Is anybody voting Conservative tomorrow?

I could be wrong but I think it's probably a private venture, they're springing up all over the place on Greenfield sites.

 

Again, as I’m sure someone mentioned earlier on the thread, did the council ‘not listen’? Or, actually, did they listen to all of the objections and balance them against the positive impacts and proceed to grant planning for the greater good of the community? Make a decision they knew may be unpopular with some to secure employment opportunities for the area? There is a difference people need to learn, being listened to is not the same as being listened to and the world conforming to your every wish.

I understand people’s viewpoint and ideally all green spaces would be retained - but there has to be a balance. Areas like Barnsley, and Doncaster where I am, need new infrastructure for long term employment opportunities.

Similarly, we need housing. We have a growing population. It has to be built somewhere. (I mean it won’t be affordable, but still…)

As I’ve put earlier in the thread, I don’t think most people dispute the need for new infrastructure, be that housing or commercial building. They just won’t accept it being built where they live, or walk their dog. Self centred conservatism at its best.

 

Do they still hang monkeys in Hartlepool, or is this just the 21st century version?

 

So leaving NIMBY’s with somewhere to walk rather than creating jobs is the ‘right thing to do’?

well I suppose it’s democracy.

 

It's a good job the M1 comes through our Borough otherwise we'd truely be shafted for job prospects; s bit like Hartlepool, Barrow, Middlesbrough, Workington, Scotland etc.

 

It's crazy that they build so many houses without a thought for the things you mention. There is a good half dozen fields I would play in when I went to school kicking a ball around and they are all long gone replaced with the majority of properties most people cannot afford in the 500k+ bracket. Then teenagers get a bad name for hanging around streets on a night 'up to no good' when it's infact they have nowhere to go compared to my generation growing up in the 1990s. There are new housing estates popping up with houses close to 400k already with sold signs up half built. The market is bonkers.

 

Not the Tories.

As simple as that.

 

Herein lies the problem though. People need jobs to earn money to live as well as they can. Meanwhile, we're in not only a climate crisis, but a biodiversity crisis. We have a growing population. With more people to clothe, house and feed.

Huge amounts of carbon is emitted in the process of construction, and large scales of habitat are lost from it, compounding the effects of climate change and loss of biodiversity.

We're struggling to square the circle.

 

From what I’ve seen and read, the campaigners against the plans have just continued to stamp their feet and say we don’t want it! There comes a time when that’s too late and you have to change tack.

Im talking conditions such as green cladding to blend in more with the surroundings, more green walls to provide additional privacy for those in proximity to the development, flipping the buildings so the lights from the docking bays and noise from reversing trailers face the motorway and not the gardens of residents. These aren’t out of the ordinary requests and are less likely to fall on deaf ears.

 

Understandable that people take a different approach to voting in these elections, based on how individuals have dealt with local issues. But I really hope that people that do not want the tories vote tactically in the next GE, even if that means holding their noses.

I’ll never understand why anyone would think it’s a good idea to put their cross in the Tory box though, given the bin fire that this country has become on their watch.

 

The worst aspect is not that we're struggling to square the circle, but that Council's all over the country are not making any attempt to square the circle. Virtually all Council's have declared their acceptance of climate emergency, but in reality they do nothing to address it. If these developments are like they are in my area, all the housing will be built to the current minimum standards, greener than they were a few years ago but nowhere near the latest cutting edge stuff that's available now. The warehousing could be an opportunity to mitigate by having living walls or green roofs or thousands of square metres of solar panels feeding the grid, I doubt they will have any of this, purely built out of plastic coated sheeting with no thought at all to addressing the climate emergency.

 

Unless you have a majority of sympathetic Councillors on the Planning Cttee you haven't a prayer, if the Officer has not required them you would need a Councillor on the Cttee to propose changes...it would have to be seconded and voted on. In reality they have most probably just voted it through with little meaningful discussion.

 

Sadly, you're right. The main infrequent journeys I do in the car now are either to my mums, a little outside Barnsley now, or to the inlaws. And particularly on the M1 or A1, the amount of massive sheds being developed is incredible and at times, with the built up height, it almost feels claustrophobic in some sections. I can't say I've seen any solar panels or green walls, and thats just the basic stuff.

The amount of greenwashing going on is huge, companies, authorities, governments. For all the words, we seem to be creating a much poorer built environment.

 

You're not wrong Marc, as far as section 106 money goes it's a joke... a common tactic by developers is to promise a shed load of 106 money, get planning permission but not build, then in a couple of years time come back to the Council saying that market conditions mean they will make less profit so can we reduce or remove the 106 agreement. As to the jobs argument for commercial developments, they promise the earth in jobs knowing full well they probably won't deliver anywhere near... but not to worry because there are no checks and balances or claw backs for under delivery. The bigger the number they promise the greater likelihood of the Council pushing it through. They built one near me and promised 2000 jobs, 7 years later the number is just over 200 because the warehousing is largely robotic.

 

Which is fine, but doing nothing won’t change things either. Register your opposition to developments at masterplan stage. Once that’s overruled, use the outline planning stage to make your suggestions heard so that conditions can be applied at full application. Had the residents recognised this and put enough pressure at outline stage the council would have to at least discuss them in detail.

Admittedly, BMBC do seem afraid to apply too many in fear of losing developments.

 

Freddie that's not how it works in practise..if the Ward Councillors are not in favour or are not prepared to argue for conditions with Officers, or turn up to the planning meeting to raise them with the Cttee, then nothing is going to happen.
Objectors can have a 5 min say at Cttee stage, but tbh there is little chance of anyone apart from an opposition Cllr on Cttee championing their corner...as the members of the ruling party are expected to vote a certain way without question.
The Planning meeting is available to watch on Youtube, have a look and see what you think.