Felling of the monkey puzzle tree raises questions (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Felling of the monkey puzzle tree raises questions
1:50pm Thursday 8th November 2012 in Opinion
By Allan Tunningley
THE sheer bloody-mindedness of the Lake District National Park Authority’s decision to axe the Brockhole monkey puzzle tree has astounded me.
I believe that to push ahead with the felling was an act of ecological and cultural vandalism.
No wonder campaigners fighting to save the 110-year-old tree ended up in tears.
In my view, the national park leadership should hang their collective heads in shame.
What, I ask, is a national park supposed to be for?
I thought it was about protecting the landscape - both natural and cultivated, as in the case of Brockhole’s garden.
National park authorities should certainly not be in the business of developing theme park-style visitor attractions in direct competition with private businesses. This is what appears to be happening at Brockhole with its tree-top walk and new jetty and plans for a zip wire, watersports centre and wedding and concert venue.
It would have been much better for the LDNPA to sell off Brockhole and use the money to preserve the Lakeland landscape and its iconic settlements. Instead, a lot of public money is being poured into the place at a time when public institutions and organisations are supposed to be tightening their belts.
What I find amazing is that the authority was able to grant itself planning permission for the work at Brockhole.
I can imagine what the LDNPA would have said if a private business wanted to introduce such attractions on the shores of Windermere.
You only need to recall the failure of the Honister Slate Mine zip wire bid to get an idea of what I mean.
It’s a point which raises fundamental issues about whether park authorities should be allowed to grant its own planning approvals, especially such contentious ones.
I believe it’s also legitimate to question why the authority was allowed to be judge, jury and executioner in the case of the now lost monkey puzzle tree.
Comments(14)
PieWoman
says...
8:15pm Thu 8 Nov 12
Visitors to Brockhole gain an understanding of the cultural history of the area and get great views of the Lake District. If that brings tourists into the area and generates an income to fund further conservation work (rather than private porfit) - then I think it is a good thing.
Pie Woman
marianneb
says...
8:21pm Thu 8 Nov 12
marianneb
says...
8:31pm Thu 8 Nov 12
yersconsulting.com/t
racking-john-muir-to
-the-monkey-puzzle-f
orests-of-chile/
PieWoman
says...
9:18pm Thu 8 Nov 12
marianneb wrote:I'm talking about the National Park as a whole, not just one tree.
There is no evidence of vital conservation work at Brockhole. On the contrary the garden is well on the way to losing its unique cultural distinctiveness and becoming a homogenised theme park attraction.
Pie Woman
marianneb
says...
9:30pm Thu 8 Nov 12
As has been said before the felling is a symbol of the blatant disregard of the cultural and historic significance of the Brockhole gardens.
The National Park's "Vision" is not fit for purpose if they can fell this tree on a trumped up whim. The wider Lake District is at threat while the conservation watch-dogs stay stum. the National Park's perverted notion of "the view" allows for a nuclear dump under Ennerdale Forest as long as it is screened from "the view." CONservation at work? Shady deals done with central government? We'll keep stum on the nuke dump while you give us the taxpayer millions to "restore" Brockhole? Makes you wonder.
twitchy
says...
10:33pm Fri 9 Nov 12
Ironically one of the great attractions at Brockhole the Monkey puzzle has been destroyed. I wonder if the LDNPA in its "Ivory Towers" at Murley Moss ever saw how many people visited Brockhole just to see the tree and how many to get a photo of it.
If the LDNPA can't deliver the goods and from the length of time they have had, it is clear they can't, then the decent thing would be to hand it to someone who can.
By that I don't mean the Adam Thomas "disastrous developments"because that won't deliver either.
PieWoman
says...
11:25pm Fri 9 Nov 12
It seems anyone is able to post anything on here - and a small number of regulars are being allowed to post a great deal of bile.
Pie Woman
twitchy
says...
11:38pm Fri 9 Nov 12
PieWoman wrote:If they moderated bile Pie Woman you would never be posted.
Westmorland Gazette - why are comments on news articles not moderated?
It seems anyone is able to post anything on here - and a small number of regulars are being allowed to post a great deal of bile.
Pie Woman
This is a democracy and this is freedom of speech and unless you live in a deprived Eastern European state you should know that.
Then again maybe not.
marianneb
says...
8:36am Sat 10 Nov 12
life cycle too
says...
3:20pm Sat 10 Nov 12
PieWoman wrote:PieWoman, you seem either unaware of all the occasions on which the LDNPA has ignored it's own policies or changed it's mind and reversed previous decisions, or you are seeking to promote the LDNPA with propaganda which obscures the truth.
marianneb wrote:I'm talking about the National Park as a whole, not just one tree.
There is no evidence of vital conservation work at Brockhole. On the contrary the garden is well on the way to losing its unique cultural distinctiveness and becoming a homogenised theme park attraction.
Pie Woman
They refused a Zip Wire at Honister mines, saying they were preserving the tranquil environment from the possibility that some users might scream in excitement - ignoring the existing mine traffic and existing noise - and in the same meeting approved THREE zip wires of their own at Brockhole and the use of the site for weddings etc. despite pleas from their neighbours that the peace and quiet they enjoy would be ruined!
In Windermere they ignored the Development Boundary THEY established to allow the building of 30+ homes at School Knott... homes which increased traffic on already congested estate roads, and adding sewage into an already hard pressed system!
For years, they closed other lakes to water skiers, ENCOURAGING them all to Windermere, where businesses AND the LDNPA benefited from their presence (cost of registrations) then changed their minds, ignored the possibility of zoned use (as in the Norfolk Broads) and imposed a speed limit to prevent skiing, and which has led to the eyesore of more yacht moorings as SLDC try to make up for the launching fees THEY used to collect!
Only this week the LDNPA acted with indecent haste to approve the Morrisons Supermarket development in Windermere just 8 days after amended plans were submitted, and before anyone had a chance to apprise or comment on the new plans!
The people living on College Road stand to suffer increased traffic on an already congested road, but have no chance to object.
If the LDNPA sold used cars, you would have seen them on Watchdog by now, being investigated for sharp practices... and for your part, YOU would be viewed with some suspicion over your support for their actions, and pleas to silence the rightful concerns of others!
zaney5
says...
3:29pm Sat 10 Nov 12
PieWoman wrote:So stop doing it then. Problem solved. You only seem to pipe up in order to disagree with peoples comments. And considering folk have had comments deleted in the past I would say someone IS moderating the site. Maybe they think that a healthy discussion doesn't warrent culling.
Westmorland Gazette - why are comments on news articles not moderated?
It seems anyone is able to post anything on here - and a small number of regulars are being allowed to post a great deal of bile.
Pie Woman
speedwell-blue
says...
8:15am Sun 11 Nov 12
The way the LDNPA works needs to be fully investigated by an outside body. There needs to be a public enquiry. There has been a manipulation of information and the good citizens have not been allowed any involvement in the voting process that goes on behind closed doors at Authority meetings.
It would be far more palatable if a small technical team of specialists from the LDNPA were put into the Cumbria County Council organisation.
The rest of the organisation scrapped. Why have a Chief Executive and a separate HR team.
We have SLDC, Cumbria County Council, and then all of the Parish and District councils that seem to be completely powerless. It is a mess.
twitchy
says...
12:55am Mon 12 Nov 12
I understand Quangos are on the "endangered list" and considered "vulnerable" ------to being scrapped!
marianneb says...
3:58pm Thu 8 Nov 12