Sigh from the landowning "gentry"

[concealedidentity]

This has been the summer of trouble for me, and it is doing my head in. One issue after the other.

We own some land here and there, and it seems there are disputes everywhere.
I have been negotiating, with my legal advisor about the rights for a powerplant to utilize some waterfalls we own, and it seems even my lawyer is taken in by the profits, which to me seems pretty meagre. The power company has not been able to come up with real figures relating to the budgeted spend on development, nor on the estimated power outlet from the waterfalls. The other landowners are not convinced either, but for other reasons. Frankly, while I do recognise power is necessary, and this is a very ecological power, I cannot get my head around all the species of animals and plants which will have their habitat ruined. How can I foresee the ecological impact on development in a hitherto untouched area?

Just today I started reading through some planning documents regards to other land we own, and realize the new area regulation planned will include a road through another fragile piece of nature, 30 new leisure settlements are planned, and a river may potentially be ruined. I have spent this evening penning a letter of objection to the planning department, as the deadline for objections is tomorrow. I had read through it before, but did not realize the implicatinos until today when I went out for a closer look and got talking to another landowner.

Not really expcting advise. Just needed to offload. Thanks for letting me share.

I do sympathise. There are some bats nesting in the roof of one of my palaces and I'm torn as to whether I should go ahead with the helipad or not. Don't even get me started on the newts in my oilfield.

You need to get yourself an environmental engineer. They will walk ahead of the bulldozers and move any creatures out of harms way.

I can see this is an intolerable burden and I hate to see a fellow Mnetter in distressm so ...

I will happily shoulder the burden. No, don't thank me. I don't need thanks. I'll even pay for the conveyancing fees.

You need to employ someone like this

Oh to own waterfalls!

Joking apart I had this ludicrous idea when I was at university, which has never quite gone away over the intervening 20 years, of creating a wood.

I sort of think it might go something like this

• buy some agricultural land which could never be developed and would therefore not be expensive yet is accessible from a road

• plant some trees. nice ones

• do a bit of pruning or lopping or something every now and again

Does this even begin to be possible? You strike me as someone who would know

here are some woods for sale Quattro

Bargain at £15000

"realize"

pendants will follow with more advise

OMG it is possible, amd people do it! How amazing, thanks you

You own them, don't let them near your waterfalls. I bloody well wouldn't.

That's completely fabulous - I never knew people could do that - wowee - thanks thanks thanks xx

well that's better than spending a windfall on a car, or holiday. lovely site.

i'm so excited, it's just fabulous, you can make a wood or you can buy one ready made. I want to make a wood - how utterly fabulous - I am running out of superlatives - just wait til I tell DH.

LOOK-you can even put in a woodland toilet!

Sorry for thread hijack by the way

Are you putting it on your Xmas list? Will you dh have enough time to save up?

I'd have rope swing and look they have made a tree house
now I want a woodland too

Do you think we could have a MN woodland?

What like all put a quid in?

Gosh this is exciting. A wood. I'm going for mixed deciduous. It'll have to be combined christmas and birthday I think. Wow.

Oh MN Woodland as well - good idea - don't know how many members MN has but £1 each would do it, wouldn't it ...

i've thought of these before too, would be lovely for picnics and walking the dogs, letting the kids run riot. playing loud music.

Well I am glad something good came out of my thread. Imagine, Quattro to make her own wood!

have you seen this link?

My plan needs sharpening up. It goes like this.

• buy a chunk of agricultural land
• go and find some tree people (arboriculturalists and the forestry commission will help, apparently) and find out what will plant well
• think about whether we could have water
• plant lots of bluebells
• put up rubbish bins for people to leave their rubbish
• wait 20 years

I haven't taken it any further yet but I am hoping to get this off the ground at some point

If you buy agricultural use in order to plant trees and make it a "leisure facility" you will need planning consent for change of use. Sounds lovely though - will you let fellow MNers picnic on it? Can we do some (very middle-class - no caravans/no quad-biking) camping on it?