A team from BBC’s Springwatch programme recently visited Pitsea tip.

What an eye opener it was to discover how much wildlife there is to see.

It shows how resilient the animal world is, despite what man can do to it.

People in the past have shown how important it is to preserve green spaces amongst the urban sprawl, such as Kent View recreation ground in Vange, earmarked by Basildon Council for housing.

This was, according to many elderly residents, donated to those residents for ever, so our children had the opportunity to play and explore the wonders of the natural world.

What kind of legacy are we leaving our children and grandchildren if these havens of flora and fauna are covered in concrete? We have treasured these places of beauty, which we want to pass on for them and their families to enjoy and treasure as we have.

The bottom line is commercial profit against the environment and people’s recreation. People left the city to enjoy a town combining comfortable homes with the pleasure of plenty of open spaces, where their children could grow and flourish.

As someone has said, if you and I had committed to spending beyond our means, as Basildon Council clearly has with the Sporting Village, the banks would have called in the bailiffs to recover our possessions.

J D Backham
Paslowes
Vange