The government are planning to sell off some, or even all the publicly owned woodland and forestry nationwide. P&DCS have serious reservations about the local implications. After all the excellent work by the Forestry Commission (FC) in the last 15-20 years in opening up Dalby Forest for leisure pursuits, there could be significant loss of access for cyclists, horse riders and even potentially for walkers. I’m sure you will be aware how vital tourism is to Pickering. What will the future hold for Dalby and what will the price of entry be? 

          More importantly, what will be the future for the debris dams, tree planting and land management specifically aimed at slowing the flow of flood waters into the town, which has taken several years of hard campaigning to bring to fruition?  The work has been carried out by FC in Cropton Forest and is currently being extended, with at least 50 more dams each on the Pickering Beck and River Seven catchments. Will private owners be maintaining or improving these provisions without suitable financial inducements? With many FC employees based in and around Pickering, what effect would the sell-off have on local unemployment?  Further details and relevant links can be viewed at: http://www.pickeringcivicsociety.btck.co.uk/Campaign

          We have certainly not been alone in opposing the planned development between Burgate and Park St. It appeared that only Ryedale Planning and, Conservation Officers and the developers were backing it. Fortunately, the planning committee agreed with the majority view that the access was totally unsuitable, even if the planned desecration of one of the oldest streets in Pickering, at the heart of the Conservation Area, had gone ahead. The site is also ridiculously steep and would be inaccessible without crampons and ice-axe in winter weather and all year round for emergency and refuse vehicles. I heard no mention of coping with drainage and greatly increased surface water run-off – a major worry for Park St residents that already have flooding concerns from the beck without nervously glancing to the rear too. The most disconcerting aspect was the approval of the Conservation Officer. Many local people must also be quite perplexed after the hoops they must jump through for the most minor (and often hidden from view) changes to their property. I must have said before – planners move in mysterious ways. It could still go to appeal.

          I hold my hands up and admit to a fixation with flooding and drainage issues after spending so much time in the last three years working towards flood defences. It will therefore come as no surprise that the society also has concerns over surface and ground water drainage at the large  Whitfield Ave development. I’m sure the residents directly below this site would heartily agree. Once again, mention is only made of connection to mains  drainage’ and ‘no flood risk expected for existing properties’.  Rather strange when that field already appears to be waterlogged for prolonged periods of time. We just don’t seem to learn lessons about the behaviour of water. One of the basics, and one that will always be true is that ‘watter allus runs downhill’. Simple, but surprisingly valuable to remember.

 www.pickeringcivicsociety.btck.co.uk

 Mike Potter.