Havering Friends of the Earth

In defence of scrubland

by John Robinson; first published 10-Jan-2025

Sloes and blackberries flourish in scrubland - John Robinson

We're hearing the term grey belt more and more, as pressure mounts for land on which to build. It's an ill-defined term, but generally includes parts of the Green Belt, which someone has arbitrarily deemed to be "unattractive". The word scrubland often appears nearby.

My dictionary defines scrub as "vegetation consisting mainly of brushwood or stunted growth", brushwood being "undergrowth, twigs and small branches". There's a fair amount of land meeting that description in Havering, and I want to urge both residents and would-be developers to appreciate its value, and leave it alone!

The grasses, shrubs and other plants that grow in scrubland are, by nature, well suited to their environment. They flourish without need for human design or manipulation, and provide an ideal habitat for birds and small animals. These in turn benefit from a (comparative) lack of disturbance by marauding people and dogs. And of course all plant growth plays its part in absorbing CO₂ and returning the O₂ (oxygen) to the air.

Scrubland also provides a rich autumn harvest of wild fruits and berries. There's no comparison between the taste of a wild blackberry and the bland, oversized ones available all year round in the shops! Furthermore, every patch bears fruit with its own individual flavour - a bit like the terroir of wine grapes.

A thought-provoking report by London CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) identifies the "real" grey belt: land-hungry surface car parks! I've often mused on the absurdity of every car owner expecting to find a little rectangle of land set aside for them to park, at every place in the country that they might choose to visit. We just need some serious efforts to improve public transport (and reduce the need for people to travel), then some of that land could be released for housing development.

To any readers muttering "NIMBY!", please consider the disproportionately high concentration of people in south-east England. Many of the historic justifications for this no longer apply, and I think it's entirely reasonable to argue for future expansion to focus elsewhere in the country.

Opportunist developers know that midwinter and midsummer are times when most people are preoccupied with festivities and holidays. So we must be especially watchful for inappropriate planning applications at these times!

All the best for 2025 - and by the way, would you like to join Havering Friends of the Earth?