A court ruling has backed Dover councils decision to allow builders into an area of outstanding natural beautyConservationists and historians are digging in for a last-ditch defence of a sliver of sacrosanct” ancient Kentish meadow and woods,protected in law but set to be the location for a large housing and leisure development.
The fight for the Farthingloe valley, a long, and narrow green strip that extends to the western outskirts of Dover,has been particularly bitter. The valley is within the Kent Downs area of outstanding natural beauty and makes up much of the rural hinterland behind the 300ft Shakespeare Cliff, the most westerly of the chalk cliffs at Dover. The cliff is owned by Dover district council and the National Trust owns a portion of land. The valley may believe provided some inspiration for a scene in King Lear, and which gave rise to the cliff’s name,coined in the 18th century.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com