Here We Go Again...

No stone unturned: Vineyard Farms' enhancement of Barrow Hill...

Pretty much as expected, Vineyard Farms have finally lodged their formal appeal against Medway Council’s planning committee’s decision to reject their grandiose plans for a vainglorious £30m tourist centre, to be built on one of Medway’s last bits of green belt land and the “area of outstanding natural beauty” that is Bush Valley in Cuxton. They are seeking a 10-day full public inquiry, which will be held within the next three months.  (Update: now scheduled for March 19th 2023)

Naturally, they left their appeal as late as possible, presumably in the hope that everyone had forgotten about it all. We haven’t. 

Since the planning meeting that knocked back the ambitions of billionaire tax-exile Mark Dixon (owner of Vineyard Farms), Vineyard Farms have been busy dumping ugly heaps of spoil along field boundaries across the lower end of Bush Valley and on top of Barrow Hill, where their billionaire’s version of Tracy Island is to be built. 

Numerous warning signs have also sprouted up everywhere, proudly proclaiming their ownership of the land and brusquely reminding people to stick to the very few public footpaths that cross the 1200 or so acres that form their new and bizarrely-named “Silverhand Estate”.

(They seem to have given up on the "Kentish Wine Vault" name since the protestors rather cheekily managed to claim the .com address as their own...)

"The Future Is Sparkling": for Vineyard Farms, maybe, but for the rest of us...?

They have even employed one or two burly, surly “wardens” to roar around their fiefdom in 4x4s in order to accost anyone walking on the farm tracks and demand that they “get orf our larnd”. As a result, much of the beautiful woodland and farmland around Upper Bush and Luddesdown are now sadly off-limits, at least to anyone who wants to avoid a confrontation with a zealous VF employee. 

It all comes across as rather prickly and hostile, and hardly endears them to the local community of Cuxton. 

Local residents have made it clear that they don’t want a football stadium-sized tourist venue in Bush valley, with the inevitable adverse impact upon the quality of life for the people who live in the area. I know that most Cuxton folk want the vineyard to succeed, and would willingly help Vineyard Farms with that, if only they would talk to people and back off a bit. The vineyard bosses could be a welcome part of the local community - if they so chose. 

But they don't care. And neither, it seems, do Medway Council.

As I noted in a previous update, in their formal rejection of the Vineyard Farms plans, Medway Council once more rolled the dice in VF’s favour. Their stated reasons given for rejection were:

“The scale and nature of the proposed development would result in a significant increase in additional activity within the Bush Valley, which would constitute a severe adverse impact and a direct loss of the currently undeveloped tranquillity and wildness of the AONB. It would also lead to the erosion of the rural character and uniqueness of the community of the Upper Bush Conservation Area and the wider Parish of Cuxton, contrary to Policies BNE12, BNE14, and BNE32 of the Medway Local Plan 2003 and paragraphs 177, 197 and 201 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2021…”

No mention whatsoever of the protection of Green Belt land. No mention of the impact of traffic upon Cuxton and Bush Road. Both were heavily debated at the planning meeting, and yet neither argument made it as a formal reason for refusal of planning permission. I went to check the video of the planning meeting, but it seems that Medway Council have since removed public access to it…

By omitting any reference to the most powerful case against VF plans, they have strengthened VF’s hand and severely weakened that of the objectors.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) guidelines with respect to the green belt are quite clear: 

148. When considering any planning application, local planning authorities should ensure that substantial weight is given to any harm to the Green Belt. ‘Very special circumstances’ will not exist unless the potential harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm resulting from the proposal, is clearly outweighed by other considerations.

“149: A local planning authority should regard the construction of new buildings as inappropriate in the Green Belt…” 

"Just a £30m farm building, honest guv'nor, like wot you'd get on any other farm..."

The case for rejection of VF's scheme when assessed against the Green Belt protections offered by NPPF guidelines is incontrovertible. This development offers nothing by way of "very special circumstances". By omitting any reference to the NPPF green belt clauses, Medway Council have  ensured that the debate will only be framed around the much weaker AONB and archaeological heritage and conservation area aspects. 

Thanks to the wording of the Council's formal rejection notice, the debate will not encompass the most compelling reasons for upholding the decision of the planning committee to reject the VF proposals.

Mark Dixon, owner of Vineyard Farms Ltd...

Both Vineyard Farms and Medway Council will undoubtedly be engaging highly-paid briefs to argue their respective cases at the public inquiry. That's something the "grass roots" opponents of the plans simply cannot afford to do, especially given the 10-day duration of the inquiry. Both Vineyard Farms and Medway Council can afford the undoubtedly huge legal costs that the inquiry will generate. 

But to local opponents of the VF plans, who lack the infinite financial resources available to its proponents, the threat of having costs awarded against them will discourage any attempt by them to get the green belt protection and traffic issues debated at the public inquiry. 

Like we thought all along, money talks. 

In fact, it shouts.

So loudly, that no other voices can be heard.

Given the £30m price tag of the proposed development, the planning inspectorate will almost certainly refer the final decision to the Secretary of State for such things. Up until a few months ago, that office was held by the relatively sane and sensible Michael Gove. He was certainly no fan of Lord Foster’s glass and concrete creations and would have most likely given an objective review of his planning inspector’s recommendations. 

New Secretary of State for Planning, Simon Clarke, with obligatory Union Jacks...

Alas, we are now in the days of a Liz Truss-led Tory administration, where “sane and sensible” pretty much bars you from public office. The office of Secretary of State for planning is now held by Truss cheerleader, Simon Clarke. Mr Clarke was a strong proponent of the Brexit pressure group “Leave Means Leave” and regards green belt AONB land as ripe for development. He has stated that he wants to increase house-building and “take on the curse of Nimbyism”. Indeed, his department has just announced plans to effectively remove environmental protections from areas such as national parks and AONBs in order to establish "development zones". Developers are certainly licking their chops in anticipation of what they expect Mr. Clarke to deliver for them. 

Sounds like just the man Vineyard Farms need to get them what their non-dom owner wants. Those NIMBY Cuxton villagers shouldn’t be allowed to stand in the way of progress, after all... 

I fear the worst. But then, I think the worst has pretty much happened already...

Wouldham Ploughing Match...

Today I took a stroll over the river, to take a look around the local country fayre and ploughing match that was being held at Ringshill Farm in Wouldham. The event is an annual one but does the rounds in Kent, and it has been a while (2012, I think) since it was last held locally...

View of Ringshill Farm from the Cuxton side...

Comma...

Towards Cuxton from the Wouldham river path

St. Michaels Church, as seen from Wouldham river side

Bores Hole and North Halling from Wouldham...

The abandoned Rugby Cement works...

Mute Swan...

The Medway Bridge and Cuxton Marina...

St Michaels at Cuxton...

Steam traction engine at Ringshill Farm...

Tow plough...

Engine and tow plough, with Cuxton in the background...

Bores Hole and North Halling from Ringshill Farm...

Caterpillar Tractor...

Ringshill Farm...

Gymkhana...

View towards Cuxton from Shoulder of Mutton Shaw...

View across the river...

I find myself increasingly drawn to the Wouldham area as a relaxing place to walk. The Cuxton and Halling countryside is rapidly becoming inaccessible: what hasn't being bought up and spoiled by a billionaire non-dom and truculently policed by his surly minions is being covered in fencing or barbed wire or otherwise plagued by hordes of idiot dog-walkers who cannot control their stupid mutts. 

The eastern side of the river is still mercifully free from such things at the moment.

Around the Silverhand Estate...

It seems that we will just have to get used to a large chunk of the parishes of Halling, Cuxton and Luddesdown being unilaterally renamed by a bunch of tax-exile billionaire-funded Johnny-Come-Lately arrivistes (a.k.a. Vineyard Farms/MDCV Ltd). As I have said elsewhere, the "Silverhand" moniker appears to have absolutely nothing to do with our area (or its history) and instead seems to have been dreamt up by some computer game-obsessed marketing wonk. 

Anyway, I'd thought I'd take a little walk over to the Silverhand estate again, just to see if there was anything much in the way of grapes growing on the fledgling vines. The hot dry summer is apparently giving rise to a bumper grape harvest, even if it is killing everything else...

Wingate Wood...

Stonyfield Wood - fence prepping...

"Coppicing" in Stonyfield Wood...

The woods around Stonyfield still reverberate to the noise of chainsaws, work which has been going on since at least April this year. These woodlands form part of the Silverhand estate and are therefore at the tender mercies of Vineyard Farms. It is SSSI woodland, but that status doesn't prevent trees from being felled. 

As far as I can tell from the Forestry Commission database, these activities are apparently covered by a Woodland Grant Scheme, which applies to much of the woodlands under the ownership of Vineyard Farms (though the licence - transferrable - was granted to the original cement company landowners, CeMex in 2013). The licence permits coppicing and thinning (which is long overdue in many areas, to be honest) and is valid until August 2023...

Hornbeam, Bushy Wood...

Fortunately, Vineyard Farms have yet to get around to cutting down any trees in Bushy Wood. By no stretch of the imagination would the felling of the old historic Cuxton parish boundary marker tree (above) count as "coppicing or thinning", so barring an act of illegal spitefulness, it should be safe...

Dates on the parish boundary marker tree, going back to 1966...

It will be interesting to see if Vineyard Farms will grant permission to allow access to their land for this coming October's iteration of the ancient tradition of "beating the bounds" (the organisers will ask, I'm sure). I can't see VF refusing, somehow. It would be rather bad publicity if they did... 

Ray and Eiley Bassett memorial bench, Wrenches Shaw...

The memorial bench overlooking Luddesdown valley from Wrenches Shaw looks as if it could do with a bit of TLC but it is still sound. Ray Bassett started the Luddesdown Rights of Way Walking Group and was a great champion of walking access. I wonder what he would have made of the "Silverhand estate"...?

Vineyard views from the memorial bench...

Across the valley toward Cobham...

View towards Round Wood across Bowling Alley

Watching the watcher...

Walking down the NS214 footpath towards Buckland Road, I stopped to photograph the few wild flowers that were on show, and took a few scenic shots. I was idly wondering when a Vineyard Farm "warden" would turn up to keep an eye on me when suddenly, as if by magic, one appeared, thundering along inside the field edge with Buckland Road in a white pick-up truck, newly-emblazoned with the Silverhand Estate logo. I stood still for a few minutes, watching him watching me. He soon got bored with that and drove off in a cloud of dust. Doubtless he had some other harmless walkers to keep an eye on...

Chicory...

Prickly Sowthistle...

A few scrubby wildflowers had managed to survive both the drought and the vineyard's scorched-earth land management, giving a touch of colour to the otherwise dull monoculture of vines...

Vineyard view towards Meadow View House...

The vines nearest Vineyard Farms' headquarters at Court Lodge are the oldest, most sheltered and best established of the vines to date. It was here that I took a look at what was likely to be the best of this year's crop.... 

Some of this year's grapes...

 

Despite the drought, only one or two of  the vines had succumbed and most looked to be flourishing in the summer heat, a testament to their deep roots. Even in this area, the vines didn't seem to be exactly overburdened with fruit, but the grapes that were there seemed to be in good-sized bunches and looked pretty healthy. In other areas of the estate further up the hill, there were very few grapes and the vines nowhere near as well-developed. 

Perhaps it is still early days in terms of good yields. Wine grapes are much smaller, thicker-skinned and sweeter than "eating" grapes and these looked pretty typical compared to others I have seen in commercial UK vineyards elsewhere. Whether there will be enough of them to yield much in the way of home-grown wine from this year's crop alone from the Silverhand estate or not, I don't know. It still seems a far cry from all the fanfare back in early 2019...

Small Copper...

Fly-tipped chalk and concrete, Cutter Ridge Road...

Huge piles of spoil are accumulating on the edge of the field between Luddesdown Road and Buckland Road, at the western end of the footpath that links the two. It has been reported, so I'm told...

"Downs Watch" - by the chalk spoil pile...

Sunflowers, Warren Road...

In Red Wood Field opposite what used to be the old gamekeeper's cottage (Warren House, formerly the Abbeymount Kennels) a bumper crop of Sunflowers has suddenly bloomed. Presumably these were sown by Vineyard Farms. They certainly make for a spectacular view.

Somewhat battered Common Blue...

Bush Farm earthworks...

The ground to the rear of Bush Farm is being carved out, presumably by Vineyard Farms, with the spoil simply being dumped in ugly piles on adjacent fields. Perhaps they are practising for when Barrow Hill gets hollowed out...

Dumped spoil, Peckway...

Bank of dumped spoil, southern edge of Peckway...

Restored boast post...

It would be quite wrong to think that Vineyard Farms care little for the appearance of their property, however. The boast post at the junction of the Both Downs Way with Bush Road had been vandalised, with the original poster ripped off. This has now been restored.

I hope it will be left alone, as it tells you much about our new baronial land-owners...

Barbed Wire at Brockles...

It is sad to relate that Brockles field in Cuxton, high on the hillside overlooking Bush Valley, has now been disfigured by hideously ugly galvanised steel gates and barbed wire fencing. 

It seems (from their Facebook page) that this project was supported by "Old Chalk New Downs", a lottery-funded group whose brief is to address "the loss of people’s connection with their natural environment and lack of knowledge and understanding of the value of their heritage through a variety of schemes"...

OCND: fencing off the countryside for YOU...

From what I can work out, it seems OCND think that the way to get people "connected with their natural environment" is to help landowners fence off or screen off as much of it as they can. A look at their annual reports for the past few years shows they have been involved with several North Kent land enclosure projects, one that will undoubtedly preserve chalkland habitat by preventing people with a "lack of knowledge and understanding of the value of their heritage" from getting anywhere near it.

It is perhaps no surprise that they have also been working with Vineyard "Get Orf Our Larnd" Farms, providing lottery funding to facilitate the planting of hedgerow screens on a private estate owned by a billionaire tax exile. 

Quite how VF/MDCV's winery plans (which at present include excavating 160,000-odd cubic meters of chalk for their winery and then burying Bush Valley under the spoil - plans which were rejected by Medway Council's Planning Committee) fit in with OCND's objective to "improve, restore, and reconnect threatened chalk grassland habitats" is a bit of a puzzle, of course. 

Perhaps VF's ongoing practice of dumping piles of ugly spoil along the edges of fields (see examples here and here) is also part of the master plan to "improve, restore, and reconnect threatened chalk grassland habitats"... 

I originally thought that this particular enclosure project had been undertaken to try and protect the cattle that sometimes graze up there from harassment by out-of-control dogs, whose owners have done so much to make any walk around Ranscombe Reserve an occasionally miserable, stressful and sometimes painful activity these days, at least in my experience.

I used to enjoy carefully picking my way through the Brockles grassland in early summer, looking for unusual wildflowers such as broomrape and Bee Orchids, or trying to photograph the Marbled Whites, Common Blue and Small Heath butterflies that abound up there. That small pleasure has now been obstructed, but then I would probably be considered by the doubtlessly highly-qualified folk of bodies such as OCND to have a "lack of knowledge and understanding of the value of our heritage" and so would not be not deemed worthy to access such places anyway.

It seems it's all "theirs" now, not ours...

Views of what Brockles used to look like before it got cordoned off like a mine field can be found here.

Now that the "Silverhand Estate" across Bush Valley and Luddesdown has become a virtual no-go area, we are becoming increasingly short of places to go for a hassle-free walk: step off the public footpaths up there in careful pursuit of a butterfly, wildflower or a better view, and a "warden" in a 4x4 will soon descend upon you and demand that you "get orf their larnd" immediately. I think they must spend all day scanning the horizon through binoculars, looking for "trespassers". You certainly feel like you are being watched.

There is the argument that people like me are part of the problem, of course, and that our harmless observations actually damage wildlife and crops blah blah. Really? 

That is just so much "gaslighting", of course... 

To me, that argument just sounds likes an excuse to shut the countryside down for the benefit of private landowners, aided and abetted by a few clever environmentalists who think that the countryside is a Petri dish - and one that has to be kept uncontaminated by people like me. 

All that said, if their experiences with ignorant dog owners, litter louts and their loathsome offspring are anything like some of the ones I have had whilst out walking in around Cuxton, Halling and Luddesdown, then I have a bit of sympathy for the scientists who want to shut down our countryside, and for landowners like Vineyard Farms: VF even had one of their "boast posts" vandalised recently, which was inexcusable.

More and more of Cuxton's countryside is being fenced off to exclude its residents but perhaps overall we deserve it, thanks to a dog-owning, litter/poo bag-dropping, selfish and self-entitled chav contingent. 

Why should land owners have to put up with aggressive yobs who seem to think they have the right to drop litter, light barbecues or let their stupid, semi-feral pets and offspring run riot everywhere? Or ride their quad/trials bikes across farmland and through woodlands, terrorising livestock and wildlife and tearing up crops and fields? 

And what incentive do landowners have to take the time to distinguish the good from the bad visitors to their property? Can you blame them for fencing it off?

I am depressed and discouraged....