"We do not own this earth. We hold it in trust for our children."

We are very surprised and disappointed at the decision of the Planning Inspector to dismiss our Appeal. We feel that the decision goes against the weight of the evidence and the arguments presented at the public inquiry. It is a missed opportunity to support a valuable sustainable working woodland and conservation project. This project is demonstrating sustainable solutions on a local, grassroots level to some of today's environmental problems. This accords with, amongst other things, Agenda 21 of the international Rio Declaration, under which all local authorities have commitments to support and encourage sustainable developments and practices.

We always knew that there would be difficulty in obtaining planning permission for this project. Planning policies locally and nationally do not take account of low impact, sustainable developments. So our planning application and the appeal was decided on the basis of policies designed for ordinary housing developments and agricultural activities.

We are reviewing the inspector's decision with our solicitor and considering our options. Our most immediate problems are of building up group moral again after the bad news and raising the money to pay the legal costs we have already amassed during the appeal. Beyond that, there is a strong possibility that we will appeal against the decision to the High Court (probably on the basis that our rights as set out in articles 8 and 9 of the Human Rights Act are being infringed).

We are not just undertaking this project and continuing to persevere through the legal process for ourselves but also for people locally and further afield who are supporting us and see the project as a valuable one (for now and future generations); and for the sake of the future well-being of the environment, animals and people.

We feel that the inspector's decision is flawed for the following reasons (amongst others):

• The inspector fails to grasp the holistic nature of the project. How can there be a sustainable living project without living sustainably? Living in conventional housing in nearby towns and commuting to the site could only be supported by having full-time jobs elsewhere, leaving us with little or no time to carry out the project. Living in the woods, we can dedicate all of our time to the project and be fully committed to it. We are demonstrating the ability to live without connection to any of the utilities (water, electricity, gas, sewage disposal), providing all of these services ourselves by ecological and sustainable means (filtered spring water, reed bed 'grey water' filtering, compost toilets, renewable energy). In short, integrating people with nature and low impact production is a vital ingredient of sustainable development.
• The inspector dismissed the idea that the project can be financially viable for 15 residents. But he fails to take into account subsistence production, for example that we provide our own food, fuel and electricity etc.
• The inspector calculated the hours we need to be working, but not only does he misinterpret our Business and Enterprise Plan, he also fails to take into account unpaid work such as path improvement, public access, control of invasive species and other woodland improvement, outreach work and showing visitors round. There is also the extra work involved in maintaining a sustainable low impact life such as chopping firewood, constructing and maintaining dwellings, renewable energy systems and other infrastructure etc. Then of course there's all the work involved in trying to obtain planning permission!

In the Dartmoor National Park Management Plan (Consultation Draft - February 2000), a vision is presented of Dartmoor as "a place where all human activity is in harmony with the conservation and enhancement of the area's scenic beauty, ecological value and cultural heritage. It is a place of inspiration, of evolution and of socio-economic viability, where resources are managed sustainably." We believe our plans for Steward Community Woodland are a step towards such a vision.

Note for media: The above is the view of all the members of Steward Community Woodland, but the press can, if they wish, attribute any of the text as quotes from Pete Cow (a member of Steward Community Woodland).

For other peoples comments about the planning situation,
or to leave your own thoughts, visit the 'Planning Section'
of our online discussion forum 'Your Word On The Wood'

Some of the media responses can be found here :
Herald Express , Express & Echo, BBC TV, Guardian