Spotted a couple of days ago on Chaz Mason’s excellent Clayhanger Marsh Log, and from a comment this morning by reader Tim, it seams the application to convert peaceful wildlife haven Ryders Mere into a commercial fishing venue has been withdrawn by owners, Parkhill Estates. Chaz is quite correct, this is not a time to rest on our laurels, I suspect modified or different plans may be in the pipeline. It is, however a relief: I have nothing against responsible anglers, but there are plenty of venues already existing for them locally and it would be nice to keep this place safe for the wildlife that thrives upon it.
Thanks to all concerned.
Chas had this to say:
This is great news and those who lodged an objection should be proud of themselves as it obviously had some influence and may have caused the applicants to pause and re-think their plans. But do not consider this to be a victory! It is merely a temporary cessation of hostilities as there will be other applications and it is not enough to oppose these because we don’t like change, we need to have a strong case and next time to be ready to fight any unsuitable applications rather than just be in a position to react when the danger arises.
The first step will be to get some formal protection for the site and this is what those who care should now be doing. A letter to your councilor copied to your MP will put the issue on a political agenda and may help to engage systems that we as simple residents may not be able to influence. I think that it is inevitable that some compromises will eventually have to be made but I stand by my opinion that developing a fishing site at Ryders Mere would adversely effect both our wintering birds and breeding birds and is a use that is essentially unnecessary given the large number of natural fishing facilities that are available in the local area.
Anyway, well done to all – Chaz
