Council’s housing policy is benefiting developers
BIRTHDAYS: Akihito, Emperor of Japan, 87; Queen Silvia of Sweden, 77; Belinda Lang, actress, 67; Carol Smillie, TV personality, 59 Eddie Vedder, rock singer (Pearl Jam), 56 Matt Baker, TV presenter, 43; Harry Judd, drummer (McFly), 35.
KIRKLEES Council trumpets, with regard to its house building, that many ‘will have to be built within the green belt, as there is insufficient non-green belt land in the borough.’ This is simply not true.
Numerous academic studies dealing with the housing problem, have shown that this is a policy pursued by councils and building developers, who want to maximise profits and don’t want to incur the costs of developing brownfield sites. It makes no reference to the decline of town and city centres which could be allocated more dwellings, the thousands of empty properties which councils refuse to use their powers to takeover or new building designs from around the world.
Symptomatic of this problem is the Kirklees current consultation on the Supplementary Planning Document of which I suspect 99.9% of the local population are unaware. It aims to increase building density in traditional styles, which is fine in urban areas but gives enough leeway for developers to continue to build four and five-bedroom houses which only serve to exacerbate the housing crisis.
The placing of Climate Change as number 19 in its list of objectives says it all about this Council’s commitment to the environment. It is another example of making a virtue of doing the bare minimum.
Nowhere in the 250 pages of documents I have read does it discuss building low-rise residences as is done successfully in other areas and in Holland and Japan. Nor does the change from shops to accommodation or building flats above shops. Nor does it reduce the number of cars. It only seeks to encourage walking and cycling.
This is not surprising when nine of the 24 stakeholders in this consultation process are house developers. This is clearly weighted towards developers whose only interest is financial. I would urge anyone who has an interest in the environment to submit their objections.
Thanks to workers
I FULLY concur with the letter praising the people who are working through this pandemic. They are numerous, the refuse people, NHS, milkmen, postmen and women, everybody working to keep stores open (all heroes).
Also I would like to say how much I enjoy the letters from our poets, the poems are of a high standard. I especially liked the one on Monday, December 16 about ‘where is my friend,’ very emotional and thought provoking.
Sense of history
IN response to the letter by Mr R G Bourne
If, as Mr.
Bourne says, we should all use our “common sense” Covid19, by now would have run amok! In 1918 the Spanish flu killed, worldwide 500m people! It lasted two years! Common sense was used then but people didn’t have ‘wash your hands, wear a mask and keep your distance’! We do, and these are being adhered to by the majority! Using common sense is one thing, being bloodyminded and ignoring the rules is another!
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