SCOTLAND’S highest civil court will have to decide whether flagship land reforms can breach the human rights of landowners. A bid by crofters to take over part of the 26,800 acre Pairc estate on Lewis could take years after a sheriff directed the Court of Session in Edinburgh to decide whether the Scottish Land Reform Act 2003 is consistent with the European Convention on Human Rights. Sheriff David Sutherland at Stornoway Sheriff Court made the direction before he considers an appeal from the landlord at the centre of the dispute. Critics have previously compared the laws to the regime of President Mugabe in Zimbabwe, who has forced white people from their land through violence and intimidation. At issue is the section in the act which gives crofting communities the absolute right to buy their croft land, subject to ministerial approval, whether or not the owner wants to sell. With thanks to the Sunday Herald.

Energy efficiency and historic buildings English Heritage has published this guide on how Part L of the Building Regulations applies to historic and traditionally constructed buildings. It's here on the Interweb :- http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/energy-efficiency-historic-buildings-partl/

Residential market update 20/6/11 • National housebuilders and mortgage lenders have talked to the Council of Mortgage Lenders about easing the supply of finance. • The number of approved mortgages fell 4% in April to 45,166, a four month low and the second lowest since March 2009 (Bank of England). Net lending, which strips out redemptions and repayments, rose slightly but remains at less than 10% of pre-credit crunch levels. With thanks to SG Landscope

HSE safety notice on firewood processing machines The HSE has investigated a number of serious accidents involving firewood processing machines and its initial conclusions are that some machines are not safe and are not fully compliant with the Machinery Directive. If you have any doubts about the safety of your machinery, contact the HSE.

Forestry Commission reaction to Spending Review cuts The Commission is cutting 250 posts in England, 23% of its workforce, as it tries to save £16m pa by 2014/15; a consultation on the job losses is under way. The current twelve forest areas will be merged into six new districts under the plans - North, Yorkshire, Central, West, East and South.

The National Heritage List for England English Heritage has launched a searchable Heritage List for England, including listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields and protected wreck sites. It comes with a health warning as the data has come from a number of different systems and so may contain inconsistencies! It is also possible to nominate more. The list is on the internet here :- http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/ With thanks to SG Landscope

Remember the old money? Suzy had an iron cow she milked it with a spanner. The milk came out in shilling tins the little ones a tanner. To bring it up-to-date: Helga has a robot cow, she twiddles dials and meters. Milk comes out in cartons now, a euro for two litres.

I am on the 'No' bus (or train whatever) It would take a lot to get me to support this idea. My own views are that this vast amount of money would be better spent bringing other rail services up to date. For to long, down here in the southwest, we have sat (or more likely stood,) on overcrowded, cold and 'late' trains. RV

Online help for communities setting up post offices, as thousands of branches face change A online resource launched last December will help communities run their own post offices. The launch of the resource is very timely, as changes to the network announced recently, affecting around 2,000 post offices, may see many more communities looking to run their own branch. Consumer Focus and the Social Enterprise Coalition have compiled a directory of 70 existing community post offices to assist neighbourhoods in setting up their own branch and to help those that already exist. The resource, which was developed by CF Labs, the online arm of watchdog Consumer Focus, is the first of its kind, listing community post offices around the country, explaining what they do and how they’ve done it, so others can learn from their example. Recent plans announced by the Government could see many post offices move premises or cut the range of services they offer, so more communities may think about taking over their local branch. This site will give people looking at taking over a local post office an invaluable source of information.’ For more details look here :- http://www.basingstoke.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2CD72496-0753-48AB-8AF9-D2C93B70BADE/0/PostOfficeandCommunityShopAdvice.doc All though this covers the Basinstoke area, there is no reason why the advice can't be used all over the contry. Indeed, they use a case study in the Lakes.

This is good news indeed. Basicly, what it is saying, is that the SFP that a tennant recives from the goverment can not be used to force up rent or used as part of a divorce settelment. This, after all, is a voluntary payment and maybe withdrawn. The is no reason why Countryside Stewardship payments should be concidered in the above cases also.

A plant disease caused by a fungus-like pathogen known as Phytophthora ramorum (P.ramorum), has been diagnosed in Oak and Japanese larch. If this disease can make the spices jump from a hardwood like Oak to the conifer Larch, there is no reason it could not jump to other conifers like Douglas and Spruce. 'IF' that were to happen, it could destroy large areas of the UK's woodland. (Sometimes calledl 'Sudden Oak Death) The pathogen P. ramorum has potential to attack a wide range of woody plants and could cause significant damage to woodland and other habitat. It can be spread on footwear, vehicle wheels, tools and machinery, by the movement of infected plants and in rain, mists and air currents. The disease has been recently confirmed in Japanese larch woodland in England, Wales and the south of Ireland. In Europe, including the UK, P. ramorum has been found mainly on container-grown Rhododendron, Viburnum and Camellia plants in nurseries. It was first detected in the UK in 2002, when emergency measures were introduced. The initial measures included destruction of infected plants, a ban on imports of susceptible material from affected areas of the USA, and notification of movements of susceptible nursery stock. These measures were notified to the EU Standing Committee on Plant Health, which agreed EU-wide emergency measures in November 2002, based largely on the UK's action. Those measures are still in place. In January 2009 the first finding in the wild of P. ramorum on the heathland plant Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) was confirmed at a site in Staffordshire. Most recently, in August 2009, the pathogen was identified on Japanese larch trees at sites in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. The first indication of the disease on Japanese larch trees, is a visible wilting of young shoots and foliage, or later in the growing season, withered shoot tips with yellowing needles which then become blackened. The infected shoots shed their needles prematurely. Trees may also have bleeding cankers on their upper trunks. What to do if P. ramorum or P. kernoviae is suspected Check symptoms carefully and if you suspect disease is present, notify Defra PHSI (or your relevant Plant Health Authority) immediately. In woodland situations, notify the Forestry Commission (Plant Health Service). This is a legal requirement. If confirmed, a Statutory Notice will be issued specifying required actions. In the meantime: • Cordon off the area concerned and restrict public access. • Do not handle or move the plants. • Inspect other susceptible plants for symptoms and keep under review. Include the perimeters of sites containing trees or likely hosts such as ‘wild’ Rhododendron. • Do not apply anti-Phytophthora fungicides to plants where infection is suspected. Such fungicides are likely to suppress but not eradicate the pathogens. • Restrict or, where practical, avoid the use of overhead watering with plants known or thought to be infected. • Provide the authorities concerned with all necessary documentation and records including, where appropriate, plant passport information. What to do if P. ramorum or P. kernoviae is confirmed If either disease is confirmed, a Statutory Notice will be issued detailing the eradication and containment actions required (see eradication and containment policy at 10.3). Ensure all the required actions including any stipulated removal and destruction of plant material, containers and associated soil or growing media are implemented as soon as possible within the timeframe laid out in the Statutory Notice. The following actions may be specified: • Removal of plant debris and surrounding leaf litter. • Prevention/removal of re-growth. • Excision of infected bark and wood on trees with bleeding cankers. • Prohibition on the movement of infected plants and use of infected material (e.g. propagation/foliage display purposes). • Prohibition on the use of anti-Phytophthora fungicides on any plants held under Statutory Notice. The Notice will also require appropriate measures to be taken to prevent re-infection of the site. These measures may include: • Restricting public access (e.g. appropriate signage, cordoning off). • Not planting susceptible plants within a four metre radius of where infected plants were for a period of three years or, • The removal and deep burial of soil. As you can gather, if this disease takes a real hold in the UK, the results for the countryside, landowners, farmers and people like the NT and Woodland Trusts would be catastrphic and could mean the deforestation of vast areas of the UK's woodland. More info :- http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/plantHealth/pestsDiseases/phytophthora/pRamorum/ With thanks in part to DARD and DEFRA

This weeks jobs from Environmentjob.co.uk http://www.environmentjob.co.uk/updates/last_update I'll update this each week. Last updated on 21/2/12

77 community projects receive £54m from Rural Development Plan for Wales. Among the projects are a healthy village scheme around Caerphilly, a green tourism project in Denbighshire, and a project to train 14-25 year olds in enterprise and entrepreneurship in Anglesey. Read more here. http://new.wales.gov.uk/newsroom/environmentandcountryside/2010/101214rdp34/?lang=en

Please click http://smithsgore-external.createsend2.com/t/r/l/zttvt/hutyiutkj/j to view the Landscope Special on how the Spending Review affects rural areas. To be updated as more news comes in !! With thanks to Smiths Gore.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a Government Department in the UK. They cover and make policy and legislation, and work with others to deliver their policies in areas such as: •the natural environment, biodiversity, plants and animals •sustainable development and the green economy •food, farming and fisheries •animal health and welfare •environmental protection and pollution control •rural communities and issues. Although they only work directly in England, they do work closely with the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and generally lead on negotiations in the EU and internationally.