I've always been a little bit sniffy about those blocking the way of progress. Even when I'm in agreement with them. I guess it's a sort of inverse snobbery. I'm afraid there is a certain sort of rural person who rather makes me shudder. Stereotype or caricature, they huff and puff around town with a ridiculous sense of their own self-importance, completely unaware of how they are coming across, so certain are they that everyone must agree with them.
Which makes me nervous about this evening. For our town has gone planning potty. There's a concerted land grab going on, with 1600 houses proposed in a number of developments throwing a concentric ring right around the town. And the last of these proposals, for 600 houses, is aimed squarely at where I live, swallowing us up entirely.
And tonight is the first of no doubt many meetings where this development is under consideration.
I have no idea what will transpire. Bullshit and lies from those after the pot of gold and incoherent rage from those affected, probably. I have no idea if I will speak and so doff the hat of nimbyism for the first time. Secretly, I'm hoping a falange of those professional busy-bodies I've previously been sniffy about will ride to the rescue. What's required is a gang of nimbys with plans and writs and iron will. And definitely not what happened when a bloke fenced off all the land around here – a load of passive-aggressive tutting and muttering behind backs and absolutely nothing by way of direct action.
Objectively, the development is a terrible idea. Prime agricultural green-belt land dug up to build crappy commuter-belt houses no-one local can afford, putting a ridiculous strain on the infrastructure of a small town, and guaranteeing traffic chaos that would make Wandsworth's look civilised. Subjectively, the development is like conker canker, killing us slowly.
Which makes me nervous about this evening. For our town has gone planning potty. There's a concerted land grab going on, with 1600 houses proposed in a number of developments throwing a concentric ring right around the town. And the last of these proposals, for 600 houses, is aimed squarely at where I live, swallowing us up entirely.
And tonight is the first of no doubt many meetings where this development is under consideration.
I have no idea what will transpire. Bullshit and lies from those after the pot of gold and incoherent rage from those affected, probably. I have no idea if I will speak and so doff the hat of nimbyism for the first time. Secretly, I'm hoping a falange of those professional busy-bodies I've previously been sniffy about will ride to the rescue. What's required is a gang of nimbys with plans and writs and iron will. And definitely not what happened when a bloke fenced off all the land around here – a load of passive-aggressive tutting and muttering behind backs and absolutely nothing by way of direct action.
Objectively, the development is a terrible idea. Prime agricultural green-belt land dug up to build crappy commuter-belt houses no-one local can afford, putting a ridiculous strain on the infrastructure of a small town, and guaranteeing traffic chaos that would make Wandsworth's look civilised. Subjectively, the development is like conker canker, killing us slowly.
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