Save Rookery South Pit, Stewartby

This petition is to request that the current planning permission that has been granted, to return Rookery South clay pit to either agriculture or to use for waste management, is revoked as it is no longer necessary and would be detrimental to the area.

We understand that many of Bedfordshire’s clay pits were created under the agreement that they would be returned to a useful state to the county with the above mentioned uses, including Rookery South pit. This is of course a good thing in many cases however, the condition of Rookery South pit in particular has changed dramatically in the 15 years since clay extraction ceased in that it has now been colonised by a staggering array of reeds, grasses and flowering plants and is now home to much important wildlife.

Rookery pit is no longer a bare hole in the ground, but is now a rich landscape that has been slowly restored by nature. It would instead make a valuable addition to the Marston Vale Forest plan and the Millennium Country Park near Stewartby if left in its current condition by increasing tourist-recreational opportunities in the area and by providing an area of mixed wetland and grasses in which Bedfordshire’s wildlife can continue to thrive.

The current plans to return Rookery South pit to agriculture, or to use for waste management:
1. is outdated by over 15 years and no longer necessary,
2. will destroy what has now become a haven for many birds, wildlife and plants and has become so naturally without expensive methods of restoration!
3. would have a detrimental effect on the nearby community and country parks, especially if used for waste management.