Friday 6 December 2013

Who Is Qualified and Capable?




The Eastern Moors Partnership has erected this abomination. Yet they are simply not qualified to do so. I have no hesitation in saying this. They do not have the capability.

When Capability Brown in the 18th century redesigned the grounds of large country homes he did so as an artist might. A lake here, a group of mature trees there, a folly or handsome bridge etc. It was all thoroughly artificial but it conformed to an idea of what looked good by aesthetic standards of the day. His designs have stood the test of time but they have no validity as models for what a natural landscape would look like. Nevertheless nobody could argue that he didn't know his job. He created the settings that people wanted for their houses and nobody argued that he was unqualified.

We now have people designing landscapes on an even grander scale on public land in the Peak District who have absolutely no qualifications in landscape design. Natural landscapes are of course a different thing  - they don’t get designed; they go nature’s way so don’t need professionals. But these managers are making decisions which should be taken by those who have a qualification or proven capability demonstrating artistic sensitivities. They may be quite knowledgeable about birds and vegetation though I sometimes wonder about that. They understand how to fill in forms to rake in farm grants and write management plans. But they have no expertise or artistic background that qualifies them to decide what looks good in the world of man made landscapes, no portfolios holding photos of previous projects, no references from satisfied customers. Yet they are going ahead, unquestioned it seems, in deciding that an extensive fence should be installed and that land on one side of the fence can be natural and eventually become woodland while that on the other side should be more or less impoverished by livestock grazing. 

On a major area of public landscape in a national park it must be quite something to be the one that decides just exactly where a severe highly visible straight line should go, a bit like being elected to the post of God.  And the fence is visible clearly whatever they say about 'uninterrupted views'* in the hope it will deflect comment. And if and when the trees grow that rigid line will not disappear; it will be a fixture in the hills with trees one side and none the other. So who gave them the idea that they were as qualified as Capability Brown? For this land is no less manufactured than the estates of the wealthy. It is totally artificial so the artist is the one who we would expect to decide.



Now I wouldn't be making these criticisms if they had decided to go for a more natural approach over the whole site. That would have meant they were abandoning human intervention and allowing natural forces to prevail. There would be no fences and no decisions made about what goes where.

* 
How they can claim that this maintains an 'uninterrupted view' heaven knows. But then I can't understand why anyone would want a view of this chunk of devastated over-exploited moorland. If you want something worth looking at go down the hillside to look over the woodland that has sprouted up on Blacka. But then that's not designed by managers (and don't they hate it for that).


Comments welcome

1 comment:

Deshima said...

So much for open access! A chainsaw and wire cutters is required to get rid of this rubbish.