permaculture

["Mr R.J. Morris" <rmorris@liverpool.ac.uk>]

Paul,
        Sorry to hear about your neighbours. Your problems kind of
put those experienced by PFAF into context. 

        We've never experienced any violence or vandalism, but theres
been a lot of talking behind our backs. The big problem we have
experienced has been with the parish council. All the applications 
for planning permission have been turned down, including one for
a pollytunnel. We'ed also like to live on the land but applications
to do this have also been refused. We are now looking for a new site
where it will be posible to live on the land. Suprisingly people
higher up in the buricratic ranks have been helpful, permaculture
seems to fit very nicely into Agenda 21 and the county council is
obliged to suport such activities, they may help us to find a new site.

        Moving is going to be a problem. Some people in the group are 
very attached to the land and don't want to go. Others have had enough.
Part of the project was planting a woodland area, so we are not going
to be able to uproot the several thousand trees there. We are thinking
of putting the land into a trust, preventing it being turned back into
normal agriculture.

        As to sollutions to the problem, I've no real advice. We've
tried having open days so that the project is demistified, but
most of the locals don't show up for these. Getting to know the
local community so that they know your not from mars probably helps.
Oh yeah, looking like a bunch of hippies is probably a bad idea.

        Hope you manage to find a solution

                Rich

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Plants for a Future: more than just potatos.
http://www.liv.ac.uk/~rmorris/pfaf/index.html