How do you influence a major conservation organisation to accept your Wetlands project?

You take them - along with EDDC bigwigs including Karime Hassan and Kate Little and Paul Diviani (Portfolio Holder - Economy) on a specially laid-on trip on Seaton Tramway to show them the potential delights of an enlarged megamarsh - which is what happened yesterday apparently. Then you gloss over what it is going to cost Seaton and hope you get away with it.

I wonder if Natural England (the guest) knows what it is going to cost Seaton (economically and socially) to get half a wetland nature reserve? Why half a wetland nature reserve? Because the other half is going to be built on with a million tons of infill, have at least 630 little boxes and two enormous retail sheds 2m up in the air so that none of us can actually see the new reserve at all. It will be interesting to see how EDDC and Natural England square that with their supposed insistence on sustainability?

I wonder if Natural England has read the letter from the Tramway in the local press about the shameful way the developer is bending the truth about what the Tramway wants and needs?

Why are EDDC shelling out to influence Natural England at this point. Surely they haven't predetermined the outcome of the Liatris planning application and so know that they will be financing the Wetlands from it? No, they are honourable and working for US, they wouldn't do that!

What price quality of life and Seaton's future? Any price, it seems.



It seems it is full steam ahead for post-Liatris these days - what do they know that we don't? We can't even find out the timetable for when it goes to the Development Control Committee and nor are we allowed to know how much Section 106 money there will be and what it will be used for. Let's hope Natural England got more "truth" and detail that we have had.