The latest edition of Peakland Guardian the journal of Friends of the Peak District (CPRE) has an article about the removal of overhead power cables which can leave a blight across the landscape. Apparently there is some money available for projects in the National Park. Friends of Blacka Moor are committed to press for the removal of the grossly obtrusive power cables that cross Blacka Moor at the earliest opportunity so we intend to make our case. It seems that some cables have already been put underground using the present funding in locations in the Peak District. Blacka's case is very strong, in fact I can't think of a stronger one. 
This is wild and semi wild landscape where human artifacts in the view obtrude far more than those places where the land is already much more obviously managed with fences and enclosures well established. There are many places from where you can look across Blacka Moor and see large tranches of natural vegetation and where evidence of man's interference is seen the materials used are natural. The impact of the power cables and their pernicious straight lines is a much more violent assault on the look of Blacka for this reason. It must take priority in any plans to use public money because of the uniqueness of Blacka's situation and history. Only this year, bizarrely at the height of the February snow, maintenance engineers arrived with a remit to cut down swathes of trees on Black for no other reason than that they might at some stage come into contact with the power cables. The result was a rape of the landscape with channels of treeless lanes created through the woods exposing the power lines shamelessly for all to see. In addition we have to put up with the debris being left around to remind us of the desecration and severed stumps everywhere. 
Could this be another case where a petition is called for ?
This is wild and semi wild landscape where human artifacts in the view obtrude far more than those places where the land is already much more obviously managed with fences and enclosures well established. There are many places from where you can look across Blacka Moor and see large tranches of natural vegetation and where evidence of man's interference is seen the materials used are natural. The impact of the power cables and their pernicious straight lines is a much more violent assault on the look of Blacka for this reason. It must take priority in any plans to use public money because of the uniqueness of Blacka's situation and history. Only this year, bizarrely at the height of the February snow, maintenance engineers arrived with a remit to cut down swathes of trees on Black for no other reason than that they might at some stage come into contact with the power cables. The result was a rape of the landscape with channels of treeless lanes created through the woods exposing the power lines shamelessly for all to see. In addition we have to put up with the debris being left around to remind us of the desecration and severed stumps everywhere. 
Could this be another case where a petition is called for ?
1 comment:
Take your point about the visual blight of power cables. There is however another interesting point about this savage clearance of trees. I've seen much evidence of this over the years under power lines when walking ancient woodland in the Bradford District, and it is always a dramatic sight to come across. But then I realised that just the same savagery goes on in nature conservation circles under the justification for mantaining open rides in woodland where butterflies and other woodland edge species are supposed to then flourish (wasn't this done at Wadsley and Loxley Commons?). However, in spite of the natural regeneration you would expect in the savaged woodland of these corridors, I have never noticed them to be astounding havens for incoming, open space species. More nonsense from the conservation industry - like the grazing on Blackamoor. I read the minutes of the RAG meeting in May. Unverifiable propaganda.
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