TREE TOP PROTESTERS AT TITNORE WOODS

[Oriondruid]

Hi Pagan.

Sorry to hear that Destiny is still unwell. Give her my love when you see her.

I'm leaving shortly to pick up Corkmole from the Anderida Gorsedd at Tunbridge Wells en route to the site and then I'll see you at the meeting this evening.

BB. Onion.

[Pagan]

Destiny is home  :yay: Update in Health and Healing section of this forum.

Went to meeting in Worthing last night. There were many people gathered from all sections of the community, all determined to STOP the Annihalation of our local woodlands. It was a good show of strength.

Sorry I never got to have a proper meet with Onion, but after an hour and a half in that piddly little function room, I was melting and had to get out.

BB

[Oriondruid]

Hi Pagan and all.

Don't worry Pagan, we'll meet up properly soon and we did at least have time for a little chat. That basement meeting room was a packed sauna and I myself do not tolerate heat and high humidity well, and I could see you were not to happy in the conditions either.

Good to hear Destiny is home, if still a bit poorly. Let's hope she's feeling much fitter soon.

As to my trip down to Titnore Woods, well it was a good'un.

I picked up Corkmole of the Anderida Gorsedd at Tunbridge Wells en route and we stopped in Lewes at Waitrose and raided their organic veg section for stuff for the camp and got soya milk, fairtrade tea/coffee, bread etc then we headed off to Worthing.

The trip down there had been a dodle all the way until we hit the vicinity of Worthing, where the traffic ground to a halt as it was rush hour. We crawled the last five miles or so, taking as long to do the final leg as I had to get that far from London!

We found the camp at Titnore without too much bother, although Worthing's road signage leaves a fair bit to be desired and mostly navigation was by inpired guess work.

Following the map directions got from the protest website to the camp with no problems and after walking in across the fields we were warmly welcomed by the 'happy campers'.

We presented them with the 'goodies' and they were most grateful, presenting us with a mug of tea in return.

They're a great and diverse bunch of people, all optimistic and cheerful and 'up for it'.

We sat round the campfire and had a nice lively chat for about an hour, then we went over to see the new site they are setting up in another section of the woods. This was an adventure in itself as it involved climbing over the Somerset family's (the landowner's) highly illegal electrified barbed wire!  

The camp volunteers had however erected a wooden style to get over this and all crossed it without getting 'zapped' The Somerset's don't like this style though and claim it 'shorts out' their wire fence, (which being made of wood it of course does not)! Indeed doesn't even touch it.

We then crossed another smaller more legal type electric fence into the other camp and saw that this is well under way, with treehouses going up and a 'bender' erected.

We said our goodbyes to the campers and then I then took three of them to the protest meeting in town in my car which had been parked in the local Tesco car park.

The Meeting was packed out to capacity and more and was in the basement room of a pub near the seafront. It was, as Pagan said, sweltering in there and made me feel a bit 'woozy' after a while.

There was a mix of people at the meeting and many were of retirement age, it was good to see older people getting 'engaged' with eco matter, even if perhaps there is a degree of 'enlightened self interest' being involved. Concerns were expressed by many that the new housing estate will destroy the already over stretched services and infra structure, such as water supply, public transport and medical services/schools etc.

The three main speakers gave some history of Titnore Wood and the surrounding area, some info on the new South Downs National Park that they are trying to get set up and also dealt with some of the other concerns the plan to build over the ancient woodland raises.

However the speakers we had brought from the camp were also well received and told people what they are doing and informed them of progress and their coming planned 'open day' when they will be doing a lot of activities on the site.

Conspicuous by their abscence were, (of course) all the local politicians from the Council and the local MP, none of whom would dare show their faces or they might have to explain to their electorate why there is no real democracy in their area!  :x  :x

Sadly also absent was any real 'in depth' presence from the local media, although one local radio station reporter did show up and interview some who attended outside the meeting.

That lack of media response will of course change should our crafty King Arthur Pendragon find time from his busy schedule to get to Tinore, as he is trying hard to do.

As a self confessed 'media tart' King Arthur will be able to come up with some 'spectacular' such as his publically issued 'Druid Curse' which he issued against the planned road building at Camp Bling and thereby draw in not only radio but hopefully papers and tv as well.

I personally feel that the campaign and support from the locals is going as well as it can do, considering they have not got any way to influence the arrogant and undemocratic local Council, who will 'rubber stamp' this housing development without any proper consultation or environmental studies.

But the local people's campaign will not alone stop it, they are doomed to fail, as they have not succeeded in raising the profile of the issue veryy far in the media.  :-(    

The Protest Camp is their best hope and only perhaps if this can expand and flourish rapidly and gain due attention can this atrocity against our Mother Earth be stopped.

All concerned people must give their help and support to these brave and resourceful young people in their fight to save the dwindling ancient woodlands of the South Downs from the encroaching concrete and tarmac!

BB. Onion. The 'Eco Nagger'

[Pagan]

Onion  :shake:

We WILL WIN this fight, and it will be the protestors and ordinary folk who will bring the local council to it's knees!

We will start looking at the feasbility of launching 'Sister' protests to run with the woods, only this will be done in the towncentre, most probably outside the Town Hall. I have no problem at all sitting on the steps of the Town Hall with plaquards and leaflets outlining the butchery of the woods. This way the profile will get a lot more notice being right in the heart of the town with people milling about all over the place. I don't know about the law of protest, I don't think there can be any law against 2 grown ups handing out leaflets can there?

I can't do much in the woods, sadly, but there ain't much wrong with my fingertips, and I know Destiny has corns on hers so we will keep plugging the Woods at Titnore, and any other worthwhile protests, Bling included, to as many people as we can.

This is now the time to unite and be even stronger, I really do believe we CAN and WILL win this.

BB  :hug:

[Oriondruid]

Hi Pagan and all.

Yes, this fight is still winnable and the protests both at the Wood itself and that by local people have their part to play.  :)

However, having had a little experience with these things myself I think you need to go far more high profile and active in the local area, as sitting in a meeting is fine, but the council and the developers and even the media will simply ignore such things, as they did last night.

The destroyers simply don't care if even a thousand people simply hold a meeting, as long as the media are not presenting the case and pressurising them into answering the protestors objections in public and in media forums.

They will simply hide in their commitee rooms and board rooms and snigger to themselves!  :x  :x

If people power cannot force them out from under whichever rock they are hiding then you will have little leverage. Drag them out kicking and screaming into the light and force them to justify themselves. That is the way to save Titnore Wood.  

If you cannot get them shown up for the jackals that they are and get across info about the destruction they plan into the local community and what that will mean for the future then you will have great difficulty winning this fight, even if all common sense and decency is on the side of the protest.

Your plan to get more active on getting across this vile plan and it's consequences directly to the local poulation and disseminate information directly is therefore the best route to go, since the conventional media seem fairly apethetic.

That along with hopefully raising the profile in the media of the protest camp and it's purpose and activities in protecting this vital and ancient eco system.

BB. Onion.

[Oriondruid]

Hi Pagan and all.

PS: to my above post.

Handing out info in the town centre at busy times is fine, but some of the best tactics are based on  ridicule and satire, a fine skill which the Ancient Druids used to great effect in their poetry about people whom they disapproved of!

This is historically recorded to have been so effective on one occasion that the target of the said ode committed suicide from the public shame it caused!  

Stop defending the wood to some extent (at least trying via blocked 'official' channels) as it is a wasted effort and start attacking the people who would destroy it and highlighting the effects this new estate will cause.

Somerset has said before witnesses that he can't stand the general public. Ok, if he don't like what he in his snobbery perceives as 'the great unwashed' then highlight that fact!  :grin: The general populace of the area will take natural exception to his contempt and reflect it right back at him!

A mocking play done in a public place would perhaps be helpfull, highlighting how the land was stolen by his kind exercising their power and passing the Enclosures Acts, which stole the common land from the people of this country and gave it over to the control of a tiny minority of three hundred or so elite aristocrats! Show how this man is squatting on stolen property and claiming to 'own' what rightly belongs to all in the area!

Other actions could be carried out to highlight the effect this influx of people will have on local resources, such as the water supply.

Erect mock standpipes in front of the Council Offices and  in the High Street and have uniformed people acting the part of officials handing out mock water rationing coupons to all passers by! That's the 'Arthurian Way' of protest (and mine) that can raise the profile of such campaigns and get them more into the public eye.

The media love that kind of stuff!

Simply handing out leaflets at least eighty percent of which will instantly be dropped to litter the streets is not very effective, shock tactics are what is needed at this fairly late stage in the game.

The protest Site's Open Day is a good idea, but it is sadly true that in this degenerate age we live in few will be bothered to get out of their cars and walk across a quarter of a mile of fields to reach such an event!

OK then, so be it, Mohammed and Mountains etc, take the camp to the people and hold an 'open day' in Tesco's car park or the town centre where such skills as they have to teach can be demonstrated. Sure the police and security will soon try and intervene and perhaps some may be arrested, but LAW have always used arrest whilst indulging in peacefull non violent protest as a primary weapon and publicity generator!

Arrests and court cases gain publicity and I'm sure that Arthur would be pleased to advise on the best way to use this kind of legal ploy to generate publicity.  

He may even wish, as he often does, to appear for the defence! He usually wins too!:grin:

Just a few ideas, I'm sure you can generate a few 'mischevious' thoughts of your own!

In general then have fun with the protest and make it fun, so that people wish to become a part of it. Take the mickey as much as you can out of those who would destroy the beauty of Titnore Woods for their own profit, their arrogance and sense of their own importance and invincibility will cause them to start to make mistakes, since mockery is the one thing these types of predators cannot stand.

That will frighten them the most, when all the meetings in sweaty basements in the world will sadly do little to help.

BB. Onion.

[Pagan]

Hi All  :)

Here's a copy and paste of the POW report for the meeting held at  the Charles Dickens on Thursday.

BB

Pagan  :hug:




Dear Friends and supporters,

We salute you. Yes in stifling heat you packed our meeting to overflowing and waited patiently for information and a debate on the campaign to protect Titnore lane, the surrounding ancient woodland and landscape, together with the nationally protected species there from the massive building scheme.  

Chris Hare, local historian and former West Sussex County Councillor, gave an interesting and eye opening insight into the ownership, over the past centuries of the land threatened by this destructive development plan and how the Somerset family become custodians of it. Chris also confirmed that during the time he was a County Councillor, there was deep public concern that the proposed Angmering bypass would have a severe impact on the setting of Highdown Hill. To placate those concerns it was proposed that traffic on Titnore lane would be reduced if the bypass was allowed to be built.

Chris Todd of the South Downs Campaign, warned of the real threat that if demands for the many bypasses and other traffic generating schemes along the A27 were approved, much of the South Downs landscape we all cherish would be degraded. Chris further warned that the scramble for building land would become unstoppable, as well paid workers snapped up homes in preferred countryside surroundings and now found it acceptable to commuters longer distances following a temporary congestion reduction on the bigger roads. His fear was that even the Downs and Highdown Hill was under threat.

Before the meeting opened to questions the audience listened intensely to the Lorna and Hollis, two of the hero’s of the growing number of direct action campaigners, who disillusioned with the undemocratic planning system have built homes high up in massive trees in the area of trees know known as Number 1 Titnore Woods. Their brave action has done more to bring to the nations attention Worthing Borough Councils shameful act of agreeing the £3Billion destruction of the area.

After the applause and a collection for the campaigners many members of the audience spoke to say they were seriously concerned by the actions of the council, pointing out the large number of voters who refused to vote in the recent elections. There were also pointed comments aimed at the MP together with councillors for the area not coming to the meeting after being invited. However there was praise for Caroline Lucas MEP who despite having been called away to vote at a European Parliamentary plenary in Strasbourg, found the time to write a letter of support for the campaign.

The meeting closed with spirits high and a pledge to let the company’s involved in the development, know of the campaigns determination to succeed and suggest they might like to avoid a public relations disaster by withdrawing from the development.

[Destiny]

Hello Everyone  :hug:

Thank you all for your kind words and healing energy sent my way, not feeling my usual self yet,I feel wiped out , lost far too much weight, spending lots of time reading the Titnore latest and resting.

I will soon be back and at 'em, just wanted to thank you all.

Pagan has been a gem throughout my illness and it was really hard on both of us, being apart was awful.

I'm back and home, feel better in waves, so thought I'd thank everyone on the Warband and here on OBOD  

Love and Peace
Always
Destiny

[Oriondruid]

Hi Destiny

I'd just like to say here as I have on the other message boards-

WELCOME BACK DESTINY!  :hiya:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

So glad you're feeling a bit better.

Rest up and fully recover as that must have 'knocked the stuffing' out of you.

Take some R&R time, don't worry about the protest, the Wood is in safe hands and as protected as it can be.

BB. Onion.

[Pagan]

TITNORE- The full plan as laid out by Worthing Borough Council in November 2003



http://www.worthing.gov.uk/A-ZofService ... 813,en.pdf

[Oriondruid]

Thank you for posting that 'full' plan Pagan.

It of course purports that this development will not touch the woods and will be all on the open land, that of course is a lie!

Whilst the bulk of the housing is on the open land it is true, the access roads will damage the wood and also any such development will simply increase the pressure on the local wildlife. In any case all this shows is 'phase one'.

The gradual 'infill' of housing which will develop as a 'ribbon along the new roads, as it always does, will eventually severely threaten the woodlaand and once this degradation starts it will be 'nibbled away' piece by piece.

I once lived in a village outside Canterbury, where once the road linking the city and Whitstable on the coast was largely bounded by open fields. Next to the old bungalow where my Grandfather lived and also opposite on the other side of the road were open fields and from their garden was a lovely view clear over to Blean Wood, a bird sanctuary and part of the once far larger Forest of Blean.

Then the developers moved in with houses and a local shopping complex now on the opposite side of the road and the field next door a housing estate of 'identikit' Milton Keynes boxes. All along the road from Canterbury to Whitstable the 'ribbon development' continues and plot by plot houses are going up, soon the whole area will be just a suburban landscape with nothing left of it's previous character.

Regarding the situation at Titnore in any case were the woods to be totally untouched and further development absolutely forbidden (which it won't be), even then there would be severe environmental and social question marks about this development.

Why is it needed at all? Other that is than to drag in more people into the already overcrowded South Esat and add to commuter traffic, which is already very severe, (as I have experienced personally).

Will the local services such as the water supply, sewerage, electricity and Police/Fire cover be increased and able to cope, or emergency cover continue to be cut back? Will the Council simply pocket the extra Council Tax the new housing will generate and give nothing back to the community? Of course they will!  :x  :x

Will there be sufficient medical facilitys for all the new residents? Since as I understand it they're already shutting hospitals and services are being squeezed.

Unless they can show that none of the above will happen and unless they are honest and democratic enough to meet with their electorate and give cast iron assurances on the above points (which they won't do  :x ) then they should, and are being told to stick their lousy plans where the sun don't shine!!!

BB. Onion.

[Motuckquas Cwningen]

Great to see you back Destiny.  Hope you are fully recovered soon  :hug:

[Destiny]

Thank you Motuckquas Cwningen and Onion also  :hug:

I am feeling much better, thanks to Pagan's TLC, sat out in the park a few days back, enjoyed a bit of Nature's healing, (the park is almost our back garden)  :grin:

Been for an hours walk today...back on my feet, so to speak  :-)

Blessings
Destiny

[Pagan]

CRITICAL UPDATE


Copy & Paste courtesy of ROWAN at LAW............................


Latest from POW!



Dear Friends and Supporters,

This has been put together in a great hurry because Worthing council will meet at 2.30pm, Tuesday 18th July to debate the next application in the series of plans to destroy the Titnore woods area.

Will you please read the sample letter below and if possible put it into your own words (if you think of something extra put it in). But if there’s not enough time don’t worry just send it as it is to: donna.coulon@worthing.gov.uk with a note to say:


Dear Donna Coulon,

Please would you kindly hand a copy of the letter below to each of the councillors before the Development Control Meeting on Tuesday 18 July.

Many thanks

 
(Your name)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------

 

(Your Address if you

live in the Worthing area

otherwise leave out.)


Date.

Dear Councillor,

As you know there will be a vote Tuesday 18th on the development that will, for a very long time, change the landscape and fragile eco-system around the Titnore lane area. You might also be aware of an update to this issue on the ‘Tonight with Trevor McDonald’ programme, Friday 8pm July 21.

In any case you will know that this issue has aroused a great deal of passion and public disquiet not seen in Worthing for decades. It’s not surprising really, for are you really content with the explanation given for:

a) The classification of the lane.

b) The need for a 60mph speed limit in the interests of safety.

c) The stopping distance given in wet/dry conditions.

d) The accident figures.

e) The number of ancient trees to be lost.

f)  The quality of the Environmental Impact Assessment.

g) The continuity of the water supply.

h) The public safety of the ‘Balancing Ponds’.

i)  The effect the ‘Grouting’ (injection at extreme pressure of chemicals to stabilise the ground) will have on the town’s water aquifer.

j)  The effect the extra traffic will have on the already overloaded local road network.

k) The capability of the river Rife to cope when it’s already known to overflow and flood parts of Goring Green and Durrington even before the loss of the soak-away feature the Greenfield’s give.

l) The lack of amenities for children, provision of Doctors, Dentists, Social welfare services. And finally:

m) Hospital Treatment. Are you content, should Worthing Hospital close, for an emergency case from the enlarged population to be taken to Chichester along the A27, a journey that even with a police escort will take 30 minutes?

May I suggest that if you are not convinced all these question have been fully addressed it would be unsafe to vote in favour of the application.

Yours sincerely

(Your name)

Back to top



DON'T DELAY, POST TODAY

BB  :hug:

[Destiny]

Hello People  :yay:

Done.  

Now I shall watch for a response,they might actually shock me and reply  ;)

Hope everyone is well.

Peace
Destiny

[Oriondruid]

Hi Destiny, Pagan and All.

Hope the open day goes well. Wish I could make it down but should see you whenI come down for the Anderida ritual at the end on the month, at least for a day trip.

I may have my friend Dee with me as she is coming up to stay with me a while.

I don't hold out much hope for the enquiry on the latest applications sadly, as it looks as if the Councilors have all had their 'bungs' and will not take any notice of objections.

Their insultinng 'open letter' on their website is about all the response they seem prepared to give, as they don't answer letters, even though it is their duty to do so!  :x

Keep it active on the streets though, people power and the media are the best hope.

BB. Onion.

[Pagan]

Hi All

Well, we're NOT beaten even IF they give the go ahead. There will be more avenues to explore in time, I feel surely optimistic of that.  :yay:

In any event, it's not over till our friend here starts singing.  I can't here anything yet, can you?  :cloud9:

   :yay:  :yay:  :dance:  :dance:  :dance:

[Oriondruid]

Hi All.

Info reposted from Warband message board, thanks to my friend Jaq at the Camp Bling protest site.

EDIT FOR UPDATED INFO:
from POW website:

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3.25pm Thursday, 27 July.

The High Court in London has granted possession of land being used by the protectors of Titnore wood to the Somerset family. However the Court has given leave for the protectors to appeal and ordered that no action should be taken to remove them for 14 day's.


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1.45pm Thursday, 27 July.

Worthing Borough Council has today been threatened with a Judicial Review - possibly in the High Court - that would be based on the decision of the Development Control Committee to recommend the approval  of alterations to Titnore Lane, as part of its decision to grant outline planning permission for the development at West Durrington. The council have been told  that the evidence submitted to their Development Control Committee, and presented at its meeting on March 28th, was defective in five main areas.  

Barristers acting for the claimant, The Worthing Society, have stated that if legal proceedings are required, a quashing order will be sought from the Court quashing the grant of planning permission WB/04/00040/OUT together with an order for costs.  

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The outcome of the court case was totally expected and nothing to panic about as the despicable Somerset is the legal owner of the land in the eyes of the law, if not in terms of his moral 'stewardship' of his 'property'.

But at least the protestors still have a few weeks at the site to highlight the planned destruction. I hope that when the protestors are eventually and inevitably evicted that Sussex Police do not use too heavy handed tactics, as this is a totally peaceful camp.

However, their record of unjustified illegal raids and intimidation so far make me very worried that the eviction will turn into a bloodbath and they'll go in with dogs, CS gas, riot shields and battons, perhaps even Tasers. The Police have a poor record so far over the camp and people's democratic right to protest the planned development. I hope they show restraint when clearing the camp, but fear they won't.

____________________________________________________________-
My Warband reply to Jaqs info post:-

Thanks for keeping us all informed. The first bit I was pretty much expecting, as it was a pretty forgone conclusion, although adjourning the case because of the late delivery of the legal papers might perhaps have been better.

As to the possible judicial review of the planning application, that's excellent news!  

Any reasonable and uncorrupt judge looking at the way this underhand development has been treated, the lack of proper assesments, the ignoring of special statuses (stati?) of the land. The almost certainty of Council corruption and lack of democratic process can only conclude that this whole thing has been a stitch up from beginning to end!  :x  

Let's hope for a good outcome of that bit at least, as to the camp, well the land 'belongs' to the despicable Somerset and the court will inevitably grant the eviction I'm afraid.  :-(  

Let's just make sure it costs the sod a lot of time, money and bad publicity to get it back!  :grin:  

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So given good luck and a fair judge then the planning permission granted for this stupid and damaging development may well be quashed!

The local Council and developers will then have to start the process again, this time following the law and taking into acount all the factors that mitigate against this insanity. With luck this may drag out several more years and a local election give an opportunity for the people of the area to boot out the corrupt and undemocratic cadre currently 'ruling' the area in their name.  :grin:

BB. In hope, Onion.

[damhbard]

Druid Ceremony - Titnore woods protest camp 1st August 7.30pm for an 8pm start. All welcome!
 
I've just spoken to the protest camp, and we'll combine the spreading of the blessed corn from yesterday's Anderida Gorsedd ceremony with a Druid ceremony in the woods tomorrow night. We'll start about 8pm, so if you want to come, that's the time to be there. Just in time for Lughnasadh. We have to do this straight away as the future of the protest camp is uncertain, and we want those trees, and the Spirits of Place to know that there are others who love them. Please come if you can and show your support.

Directions to the woodlands here: http://www.protectourwoodland.co.uk/tea.htm
 
Peace
Damh
x

[flowerfairy]

I will light a candle tomorrow at 8pm to add my spirit to yours as you join together for your ceremony  :where:

Sorry I can't be there in person - thinking of you all  :hug:

xxx