John Chambers Wildflower Seed Debuts On BBC Radio
John Chambers Wildflower Seed has
Production Manager Barry Mitchell.
and forward to 49 minutes. Seed can
featured on this week’s Yorkshire
Gareth explored what people should
be purchased from
Farming on BBC Radio York.
be doing at this time of year regarding
www.johnchamberswildflowers.co.uk
Gareth Barlow produces and presents
the weekly food and farming content
for BBC Radio York which looks at the
rural, farming and food world of North
Yorkshire.
Gareth visited the John Chambers
Wildflower Seed production facility
where he met and interviewed
Sales Director Ian Rotherham and
wildflowers. He asked questions about
planning planting and growing areas,
how, when and where to best establish
Ian Rotherham, Sales Director
comments
a wildflower area, the importance
“We were delighted when Gareth
of them and what people should be
contacted us and asked to feature John
looking for when doing so.
Chambers Wildflower Seed on the radio.
The interview aired on Sunday 18th
October. To hear it visit www.bbc.
co.uk/programmes/p034d8k1#play
Wildflowers look fantastic and are so
good for the environment and wildlife so
we’re always delighted when their value is
recognised and promoted.”
Speaking Up For Landscape
I recently gave evidence to the House of
is the places that people find desirable,
for their places, what their vision is for
Lords Committee on the Built Environment.
where they can best commune, work,
their towns, the distinctiveness and the
The theme of the evidence session was
socialise and play that they choose to
character of the places they want to see.
Green Infrastructure (GI). This was the
move into and where through good
This clarity and positive approach to
first time the Landscape Institute (LI) has
considered management where they will
the public private partnership will allow
ever been asked to give oral evidence.
stay. Barcelona's continued investment
development to thrive rather than struggle
My opening comment to the committee
in neighbourhoods, markets and streets
as it often now does floundering in the
was to acknowledge their recognition of
determine the cities character and quality,
current void between national planning
the importance of GI and the landscape
and ultimately where their 1.4 million
policy and local neighbourhood planning.
element of place making.
residents choose to live and work. It is
GI needs to be reintroduced perhaps
of course no coincidence that Barcelona
based on Natural England’s Landscape
delivers over 70% of the GDP of Spain.
Character Assessment using the landscape
Landscape is the primary consideration in
to determine the plans rather than the
delivering places where people want to
political red lines of the Local Authorities.
be, want to work, want to innovate and
Most of this work is done and could be
therefore is the guarantee of a thriving
readily introduced.
GI is about water, soil, and the complex
processes of all the landscape spaces in
our urban and rural landscapes. It’s about
understanding these processes and using
the landscape skills of management,
science and all the creative design
processes at all scales to ensure quality and
therefore the success of our future places.
Evidence shows that it is the public spaces
and landscapes that create the value
necessary for development to thrive. It
20 Landscape & Urban Design Issue 16
economy.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Lords
For our GI and landscapes to have the
final report recommends
necessary consideration, local authorities
when they report by
must inform development through
March next year.
absolute clarity about what they want