Thursday last week saw a plethora of different elections across the UK and among these polls was a referendum in St Ives. Local folk voted by 83% to 17% in favour of a policy to ban the building of new second homes. Faced with a housing market described as ‘financial cleansing’ of the locals, that’sContinueContinue reading “Thou Shalt Not”
Tag Archives: Planning
Building: the Resistance
The resistance to building is building. There’s now a national alliance, Community Voice on Planning. Here’s what’s currently centre-screen on their home page: “Please don’t forget our DAY OF ACTION on 12 APRIL. The theme is ‘Listen to the People’s Voice on Planning’This is a sample of some of the Events that we know ofContinueContinue reading “Building: the Resistance”
Castles in the Air?
In our previous post we described the across-the-board hypocrisy of Wessex MPs who still claim to be able to deliver unlimited growth while simultaneously protecting all of the environment that locals cherish. Wednesday’s Western Daily Pressfurnishes a classic example. Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy was reported as initiating a debate at Westminster on the protectionContinueContinue reading “Castles in the Air?”
On Whose Side?
Population Matters Magazine, in its current issue, includes an article by Ian Grace, described as a professional planning officer with more than 30 years’ planning experience. It’s always good fun to watch when someone inside the system breaks ranks. The article makes points that are well worth extracting:“…If you want to house 100,000 people, youContinueContinue reading “On Whose Side?”
That Figures
The Campaign to Protect Rural England is good at collecting statistics. It may be no more than a gnat on the side of the development elephant but at least it knows how to document the scale of the deception being practised upon us by the London regime. However, there is rather more to the dataContinueContinue reading “That Figures”
Choosing to be Beggars
Last week, an environmental coalition – Butterfly Conservation, the League Against Cruel Sports, the Mammal Society, the Ramblers, the RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts – held a ‘Rally for Nature’ at the Palace of Westminster. Why? To lobby MPs ahead of the next election, reminding them of how important nature is. MPs need reminding. BecauseContinueContinue reading “Choosing to be Beggars”
Nudge Nudge, Wonk Wonk
The Conservative regime that came to power in 1979 – continuing without interruption through 13 years of ‘Labour’ rule – draws its political philosophy from economic theory. A theory as deeply flawed as anything emanating from Marxist sources but far more of a challenge to anyone seeking to confront it. In this theory, all individualsContinueContinue reading “Nudge Nudge, Wonk Wonk”
Democracy’s Debt
Malmesbury – the oldest borough in England – is one of many Wessex market towns on the front line in the struggle against London overspill. The Coalition, for whose parties all constituencies in Wiltshire mainly voted in 2010, is doing its best to make sure that Malmesbury loses. The National Planning Policy Framework – theContinueContinue reading “Democracy’s Debt”
Not Gingerbread Houses
What have we been saying? That the range of demands increasingly being placed on our countryside could soon exceed the supply of rural land. Now it’s been confirmed. Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership has published a report – The Best Use of UK Agricultural Land – quantifying the UK-wide shortfall at up to 6ContinueContinue reading “Not Gingerbread Houses”
Anybody Listening?
The following extract from the current issue of Population Matters Magazine is written by its editor, Norman Pasley: “There is great concern in Fareham about plans for a new town called Welbourne to be built on farmland north of the M27 motorway. The debate is giving rise to many letters in the local paper, TheContinueContinue reading “Anybody Listening?”
Wessex Regionalists 