Developers push to build on green land

Today and yesterday the public enquiry heard the appeal of Linden Homes against the refusal of  permission for them to build on land to the north of the market town of Beverley.  The government has set up a presumption in favour of new build, but Beverley, like towns all over the country, is holding out.  Even the Tory-led East Riding Council can see that all this building is not good news, but the Condems are desperate to have 'growth' by any means...and they see the construction industry as the answer. 

They are so wrong.  As a resident and Green Party member I pointed out that flooding will increase if more land is covered in concrete, since drains already under pressure will take additional surges of run-off water,  and that more suburbs do not contribute to a sense of place or to the local economy.  Executive homes are not whats needed ...whats needed is every bit of green land to stay that way as we need to grow food locally in light of climate change and peak resources.

We just have to hope that the investigator can see what is going on: settlements under seige from developers egged on by an amazingly unwise and short-sighted government.

Trying to educate the local Tory MP

Dear Graham,

Thank you for fitting me in last week at Westminster.   Your constituent, Maria, was doing very well explaining to you the Feminista manifesto, which I support.    I was already in London for Green Party Exec,  Earth Charter, and the women's rights and the badger cull demonstrations, and,  as I am always emailing you, I felt it might be useful to have a face to face meeting for a change.  As agreed, due to lack of time in your office last week, I shall  explain a few other points and make some requests  in addition to asking you to sign the Trident EDM.

Firstly, infinite and undefined 'growth' on a finite planet isn’t possible without destroying the planet.   The only kind of growth which would work would be ethical growth:  that is growth in activities which enhance rather than destroy communities and ecology.  Please see www.picturesofsuccess.org for examples.  Government's job is to give a clear lead and to set up arrangements to regulate activity.  Unregulated trade now  is anachronistic – to say the least.

Secondly, everything flows from this: if Corporate Man is in charge of this planet, everything becomes distorted.  For example, industrial farming likes monocultures instead of biodiversity - hence we get swarms of 'pests', leading to too much chemical use, leading to dying bees, leading to more chemical use...and so on.  It's 50 years since the publication of Rachel Carson's 'Silent Spring' and what have we learnt?  Nothing, it seems.  Human health is also suffering of course, due to the poisonous environment we inhabit..... You could say this contributes to 'growth' -  in profits for pharmaceutical companies : all that chemotherapy!  ...Perverse incentives.

Thirdly, and related to the point above,  please do not support a badger cull.  The evidence now points clearly away from it being useful.  Nature's complexity should be respected.

Fourthly, related to points one and two, please stop doing what the construction lobby says.  Encouraging the selling off of the land for housing is the last thing we need when we must grow more food in this country.  Please promote legislation which stops new-build on greenfield sites   (my blog explains more)

Fifthly,  arms, and war.  Just because arms have been manufactured and used for a long time, it doesn’t mean it's a good idea!  Could we please move on and stop the madness of this industry?   An arms industry creates more perverse incentives...towards war...'we dont want to waste these expensive weapons, do we?'    The skills used to make weapons could, for example, be redeployed making equipment for renewable energy (like 'turbines back to Lissett': wind turbines now gracing the old bomber command airstrip)....  To be positive -  let's really put our backs into supporting Hull as a green city, and Yorkshire as an ethical trading region

Finally, may I ask you, once again,  to consult your conscience and consider signing EDM 96 Trident Replacement.   The EDM highlights the conclusions of the Government's own National Security Strategy that the threat of a nuclear attack by another state is of low likelihood.  Following on from that, the EDM is a simple statement of opposition to Trident replacement, highlighting its £25 billion procurement cost and £100 billion lifetime cost.  The conclusion is that there are better things to spend the money on, whether within the Ministry of Defence or in other Ministries.

In a time of spending cuts we must scrap Trident replacement - please add your name to EDM 96.

Sincerely          Shan Oakes

Building for growth?

– a letter regarding the predations of  developers, and the madness of old politics  

I write regarding the planning proposals for housing in the north of Beverley.  This government, and previous ones, have set up a presumption in favour of new build, putting pressure on local authorities to identify land.  The construction industry has lobbied hard  for this.  It is not about need, it's about profits for construction companies.  It comes from the tired ideology of ‘growth’, which is extremely short-term : like allowing a dog to run wild with no thought for the consequences for dog or community.  Look at Ireland - new houses built,  then bulldozed.  Look at casino banking…..The myth of infinite growth (on a finite planet) is busted and we had better hurry up and accept it. 

In the context of the global oil crisis,  we need land for food as we must now focus on producing  most of our food locally.  Government targets for new building are highly questionable - they are about a decade old and the economic climate has changed completely in that time.  Before building new houses, one has to ask where are the jobs  in the area for the occupants? is there sufficient infrastructure?  what are the transport implications? – but most importantly, can we afford to cover this valuable food-producing land in concrete?  We take food for granted at our peril.

Brownfield sites are available, and old housing needs renovation, which would provide local jobs instead of work for huge construction companies - which are, by nature, very wasteful  and, like other multi-nationals,  drain wealth out of the area. However, there is no VAT on new build,  and large construction companies prefer to work on virgin land - so where are the incentives to do the right thing?.

The 'corporate growth' idea is outdated.  Are we concerned about the welfare of local traders and communities  - or big business ?...  It’s time to think differently.