Richard Vink's Reply

A trail has been marked out in the Whitesides plantation. It is clearly marked in red paint on the trees in the upper plantation and yellow paint in the lower.

The trail has been tracked with GPS and follows very closely the line marked on the map you presented us with at the first CMUG meeting.

Pictures of these marked trees are posted on the web page I brought to your attention to in my e-mail of the 14th March 2009. (http://www.cmug.org.uk/html/thinning_.html )

Amongst these marks are two that I specifically pointed out to you on 12th February 2009 and that you told me were not connected to the proposed cycle trails, you also told me that you did not know what they were for.

You have repeatedly told us that “Nothing is set in stone” and yet this trail has already been marked and prepared by the cutting of brush.

A notice has just been posted saying that”thinning” operations are going to commence in the Whitesides plantation in the next few weeks.

So our questions for you are:

1. If this is not the the freeride trail, why does it follow the proposed line on the map so closely?

2. If this is the freeride trail, why are we being told that nothing has been decided yet?

3. If this is not connected with the Crompton Moor cycle trail project, then who is painting trees and cutting brush in Whitesides plantation?

4. If this is connected with the Crompton Moor cycle trail project why don’t you know anything about it?

Just so there is no confusion, your answer will be posted on the website, as there are a large number of people very interested in your answer.

I have no doubt that you have already had an intelligence report from Cllr Wingate on the mood of the meeting at the Park Inn.

We know what we think is happening on Whitesides but here is your opportunity to set the record straight.

If those trees fall in a ”thinning” operation without a very good explanation, I do not see any way that you can ever hope to gain our trust.

If we do not receive an answer here, it will be reposted as a freedom of information request.

Thank you for your email and as promised here is my response.

I will take the direct questions later in this email but can I address a few other issues you raise first? I trust you will include your original emails along with this response if you wish to post it on the unofficial "Crompton Moor User Group" website; it is beneficial for those people who do read it to have the context. Secondly I refute your suggestion that I have "had an intelligence report from Cllr Wingate on the mood of the meeting at the Park Inn as I have not received anything from Cllr Wingate; I will however pass on your comment to her.

Turning to your questions I will answer is a slightly different order if I may:

3. If this is not connected with the Crompton Moor cycle trail project, then who is painting trees and cutting brush in Whitesides plantation? - I do not know who has been painting trees as it was not I or any of my team here at the Parks and Countryside Service.

However, as I discussed with you and my line manager Keith Bennell on site on 12th February 2009, as part of my role as Principal Greenspace Development Officer I walked through the plantation to determine if a mountain bike trail was possible. This did indeed necessitate some cutting of lower branches to aid passage and sightlines in this investigation and why, if you follow where some lower branches are cut, you will be following a possible trail line as has been proposed since the first CMUG meeting. I had hoped that in the CMUG meetings we established that my role is to put forward proposals for Council and public consideration and I have to ensure that what I propose is workable. Hence in this case the need to walk a possible trail line in Whitesides plantation, among the time I have spent on the Parks and Countryside Service Crompton Moor project looking at opportunities and constraints for recreation and habitat matters, which has resulted in my overall proposals. This does not mean that the proposals are anything more than just that - proposals for consideration. The black line annotated on my proposals plan as the freeride trail does indeed equate to where I walked through Whitesides plantation but, I repeat, it is a proposal up for consideration. Over time I think you will realise that through CMUG and other forms of community engagement you and all the other interested parties in Crompton Moor will have your views heard and considered in any informed decisions the Council makes about Crompton Moor.

1. If this is not the the freeride trail, why does it follow the proposed line on the map so closely? - the above answers this question.

4. If this is connected with the Crompton Moor cycle trail project why don’t you know anything about it? - The above answers this question.

2. If this is the freeride trail, why are we being told that nothing has been decided yet? - The above answers this question but let me make it very clear that during the course of the feasibility study I have to undertake investigations such as determining a possible line for a freeride trail but that does not mean it has been "decided"; merely it is a possibility. I do have ideas which form my proposals and the Council is in the process of engaging users and the community in determining opinion on those ideas and proposals. This will take some months and I hope you will accord the Council and I due patience during that engagement and consultation to allow all those involved the chance to form their own views.

You will see information regarding the forestry operations at Whitesides plantation on site notices and in the media as this management work is imminent. However I trust you will understand that during a standard practice 25% thinning operation I cannot guarantee that any of the trees where I took small lower branches off during my walk through to determine a possible freeride trail line will not be taken out. Some will fall into the 25% ratio to be removed and I hope you and others can accept that as a natural conclusion of this important woodland management work.

Please contact me if you need to discuss this further and I am looking forward to meeting you and others at the CMUG meeting on the 23rd April 2009.

My e-mail to Richard:

Richard Vink’s Reply:

Return to “Thinning” page.