Post by Psamathe on Sept 26, 2020 11:01:31 GMT
Seen quite a few reports about one effect of Covid is people moving from towns and cities to live in rural
I live edge of a tiny village and I'm repeatedly shocked by the damage caused by those moving from towns/cities to their "rural dream". Often they just don't understand (or want to understand) the countryside and how their town lifestyle can cause such damage.
e.g. my neighbour moved to their "rural dream" several years ago (from their previous life spent in urban towns) and now we have outside lights left on all night (not "used" after 18:00, wasting power, CO2, damage to nocturnal species, etc.). Same neighbour created a pile of bush cuttings one summer; mid winter they restarted garden work and I asked then to not just set fire to it but start fire elsewhere and "dismantle" first as likely hedgehogs and other species hibernating/living in it ... but no, just pour on petrol and throw in a match. Some urban relocators have even installed yellow sodium outdoor lighting to illuminate the road.
In towns road-sweepers periodically travel the streets to clear up the rubbish yet in the countryside discarded beer/Red Bull cans, plastic bottles, etc. live in the grass verge and ditches for years.
My worry with C-19 causing larger exodus from urban to rural is that these and other issues will cause a lot more damage. And as more people move, so rural house prices will increase, so developers will see to build in more rural locations and with the planning system protections being discarded the damage could become quite long term. To quote Johnson about his new planning rules
(note: By “newt-counting” Johnson is nodding to the EU’s Habitats Directive, which sees countries under EU and UK law obliged to offer protection to the most regal of newts, the great crested newt.)
Ian
Escape to the country: how Covid is driving an exodus from Britain’s cities
(from (www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/26/escape-country-covid-exodus-britain-cities-pandemic-urban-green-space)
(from (www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/26/escape-country-covid-exodus-britain-cities-pandemic-urban-green-space)
e.g. my neighbour moved to their "rural dream" several years ago (from their previous life spent in urban towns) and now we have outside lights left on all night (not "used" after 18:00, wasting power, CO2, damage to nocturnal species, etc.). Same neighbour created a pile of bush cuttings one summer; mid winter they restarted garden work and I asked then to not just set fire to it but start fire elsewhere and "dismantle" first as likely hedgehogs and other species hibernating/living in it ... but no, just pour on petrol and throw in a match. Some urban relocators have even installed yellow sodium outdoor lighting to illuminate the road.
In towns road-sweepers periodically travel the streets to clear up the rubbish yet in the countryside discarded beer/Red Bull cans, plastic bottles, etc. live in the grass verge and ditches for years.
My worry with C-19 causing larger exodus from urban to rural is that these and other issues will cause a lot more damage. And as more people move, so rural house prices will increase, so developers will see to build in more rural locations and with the planning system protections being discarded the damage could become quite long term. To quote Johnson about his new planning rules
In his recent speech on job creation, Boris Johnson said: "Newt-counting delays are a massive drag on the prosperity of this country."
(from www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53276461)
(from www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53276461)
Ian
