In his letter (September 10, 'Help Farmers') Trevor Farrer mentions the RSPB is on the steering committee behind the proposed Lyth Valley Internal Drainage Board.
While it’s true that we sit on the Advisory Group, we weren’t offered any opportunity to shape this proposal and are strongly opposed to it.
The proposed Internal Drainage Board would spell disaster for the Lyth Valley’s precious wildlife, putting further pressure on many plants and animals that have already suffered the consequences of three decades of intensive drainage.
It’s totally unacceptable that the residents of South Lakeland have not been properly consulted on this proposal.
After all, council tax payers in the area will have to fund the scheme, which is virtually identical to the one that was overwhelmingly rejected in 2011 over concerns around the costs and threat to wildlife.
We sympathise with the growing number of local people objecting to this scheme.
As landowners in the Lyth Valley, we could also be forced to pay for something that destroys wildlife.
Everyone in South Lakeland who cares about nature should write to the council, prior to its cabinet meeting on October 26, and ask them to reject this proposal.
We are committed to finding a win-win solution in the Lyth Valley where wildlife can thrive once again, within a farmed landscape.
Jeremy Sutton
RSPB Conservation Officer, North West England
* For more letters, see this week's The Westmorland Gazette
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