[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by Graham Jones

The Pals never used the trenches. They were there in the 40's to stop Jerry landings by plane and for soldiers to train. So I am stold back in 1914 it was Accy Golf Club, you can still see what appears to be the greens for Golf from higher up. There is nothing natural about the type of ecology there, eg the horrible conifer plantation. Decidous woodland and pasture grasses exist at higher altitude only a few hundred yards away. However what is there now is spolit by a grafiti covered shelter and worn monument, all accessed by ad hoc paths which are eroding the site. Some of the early schemes would have removed that shelter.

I think we've already queried exactly what the trenches are/were and when they were created. I don't know anything about a golf club but would be fascinated to find out. I guess that makes me one of the "all our yesterdays club" because I'm fascinated by history including local history.

I totally agree with you about the hideous conifers. It's a pity we couldn't have had a vote on them before they were planted and then possibly people who understood the natural flora of the area could have raised their objections and possibly prevented the planting, but then again maybe it would have just gone ahead any way.

I think the shelter should stay and be improved because the way the weather is around here that's the most useful thing up there.

The cabinet has promised itself to unlock funding for the coppice. We shall see. Funding is there and I would expect it around £300k plus Remade over 5 years. Remade have said No Panopticon no funding. Panopticon and the remade programme strats 2006. They are taking lead from the Regional Park who now have only £600k left from £5m as they have only 18 months to run. The Regional Park £5m was only got on the promise that investment would attract outside visitors money, ie part of a economic regeneration plan and path improvments alone did cut the mustard and hence the £5m bid would have failed.

Are you saying that the funding actually exists? Up to now we were under the impression that this was some hypothetical possibility depending on the attracting of sponsors following the creating of a panopticon.

Anyway it is now the Coppice Project and the Panopticon itself is barely mentioned. I believe public opinion has swung Conservative thinking in favour.Possibly again another reflection of the wider held view of the public rather than the lobbyists who over played their importance and lost ground by narrowing their arguments to their own agenda rather than take on board some of the things said by those in favour.

I am willing to be persuaded if anything I hear carries enough weight to convince me that my opinion is wrong or misguided. If for instance a panopticon were to be offered that I felt would enhance the area then I wouldn't simply object to it because it's a panopticon. I would prefer it to be located elsewhere than on the Coppice but from what you say it doesn't sound like there's much chance of that.

It doesn't ssurprise me that the subject never came up when canvassing door to door. When I've mentioned the panopticon to people a lot have looked blank and said "what?" or "what's a panopticon?"

Incidentally no-one came round here either.