The council responded with a full statement, in which it said the presenter had 'piled in' and that it was 'disappointing that activists should seek to drag down' the council's 'reputation'.
'We've taken a bit of a battering on social media over the past few days over our site near Arc Leisure Matlock — even the naturalist Chris Packham has piled in,' the council said.
'When national activist groups with a huge social media following decide to knock you down you really are on a hiding to nothing, but we believe that local people will understand what we have been trying to do with this piece of land.'Much as I despise Packham, he's perfectly entitled to have his say on the actions of the council. As is anyone.
So if local people want to defend the council's actions, they can. Off you go, folks. It's free. It won't cost you a penny.
Apart from what you're paying to have a social media manager on the council whose only job is to whine when the council gets critiscised, of course...
