Heritage & Conservation Topic Group Homeapage

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Protecting our heritage and conserving it for future generations is an important aspect of the concept of SUSTAINABILITY. Conservation of both our natural and historic environments is also a very important aspect of sustainability. Conservation concerns often result from our heritage. The protected habitat of rare species today is almost certainly a result of the way our forebears managed the land for their own objectives in the past. So Heritage & Conservation are interlinked. Conserving our heritage makes our own living environment better and leads to a feeling of 'pride of place'. There are more tangible aspects. The more attractive our town is to outsiders then the more people want to live here; so property prices increase.

So we must ask ourselves: what makes Yateley special? We will be asking people this question is various forms. It might just be "What do you like about Yateley?" or "Why did you choose to live in Yateley when you could have bought a house elsewhere?" Send us an email to let us know. Click the email address on the SideBar

Here is a list of things which people have already said they like about Yateley:

• The village-like atmosphere - in spite of the large number of houses and people
• Yateley Common and other rural areas like the Royal Oak Valley
• It's picturesque, and most people are friendly
• The accessibility of lovely countryside
• The area round Yateley Green - it's still like a village

But are there any characteristics that make Yateley special, different from other places, or even unique? Here is a list:

• Yateley Common is a huge tract of lowland heath which now has one of the highest European environment classifications;
• Yateley Common and much of the village's former farmland was the site of a huge wartime RAF airfield which became Blackbushe Airport;
• The extensive gravel pits along the Blackwater River have now become some of the finest game fishing lakes in Europe;
• Despite its size Yateley has still retained it rural village-like character because it has three large greens preserved as registered common land; and the centre of the village still retains its ancient church, the Manor House and Yateley Industries for the Disabled.

Click the links above to find out what are the main issues facing us to conserve Yateley's natural and built environment. Tell us whether you agree, and let us know what you think we should be doing about it.

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