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Not on my green belt

I've sent a piece off to the seemingly tireless Lindsey Holland in response to her call for submissions for a pamphlet of protest, entitled "Not on my green belt". The reason that she's put it together is a proposed housing development in Aughton, earmarked for land previously designated Green Belt. The breathtaking insouciance with which our council has brushed off a 98% vote against the proposed development calls in to play fundamental questions about the whole point of the democratic process. Public opposition to these moves is easy to dismiss as nimbyism (though in my case it's nowhere near my own back yard). For my own part I'm astonished at the unthinking destruction of countryside when so many brownfield sites in Ormskirk lie empty and undeveloped. With developers sitting on them until the cost of land rises. For that matter I never cease to be astonished by the planning processes lack of flexibility, unit after unit lies empty in Ormskirk, why not allow re-zoning for residential use? With sensible limits in place bringing people into the town centre itself revitalises the high street at the same time as going some way to solving the housing shortage.

I'm also disturbed to note that the council is attempting to hide behind the "affordable housing" fig leaf. This for homes projected to cost in the rgion of 160,000. That's a broad definition of affordable in anyone's book.

But mostly I'm getting fed up of people trashing the countryside to make a few quid, when with a bit of flexible thinking there are many ways out. I'malso fed up of councillors thinking what people want doesn't matter, because they'll vote on party lines anyway when it comes to it. Now, a book of poems may not be much of a weapon against it,but it's something, and it's something I'm proud to contribute to.

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