Exeter Skirmish - Ceasing Games

[ruskitseller]

"It is with a heavy heart that I am writing to share a difficult update.

We are currently engaged in a legal dispute with Natural England regarding legacy issues at our site.
Because the location is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), it is bound by strict environmental conditions. These include prohibitions on building structures (which unfortunately includes the bridge and the fort), a strict ban on vehicles (including the 4x4s and the van that have been parked there for over a decade), and strict daily limits on player numbers to prevent ground compaction. As many of you know, these conditions were consistently ignored for many years prior to us taking ownership.

Since taking over, we have always prided ourselves on operating our sites legally and to the highest possible standards.

This issue came to light during the routine renewal of our 5-year temporary planning permission. As part of the renewal process,
Natural England conducted a site visit, identified these historical breaches, and subsequently made the decision to force the closure of the site.

At this stage, Natural England is refusing to engage with us to find a practical resolution, and we are unsure why. To compound an already deeply stressful situation, Dave has recently suffered a medical emergency, which has contributed to where we are today.
Please know that we are fighting this. We have a dedicated legal team working on the matter and have already invested over £50,000 into our defense. We have formally lodged an appeal and will soon be defending our position in court.
Thank you all for your continued patience, understanding, and support during this incredibly tough time.

Best regards,
Gareth Homewood
Owner"

 

[Adolf Hamster]

*puts on cynical hat*

Taking the inheretence of historic breaches of the restrictions at face value, i cant help but note there isnt detail that they were remedied under the current owner?

*Swaps cynical hat for normal hat*

With that said, if they're concerned about ground compaction due to footfall i cannot see how they'd be ok with anything airsoft related given we literally trample plastic into the ground to say nothing of other rubbish like spent pyro, snacks, cans etc players would inevitably discard.

*Swaps normal hat for lab goggles*

And i hate to say it, but depending on what scientific interest means in this instance, i cant committ to thinking that losing isnt the right thing in this case.

 

[The_Lord_Poncho]

This is the citation for the SSSI: https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1002920.pdf

It's designated for ancient woodland, and the species that habitat supports. Looks like the permission has been renewed multiple times, with Natural England being a consultee each time. Whilst general ground compaction and intensity of use can obviously adversely affect woodland, this does beg the question as to what has changed. Perhaps either the policies and approach that NE take have tightened, or maybe the site has failed to accord with the conditions (including the approved woodland management plans) imposed on the previous permissions. Its certainly a shame, and given the nature of the activity, I'm not site the site can really promise a load of mitigation to remove NEs objection. I would imagine any (biodiversity/habitat) offsetting measures put forward by the site might struggle to be viewed as a suitable remedy given that you can't really hatch a new area of ancient woodland overnight. - but nonetheless to try to go down the biodiversity offsetting route might be their only hope (it will be expensive!).

 

[novioman]

I fear you may well be fighting a losing battle with Natural England, I speak from experience with something very similar with a shooting club I belong to.

 

[The_Lord_Poncho]

I fear you may well be fighting a losing battle with Natural England, I speak from experience with something very similar with a shooting club I belong to.

Click to shrink...

They can be very challenging to achieve a level of pragmatism from. One of the symptoms from an organisation that is largely staffed with workers who are passionate about their chosen career subject matter, with significant autonomy and freedom given to local officers.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

This is the citation for the SSSI: https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/PDFsForWeb/Citation/1002920.pdf

Click to shrink...

Thanks, good to have this sort of context.

Looks like they're citing the woodland/soil has remained unchanged since the 1800's, meaning its worth studying given it hasnt been ruined by the victorians or the modern era.

On the flip side it does mention the site has been studied already, and given it was for at least some time allowed to be an airsoft site it feels like they would/should have only let that pass if they'd got the data they need. So I can see there might be an argument that any damage has likely already been done.

 

[Cannonfodder]

So the site was originally opened with certain restrictions which were and are repeatedly ignored
Tbh I'm not surprised NE are kicking them out