Fairies Stop Developers' Bulldozers

Most people here in the US know of the travails citizens have gone trough to build on their own property only to be stopped by tree huggers claiming a need to protect some endangered cockroach or rare grass. The Ninth District court ruled last year that proof of harm was necessary to stop a project rather than the mere existence of an endangered species.

The Pacific Legal Foundation has represented many landowners in cases where environmentalists have brought actions against landowners, where the only apparent reason for the action was to stop development or other economic activity.

Russ Brooks, managing attorney for Pacific Legal Foundation's Pacific Northwest Center, said; "For the Jones family, like other citizens in Idaho and across the west, the Endangered Species Act has brought nothing but despair, hardship, and lawsuits. Instead of restoring fish, the ESA has been used by environmental groups to hurt people who work the land for a living."

Over in the UK however the situation has taken a bizarre twist.

Villagers who protested that a new housing estate would "harm the fairies" living in their midst have forced a property company to scrap its building plans and start again.

Marcus Salter, head of Genesis Properties, estimates that the small colony of fairies believed to live beneath a rock in St Fillans, Perthshire, has cost him £15,000.

He said: "A neighbour came over shouting, 'Don't move that rock. You'll kill the fairies'."

"Then we got a series of phone calls, saying we were disturbing the fairies. I thought they were joking. It didn't go down very well,"

The Planning Inspectorate has no specific guidelines on fairies but a spokesman said: "Planning guidance states that local customs and beliefs must be taken into account when a developer applies for planning permission." Mr Salter said: "We had to redesign the entire thing from scratch."

That's right a whole development redesigned to preserve fairies. Hey! Don't laugh, little people have rights! But really someone should explain that all they need to do is think good thoughts and Tinkerbell won't die. Haven't they seen Peter Pan? The matter is settled I guess. They build around the rock leaving the fairies unmolested.

Could be the next tactic used here now the Ninth District has ruled against the environmentalists.

Thanks again to PHenry

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