Friday 17th October 2003
Ash Moor burial site is being restored | |
|  | | The massive Ash Moor burial site |
| | The huge Ash Moor pit in North Devon is being restored to grassland, woods and hedgerows.
The pit was built by the Government at a cost of several millions of pounds in 2001 as a foot-and-mouth burial site - but was never used. |
|  | | Agreement has been reached on a deal to restore one of the symbols of the foot-and- mouth crisis.
The Ash Moor pit near Petrockstowe in North Devon was never used as a burial site after being taken over by the Government at the height of the crisis two years ago.
The Government spent millions of pounds on creating and maintaining the burial site.
The farming ministry, Defra, has now agreed to remove the access roads and recreate grassland, hedgerows and woodland.
 | | The burial pit was opposed by local people |
Defra will continue to own the site for the next five years and encourage any future owner to manage the site in an appropriate way for culm grasslands.
The breakthrough marks the end of a long, sustained campaign of lobbying and negotiation by Devon County Council's development committee and its officers.
The agreed restoration scheme meets the conditions set by the committee back in April, 2001 when it was belatedly consulted by the then Ministry of Agriculture on the construction of the animal carcass burial pit.
The agreement involves: - The removal of any roads or structures constructed in connection with the pit and the reinstatement of the site.
- That the method of restoration and aftercare should achieve a nature conservation objective of recreating species-rich grassland, hedgerows and woodland consistent with the original character of the site.
- Full details of the aftercare and management scheme of the restored site as species-rich grassland, hedgerows and woodland, to include the reintroduction at the appropriate time of a grazing regime, will be submitted to and agreed with the county council.
However, some local people are disappointed with the deal.
Ron Dawson, Chairman of Stop The Ash Moor Pit (STAMP) says the deal falls short of what the group hoped for.
"Its previous condition had with it a management plan to enhance nature conservation," said Mr Dawson.
"What's actually happening down there is they are going recreate something similar but without that enhancement.
"Britain has obligations to promote the furtherment of nature conservation and that's not going to happen. "A wonderful opportunity is going to be missed."
But the county council's development control chairman Cllr John Clatworthy said: "It is excellent that the concerns of English Nature, the Environment Agency and the Devon Wildlife Trust have been satisfied and the restoration works are now in hand."
Local councillor for the area, Cllr John Rawlinson, who represents Torrington Rural, said: "Obviously the villagers of Petrockstowe will be happy that the pits have at last disappeared and the site is being restored.
"But we must take great care to ensure that the future of the site is safeguarded."
Meanwhile, the county council is continuing negotiations with Defra and local landlords to secure public access across Ash Moor from the Tarka Trail.
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