Network Rail owns nearly 7,500 acres of land along 22,000 miles of track and boasts of treating it as a wildlife corridor. Tell that to the people of Bathampton, near Bath, who have been fighting a protracted battle to stop over-enthusiastic contractors clear-cutting in the name of safety all the trees and bushes across a large part of a pretty conservation area.

Cheer up, folks. There may be no plants left, but Network Rail wants people to apply to them for permission to grow food on its land.

• Eco Soundings is our regular bite-sized blog series. It appears every Wednesday in the Guardian newspaper