The Grane - A Poem

When we first came to live in Grane

Forty nine years ago

I stood in awe of the pasture land

With lambs darting to and fro

There were hens, a pony, a peacock

Grazing on the grass

It was an idyllic place to live

But what would come to pass

Compulsory purchase by planners

A decision we were to fight

There were plans to destroy the fields of Grane

And put factories on the site

The landowner, he was not happy

As he was retiring you see

He objected with us and “Save Grane” was born

“Do not build on this land,” was the plea

It took many years to overturn

The planners land grab endeavour

An Inspector ruled the fields should remain

And we trusted it would be for ever

Over the years the land it grew wild

No longer did animals graze

But something magical happened

Now on wonders of nature we gaze

Grasses, wild flowers and rushes abound

A habitat as nature had planned

Roe deer, owls and species galore

Have established themselves on the land

But now in the year 2020

Developers and planners suggest

That habitat should be expelled from the site

To make way for their housing request

There is no thought for the residents of Grane

For their quality of life or well being

Nor the green open space in their village

And abundance of wildlife they’re seeing

We believe more appropriate sites can be found

There’s no need to pillage and plunder

A site on the edge of a Triple SI

Is it all for the money, I wonder?

Margaret Murray