The area threatened by development of Harlow North is unspoiled, traditional English countryside.  Many of us appreciate it for being just that, and earnestly believe it is worth preserving while we can.

Let us have your comments on what the countryside means to you.  Please send them to comment@stopharlownorth.com and we will try to include them on this website.

Yolande gives a beautiful, personal account of living in Gilston:

My husband John was born in Gilston 66 years ago, 100 yards down Church Lane, and he was only a few days old when he moved to the cottage where he has lived ever since. He has traveled much of Europe, North Africa and North America, but he has always returned to Gilston; and when I married him 31 years ago I joined him there. Each day I cycle to Harlow Town Station to commute to London, and then cycle home again; and however tiring or stressful my day has been I feel myself unwind as I return.

All through the year I mark the seasons by what I can see around me: in spring I wait eagerly for the first hazel catkins and horse chestnut sticky buds. Then come the violets and primroses, then the cowslips, and then the verges are full of cow parsley. In spring and early summer I am woken daily not by the noise of traffic and the smells of pollution, as is the fate of so many people in urban areas; but instead by the birds singing loudly: I know they are only defending their territories but they sound full-throatedly joyous.  In summertime the bumblebees gorge on the lime flowers in Church Lane and I can hear a constant buzzing if I stand still by the church and just listen. Often the bees fall into the road, overladen with pollen, and need to be guided carefully to the roadside. In autumn and winter I watch the stars: when I can see Orion with his belt and his sword striding up the sky with the dog-star Sirius at his heels in the south-east I know it is not long to Christmas; and on Friday nights I listen for bell-ringing practice from St Dunstan’s, Hunsdon, the sound clear on a frosty night after the sun has set behind the woodland copse of Gibson’s Shaw, glowing orange through the skeletal leafless trees. And then I watch out for the coming of the star Arcturus, and note how much longer we will have to wait for spring: once Arcturus is clearly visible fairly high in the east I know that spring is on the way again, and that soon the clocks will go forward an hour, and light evenings are here once more. This rhythm of the seasons is precious; so few people these days can watch and mark the coming and going of the seasons as we can. Even in Gilston and Eastwick a certain amount of light-pollution destroys most people’s vision of the stars – the glow of Harlow and the M11 damages the southern sky; and the north-eastern is partially destroyed by the light thrown up by the airport. However, there is still much that can be seen; and the coming of the urban sprawl of a spreading Harlow would destroy even more of our dark sky, so that it would be more difficult to cherish the seasons as we can at present

There are endless field- and footpaths to follow, and over the years these have been preserved, improved and waymarked, so that more and more people can escape from towns and come out to recharge their batteries and drink in the fresh air and note the variety of wildlife we are still fortunate to have: larks still sing as they soar upwards; woodpeckers are becoming more common; herons are certainly not unknown. Everyone needs to unwind from the stresses of life; and Eastwick, Gilston, Hunsdon and other surrounding villages are still places where peace prevails at least much of the time (when Stansted aircraft are not using the local flightpaths!)

We need to ensure that people can continue to enjoy what we enjoy, and we must cherish and preserve what we still have so that future generations can benefit.

Caroline's comments on what the threatened countryside means to her:

Zoe writes:

I love the morning light at this time of year and once inside the woods the trees almost seemed luminous with the force of the winter sun behind them.  All the things we take for granted seem to be more magical and beautiful when walking through acres of countryside where there are no distractions such as traffic and noise.  Even a simple thing such as seeing nests in trees and wild flowers growing freely seem to be more wonderful whilst breathing in clean fresh hair in tranquil, natural surroundings. There are many beautiful birds to be seen and the Skylarks and Sparrow Hawks frequently visit our gardens.  I have on one occasion had a Green Woodpecker in my garden, which I believe are on the amber list of Birds of Conservation Concern along with Kestrels which are on the decrease due to habitat degradation.  I have also been told that Buzzards have been spotted which are on the list of protected birds as extinction was feared.  They are quite scarce in this part of the country but do make an appearance from time to time, their natural habitat is wooded valleys and farmland with scattered woods. Herons are frequently seen by the ponds and also visit our gardens, they are quite magnificent to see although were not welcomed by my fish. We have no right to take away the natural habitat of these wonderful creatures along with the deer which are an amazing sight to behold.  We have yet to find a badger set which I feel would be the 'golden nugget' but even the smallest creature, no matter how insignificant to human life, has the right to live as nature intended in our ancient and beautiful woodlands.  To take this away would be cruelty in its severest form.