Dan sunk by egret

Subject: Dan sunk by egret Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:26 pm

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Drake-s-Island-hotel-plan-scuppered-rare-birds/story-25819208-detail/story.html

PLANS to build a luxury hotel, restaurant and spa on Drake’s Island could be scuppered by a group of rare birds.

Councillors are due to consider the latest application to develop the historic island next week, but officers have recommended refusal due to the potential impact on a colony of little egrets which have made it their home

Rotolok Holdings’ plan to convert the listed buildings on the island into a 25-bedroom hotel, bar, restaurant, spa, gym and swimming pool has encountered resistance from wildlife and conservation groups who are worried about the birds’ natural habitat.Drake's Island hotel plan could be scuppered by rare bird

Posts : 752 Join date : 2012-01-23

Any been spotted at HHP?

Subject: Re: Dan sunk by egret Wed Jan 07, 2015 6:43 pm

Dingle wrote:: Any been spotted at HHP?

Concret blocks is a rare sighting at HHP

Subject: Re: Dan sunk by egret Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:03 pm

How long has Dan owned Drake's Island now?

Posts : 1586 Join date : 2013-03-24 Age : 27

Cool - I wonder if that's where the little egret I saw down in Sutton Harbour lives?

Guest

Greenskin wrote:: How long has Dan owned Drake's Island now?

must be at least 20 years.

Guest

He'd best get on with it - no spring chicken!!

Posts : 6420 Join date : 2014-06-01 Location : Brentocabin

Never ever thought argyle would have a worse owner than Desperate Dan, how wrong i was.

Subject: Re: Dan sunk by egret Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:25 pm

Bandwagon wrote:: He'd best get on with it - no spring chicken!!

I think his son runs it now.

Posts : 1573 Join date : 2011-10-07 Age : 111

Bandwagon wrote:: He'd best get on with it - no spring chicken!!

That's a rare old burd!

Guest

sufferedsince 68 wrote:: Never ever thought argyle would have a worse owner than Desperate Dan, how wrong i was.

i was working in a pub a few years ago when Dan and the missus strolled in and ordered a steak.
i took great delight in giving the steak a damn good marinating on the kitchen floor

Posts : 10244 Join date : 2011-10-23

Taking Dan Mac aside, I'd love to see something actually happen with Drakes Island in my lifetime.

It should be Plymouths jewel in its Crown, and yet it's been left to rot and decay due to a succession of lacklustre backward thinking fucktards not being able to get their collective heads together, cut out the masses of twatty red tape and finally wake up, go and stand on the Hoe and realise the astounding asset right there in front of them that they've been ignoring for decades.

PAFC certainly doesn't have the monopoly on Village Mentality. Mad

Guest

Czarcasm wrote:: Taking Dan Mac aside, I'd love to see something actually happen with Drakes Island in my lifetime.

It should be Plymouths jewel in its Crown, and yet it's been left to rot and decay due to a succession of lacklustre backward thinking fucktards not being able to get their collective heads together, cut out the masses of twatty red tape and finally wake up, go and stand on the Hoe and realise the astounding asset right there in front of them that they've been ignoring for decades.

PAFC certainly doesn't have the monopoly on Village Mentality.

The Hoe and forshore (TM Mock Like a Star @ heaven

) Could of, should of been one of the most spectacular waterfronts in the world, if developed in the right way. As Sharkey say's above, years of dragging heels, apathetic and non visionary old fuckwits running, and ruining this city are to blame. Imho, these days, Plymouth, city of my birth, is shite, and years behind any other city the same size in the UK.

Subject: Re: Dan sunk by egret Thu Jan 08, 2015 8:06 am

Person Of Interest wrote:: The Hoe and forshore (TM Mock ) Could of, should of been one of the most spectacular waterfronts in the world, if developed in the right way. .

Absolutely bang on!

You have knucklehead Newell carping on about how beautiful the oceanfront of Plymouth "the ocean city" is... It's average at best...

Hasn't Mister World Traveler himself ever been to Sydney or San Francisco?

And if you're talking just views... Jeez... The view from the Bowgie Pub in Crantock is better!

Subject: Re: Dan sunk by egret Thu Jan 08, 2015 9:05 am

Tgwu wrote:

Bandwagon wrote:: He'd best get on with it - no spring chicken!!

I think his son runs it now.

Aidan McCauleyis is his son,

How come these businesse men from North Devon throws their toy's out off their prams?

THE developer behind proposals for a luxury hotel on Drake’s Island has threatened to abandon the project, accusing council officers of holding the scheme to ransom over a collection of rare birds.

Yesterday(Thur) The Herald reported that a colony of little egrets which live on the island could scupper the application, which is recommended for refusal ahead of a planning meeting next week.

Rotolok Holdings’ plan to convert the listed buildings on the island into a 43-bedroom hotel, bar, restaurant, spa, gym and swimming pool has encountered resistance from wildlife and conservation groups who are worried about the birds’ natural habitat in the island’s trees.

Rotolok’s Aidan McCauley said: “I am staggered that after years of close working with council officers they are choosing to ignore the evidence that is before them and turn our proposed investment away.

“My professional team has provided the council with all they need to approve this existing scheme and it is clear that there is no problem with the little egrets, and no need for any off-site mitigation measures to be taken.

“Quite why they are seeking to ransom the scheme based on unnecessary, uncertain and undeliverable mitigation measures for little egrets appears to be based on their misinterpretation of European legislation that is primarily designed to protect the feeding grounds of the little egret in the Tamar Estuary.

“The only hope for this project now is that members of the council’s planning committee look carefully at the evidence that we have provided to them and rely upon that when making their decision on January 15.”

Mr McCauley suggested the firm could pull out of the scheme altogether if permission is not granted.

“It would be great to see the New Year in with the commissioning of this project rather than being forced to invest those funds elsewhere,” he said.

The council has received letters of representation from Natural England, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Cornwall Wildlife Trust, who are worried the rare egrets may leave the island if they are disturbed by building work.

The planning officer’s report, which will be discussed by councillors on Thursday, January 15, states that Rotolok and the council have been unable to agree a way forward

Guest

Much as I hate Macauley I do sympathise with them. Now before I am called a scum bag let me tell you why. The Egret is not an uncommon bird nowadays there must be a couple hundred on the Tamar alone, Kingsbridge estuary is full of them as is the Exe, Teignbridge and Dart estuaries. 30 years ago they were rare a couple of visitors from Europe started to breed and they have been a massive success. There are now many more egrets than Grey Herons, in the south and west of England at least. The Egrets nest in trees not buildings and I'm not for one minute say cut the trees down and destroy the roost but surely they could just agree a plan whereby the needs of the birds are taken into consideration. I have had a few building projects delayed because of the presence of bats in the past, usually you have to wait until the breeding and nursing has finished, go in do your work (usually loft conversions btw) quite often we end up improving the roof/facilities for the bats with better entrances and custom built roosting areas. We put a false wall in the end of one loft which took about 18" of the room and two years later there were double the bats than when we started. Birds seem to be the new bats these days. A couple of mates of mine were reroofing the manor garage in Horrabridge recently and couldn't finish because a couple of jackdaws had started to nest, I would have loved to see the face of my old boss I did my apprenticeship with if I told him there were birds nesting and we couldn't finish the job, it would be "well 'eave the buggers out then." How times change.

Subject: Re: Dan sunk by egret Thu Jan 08, 2015 11:23 am

My area is overrun with Jackdaws! Cnuts, impossible to have a bird feeder in my garden.

Also all 5 chimneys are completely bird proof, now.

_______________________________________
COYG!

Posts : 2614 Join date : 2013-11-21 Age : 63

I have some sympathy for developers too, however - what joy to have once very rare birds now doing well.

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seadog wrote:: My area is overrun with Jackdaws! Cnuts, impossible to have a bird feeder in my garden.

Also all 5 chimneys are completely bird proof, now.

Iv'e never seen a Jackdaw c*nt.

Guest

PatDunne wrote:: I have some sympathy for developers too, however - what joy to have once very rare birds now doing well.

Absolutely, when I was a lad, 51 ATM, Perigrines were rare and we now see loads of them, Ospreys have made a comeback and on the Tamar there are lots of Advocet and even a couple of Bitterns (Lopwell). There are Otters all over the place and even a few wild boar down the Tavy valley. Speaking of which a bloke got killed when he hit a boar in Wiltshire a couple of days ago and Princess Anne had a Glouster Old Spot boar killed by a wild boar yesterday. affraid

I love the fact we have wild boar in the wild however they do need to be culled to keep a lid on them. A 1000lb wild boar is feckin dangerous.

Posts : 10244 Join date : 2011-10-23

PatDunne wrote:: I have some sympathy for developers too, however - what joy to have once very rare birds now doing well.

Well yes, lovely.

But to quite literally have the likelihood of a top class development on Drakes Island hanging in the balance purely on the basis that it may disturb some birds in nearby trees, is fuckin nuts.

Actually it's beyond fuckin nuts. I'm just struggling to think of an apt 'beyond nuts' phrase.

Posts : 3235 Join date : 2014-09-25

Ape shit ?........................................not on Drakes Island

Posts : 886 Join date : 2013-04-02 Location : Down West

Make a goood site for Plymouth's own Jurassic Park, imagine that short helicopter flight from Plymouth Airport (oh) the gates magically open to be confronted by some dinosaurs of past ages..

{{Insert Dinosaurs here}}

Posts : 2614 Join date : 2013-11-21 Age : 63

Czarcasm wrote:

PatDunne wrote:: I have some sympathy for developers too, however - what joy to have once very rare birds now doing well.

Well yes, lovely.

But to quite literally have the likelihood of a top class development on Drakes Island hanging in the balance purely on the basis that it may disturb some birds in nearby trees, is fuckin nuts.

Actually it's beyond fuckin nuts. I'm just struggling to think of an apt 'beyond nuts' phrase.

I happen to think your comment is 'beyond nuts'

Posts : 10244 Join date : 2011-10-23

If a natural habitat of some critically endangered species was being flattened to build on, I could understand it. But it isn't even on the 'most at risk' list, and even if it was, there were no plans to cut down or interfere with any trees it nests in on the Island anyway!

A multi-million pound prestige development that will be fantastic for the city's profile and economy, not happening purely because of the possibility that some birds nearby may not like the noise, is totally bonkers. Beyond bonkers, even.

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