WHILST your piece headlined Drama in the Dales (Echo, Jul 18) on the art installation in Upper Teesdale was very interesting, what it did not tell your readers is that site, and much more of Upper Teesdale is classed as a site of Special Scientific Interest, SSSI’s for short, because of the density of breeding birds, namely wading birds, which breed there.

Most of these birds are in severe decline, and one, the curlew, has appeared in The Northern Echo, and many other newspapers, due to its perilous state.

What I cannot comprehend is why that piece of art was allowed to be erected on that site during the birds’ breeding season as there were still birds with young on the ground.

I am aware that Natural England will have to have granted permission for the work, but, as Natural England is supposed to work on the “precautionary principle” when granting any works on any site like this I cannot understand why permission was granted.

I have contacted Natural England to ask that very question.

I must stress I am not against the artwork, but the timing of it. August 1 would have been soon enough and would not have risked the mortality of any young birds as they would have fledged by then.

As an historical note, that gulley is not a “hush” as such, but was quarried for the limestone for the old lime kiln at the foot on the hill.

A hush was washed out with water and there is a dam at the top of them all which supplied the water to carry out the work.

There is no such dam or any other water works which would have supplied water to this gulley.

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