When we first saw our new home in Ipswich eight years ago, one of the big attractions to the property was the fields opposite. As a child, I grew up in a house which looked out over fields and I can remember many happy hours playing out in the fields. Almost as soon as we moved into our new home, people said to us “make the most of the view, you won’t have it for very long, they’re planning to build houses over there. Others said “they were talking about building on that land years ago, I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it” and during the time we have lived here we have waited in eager anticipation. As I write this message today, the contractors have closed the pavement opposite our house and we have a letter telling us that over the coming weeks, the new access road to the first traunch of houses will be constructed and the first houses will be erected.
So far, my concern as the huge development starts to take shape has centred on the infrasturcture as all the cars from the new development pour out onto an already busy road. I have been concerned about the pressure on local services, doctors surgeries, schools and the like and possibly more than anything else, the disruption as roads are closed, the mud, the noise, the dust and potential security issues. Against the backdrop of our Climate Crisis considerations, I have additional concerns. To most of us a field is a field, and a hedgerow is a hedgerow, but both area’s are vital habitats for our wild life. It has been a standing joke for many years to my knowledge that the conservationist delight in finding some threatened species of toad, newt, bird, or insect, to bring the construction of a vital motorway, or runway extension to a grinding standstill.
This is not a new issue. As large scale farming has developed, hedgerows have been removed, to make larger and larger structures and consequently habitats have been destroyed. As Christians we believe that God created a world, with every living creature having a role to play in maintaining the delicate balance of nature. Human beings have taken ownership of the world and everything has been there to provide for our needs, and very little concern has been given to the environment. We have witnessed stone being gouged out of hillsides to be used in building, wider and faster roads, bigger and better factories, longer runways at airports, more and more housing and as every new development takes shape, the balance of nature takes a turn. Before very long, I will look out of my lounge window and see only houses, but a bigger cost is the wildlife and ecosystems which will be gone forever.
A prayer for this week:
Creator God, we pray for understanding of the threat to species diversity, we give thanks for all those striving to protect vulnerable environments, and elimination of practice that damages and exploits resources. Amen