ThinkTank Update 2

A Photography gallery showcasing the most local example of rural development near my family home in the countryside, which I wrote about in my first ThinkTank Blog. The photographs are of a Bio-Waste recycling plant and the surrounding area.

The following photographs have been taken on across a number of dates, on dog walks I have taken in my local area. Though I have strayed off the public footpath through the farmland to take some of the photographs, I do so with the farmers knowledge. I have done so to record the changes that have taken place on the land since the start of the building process.

Originally supposed to be a dairy processing plant, the project is now a Bio-Waste recycling plant that ferments organic waste and generates electricity. Though I agree with the principle ideology behind the project, I disagree with some of the large scale constructional methods undertaken during the build – primarily the dumping of industrial hardcore waste and other similar materials to alter and raise the terrain on the build site, as well as the visual aspects of the building itself (scale, dimension, aesthetic etc)

The photographs are my first act of field research into my ThinkTank project, where I plan on analysing our use land use for rural developments. I will focus on locations close to my home that I can research public opinion on before focusing on the national and possibly even global scale.

The next gallery update will focus on the environmental aspects of the Bio-Waste project (water, drainage, soil quality, abundance of habitat destruction etc) as well as some other rural locations in the immediate area. The ThinkTank project will also have future blog posts, gallery updates and segments of research published as I get further into the project.

Below is a map of the route I took showing the first part of the route, showing the walk up to the Plant Build Site, New Cow Barn and the surrounding area.

Photographs 1 – 9: Walk up to the Plant along a public footpath

1. Damage to the B2115 Road at site entrance

2. Main access route from the main road

3. Further down the access road

4. Recent hedge planted alongside access road

5. Build site coming into view from access road

6. Build site coming into closer view from access road

7. Waste storage mound under tarpaulin

8. Banks created, and screening trees recently planted

9. View of Plant Building from the public footpath

Photographs 10 – 17: Plant Building and surrounding area

10. View of Plant Building from the public footpath

11. Build site behind the Plant Building

12. Rear View of the Plant Building

13. Rear View of the Plant Building

14. Rear View of the Plant Building

15. Other on site dwellings between Plant Building & New Cow Barn

16. View of Plant Building machinery

17. Health and Safety Information

Photographs 18 – 41: New Cow Barn, land behind the build site and accumulated rubbish dumps

18. View of New Cow Barn from Public Footpath

19. View of entrance to New Cow Barn from Public Footpath

20. Internal photograph of New Cow Barn

21. Internal photograph of New Cow Barn

22. Internal photograph of New Cow Barn

23. Internal photograph of New Cow Barn

24. Internal photograph of New Cow Barn

25. Internal photograph of New Cow Barn

26. Ponies kept in very limited space in New Cow Barn

27. Internal photograph of New Cow Barn

28. View of New Cow Barn from Public Footpath

29. View of entrance to New Cow Barn from Public Footpath

30. Close up of dumped material, showing the man made objects within the soil.

31. View of drainage ditch from the Public Footpath

32. View of land adjacent to New Cow Barn from the Public Footpath

33. Exterior view of New Cow Barn, showing unsupported soil wall

34. Land behind New Cow Barn

35. Exterior view of New Cow Barn, showing the scale of the building

36. Exterior view of New Cow Barn adjacent to the Plant Building

37. Land behind New Cow Barn

38. Land behind New Cow Barn

39. Land behind New Cow Barn, adjacent to the Public Footpath

40. Land behind New Cow Barn, showing improper drainage system

41. Abandoned and stripped shipping container, adjacent to the Public Footpath

The Map below shows other parts of the farm, showing the extend of Gypsum dumped, the lakes created for dairy purposes and other buildings recently erected collectively on a site near to the farmhouse.

Photographs 42 – 48: Separate dump area, hidden within and on top of the dumped Gypsum

42. Material dumped around existing stream, as well as adding new drainage pipes

43. View of exposed Gypsum dump site

44. View of exposed Gypsum dump site

45. View of exposed Gypsum dump site, showing the elevation change and highlighting the volume of dumped material

46. Rubbish left around exposed Gypsum dump site

47. Rubbish left around exposed Gypsum dump site

48. Wood pile left at exposed Gypsum dump site

Photograph 49: Abandoned farm dump site (Caravans and ruined buildings)

Photographs 50 – 58: The built Lakes, and buildings between the lakes and the farmhouse.

50. View across the built lakes, towards the newly erected buildings near to the farmhouse

51. View across the built lakes

52. A neighbour’s property who has direct views over the lakes and has complained about the visual aesthetics and noise created by the newly erected buildings near to the farmhouse, as well as the changes made to the view by the creation of the lakes

53. View towards the newly erected buildings near to the farmhouse

54. View towards the newly erected buildings near to the farmhouse

55. View towards the newly erected buildings near to the farmhouse, showing an abandoned building

56. View towards a new warehouse building near to the farmhouse

57. View towards the newly erected buildings near to the farmhouse

58. Abandoned/ neglected buildings near to the farmhouse

I believe that above, the photographs highlight inefficient and wasteful land use within rural land, as well as negatively contributing to the aesthetic and character of the local architecture. For me, it does not replicate the values I hold with regards to treatment of the environment and I believe using this research as a starting point will unearth some valuable truths. I am prepared to search far and wide to understand rural land use and whether we are creating with purpose or not.

As a resident of the area, I feel personally towards this particular development and feel like it has negatively impacted a huge area of farmland. I would like to investigate whether the work here has been done to preserve the best interests of the environment or for another purpose. I believe the erection of so many buildings without considering the existing footprint to be wasteful and would like to understand whether there are alternative methods of building to have achieved the same outcome.

Stay tuned for more.

Until next time,

RK