connecting us to the fear we share of the mutant monsters sure to come from human techno meddling in plant biology. …” The works are an outcome of the artist’s research residency Towards the Weird Heart of Things at The Sainsbury Centre.

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Conservation Volunteers November Programme

All are welcome to give the support they can. There are big opportunities this month to get your hands dirty and join the volunteers to contribute directly to the wellbeing of Yare Valley wildlife:

Cringleford Bridge Meadow on Monday 4th and Friday 15th

Eaton Burial Ground on Church Lane on the Wednesday 6th, Thursday 7th, and Tuesday 12th

Bluebell Woods at Eaton Park on Friday 22nd.

The programme is here. It gives full details including the occasions when lunch will be available.