Friday, 25 May 2012

How Green is that Council

Posted in: Discussion | On the ground

Tory two faced values

14/10/2011 4:11 pm

F451

F451

Location: Europe
Posts: 181

In the week when the bailiffs may parachute in to liberate Dale Farm from the evil clutches of the travellers who own it, in the name of preserving the green and pleasant land of Basildon - here is a little story that somehow missed the main press.

In a report by journalist John Austin in the local Basildon Press, Basildon’s Tory administration was exposed as being in secret talks about developing homes in a wildlife haven.

Plans were for homes and a business park on 86 acres to the South of Basildon, on land identified as housing in the 1990's when Tory MP David Amess was the towns MP, and indeed when his own back garden neighboured the site (immediately before he sold up and moved, of course).

Publically the Conservatives have been at the forefront of the Save Dry Street campaign to block the development of 1,200 homes at the Homes and Communities Agency-owned site. Behind he scenes they have been negotiating the development.

Naisha Polaine, the agency’s head of area, said the talks had started last year. She said: “We began exploring options to enable the site with Basildon Council and South Essex College, after a new town centre college was identified as the council’s top priority in the local investment plan. “Discussions were held in December 2010, before reaching the joint decision to move the site forward in May 2011. “This is a unique moment where three adjoining land-owning public organisations are coming together to provide much-needed education and housing for Basildon.”

Council leader Tony Ball, “It is about being involved and getting what is best for the borough because some development of the site is inevitable.”

I'm sure Mr Pickles will be insisting this land is released for the much needed development of homes in an area with high housing need.

Unsuitable or offensive? Report this discussion

Post a reply

Sort: Newest first | Oldest first

Author

Message

To whom it may concern

To whom it may concern

Location: Home Counties
Posts: 32

15/10/2011 8:15 pm

At only 15 homes per acre, what was Tory Cllr Ball proposing to build on this untouched, virgin, green land / wildlife sanctury in Basildon - villa's or just really nice detached properties for his chums?

I wonder what the HCA guidance in for optimum density for best use of government resources.

Unsuitable or offensive? Report this reply

Anonymous

Anonymous

17/11/2011 2:18 pm

Council leader Tony Ball, “It is about being involved and getting what is best for the borough because some development of the site is inevitable.”

Is this the same 'Green-belt warrior' of Dale Farm fame?

Unsuitable or offensive? Report this reply

Rate this topic

  • 1 star out of 5
  • 2 stars out of 5
  • 3 stars out of 5
  • 4 stars out of 5
  • 5 stars out of 5

You must be signed in to rate.

Post a Reply

You must sign in to rate this topic or make a post

sign in register

Why not register?

Registration allows you to sign up for newsletters, comment on articles, add posts in the forums, quiz our panel of experts, and save articles and jobs in the My IH section.

Register now

Newsletter Sign-up

More Newsletters

Most active members

People are discussing

tags 3 million, affordable homes, affordable housing, campaign, care and support, comment, Common Good, complaint, data protection, debate, Democracy, discussion, homelessness, house building, housing officer, participation, pay, public sector, rebuild, refurbish, regeneration, salaries, Shapps, sheltered housing, Supporting People

Most discussed

Most recent posts

  • From Chris, 27/04/2012 11:42 am in The maddly twittering twit

    With the games fast approaching, has anyone heard anymore from the Hairbrained Minister on this one of his many explosions in the media?

  • posted Anonymously, 27/04/2012 11:39 am in Does the 'Hastoe Experience' spell the end for Shapps 'Great Idea'?

    The proposal was batty from the outset. More about media column inches than any real positive for housing, but then that describes the Minister rather well I think.

  • From Chris, 26/04/2012 1:04 pm in Housing Action Collapse - the shape of things to come?

    I would tend to agree with you on this Jono. Indeed, from a Christian basis Jesus teaches that if you have something another person needs then you should give it to them, having faith that God will see to your own needs. This is not as silly as some may consider it in an ideal sense because if everyone behaved that way we would each be looking out for each others' needs and nobody would be left wanting.

  • From F451, 03/01/2012 3:28 pm in Minister needs to stop whinging!

    Apologies for the missing 'P' - I think someone must have taken it!

  • posted Anonymously, 03/01/2012 1:10 pm in Something seriously wrong with recruitment

    In some cases, departments could have been merged and several managers laid off, and the positions being advertised are for a single manager to oversee a wider area - so the picture may not be as simple as you make out.

  • From F451, 19/12/2011 12:05 pm in Council Housing is not subsidised

    It has always struck me as a little odd how desparate the Blue People are to cling to the notion of subsidy as another hammer to beat tenants with - yet they refuse to digest the fact that the financial arrangement has now been reveresed, or to accept the fact that many other parts of life is subsidised, but because this supports private sector profit appears to be acceptable.

  • From F451, 19/12/2011 11:09 am in Tenancy: where do I stand?

    The other side of these questions is - why were such matters not made clear before the ballot to chose the new landlord (or was there no choice offered, and no ballot taken - so tenants were just treated like so much cattle and sold to their new owners?)

  • From F451, 09/12/2011 4:08 pm in Announcing - nothing

    The other point about this flurry of callers is that people are still game for the something for nothing culture introduced by Thatcher and perpertuated by Blair.

  • posted Anonymously, 17/11/2011 2:18 pm in How Green is that Council

    Council leader Tony Ball, “It is about being involved and getting what is best for the borough because some development of the site is inevitable.”

  • From F451, 04/11/2011 1:38 pm in Protest Banned from Canary Wharf

    @Mr Reasonable