We have now handed in our petition to Canterbury City Council – huge thanks to all who signed it either on paper or via Change.org.

A group of residents from Canterbury and Whitstable set it up in October, with the following wording:

We, the undersigned, urge the protection and enhancement of the Blean landscape and woodland complex, as a vital hub of biodiversity, heritage, agriculture and community well-being – for the benefit of future generations.To realise this vision for the Blean, we advocate the following actions:

·  Protection and expansion of ancient woodland and wildlife conservation initiatives.

·  Investment in biodiversity and nature-based carbon projects.

·  Promotion of sustainable agriculture.

·  Formal recognition of the Blean Landscape Project’s boundaries, to safeguard its ecological and cultural significance.

By the end of February that petition had more than 23,500 signatures.

The Council has now told us that they will classify the petition as a ‘consultation petition’ as the call for action would clearly impact on Local Plan draft policies and proposals. They will be routing it to the Planning Policy team to provide an opportunity for the ideas to be considered alongside other proposals as part of the Local Plan process. 

The petition will also be directed to the Council’s Open Space & Biodiversity Working Group, and a special meeting is also being set up with them to discuss the Blean Woodland Complex on Monday 28th April.