IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT REAL PROTECTION FOR OUR MOSS-LANDS

Within the last decade alone, the preciously fragile beauty and biodiversity of Barton, Irlam and Cadishead's 10,000 year old moss-lands, have come under an onslaught from the ever increasing approach of both rampant urban development and those who would seek to exploit the wealth to be made from the resources which lie both within the rich fertile peat above and the vast gas reserves below. 

Just this week, the latest attempt to build upon what really by all accounts should be considered a protected greenbelt area, has been thankfully thrown out after a review of the local plan for Greater Manchester.

Sadly it took countless hours of work put in by campaigners, local councillors and the areas MP in order to present the facts which helped persuade the planners to drop their plans and change their minds.

Local councillor Lewis Nelson has been campaigning to save the local greenbelt land close to his home since he was a youngster, he cut his teeth protesting 'Fracking' on Barton Moss and was a regular face and a strong and powerful voice, even at such a young age. His passion for protecting our local moss-lands led him to be appointed Salford's wildlife champion and we could not imagine the roll having gone to a better person. His commitment and dedication has been unfaltering and he has often found himself at odds with his former fellow councillors. Nonetheless he continues to speak out and relishes any opportunity to take on those who would see the moss-lands exploited.

For a man who is amongst our youngest councillors, I have seen first hand that he shows a far greater level of maturity and understanding of politics than many of his senior colleagues.

Barton Moss - Former iGas Exploratory Well

Lewis is not alone in this battles, he is fortunate enough to have the full backing of his local MP, Barbara Keeley, who has always been a keen environmentalist and campaigner for the protection of the greenbelt areas of Salford. Her persistence in tackling peat extraction upon the moss, played a huge part in the successful ban back in 2012 which thankfully still remains in place to this day. Over the years she has steadfastly given her voice and support to the local wildlife that would otherwise have none.

For Barbara, it is not because she feels 'expected' to speak out as she is an MP, she speaks out because she IS an MP, passionate about the moss-lands within her constituency, she knows full well that her voice carries more weight than many others. She chooses to get her hands dirty and challenge those who would see the greenbelt destroyed, because she genuinely believes it is the right thing to do.

Lewis is now fortunate enough to have colleagues not only within his own area but also neighbouring areas, who share his love of the greenbelt, he is no longer a lone voice shouting at a brick wall. 

The fight to save the moss-lands took another political turn, with a challenge from long time campaigner and local legend Darren Goulden, a man who felt so passionate about saving the moss, he created his own political party (CORE) to challenge the Labour stronghold. His election win at the time sent shockwaves through Labour ranks and it is a constant reminder that when people have taken all they can, they hit back and make their voices heard at the ballot boxes. Lewis came close to defeat himself that same year, but his unwavering commitment to protecting the moss-lands saw enough votes to carry him through, and that win allowed him to continue to fight for what he believed in.

This latest pocket of land under threat, a 30 hectare area to the rear of Irlam Station, has been described as being 'degraded', but the now fairly obvious question which should be asked is how and why was it able to become 'degraded' in the first place? Why was the protection seemingly not there to prevent it at the time and will protections be put in place in the future to prevent such environmental destruction happening again?

The land is said to have been degraded due to drainage and peat extraction which means that someone made a lot of money from that process. Maybe they should be the ones footing the bill to restore it to it's former condition?

The land is safe (for now) but it is only a matter of time before another part of our vitally important area of natural beauty and bio-diversity, again comes under threat from the next attempt to exploit it.

These areas need protection that is enshrined in law at the highest levels as we can not continue to expect campaigners to fight endlessly to protect them. The process is lengthy, costly and tiring. 

It is with great irony that as parts of Europe burn and our weather becomes more unpredictable due to the unprecedented changes to our environment, there are some who are still attempting to pave paradise and strip away wild natural habitats to make way for concrete jungles.

Without the likes of Lewis Nelson, Barbara Keeley and Darren Goulden, it would no doubt be open day on our local flora and fauna from prospective developers. If it was not for their resolute opposition and powerful voices, we would watch feeling helpless as the glorious beauty of our local wildlife haven is built upon, with row and row of generic cut and paste homes. Homes that many within the area would struggle to afford.

Sometimes when making planning decisions, you have to stand on the edge of a field on a crisp cold morning or a warm humid night and breath in the clean fresh air and let it fill your soul.

We can no longer afford to destroy what is left of our very own area of natural beauty and let it be bought and destroyed for profit.

This past week or so, we sadly laid to rest one of our undoubtedly greatest Salfordian's, former Councillor Ben Wallsworth MBE, a man who most certainly left his mark on the map of Salford having redrawn it, a man who understood both the importance and need for balance having overseen the regeneration of former brownfield sites within the city, whilst leaving a legacy of protections put in place for huge swathes of our local landscape.

The greatest honour our city could award a man of such standing is to ensure that the greenbelt land he strived to protect is given the proper protection it needs.

Main Photo ©: WikiMedia