Letter: Join campaign if you value heritage coast
Beverley Guardian | 26 January 2016 | www.beverleyguardian.co.uk
Beverley Guardian | 26 January 2016 | www.beverleyguardian.co.uk
A planning application for a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Visitor Centre at Kilnsea near Spurn Point, East Yorkshire has been submitted.
This would be funded by an almost £1m (£900,000) from EON which has built the Humber Gateway Wind Farm just off the coast.
Local people will get virtually nothing, despite this being a so-called ‘community fund’ to compensate them.
Petitions show almost total opposition from local people to this Visitor Centre.
The application is for a two-storey building, with a 23 metre mast (for Associated British Ports, which ABP confirm could be erected elsewhere), and for car parking for 77 cars.
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust also states its intention to attract double and ultimately treble the numbers of visitors coming to Kilnsea. Moreover because they accept that such numbers would have a damaging impact, they wish to redirect them away from Spurn gate (which they want to close even though a bridle path goes through it) over the field to the sea.
In order to ensure that visitors use the new Yorkshire Wildlife Trust paying car parks they want to introduce traffic control measures (what kind they do not say). There is a lot in the documents about ‘control’ and I fear that much that is good about the Spurn Heritage Coast will be lost if this business-driven initiative goes ahead. And to walk down Spurn now involves a seven mile walk.
Of course, we welcome visitors to Kilnsea and Spurn. We always have and always will. But the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust already has a Visitor Centre at the Blue Bell. If this is not good enough, there are alternative buildings which have been offered to them.
This proposed Visitor Centre will destroy fragile habitat.
A Facebook site – ‘No to the YWT Spurn Visitor Centre’ – and a website – wilgilsland.co.uk (the page called Keep Spurn Wild) – give further information.
Those of us who live near this beauty spot are aware that Spurn Point is much loved by people much further afield, which is why I am writing. Spurn and Kilnsea are part of the Spurn Heritage Coast and as such should be protected, not exploited.
Yorkshire has only two areas of Heritage Coast. Surely we should be preserving them in as natural a state as possible for future generations to enjoy?
If you value wildlife and conservation please oppose these plans. You have until February 9 to write giving your views and quoting the reference 15/03947, to beverleydc@eastriding.gov.uk or the Planning and Development Management Team, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Cross Street, Beverley, HU17 9BA.
Dr Jan Crowther
Kilnsea
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/01/26/letter-join-campaign-if-you-value-heritage-coast/