South Stoke: Developer loses appeal to build 290 homes
The land sits within Bath's World Heritage Site and the Cotswolds National Landscape (the National Landscape term has replaced "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty").The 290 houses, 40% of which were designated as affordable homes, would have been built as part of the trust's "Sulis Down" development.The trust has already built 170 Sulis Down homes, on land just west of the South Stoke plateau.The land earmarked for Sulis Down was taken out of the green belt 10 years ago, for a "mixed-use" development of up to 300 homes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.The 290 homes, added to the existing 170, would have exceeded this figure by more than half.
After rejecting the appeal, planning inspector Tom Gilbert-Wooldridge said: "It is unlikely that any amount of suitable planting would be sufficient to visually screen the housing during the day or night."Therefore, there would be an adverse effect on the special qualities of the [Cotswolds National Landscape] in terms of views of the escarpment and high wolds landscape as well as dark skies."Somerset is facing a significant housing shortage, however, and Hignett Family Trust had said the homes would be "a beautiful new addition to the city of Bath". But locals warned they would cause "carmageddon" on roads.Campaigners from the South of Bath Alliance (Soba), alongside the council and local parish councils, raised £13,000 for a lawyer to fight the plans.Soba, which held a protest against the homes at the initial planning decision in April 2024, thanked the "many volunteers" who helped "ensure the community's voice was heard"."This is a major success for [the council], South Stoke and Combe Hay parish councils and for the community members who have worked tirelessly over the past 12 years to oppose this excessive development," a spokesperson said.
Hignett Family Trust is now expected to block public access to the popular walking routes along the field boundaries on its Sulis Down land.One of the trust's submissions to the appeal inquiry said: "If the appeal is dismissed, that the appellant will then take immediate action to prevent further public access."
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The Guardian
11-07-2025
- The Guardian
WA Murujuga rock art placed on Unesco world heritage list
The Western Australian Murujuga landscape of more than a million pieces of indigenous rock art, some as old as 50,000 years, was inscribed on the world heritage list on Friday after a lobbying campaign by the Australian government persuaded a 21-country committee that nearby industrial emissions were not eroding the rocks. At a meeting of the world heritage committee in Paris, the Murujuga cultural landscape was acknowledged as a 'manifestation of creative genius, inscribed in the landscape since deep time'. The nomination was led by the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), and members of its delegation in Paris were in tears as the decision was confirmed. Traditional owners had been pushing for world heritage status for the site for two decades. Murujuga becomes Australia's 21st world heritage site, joining places such as the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu and Lord Howe Island, and global sites including the Great Wall of China, Macu Picchu, the temples of Angkor and the pyramids of Giza. Murujuga also becomes Australia's second world heritage site recognised for its Aboriginal cultural values, joining the 6,600-year-old Budj Bim aquaculture system in Victoria that was inscribed in 2019. The site, covering almost 100,000 hectares, was initially the land of Yaburara people who were massacred by colonists in 1868. The Ngarda-Ngarli people now look after the site. The petroglyphs – many created by striking rocks with harder rocks – depict plants, animals, some of which are now extinct, and humans, including some of the earliest anthropomorphic images on earth. The site is close to industrial plants, including Woodside's Karratha gas plant, and UN advisers had recommended the nomination be referred back to Australia until sources of 'degrading acidic emissions' were removed, and for any further industrial development to be stopped. The government argued the UN's advisers, theInternational Council on Monuments and Sites, had relied on 'factual inaccuracies' and pointed to a major monitoring report – the work of about 50 scientists – which it said showed there was no ongoing risk to the rock art – a claim contested by a small group of scientists. Of the 21-country committee, Kenya successfully moved an amendment to immediately inscribe Murujuga, supported by Senegal, Zambia, Rwanda, Ukraine, South Korea, Japan, Qatar, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Belgium, Jamaica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Kazakhstan and Argentina. Murujuga was inscribed for three criteria: the site represents 'a masterpiece of human creative genius'; is a unique testimony to a cultural tradition; and is an outstanding example of a cultural or human settlement showing interaction with the environment. The Australian government, including environment minister Murray Watt, had been in Paris to lobby for the inscription alongside delegations from the Western Australian government and MAC. The chair of MAC, Peter Hicks, said the group was elated, and the inscription was 'recognition of the way our ancestors have managed this extraordinary landscape for over 50,000 years. We are proud to continue that legacy.' Watt said: 'This victory belongs to the Ngarda-Ngarli – the traditional owners and custodians of Murujugua whose deep knowledge, cultural leadership and enduring connection to country are at the heart of this inscription.' He said the inscription would add further protection to the site. The minister has provisionally approved an extension to Woodside's gas plant until 2070, but the conditions of the approval that relate to emissions from the plant are still being negotiated. The Save our Songlines group, which included former MAC chair and Mardathoonera woman Raelene Cooper, was also in Paris calling for the committee to stick to the ICOMOS recommendations. Cooper said it was a 'momentous day for our old people and future generations', but added: 'Today, Australia rewrote the World Heritage listing in the interests of the gas industry. Even though the recommended protections were removed after concerted lobbying from the Australian government, we are still overjoyed to see Murujuga finally world heritage listed by Unesco.' While backing the inscription, several committee members expressed concern that industrial emissions needed to be monitored. Cooper said: 'Global scrutiny will now be applied to what is happening at Murujuga. We will continue to fight for protection for this very special place, and the world is now aware of what we are up against.'
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- The Guardian
What Australia must do to overturn objections for WA rock art to attain UN heritage status
The federal government is in the final throes of a lobbying campaign to secure UN world heritage status for a globally significant rock art site in Western Australia. The federal environment minister, Murray Watt, will be in Paris this week to convince the 21-country world heritage committee to ignore concerns about industrial emissions at Murujuga, and instead place the site on the world heritage list. There are between 1m and 2m pieces of rock art across the Murujuga Cultural Landscape in Western Australia's Pilbara region. Some are 50,000 years old. Many of the pieces – known as petroglyphs – have been created using a method known as 'pecking' where a harder rock is hit against another rock to reveal a different colour. They depict plants, animals – some of which are now extinct – and humans. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) advises Unesco and the world heritage committee, and has described Murujuga as 'an exceptional example of human artistic achievement' and an 'extraordinary cultural landscape of global significance'. The site, covering almost 100,000 hectares, was initially the land of Yaburara people who were massacred by colonists in 1868. The Ngarda-Ngarli people now look after the site. Places that appear on the world heritage list – such as the Great Barrier Reef, the Sydney Opera House and the Blue Mountains – are judged to be of 'outstanding universal value to humanity' if they meet at least one of 10 criteria. Murujuga is being nominated for three criteria: the site represents 'a masterpiece of human creative genius'; is a unique testimony to a cultural tradition; and is an outstanding example of a cultural or human settlement showing interaction with the environment. ICOMOS has agreed the site meets all three criteria. Unesco advisers recommended in May that the world heritage nomination be blocked and referred back to Australia until nearby 'degrading acidic emissions' were stopped. Murujuga is close to several industrial sites, including a fertiliser plant and Woodside's Karratha gas plant. Watt has provisionally approved an extension until 2070 for Woodside's North West Shelf project, which includes the gas plant. ICOMOS has said the site is 'extremely vulnerable to industrial pollution' and said the nomination should be referred back to Australia so the country could 'ensure the total removal of degrading acidic emissions, currently impacting upon the petroglyphs' and 'prevent any further industrial development adjacent to, and within, the Murujuga Cultural Landscape'. The government and the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation (MAC), which has led the nomination, claim ICOMOS has relied on 'factual inaccuracies' and say a major monitoring project carried out by 50 scientists shows there are no ongoing risks to the rock art. Some conservationists, including the traditional owner-led Save Our Songlines, as well as a small independent group of rock art experts, claim emissions are damaging the rock art. The government has been lobbying Unesco and World Heritage committee countries for more than a month. Watt has told the Guardian the government needs to persuade at least one of the 21 committee member countries to move an amendment at the 10-day meeting to immediately inscribe the site on the world heritage list. He has also argued a successful nomination would increase the protection of the rock art. If an amendment is moved, this will give MAC and the government a chance to argue their case, and for an amendment to be accepted, negotiated or rejected. Votes are rare, with most decisions made by consensus. The Murujuga site was provisionally scheduled to be discussed very late on Friday or early on Saturday, Australia time. There are four delegations from Australia in Paris this week, and three are attempting to persuade the 21-country committee to ignore the ICOMOS recommendation. Watt will lead a government delegation of about a dozen staff, alongside a small WA government delegation led by the state's environment minister, Matthew Swinbourn, and a delegation of 11 from MAC. A delegation from campaign group Save our Songlines, led by Mardathoonera woman and Murujuga traditional custodian Raelene Cooper, a former chair of MAC, is also in Paris and wants a 'provisional decision' to list Murujuga, subject to the full implementation of the ICOMOS recommendations. Cooper claims the government wants to 'have their cake and eat it' by approving the Woodside plant while claiming it won't damage the rock art. Unesco coordinates the world heritage committee process and accepts guidance from advisers, such as ICOMOS. But the committee itself is sovereign and is made up of 21 countries, with each having a six-year term. There has been growing criticism in recent years that the committee is becoming increasingly politicised, with UN advice being too often ignored. The current committee lineup is Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Qatar, South Korea, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Türkiye, Ukraine Vietnam and Zambia.
Rhyl Journal
27-06-2025
- Rhyl Journal
Have your say on future of Clwydian Range and Dee Valley
Residents, workers and visitors can take part in a public consultation to help guide priorities for the nationally recognised landscape in North Wales. Participants are invited to share what they believe makes the area special and suggest which parts should receive focused care and attention. David Shiel, area manager for the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, said: "This is such an exciting project.(Image: Supplied) "We're looking to get people involved to help shape how this treasured landscape is cared for and enhanced for future generations. "The purpose of a National Landscape is to conserve and enhance natural beauty of the landscape. "But that's not the full story. "It must also support thriving communities, resilient nature, and sustainable tourism. "To do that well, we need to hear directly from the people who know and love the area best. "Whether you live in the area, work here, or are a visitor, your voice matters." A Citizens' Panel will also be formed from a selection of respondents. The panel will include people who live, work, and visit the area, and will help guide the National Landscape team and its partners over the next five years. The panel will focus on three main themes: nature and land use (including nature recovery, climate change, and land management), communities and resilience (covering services, housing, employment, and transport), and enjoyment and wellbeing (including tourism, recreation, and the visitor economy). The deadline to register interest is Thursday , July 31. For more information contact David Shiel on or call 07774 841939
