“The spirit of Willingdon, a quiet rural vision, will soon be gone”

With reference to the council meeting, July 24 2019, on Climate Emergency.

With the threat of looming disaster approaching, unless this danger can be halted or stopped.

The natural world, including us, may become extinct.

My belief is, that for the interim, the destroying of fields and meadows, trees and grasslands must stop.

My view also is to carry on as we are, is political vandalism. In Willingdon and Polegate there is a large open space, but not for long.

Planned on Morning Mills Farm and Brodrick Farm, are 1,000 houses over all, approximately, with school, roads, including the widening of the Eastbourne Road - A227, taking our grass verges. I have strolled past the grass verges lining Brodrick Farm (picking up tin cans and plastics).

I saw approximately six Holly Blues dancing about, and other orange-brown small butterflies and whites.

These butterflies are protected by law. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Legally Protected.

Within the long grasses are Birds-foot Trefoil, healthy clumps, which, to survive, the Holly Blue needs to feed on. Goldilocks buttercup, blackberry bushes, Saxifrage, Field Scabious, purple Meadow thistle, among others. I also noted many crickets or grass hoppers, a rabbit, bumble bees, insects. These have survived the digging in of water pipes, for the planning of a huge estate. Should this venture proceed, I have not mentioned cars, vans, lorries and trucks – parking or racing about.

The spirit of Willingdon, a quiet rural vision, will be gone. We will be boxed in by cars, unable to get out of our roads.