18th May 2010, 12:18 PM
"Should" is an interesting word. Do you mean morally, legally or in your own financial best interests?
I'm interested in finding out whether there actually is anything you could do in that situation -anything that doesn't involve a loaded shotgun and a 5-10 stretch in the slammer, I mean (I don't have a violent nature, it's just that a relative is a famer and I'm imagining his response).
You could present your visitors with documentary evidence of your nationally important archaeology and details of your wonderful ecology (copies only, of course) in the hope of scaring them off. But I think by the "visiting" stage, that would just provide advance notice for their lawyers to start building a case to counter any legal objection that you launch (if you can afford to). I think I'd keep stumm, apart from saying something vague about your Grandad digging up a Roman pot/bit of wall in yonder field and your youngest bringing home a jamjar filled with Great Crested Newts, and see what the visitors' response is. Then as soon as they've gone, get on the phone/email to whatever concerned conservation organisations you can find and lawyer-up. Ultimately, if you lose an appeal, compulsory purchase means just that. They swipe your carefully conserved land/archaeology/fluffy bunny orphanage and bulldoze the lot, having shelled out as little as possible to investigate the remains and wehome the wabbits.
Or you could just accept the cheque with a smile. Although I'm guessing this isn't what you "should" do!
I'm interested in finding out whether there actually is anything you could do in that situation -anything that doesn't involve a loaded shotgun and a 5-10 stretch in the slammer, I mean (I don't have a violent nature, it's just that a relative is a famer and I'm imagining his response).
You could present your visitors with documentary evidence of your nationally important archaeology and details of your wonderful ecology (copies only, of course) in the hope of scaring them off. But I think by the "visiting" stage, that would just provide advance notice for their lawyers to start building a case to counter any legal objection that you launch (if you can afford to). I think I'd keep stumm, apart from saying something vague about your Grandad digging up a Roman pot/bit of wall in yonder field and your youngest bringing home a jamjar filled with Great Crested Newts, and see what the visitors' response is. Then as soon as they've gone, get on the phone/email to whatever concerned conservation organisations you can find and lawyer-up. Ultimately, if you lose an appeal, compulsory purchase means just that. They swipe your carefully conserved land/archaeology/fluffy bunny orphanage and bulldoze the lot, having shelled out as little as possible to investigate the remains and wehome the wabbits.
Or you could just accept the cheque with a smile. Although I'm guessing this isn't what you "should" do!