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YateleyCommonMoratorium

Page history last edited by PBworks 17 years ago

What are the consequences of the Yateley Common's status as an SPA?

It has taken 25 years since the EU Wild Birds Directive was first published in 1979 for the SPA designation to become final. If Yateley Common's European importance has snuck up on you, you are in good company. The consequences of the SPA appear to have been a big surprise to planners, and the general public alike. There is currently (early 2007) a virtual moratorium on new house-building across the 11 planning authorities, and if you live within 400 metres of an SPA boundary you are unlikely to get planning permission to add a single bedroom to your house, let alone build a new estate to contribute to the 20,000 houses the government says we need to build in this area. This is currently being argued out in the Examination in Public (EIP) for the SE Regional Plan.

 

There are also large fines for anyone caught deliberately damaging the habitats of a European Site. The law may not only apply to the nesting sites of the protected rare birds, but may also apply to the many other rare species listed in the Habitats Directive and native to the lowland heath habitat. The fines might even apply to anyone damaging the habitats of the many 'red book' species to be found on the common. I am unclear as to what actions might result in a fine since there are no notices or by-laws on the site providing the necessary guidance.

 

The European Union appears to be unsatisfied by the way the EU Directives are translated into national laws. The Commission has very recently announced that they are issuing a draft directive on green crimes. Anyone guilty of the list of European criminal offences listed might be subjected to a jail sentence of anything from one year to ten years in the severest cases.

 

 

 

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