Fliers have been going out to say there will be a public meeting with the minister for planning and development, Nick Boles, at 5.30 PM at the Guildhall.
Nick Boles has been invited by Nicola Blackwood MP to discuss recent planning applications, in particular the application for 160 houses in a field South of Abingdon.
That application was turned down by the district council, on officer advise, without being discussed at committee. It has been opposed by all councillors for the area, having failed to take into account the traffic in South Abingdon.
The Appeal by The Sheffield based developer, Hallam Land Management, starts on Tues 21st May at the Guildhall in Abingdon and continues for the rest of the week.
I hope Abingdon’s traffic is bad tonight and at least one day during the appeal otherwise they will wonder what we are all talking about!
The policy to just build houses anywhere is madness. We are not opposed to the building of houses where there is appropriate infrastructure. On the outskirts of Bicester there are plans to build 4,000 new houses but there are good links and roads to the M40 and A34. Also a new primary school and secondary school are proposed. In Didcot planning permission is being sought for 2,000 new houses in addition to the new houses already built. The traffic in Abingdon effects life. It cannot be guaranteed already to make hospital appointments or job interviews. South Abingdon can be virtually cut off at times. G P surgeries are also having to cope with more patients. I had to wait 2 months for a nurse appointment at mine. No one can park at Abingdon Hospital as there is not enough room for parking.
>> South Abingdon can be virtually cut off at times.
Especially if traffic is spilling off the A34 and the Bridge at Sutton Courtenay/Culham is clogged
The trouble is new housing is necessary. We need to ask ourselves, is our use of cars to drop the kids off, get to work or nip to faracres necassary? I wonder how much of the weekend traffic in town really needs to be on the road? It’s a good excuse for nimbyism though…
why is new housing necessary native?
Native. I have lived in Abingdon for over 40 years and both my husband and myself have never been able to get a job in Abingdon yet. I would have loved the chance to go to work on a bike. However, we have both had to have cars or we would not have been able to get a job and both of us prefer to have paid employment and have never relied on the state to keep us. Long gone are the days when one could get a job in the village. Most people (have) to use cars to get to work. To get to my present job I could only just get to work by 3 buses and a long walk but my employer would not tolerate me turning up late every day
Nicola Blackwood has, I’d imagine, a full understanding of the facts and she doesn’t overlook this development; so she isn’t a nimby. Some of the other people that I am aware of who are also against this development don’t overlook it….so they aren’t nimbys. I am against it and I don’t overlook the site either….so I don’t think I’m a nimby either?
Whilst I appreciate that housing may be needed, I am also able to rationalise why this development proposal isn’t a good idea. If being against it makes me a nimby, fair enough.
I’d rather be an informed NIMBY than a NUMTI (Non Undersatnding of Main Topics and Issues) !
Having said that….”flyers have been going out…” Going out where exactly…. The first I heard about this was via this site about 2 hrs ago!
Bless you Janet and Daniel don’t get so defensive. I’m not saying everyone who opposes it is a nimby ( Daniel as I’m sure your aware that term isn’t meant to be taken so literally. Nobody has a problem with what’s going on in their own garden do they now.) I really feel there is good reason for a better road system wether that be a complete ring road with a couple of bridges, a link road, junctions opened on A34, more lane’s whatever but relying on those options as the magical solution isn’t the only answer. ALOT of people need to get up earlier and get on their bikes or walk instead of jamming up our roads. Janet you may need to drive to work and so you should be able to but im sure all of those cars outside Caldicot for instance don’t need to be there. DKR87 no maybe it isn’t. After all the population is shrinking, there are empty houses all over town and the people at the housing authority are twiddling their thumbs with nobody on the housing list.
We had a flyer (Gainsborough Green) a few days ago. Unfortunately unable to attend. Probably not the best time of day for many, though I think the time slot probably had to fit around other things.
Interesting meeting, one felt that there is after all some hope, but I still have that deep down nagging feeling that Hallam will win the day.
Can some one please give details about the forthcoming planning inspectors public inquiry ? – Next week I think it starts.
When the private schools are on holiday (different holidays to the state schools) the traffic is amazingly quiet. Always happens. No doubt they all travel in with 1 child per car.
And yes, why do we need more new housing? So people can commute to London? We had new neighbours for 2 years who worked in London. Never saw them and didn’t even know what they looked like. Apparently they had a new baby!
Re Byker Rode comment above, enquiry starts 10.00 Tuesday at the Guildhall. Saw somewhere that it may go on for several days which sounds a bit surprising. I will go along at the start and try to get a better feel – will post here if I learn anything useful.
I came away with mixed feelings after the public meeting yesterday. I am glad that the gentleman who spoke of his helplessness, in the face of the planning procedure,was so warmly applauded. He spoke for so many. The result of the 4 day public enquiry which starts at 10am on Tues morning at the Guildhall will depend entirely on the robustness of the defence case presented by the Abingdon planning authorities against Hallam. Abingdon people have responded, by so many individual submissions, in support of the opposition by the Town, District and County Councils. The only thing that Abingdonians can do now, I think,now that the Public Enquiry is here is to gather quietly as the Planning Inspector goes in to the Guildhall on Tuesday morning with a large placard saying ` Please listen to the people of Abingdon`. It may have no effect at all on the procedings but it will be a last attempt to do something rather than just feel helpless.
I don’t want to be all Emperor’s-new-clotheish about this but isn’t it national politicians, especially the present lot, who have relaxed the planning laws leaving the ordinary citizen prey to opportunistic corps in order to bump start the economy (their economy) whilst banging on about localism and decentralised decision making. What were Nicola and Nick there to say? “Sorry”?
Like Anne, i have mixed feelings after the meeting. It was well run and very dignified – lots of intelligent questions, no party political posturing or points scoring.
On this issue everyone locally from us “in the street” through local councillors of all persuasions, council officers at all levels and our MP are agreed.
So cast your mind back two years to all the talk of localism and there should be nothing to worry about…However that word was not mentioned once in the meeting – maybe not surprising since (the very charming) Nick Boles had said a few days ago in a meeting with Civic Society heads ““When talking about neighbourhood planning in the early days, maybe a fault of the Government was allowing people to believe they could do what they want, when in reality it has always been about how things will be delivered, not what would be delivered.”. Paraphrased that means “localism is a sop”.
Nevertheless, there were a lot of positives from the meeting – mainly his definition of sustainability – if the Planning Inspector is of the same mind, there is no way the proposal can be allowed.
I agree strongly with Hester’s take on this.
My question to the Minister was about the definition of ‘sustainability’ and whether he thought Inspectors are interpreting the word in the way Parliament intended it.
While sidestepping the question a little he basically said that it was for Inspectors to balance the different factors when looking at that aspect.
I am down to speak at the Inquiry on Thursday afternoon. I believe that members of the public can turn up at 10am on Tuesday and ask to speak later in the week if they want.
I spoke to County Council officers last week and they are adamant that the traffic problems should rule out development and have put in a robust report.
I have been trying to find out the population growth rate of Abingdon and the number of houses built. We have had numerous developments with not a lot of infrastructure being put into place. Peachcroft was built then the housing estate on the old M G Sports Ground. Recently the Marina complex, plus the housing on Morlands Brewery site, the industrial land by Waitrose, the houses on the old Teasdale School Land, the houses on the old garage site and the estate by the Police Station.
Janet
If you delve into the detail of the Draft Local Plan – including the supporting documents which were published a bit later (end March i think) you may be able to find answerrs to some of your questions – at least as far as current/future numbers are concerned. Not sure about the historical information though – and also not sure how useful that would be. It is what we need from now on that is important isn’t it?