POW work in partnership with the Sussex Planning for Nature group. The group consists of the following organisations (the links are to their statements regarding Center Parc's proposals):
"We believe it is impossible for any new construction of this nature and scale to be undertaken without inevitable and extensive loss and deterioration of ancient woodland. We have yet to see any evidence from Center Parcs that they have demonstrated this in practice. Center Parcs may claim that a proposal would not result in loss and deterioration; however, given the irreplaceability of this habitat and its soils, this is simply not achievable where any development is to be sited within ancient woodland.
We believe the responsible approach for both climate and biodiversity is to find an alternative site which currently has low ecological value and plan for extensive planting and natural regeneration of new and existing native woodland. This could serve to improve the new site’s conservation value and be an act of positive ecological responsibility for which future development can be designed around. Center Parcs has an opportunity to increase biodiversity, not destroy it; helping Center Parcs support national climate change policy to plant an additional 30,000ha of new woodland every year in the UK, and avoid destroying the irreplaceable ancient woodland of Oldhouse Warren set within the nationally important High Weald AONB. "
Sussex Ornithological Society
The Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS) is the county bird club with over 2000 members and a database of over 7 million records of birds in Sussex. More information about us can be found at www.sos.org.uk.