All of us who watch Planet Earth and David Attenborough will be concerned about the sixth mass extinction of wildlife and the urgent need for nature recovery especially here in the UK and the southeast. For all of us who are nature and climate concerned, there is good news from Walmer and Deal town councils.
The minutes show that Walmer Town Council on 5th July 2023 declared an ecological emergency. The proposal with details of how policy could be implemented with a Local Nature Recovery Strategy was prepared by Green cllr Pete Findley (photo: on right), and item 146 was proposed and seconded by Cllrs Pete Findley and Mike Eddy.
On 31st Oct at Deal Town Council, a similar proposal was on the agenda, and an ecological emergency declaration, again initiated by Cllr Findley, was voted through by 5 Labour and 3 Green councillors thus 8 of the 12 councillors present at the Halloween meeting in Deal’s Council chamber.
Dover & Deal Green parliamentary spokesperson, Christine Oliver (Photo: on left) said, “It’s great to see colleagues picking up on the 2021 environment Act. Three endangered species that our Deal & Walmer community is taking steps to recover are swifts and the sussex emerald, and bright wave moths. Swift boxes are being constructed in Deal by a committed volunteer. They need to be installed high under eaves and a volunteer who is safe using ladders is being sought. Rare moths and other insects, will benefit if we protect our foreshores, and keep our green spaces pesticide-free. The draft DDC Green Infrastructure Strategy is out for consultation with the public until 14th Nov. The more of us who comment the better!”
See the DDC website for details; comments can be emailed to biodiversity@dover.gov.uk
Sarah Waite-Gleave, another of our 10 Green town councillors, said, “We Greens will also be urging the Planning Inspectorate to reduce fuel poverty this November by amending the DDC Local Plan, requiring new homes to be low or zero carbon to protect people now and in the future, from soaring fuel bills. The Local Plan should change to require roof-top photovoltaic on all new builds, and homes oriented to the sun in a way that make them cool in summer and warmer in winter. We’ll push for genuinely affordable homes, close to amenities so transport costs can be saved, on land unlikely to be flooded, on the retention of mature trees that sop up sudden extreme downpours, and shade us in heatwaves. We expect more extreme weather events like Storm Ciaran”.
