Am i just Victor Meldrew?

[neiln]

Hopefully having informed the council now they might get involved and force process to be followed.

[Anno]

On 28/07/2021 at 23:14, daveatdave said:

the school comes under the local education authority (the local council) so it will be chasing itself  maybe local councilor or MP might get better answer  but i do not think will happen fast

Not if its an Academy, its like Council Houses - most Local Authroities don't have them any more so they are owned by Housing Associations - good old Thatcher!

[benedmonds]

If they are making a wildlife area, stop bothering them and leave them to get on with their work.. 

[neiln]

If they had any design input for their wildlife area from someone that knew about it, I'm sure they would have gone about it well, and my asking and the council checking will be no bother to them.  Unfortunately I don't think that's the case.  If my fears are true, they aren't making a wildlife area, they may call it that but they've probably badly damaged an area with stag beetles, countless birds including owls and both green and pied wood peckers, used by bats and I'm sure much more wildlife.  If my fears are true, I hope they learn and doing nothing won't help.

[Paul in the woods]

I was going to say, from my time living around that area, if they were making a wildlife area then keeping the wood rather than burning it would be good for the stag beetles. I've only seen them flying around the streets of Croydon and they are worth looking after.

 

 

[neiln]

Exactly.  The firm doing it, according to the pickup they are using, are builders and gardeners, they don't advertise any eco credentials.  From the way the chainsaw was waved about and the lack of ppe I doubt they've any tickets either.  They looked complete cowboys I'm afraid.

I'm not expert but this is old overgrown oak woodland with a few dead standing oaks.  Perfect habitat for stag beetles slap in the middle of the UK stronghold for them.  I've had 3 adults in my garden in the last month.  Also several larvae in some punky logs that I didn't bother splitting for firewood last year.  I'd have expected a sensitive clear of brambles and under story, plus a felling of dead trees and dangerous ones, wood used for habitats, various log like piles for beetles, wasps, bees etc.  Chip the rest and spread the mulch on the created paths... Do it all only after an eco survey and account for the birds and bats and whatever else.  What we actually have is a slash and burn) clear fell off the small stuff and they've cleared out at least one dead and toppled oak and burnt it, making a large clearing. They have left a sycamore with a nasty lean that should have gone years ago and a couple of dead or nearly dead large standing oak....f' me, the thought of bringing groups of kids around them is a bit scary.  All my neighbours are complaining the birds have all scarpered, and with the insects they eat now left with a bit of a wasteland (other than my 30m3 firewood stack 😂) the birds probably won't all return for a year or five.  In its place the school plan a pond... I'm overrun with big frogs from my neighbours pond..... Maybe it would attract newts in time.... There's ponds at Streatham common with them and that's not far..  otherwise..  I hope they stick some fish in as I get eaten alive by mossies from my neighbours pond as it is.

. This is a potentially good idea executed disastrously unfortunately, I hope the dangerous trees get taken out before they take a kid out or it'll be more then dead wildlife.

 

 

 

[neiln]

Oh and I bet they didn't have veg oil in the saw.  Although the damage from a tank of dead Dino chain oil probably isn't much.... My garden gets far far more every year.

[Khriss]

3 hours ago, Paul in the woods said:

I was going to say, from my time living around that area, if they were making a wildlife area then keeping the wood rather than burning it would be good for the stag beetles. I've only seen them flying around the streets of Croydon and they are worth looking after.

 

 

Croydon!! You sure they ain't 'carrying'.... 😳 K

[nepia]

Ffs - you and your Croydon PTSD - go and get it sorted!