Make a mess of something then try to get an unsuspecting
soul to buy the liability off you. That
seems to be the strategy of the owner of Pondtail Wood in Mid Sussex.
Not content with illegally felling 13 acres, illegally
dumping waste and then trying to play for time by “appealing” to the
authorities to try and get out of his responsibilities, he is now trying to
auction-off all the problems he has caused.
Pondtail Wood is shortly going to auction.
Presumably the owner wants someone to buy the wood without
asking too many questions and without realizing the liability they are getting
into. Be clear, however. Anyone who buys this wood will also be taking
on the not inconsiderable liabilities.
Clearing the land of waste will not be cheap – goodness knows what has
been dumped there. Restoring the
landform, including restoring a woodland stream, will entail significant
cost. Replanting the wood appropriately,
caring for it for at least 10 years and re-stoking if any trees fail will also
have to be done at the owner’s expense.
All of this, of course, will have to be made known to any
potential purchaser.
In my view, instead of running away the current owner should
“man-up”, accept his responsibilities and put right what he has spent some
months getting wrong.
If not, well here’s an idea.
Let us imagine that there is an incredibly generous person out there who
is willing to take on the liability and restore the wood for the greater good
for people and the environment. Taking
into account the cost of restoration against the original value of the wood, it
would be generous to offer 1p for the site.
Any takers?
