AS ROWAN Atkinson might tell you, the extent to which the natural environment is protected by law is no laughing matter.
The comedian was half way through building an architect-designed glass and steel home in the Oxfordshire countryside when a rare species of worm was discovered. The discovery of up to 30 of the 12-inch long slow worms meant work had to stop on what was undoubtedly a multi-million pound project.
Given that level of intervention on behalf of a small number of worms, how much more trouble is Peel Ports going to have when it seeks to convert the Seaforth Nature Reserve to port-related uses, such as parking containers.
As a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the rules are pretty onerous. Peel will have to show that there is a very strong public interest case for the site to be converted to a new use that will effectively destroy the habitat of thousands of wintering wading birds, sea birds and breeding terns. Indeed, it is said to be one of the most important coastal habitats for birds in the country.
So what can Peel say to overturn the SSSI status?
Without doubt, the plan to convert the nature reserve to dock use is in Peel’s interests. The site would be used to support the planned £200m in-river post- Panamax terminal that could handle the world’s biggest container ships. If Peel’s River Mersey operations are to compete with its rivals on the Humber, Thames and the Solent, it will need these new facilities.
The new in-river quayside would also serve the interests of the wider Merseyside economy. Port related business accounts for tens of thousands of local jobs.
But is it in the national interest to convert this SSSI into industrial use? No doubt pressure groups will argue not, pointing out that the world’s biggest container vessels are already served by facilities elsewhere in Britain.
It has surprised me to discover the importance of this muddy coastal stretch to Britain’s bird life. Wedged between Seaforth Dock and the densely populated suburb of Waterloo, the nature reserve is not located on what might seem to the lay observer as a promising site. It’s not exactly a classic area of outstanding natural beauty, but apparently the Mersey mud is ideally suited to the birdlife.
Peel’s challenge could be made tougher by the publication yesterday of a new, government White Paper, The Natural Choice. It is the first White Paper about the natural environment in 20 years, and it is directly linked to research in the National Ecosystem Assessment published last week that argued there are strong economic reasons to protect and enhance the natural environment.
It will be very interesting indeed to see who wins out in the end – the dockers or the birds. Perhaps Peel will need to take a leaf out of the book of Mr Atkinson’s Blackadder alter-ego and come up with a cunning plan.
IT’S hard to know what to make of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) latest assessment of the UK economy.
On the one hand, Chancellor George Osborne was delighted to trumpet the IMF’s continuing support for his recovery plan, but, on the other hand, it downgraded its forecast for economic growth in Britain.
The IMF’s decision to downgrade its forecast appears justified by a couple of statistics published yesterday that showed declining retail sales and house prices.
In the light of these figures, the recovery still seems too precarious.
