If you haven't heard by now our planning permission refusal appeal was dismissed. As the title suggests we have reached the end of this particular journey. Thanks for all your support and kind words. We are very disappointed particularly after the Planning Inspector engaged with us in such a positive way. He even ate some of our salad crops, as featured in the previous blog, and suggested that 'we put corrugated iron on our roof and paint it black because the National Park like that'. We felt that we had a real chance of getting permission after his visit and we both said that we can't remember an instance where we have read someone so wrong. After all his positive comments I looked him in the eye and said 'who makes the decision'. He smiled and said 'I do'. After he left, we said that we thought that it could not have gone any better. It was more like taking two enthusiastic Permaculture students on a tour, which makes it all the more difficult to come to terms with the outcome. (A trainee planner from DNP was also present to ensure fair play.) Why was he talking details of the building when he was not going to permit it? It feels like he may have been over ridden.
In our Appeal Decision he doesn't mention global warming or carbon footprints and again treats us as subsistence farmers, as the National Park did. He also said that we wanted to be there because of our 'personal convictions'. It just so happens that our 'personal convictions' just happen to be government rhetoric! Maybe the PM needs to send a memo to the planners.
So what have we learnt?
Firstly, that plans,(the Dartmoor National Park Local Plan is riddled full of talk of sustainability, global significance and environmental concerns) mean absolutely nothing if it is not in policy. The DNP planners enforce policy. They do not create it. Likewise the Planning Inspectorate at appeal. Ultimately this policy has to come from the top. We are trying to identify the top down process and ,in fact, whether they talk to each other.
So what next. We have had a difficult week and have 'heavy hearts'. I have now recovered somewhat realizing that I was taking it too personally. We are apparently the most regulated country in Europe and no new world democracies have chosen our model for many years. This from the home of democracy! I have written to Gordon Brown and Hilary Benn but i am not optimistic. I am going to also find out if there is a Planning Inspectorate hierarchy so that I can speak to whoever pulls the strings. We have arranged a meeting with our local MP Geoffrey Cox(Conservative).
Its cold, so being in the field has lost its attraction at the moment although we still go every day to look after the animals. Funnily enough the DNP are coming to help plant trees in a couple of weeks with a party from Moretonhampstead Primary school.Good that they have somewhere to go.
Caught the Dysons marching onward at the Exeter tip. Notice the red one slightly to the fore. They used to do as our decision does! Notice also they are still full of shit!
I would like to thank everyone again for their letter writing, words of support and general humanness.
A final thought. Dealing with all this bureaucracy has made me realize that perhaps our democracy is now an over-complex, weighty, cumbersome, mechanical behomath. Like a supertanker(oh the irony) that has gained momentum, its going to be very difficult to slow it down or change directon, especially when bogus science seeded by invented American Foundations(funded by multi-nationals), have created doubt about global warming. Also we have no precident in history of what we now have to do to in order to combat the carbon emissions. The hard won advantage gained by most, achieved through the mechanising of humanity, has brought us to this place, and will be given up very reluctantly even though the potential future could herald the new dawn of civilisation. Wow!
