Battle lines drawn for housing fight
ANGRY community leaders from around the county have pledged to join together to fight plans for more than 21,000 new homes in the area.
The West Northamptonshire Joint Planning Unit (JPU) published proposals last month that included plans for 11,000 houses on the outskirts of Northampton, 2,500 in Daventry, 1,500 in Towcester, and 1,760 in Brackley, in a report that provoked outcry from many residents.
A meeting hosted by the main opposition group to the plans, the Northants Residents’ Alliance, and attended by Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire Andrea Leadsom, took place at Kislingbury Village Hall on Monday night.
At the meeting community leaders, including local and parish councillors and community activists, voted to co-ordinate protest action against the plans in their communities to try to ensure their voices were heard.
The group now plans to set up a joint website to plan and document protests and petitions against the proposals.
The JPU’s new plans replaced a similar scheme published in 2009 which met with widespread protests after suggesting 40,000 houses could be built in the area.
Addressing the meeting, the leader of the alliance, Roger Kingston, urged residents to fight again. He said: “I am sad and somewhat annoyed we have been forced to gather again under these circumstances.
“Those of you involved with the great protest march – as I call it – and petitions of 2009 will appreciate how effective residents’ combined efforts were. The end result knocked the JPU and its half-cocked plans back and added another 15 months on to their project plan.”
“So does protesting have any value? The simple answer is most definitely, yes.”
He continued: “This is the time we need to strike and have it scrapped.
“We have a room full of community leaders who really care about this. We can all see this bus coming and we have very few options open to us. I actively believe public action is the only one open to us now. It worked in 2009 and it will work again.”
The JPU’s plans are out for public consultation until March 31.
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Comments
There are 10 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
go home nimby biggots
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 09:01 PMKingston is one of the biggest nimbys I've ever had the misfortune to encounter. He loves the sound of his own voice and uses the "support of local communities" to add weight to his thinly veiled self interest. The point he fails to mention is that he is one of the very people that has bought a house on a new build development and is now trying to block others from having the opportunity to do the same. His current "Fight" is against the developers (from which he bought his new build house), he would have us believe that should the developer build a further 80 houses the road network would be crippled and the entire estate would slide down the side of the hill as a result of solifluction.
Finker
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 04:44 PMCommunity leaders - I sometimes wonder, maybe just people who like committees, enjoy debates and being difficult, or generally being self-important. Every Parish council I have come across tends to be very insular with their own views rather than necessarily the community around them. At least they are taking the time but many of us would struggle to find it. Are they representative of the community as a whole, I very much doubt it.
TheCount
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 04:19 PM"40 people is hardly representitive of the 200,000 people living in Northampton never mind the 600,000 County population." - well put...these 40 people are the 40 people with enough time on their hands to go about trying to protect their own interests and making sure they get the best deal. the rest of us are busy working. They should take a good look inside themselves, I think they only care about themselves, society and society greater needs mean nothing to these self serving interest groups.
Common sense
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 02:55 PM40 people is hardly representitive of the 200,000 people living in Northampton never mind the 600,000 County population. There is a certain demographic obvious from the photo but its not obvious there was even 40 people there. As for R Kingston the local population are "somewhat annoyed" he thinks he represents anyone because frankly he dosen't. So move on or back to MK or where ever it is he's come from. The Local Councils are run by elected Councillors and if R Kingston feels he wants to be an elected representitive then he should stand for election. Otherwise he should put up or shut up. Were the BNP there?
lady muck
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 02:25 PM...and what is Andrea Leasom's view, or did she simply attend the meeting as an observer ? Roger Kingston's bus metaphor was especially ironic, since with the cuts coming, there will be no 'bus' to see. The Count is correct...one man's 'half-cocked plan' (as described by Kingsley) is another family's home and the attitude displayed by the protestors shows them in a shameful light..
Shalom
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 02:20 PMThe Labour party, with its mad immigration policies which have added 3 million people to this nation, are entirely to blame for all this ! They did this for purely party partisan reasons and to rub the rights nose in " diversity and multiculturalism". Anyone tempted to vote for these traitors again, ahould go out and have a brain transplant !
poppiesforever
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 02:11 PMThese will mostly end up as buy to let for the mass immigration that is paralysing this country.
TheCount
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 01:31 PMI look at the photo's of the people in these meetings...it's all white middle class old people. You don't see many young people with no future, no decent jobs, no pensions, working till they are 75 to afford these peoples pensions sitting there protesting !!!! These people are like parasites on the rest of society.
The Ninja Parade
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 01:23 PMThe County needs the houses, it's that simple. Sure NIMBY's will whinge and moan, after all isnt that what they do? With tiny social housing and homeless numbers getting bigger, it's about time these luddite protestors realised that it''s 2011 and the days of 'twee middle England, and 'The Archers' are rapidly becoming a thing of the past. You cannot stop progress, and all the jobs these builds will generate. Say YES to houses and embrace change.
TheCount
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 01:15 PMSay no to houses...say no to people haveing homes...keep those house prices up...we dont want nasty people living next door to us...why not starve them too while we are at it....no to the basic necessities in life for people other than us home owners......what a selfish bunch of NIMBYNUMPTIES,
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