Seven objections to the LCPRE case
1. There’s not much wildlife at Roswell
One or two people have written letters to the papers arguing that there are no bitterns
or marsh harriers at Roswell and that the otters are really mink. But in fact these
and dozens of other exceptionally rare creatures are been reliably and repeatedly
sighted there over many years, by professional biologists as well as highly experienced amateur naturalists.
An amazing 201 bird species have been recorded for the area as a whole, and a preliminary
plant list runs to over 350 species. And while you have to be extraordinarily patient
(and lucky!) to see a bittern or an otter at Roswell (or indeed anywhere else),
marsh harriers, kingfishers and barn owls are almost daily sightings. |
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2. The new marina will simply be taking over old moorings
The developer has repeatedly claimed he doesn’t need planning permission for the
marina as he’ll be re-using old moorings. But in a written statement, Mr H.R. Halls,
who ran Roswell for the River Great Ouse Catchment Board (and its successors) from
1947 until 1988, attests that “pleasure boats have never been permitted in the Roswell
Pits” and while barges without motors were sometimes moored there, “no tugs, launches
or other mechanical equipment have been moored within the main pits”, because of
fears of pollution. |
3. The pits are new and manmade and therefore have little value for wildlife.
Like nearly all habitats in Britain, those at Roswell are manmade. But while the
newest pit (nearest the cathedral) was dug after the 1947 floods, the main pit dates
at least from the 1800s. Subsequent benign neglect meant that, in the face of increasing
habitat loss in the wider landscape (as wetlands were drained and farming became
more intensive), the wildlife value of the Roswell area steadily rose. Between them
Roswell Pits, the Beet Pits, and the water meadows along the Great Ouse now constitute
by far the most important wildlife sites for miles around. |
4. The Roswell area is an overlooked wasteland which should be put to good use.
Roswell may be a quiet backwater, but it’s one that’s hugely enjoyed by an enormous
number of local people. The
recent survey
commissioned by LCPRE found that the area receives around 90,000 visits each year
– more than double the number at Wicken Fen, and roughly the same as Ely Cathedral.
People visit Roswell to walk, sail, fish, watch birds – or simply to unwind. And
of those visitors, 79% oppose or strongly oppose plans for a marina; only 2% think
it would increase their enjoyment of the site. |
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5. A new marina will be good for Ely’s economy.
A new marina at Roswell will presumably bring some income and a few jobs to the
area. But economists now realise that economic calculations should include much
more besides simple cash flows. In the case of Roswell, building a marina carries
many hidden costs, which will probably make the people of Ely as a whole worse off:
they will lose a place where they can walk and relax (so physical and mental health
will be hit); the carbon footprint of the city will increase, through holidaymakers
driving to the marina, and locals getting in cars to find nature elsewhere; and
with the loss of scarce amenities and precious views, property values will probably
suffer. While a handful of individuals stand to make a lot of money from a marina, the community
as a whole will pay the price. |
6. Ely needs more moorings.
There is a clear demand for more moorings in the Ely area, and LCPRE is certainly
not opposed to boating or marinas in general – provided they are in the right place.
However, it is worth noting that Cambridgeshire already has roughly twice as many
marinas as other English counties (yet less than half the area of nature reserves),
that the Core Strategy Responses to the Local Development Framework include a proposal
for the expansion of another
marina nearby,
and that on p.108 of its Local Development Plan, ECDC itself writes “there may already
be (over-) capacity problems, particularly when account is taken of the requirements
of other users such as anglers and rowers”. |
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7. The wildlife won’t mind.
A few species clearly thrive around people. Walk by the main marina in Ely and you’ll
see plenty of mallards, muscovy ducks, Canada geese and gulls. But many, far rarer
creatures are much more sensitive, and are utterly reliant on the lack of disturbance
that places like Roswell offer. Some of these – like kingfishers and great-crested
grebes – range further afield, to the delight of people on passing boats. But if
their breeding and quiet feeding areas are turned into the aquatic equivalent of
caravan sites, such delights will become a thing of the past.
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