The Calm Before The Storm - Beautiful Post Christmas Weather for Walking

Blue skies, a bit of frost and lots of birds describes the long walk between Naunton Beauchamp and North Piddle today. 

Most of these photos were taken about half-way between the two villages by a tree that had beautiful low sunlight and the kind of light that you only see around the Winter Solstice. Warm and soft it makes the birds glow (but only if they happen to not be in shadow which they have a habit of doing of course especially if you have a camera in your hand). 

It's about 750m away from the proposed site of the Chicken Broiler Units at Upton Snodsbury. If the proposed application is successful (it's currently with the Planning Inspectorate at Appeal) it can only be imagined what impact the smell of manure and the change to the water clarity of Piddle Brook will have on the otters, birdlife and plantlife that at the moment sustains a wonderful ecosystem.  All that could be lost....in the meantime, I keep taking photos and making the most of what we have right now. 

There's a few birds in there but well-hidden!

A flock of...? Possibly Chaffinch

Buzzard sitting in a hedge (located about 650m from site of proposed Chicken Broiler Units at Upton Snodsbury)

Close-up of Buzzard sitting in a hedge (located about 650m from site of proposed Chicken Broiler Units at Upton Snodsbury)

Buzzard takes off from hedge (located about 650m from site of proposed Chicken Broiler Units at Upton Snodsbury)

Warbler or ? 

Warbler or ? 

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?  Perfect day for a flight.

Chaffinch coming into land

Chaffinch

Chaffinch

Blue Tit

Not sure what this is

Blue tit

Blue Tit

Treecreeper

No Christmas would be complete without one of these 

Treecreeper 

Treecreeper in the tree - they are very small

Checking what this is too...

Naunton Beauchamp Church - St Bartholomew's

Sparrow

For more information on the proposed chicken broiler units at Upton Snodbury visit www.no-chicken-farm.org

Flooding from Piddle Brook downstream of Upton Snodsbury Chicken Farm

One of the major reasons for Wychavon District Council to refuse planning permission for Chicken Broiler Units by Edward Davies of Presteigne at Upton Snodsbury in October 2013 was because of the dangers of flooding and the pollution of Piddle Brook.

Residents of the areasurrounding Upton Snodsbury, North Piddle, Naunton Beauchamp, Cowsden, Flyford Flavell and Grafton Flyford who are more familiar with the problems than Mr Edward Davies of Presteigne Wales who has made the application, have written in to the Planning Inspector with whom the decision rests as to whether to Dismiss the Appeal or not. We expect the decision to be made by March or April 2014. Let us hope that the Inspector upholds the original decision so that the residents of the area can move on from the worry of having inappropriate and life-changing planning applications made by those who have little care for the impact it will have on the environment.

Naunton Beauchamp bridge over Piddle Brook

Piddle Brook overwhelmed by the flood water running under Naunton Beauchamp bridge

Piddle Brook Meadows Nature Reserve

Meadows behind Naunton Court

Entrance into Piddle Brook Meadows Nature Reserve 

Piddle Brook Nature Reserve

Road into Naunton Beachamp from B4082

Public Footpath into field behind Naunton Court

Underneath Naunton Beauchamp bridge

Church View Farm field

Piddle Brook overwhelmed by floodwater looking towards chicken farm site

Footpath alongside Piddle Brook

View towards Naunton Beauchamp Church from footpath 

These photos were taken in the past week (Christmas 2013). The flooding is typical of what occurs on a regular basis after heavy rain.  The Environment Agency shows it as up to 1 in 75 year flooding on the maps. Our experience is that flooding at this level occurred at least 4 times in 2013. It has been much much worse than this but when that happens it is almost impossible to get photos as Naunton Beauchamp is cut off and other than by tractor it is not possible to leave the village!

If the Chicken Broiler Units are built it is likely that the detritus of the chicken farm will pollute Piddle Brook as the units are only 160m from Piddle Brook right on the edge of the Flood Zone.

It floods - this high!

For some time I've been meaning to get a picture of the hay bale in the tree by the side of Piddle Brook just below Naunton Court. It's been there for several years but it does give you an idea of how the flood waters go - it got stuck and hasn't moved since!

Hay Bale in tree alongside Piddle Brook

It gives some idea of the level of flooding in the field. It is probably a good 2 metres high in the tree above the level of the bank of Piddle Brook. The Piddle normally flows quite a bit below the bank - it's high today because of the rain we've had in the past 24 hours.

The other photo below is of the drain that flows from Naunton Beauchamp into the Piddle Brook at the bridge. It has a cover on it to prevent backflows into the village but it also means that when Piddle Brook is flooded - only a bit more than it is today which is not that significant a level, none of the water from the village can get into Piddle Brook because it shuts off. This is what makes Naunton Beauchamp flood in areas which are distant from the brook. 

Shades of Autumn

It's the beautiful time of year when the colours are changing and the misty starts signify the cooling from the warmer weather that we've been used to this year. Sudden bursts of rain, the intensity of which seems so different from what rain used to be like! Thankfully by using Will It Rain Today website I can dodge the showers! 

Here are some photos from today's walks along Piddle Brook - towards North Piddle and this afternoon on Seaford Land to the picnic site at Piddle Brook Ford.

Sloe Gin Ingredients!

Goldfinches and a Blue Tit

Goldfinches

Gun Fight at the NB Coral

Crab apples

Not a Sloe, Not a Damson...it's a Bullace!

Crataegus otherwise known as Hawthorn

Blue Tits - lots of them but only managed to get one on camera

Quinces

Late season Dandelions

A robin looking slightly unreal

After the rain had gone

Towards the Seaford Lane Picnic Site

Reprieve for Piddle Brook - Planning Committee Voted 14 Nil to Reject Application

The Chicken Broiler Farm Application by Edward Davies was unanimously Rejected by the Wychavon Planning Committee 14 votes to 0.  The excellent news was greeted by cheers and clapping from a packed chamber.

Mr Pick of Ian Pick Associates and Mr Davies left by the fire exit as soon as the result was announced. One could describe it as a chicken run....!

However, Mr Pick made it quite clear that they would be lodging an appeal and that is what they did as soon as the refusal notice was issued. The full Refusal notice can be read here.  

It will be a Written Representation. This is interesting as this is supposed to be where the case is not contentious. Most of those involved would say this case was.

Here are some of the comments from local newspapers.

The Daily Telegraph also featured an article this week on Planning Applications and Chicken Farms. Presumably the Poultry Council's PR department has been on the case since this was rejected. If only they could distinguish between a Planning Application which was in a reasonable in an appropriate location and this one which wasn't.

Prior to the Meeting - Worcester News - http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/archive/2013/10/11/10729439.Protesters_mass_to_fight____terrible____chicken_farm/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/agriculture/10375738/Britain-is-running-out-of-space-to-farm-chickens-warns-poultry-industry.html

This was our response to the Editor:

"Sir,

‘Britain is running out of space to farm chickens, warns poultry industry’- The Telegraph, Monday 14 October.

We have recently helped represent our local community in successfully persuading the local planning authority to reject a proposal for a new 80,000 meat-chicken unit in open countryside in rural Worcestershire.

Farmers currently enjoy a more favourable planning environment than any other business sector, so if they fail to achieve success in planning applications it could be that an inappropriate location has been chosen and that there are good planning reasons for rejection.

We accept there is a debate to be had about the location of industrial scale poultry units, but if sites are proposed that are contrary to local policies on landscape impact, risk of pollution to sensitive watercourses and risk to the livelihoods of existing tourism businesses nearby, then it is only right that they fail. In our case, not a single local farmer was in favour of the proposal and the Planning Committee, which also includes a number of active farmers, rejected the application unanimously.

It is not a question of needing to speed up the planning process, or that we do not have enough suitable locations. The challenge for the poultry industry is to find those suitable sites, rather than selecting ones that are inherently unsuitable and then be disappointed that planning permission is not granted."


Finally, here are some photos taken from Seaford Lane looking towards Throckmorton where the feed storage units for the chicken broiler units stand out quite significantly against the landscape. We seriously hope that this is not the view in the opposite view toward Upton Snodsbury in a few years time if this appeal is won by the applicant.

Crane Flies - To Live and Die

Better known in the UK as Daddy Long Legs, Crane Flies are everywhere at the moment - providing some swallows with the opportunity for hunting and demonstrating impressive aerial acrobatics. 

Crane flies only live for a short time - maybe up to two weeks. Their main purpose is to mate and then die.  

The swallows are gathering in large flocks of 60-70 in the fields close to Piddle Brook. In the late summer sunlight last weekend there were at least that number on adjacent telephone and power lines swooping down and demonstrating an effortlessness of flight that was impressive. With so many targets maybe it was easy. 

For the swallows this is a pretty critical time for storing energy prior to migrating later this month and October. http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/swallow/migration.aspx

Aside from the crane flies and swallows which due to bad light and speed are pretty hard to capture, here are a few of the latest pictures from the Piddle Brook area. 

This Buzzard took off from a tree close by and I just managed to get this shot in before it disappeared. From the Footpath alongside Piddle Brook between Naunton Beauchamp and North Piddle. 

Buzzard 

View towards Upton Snodsbury and the site of the proposed Chicken Farm

Upton Snodsbury Church from Piddle Brook

The sloes are particularly good this year. They only grow on the old wood of the blackthorn bushes which are abundant in the hedgerows around this part of Worcestershire.

Nearly time to make some Sloe Gin!

Traditional Worcestershire Cowboy and Log Cabin with the Malvern Hills in the background

Light shining above Naunton Beauchamp