Angry meeting

[dragonfly]

I have been to an angry meeting tonight. It was called by the council and chaired by a police officer. The meeting was not well publicised and I don’t think they were expecting many people to turn up but hundreds did, at least five hundred. The room was full, even around the sides standing 2 or 3 deep and they were still pouring in behind us. The policeman tried to postpone the meeting as it was a health and safety issue but the people refused to go and some people were getting very angry. On a suggestion we all moved to the very large entrance hall and tried to have the meeting there but people at the back kept complaining they couldn’t hear so it was closed and the people only left when they were promised another meeting in a larger venue and made them promise to advertise it well.

What was the meeting about I hear you ask well Leicester County Council has a directive from the government that they have to build up to 12,000 new homes in the next few years even though there is about 5,000 empty properties at present. One of the 3 sites proposed is a large field directly behind our house, all are greenbelt land. We live in a small quiet village and they want to build 500 cheap homes on it.

How would you feel if you paid well over the odds for a house in a nice area only to end up on the edge of a large estate, which is our worse nightmare? We will definitely be at the next meeting and will have lots of questions ready even though the council usually do what they want anyway.

[eleanor2]

that sounds absolutley terrible d.f.especially as they cant sell new homes at the moment.all the empty properties need to filled before they start building.it is so hypochritical too.when we wanted to build on an existing building at dad in laws.they refused us cus it was in the green belt.nowadays the council seems to just do as they please

[Rustic Pumpkin]

First, I will say that most public meetings are (usually) never very well advertised purely because it can then be said that 'we advertised a meeting so-and-so but nobody came!'

Second, this is awful, but sadly what is happening these days. I really do feel for you. It is happening all the time in my own area, but not on such a scale. Even one house built on the edge of our village can cause outrage, never mind the small, mini-complex of 8 (all of which went for holiday homes, don't get me started) where the garage stood for decades in the centre of the village!

Unfortunately, all I can say is you have undoubtedly got a fight on your hands. I completely understand where you are coming from, and I know some would say the housing is needed, but Not In Your Backyard! I don't know what sort of area you live in, sounds as if you are on the outskirts of a largeish town. 500 homes here would double the size of our village!

[dragonfly]

Rustic I live on the edge of a small town surrounded by nice countryside which we paid dearly for. If they carry on there will not be much countryside left, then what will happen if we can't import food. It is the same council that is trying to urge people to get out more and do more walking to get healthy. By hemming us in with housing estates it will make us depressed. I bet the people who pass these laws live in a lovely area. Luckily there is a lot of people willing to fight.

We went to a pub tonight in an old village a few miles away and the people on the next table were talking about a different meeting they went to the same night as us, their village is under attack too. Not many people turned up at theirs as they were told it was not an open meeting, which was a lie. There is another one tomorrow in another area. Ours was cancelled and we are still waiting for another date. When we get the date a couple of us are going to do some leaflets and post them around the village.

This is another case of the council who is supposed to work for us not giving a damn about us.

[Hedgehog]

Well done. It is also advisable to write to the Chief Planning Officer outlining your objections and write in planning language. A few years ago a group of us managed to get a housing development in a local park scrapped. Also there are something like a million homes lying empty, and thousands of holiday, second homes and great swathes of empty shops and pubs that could be turned into housing.

[jazzactivist]

Good for you and all the other people for attending this meeting, DF. This is happening to small villages all over the country after the Government relaxed laws about building on greenbelt land. 8 years ago we left a beautiful seaside village and during the 11 years that we lived there local people fought off wave after wave of plans to build houses on the fields behind the village. Eventually the Council won the fight and 90 executive homes with triple garages were built there on what had once been wildflower meadows. Some of these houses are still unsold, but the attraction for the Council is that in allowing the building of these houses they get a lot of money from the builder towards local services.

One way to try to change the building plans is to focus on convincing the land owner that there are other uses for the land that could be more financially beneficial to him / her. If the land owner is the Council then it will be very difficult, as they are all selling off land that they own as quickly as possible to make money. Another approach that can work is to form a local action group and, if there isn't one already, commission an environmental survey. Sometimes a rare plant, wildlife or habitat can be discovered and it can be declared an SSSI that can protect the land. This is also the case for land that has any historical significance. English Heritage can help with this. Try to get your hands on any local Council minutes from meetings referring to your area so that you can see what is being said in the meantime. Just phone the Council and ask for a copy, as they are all supposed to be publicly available. Good luck with it, and I hope that there will be more discussion at the next meeting.

[Ivy]

Why do they have to build new homes if they have too many empty ones already and who actually pays for it? Has British government so much money at their hands or is it a measure to help get people employed? They did it here in a nature conservation area and despite of a huge protest they simple built many many houses that find no buyer how ever cheap they are as young people have no money in the current climate and the older generation is reluctant to give up their homes and do not wish to move to an estate designed for the needs of young families.... Nature destroyed, money thrown out of the window and the taxpayer has to make up for it:mad: the surrounding houses dropped in value quite considerably and everybody had to drive huge detours because the roads are still blocke by cement lorries. timber deliveries etc.

[dragonfly]

Tonight I went to the meeting to replace the meeting that was cancelled in January. There were 600 seats and everyone was taken. It was conducted properly this time although people were still angry. The council said they have listened to our complaints and will take it on board but no-one believes them after all the lies they have told on other issues.

Basically where we live are lots of small villages with fields between and the council want to build 12,00 homes on all the green wedges so that it ends up one big urban sprawl. All the villagers want to retain their identity and village status.

Although the birth rate is dropping they predict they will need all these new houses and we wonder who for. There is no plans for jobs and local firms are closing down. There is no provision for more hospitals and doctors and the ones we already have are already over stretched.

Another main concern is that they have to provide 72 sites for gypsies and travellers. Everyone is against this and think no one will buy homes near them. I certainly wouldn’t.

The outcome is that the council say they will look into our issues and the people think they have a ten-year battle on their hands. We only have until the 23rd of this month to send all our complaints in to them, which is the end of the consultation period.