Outrage as ‘mad’ plan for green belt homes approved
THE National Memorial Arboretum will play a key role in events this year marking the 40th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War.
The war lasted for 74 days after Argentine forces invaded the Falklands on April 2, 1982.
Three days later, a task force set sail from the UK, eventually involving almost 26,000 armed forces and 3,000 civilian crew, of whom 255 died during the campaign, as well as three civilian Falkland Islanders.
Following several weeks of intense fighting, Argentine forces surrendered on June 14, 1982, a date that has since been known in the Falkland Islands as Liberation Day and is a national holiday.
The National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas will be hosting the South Atlantic Medal Association 40th Anniversary Service on Sunday, April 3.
And on June 14, a Royal British Legion 40th Anniversary Liberation Day Service will take place at the arboretum for up to 10,000 people, mainly focused on veterans and their families. Veterans will be formally presented with the Freedom of the Falkland Islands by a link to Stanley during the ceremony.
Elsewhere, a series of lectures,
A DERBYSHIRE councillor claims it is “madness” to allow the conversion of an agricultural building in the green belt to housing, having refused previous similar plans.
At a meeting of Erewash Borough Council’s planning committee, members discussed plans to demolish a stable livery building in Borrowash and replace it with nine houses.
The site at Riverside Farm in Station Road sits on a narrow strip of land between the River Derwent and the Midland Main Line railway track, close to the former Borrowash train station, in the green belt.
Green 4 Developments says its plans “maximise the potential for appropriately designed residential development” on the site. This would be through the demolition of the stable buildings and construction of eight two-storey three-bed houses and one two-storey fourdon’t
This was part of the service marking the
35th anniversary at the arboretum in 2017 memorials and other events are being held to mark the anniversary of the end of the war.
Derby will be among towns and cities hosting events, with the South Atlantic Medal Association holding its annual general meeting and reunion weekend from Friday, April 1, to Monday, April 4, at the Derby Mickleover Hotel.
The aim is to commemorate the sacrifices made in 1982 and celebrate progress made in the islands over the past 40 years.
A Falkland Islands government spokesman said: “Falkland Islanders continue to be profoundly grateful for the strong support that the UK
The stable building sits in the green belt
The large circle shows the location of the barn and the small circle shows the entrance off Station Road.
bedroom house. Some councillors and objecting residents felt the site was a poor and impractical choice for new housing due to persistent flooding and access issues.
They said access to the site is sandwiched between two sets of traffic lights, one of which is a singletrack bridge over the river, but the Derbyshire County Council highways
Government continues to provide, in acknowledging our right to selfdetermination and our choice to remain a UK Overseas Territory. Today, the Falkland Islands is a forward-looking community, with a strong sense of culture and heritage.”
Margaret Thatcher Day is celebrated every January 10 in the Falklands, the anniversary of the first visit by the former prime minister in 1983. A street in the capital, Stanley, is named Thatcher Drive and there is a bust statue of her with the inscription: “They are few in number, but they have the right to live in peace, to choose their
department did not raise any access problems.
An opposing resident, who lives in the property closest to the site and was speaking on behalf of other neighbours, said the scheme would “permanently change the lives of the people of Borrowash”.
He said the site was on one of the most popular routes to Elvaston Castle and could not take any more traffic, saying the introduction of own way of life and allegiance.”
Around 3,200 people live on the Falklands, with locally elected politicians responsible for all matters other than defence and foreign affairs.
The Falkland Islands government funds its own activities without any recourse to the UK taxpayer, and provides a base for the UK’s armed forces as well as opportunities for UK companies to participate in major capital projects.
One legacy of the 1982 war was the vast tracts of minefields, with the last of around 13,000 mines finally fully cleared in October 2020.
Speaking at the celebrations to more traffic was “unfathomable and reckless”.
The resident said the “haven-like” site and its biodiversity would be permanently disrupted, calling the development “heart-breaking”.
Councillor Gordon Thomas said: “Before Christmas we did have a livery building in the green belt that was to be turned into a home and we turned it down. I think it is madness that a month ago we made a decision on one house and now we are here to approve nine.”
The previous application Cllr Thomas was referring to was for a plan to replace a caravan with a house at Golden Valley Farm in Derby Road, Risley. This was to allow the applicant’s daughter to look after horses at the farm’s stables.
Councillors and officers had felt the Risley application risked setting a precedent of further green-belt developments.
Steve Birkinshaw, the borough council’s head of planning, said the Risley application was for use in connection with horses and that the Borrowash site had been used for a livery business, saying there was a clear distinction between the two.
Councillor Mike Wallis said: “I reclaim the fenced-off beaches around Stanley, Member of the Legislative Assembly Leona Roberts said: “The Falkland Islands are known for our amazing physical landscape – for our endless horizons, our outdoor spaces and unique scenery – but since 1982 that landscape has been scarred by the terrible legacy of war.
“We have had to teach our children about the dangers of minefields and have hoped but not quite dared to dream of the day when we would become mine-free.”
Falkland Islands Committee chairman and former member of the Legislative Assembly Phyl Rendell said: “I know how important the 40th anniversary will be for many people, which is why we need to make every effort to ensure that we mark the occasion with due respect, and pay tribute to the courage shown and the sacrifices made back in 1982.
“As a nation, we have moved forward substantially in the past 40 years and it is right that we celebrate how, in exercising our liberty, we have built a prosperous and peaceful country – one which has not simply survived, but thrived. We want to approach this milestone with optimism for the future.” like this one bit, I don’t like development in the green belt. I think it is extremely worrying that we would be looking at putting houses on this site. It is ill thoughtout, not required and is development in the green belt that we don’t need.”
Councillor Terry Holbrook said: “The access and egress is too close to the traffic lights and I do not see why we should accept this development so close to the river.”
Councillor Howard Griffiths said: “It is not unusual in recent times for the conversion of agricultural buildings into residences. Some of us will be annoyed when a seemingly derelict building is converted into a residential building where one previously wouldn’t have been allowed.”
He said the relevant organisations consulted on highways and flooding had not raised any objections, and that any evidence against the plans was “anecdotal”.
The application was approved after Cllr Griffiths said of the possibility the applicant would appeal against any refusal: “We would be sending officers unarmed to appeal and don’t be surprised if we lose. They would be trying to defend the indefensible.”