Protecting the future

Chairman’s message from the latest issue (no. 196) of Chiltern News

My schooldays, some pleasant and others painful, are now a distant memory but some of the issues remain as interesting to me and as fresh now as then. One character who remains lodged in my mind is Thomas Malthus, with his population theory – was he right, wrong, ahead of his time or just a pessimist? This concept could be discussed over a pint for many an hour. If you are not aware of his theory, you can obtain an instant explanation from Google or Wikipedia, but this simply exposes one flaw in his arguments – he failed to foresee the benefits of technological innovation.

In a similar vein, I recollect the story of the economist who forecast in the 1870s that the growth in horse-drawn traffic in London over the next 50 years would result in the streets of London being 3 feet deep in horse manure, but he failed to foresee the advent of the motor car!

You may well be wondering what has this to do with the Chiltern Society. It is just that I seem to be overwhelmed by transport issues (planes, trains and freight) and planning policies, when I thought I was involved with an environmental society.

The publication by the Government of the HS2 papers has brought to a head many long running issues for the Chilterns and they simply will not go away. The high speed train may be a (dubious) benefit to the ‘nation’, but it will definitely be a disaster for this area. The extra runway capacity at Heathrow and Luton may be ‘essential’ for international commerce or leisure. Proposed freight depots in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire or additional housing planned for the North Chilterns may be ‘necessary for growth’, but an area once described by Government as one of the ‘jewels in the English landscape’ and created over many millennia will be lost and gone forever.

Can all these planners see into the future any better than my late friend Thomas Malthus? I doubt it very much. Without some positive action on our part, the environment we love and cherish will not be there to pass on to our grandchildren in the same state in which we inherited it. As my children might say, your generation has eaten all the cod and consumed all the oil and what have you left for us? Is it to be a concrete jungle or a green environment?

So, what are we doing about it? We are responding in the time-honoured way by forming working parties to challenge government in a structured and positive manner, promote the Chilterns for enjoyment, and employ technology for media and communication advantage. By the time this article appears in print, I hope you will be receiving e-newsletters with reports on our latest activity on these fronts.

What can you do about it? Please visit our website (link on the homepage) for suggestions and encourage your friends to join us as there is great strength in numbers; and we will also need funds if we are to respond appropriately.

Meanwhile, our walking festival programme and new cycleway are being promoted this summer, and you should have received a membership card with visitor benefit offers. I know Jenny and others have worked very hard to pull these programmes together and I trust you will find enjoyment and rewards in participating in them. After this long winter, I hope we can all look forward to a pleasant summer outdoors.

John Taylor
Chairman
Chiltern Society

 
John Taylor