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Who fancies helping me out with a little civil disobedience?
Purbeck (those nice hills near Bournemouth and Poole) Council want to build on Herston Meadow in Swanage. It’s a lovely meadow that is used by Barn owls, bats and dog walkers. It’s pretty much our village green.
Not only will it change the shape and character of Swanage, it will also simply destroy part of the countryside.
This was a protected conversation area only a couple of years ago. But I guess that did not suit the council’s plans? But don’t worry their plans include “improved access to the countryside” by simply building on the countryside.
In a good winter you can ice-skate on the flooded meadow. Hardly suitable for building on!
What’s more the consultation questionnaire is “unsafe”, meaning it is not statistically significant. It includes the vague suggestion of a promise for community facilities, confusing the location decision and it’s very heavily biased towards the Herston meadow with bigger promises.
The council are playing out some fake democracy here, but the awkward truth is they are manipulating the decision. I know we don’t have a democracy in this country (2.5 million marched against the gulf war – this massive display of the peoples feeling made zero difference.
But at least some funny rogue is having a go back (see picture) – no idea who is behind this, but I endorse this type of civil disobedience.
Anyway if you could drop David Budd a polite email asking him to leave the countryside at Herston alone, at d.a.budd@dorsetcc.gov.uk his inbox will be stuffed full for Monday, lets give him something to do.
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epic FAIL - emailing a councillor is not quite civil disobedience? more like civil meekness
email sent (frequent visitor to Swanage and Purbecks)
And the poster is more like civil satire.
`write a letter to the Telegraph. In green ink. Its the only language they understand
That councillor has a look of the Harold Shipmans about him. Be careful out there.
Just out of interest, what is curently on sites C & D that the poster is urging people to vote for ?
Just bang him one on the nose.
Done email sent
It’s pretty much our village green.
Then apply to register it as just that... Play the council at its own game, proper cat/pigeons solution!
Trail monkey.... sites..
Site C is a static caravan park with club house
Site D is the old grammer school site that the council have allowed to rot, not been used is something likle 25 years. But it does have an emplty pool which is great for old skool skateboarding injuries.
Thanks everyopne... village green eh mmmm.
Either that or common land - 20 years use by any of the local oldies for dogwalking perhaps?
[i]a significant number of the inhabitants of any locality, or of any neighbourhood within a locality, have indulged as of right in lawful sports and pastimes on the land for a period of at least 20 years; and[/i]
😈
Email sent, even though I've never been there.... I've had enough of councils doing things like this.
Zulu-Eleven has a point. Get enough of you together to back it up, and I'm sure you'd have a case to register it as a Village Green!
Good luck to everyone involved (apart from the council obviously, jobsworth t**ts)
Site D is the old [s]grammer[/s] [b]grammar[/b] school site that the council have allowed to rot, not been used is something likle 25 years. But it does have an emplty pool which is great for old skool skateboarding injuries.
please. standards. 🙄
😉
Don't despair too much. See
[url= http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/8200295.Is_this_the_end_for_green_belt_housing_in_south_Essex_/ ]South Essex Castle Point example[/url].
The prior government housing targets no longer apply so there is no necessity for these unpopular developments to take place. The Castle point example is probably a good model to follow - It was a major issue here at the general election. In a safe Tory seat an independent got 12000 votes on exactly this sort of issue. The new Tory MP has been forced to pull a few strings to ensure these developments won't take place.
If the council insists on carrying out the plans in Swanage the inference is that there is some 'external incentive' to do so.
Email sent from a fellow purbeck resident. There looking for sites to build all over purbeck, the problem is most of the new developments have unsold property, so why build more, at the moment.
Mrs petesgaff here, I'm with Zulu-Eleven, there's been various cases of 'village green registering' in recent years - once registered it prevents development. Look into it and good luck!!
+1 for village / town green registration. Used it to advantage in a previous existence.
+2 for Village Green, have done one and am ongoing with another registration at the moment. The Open Spaces Society are your friend here, the relevant caseworker is Nicola Hodgson and a quick chat with her will give you a good idea of the likelihood of success. The paperwork involved is very straightforward, basically show you have had free access to the land for 20 years without being asked or signposted to leave by the landowners or their agents. Formal agriculture does count against you if it's had crops or significant livestock during the qualifying period. Feel free to email me and I'll set you up with the forms and guidance etc. Good luck with it.
Having been involved in fighting development by Astral I would heartly endorse qwerty's approach.
tell the council that there is endangered newts or some other protected wildlife on there. the bill to find them and relocate them will be so big they wont carry on with the project. i know it works, it cost my local council (who i work for) millions to build a bypass because someone used the newt story. they have to investigate it.
Set a facebook account up 'save herston meadow'
Set a facebook account up 'save herston meadow'
And then send a press release to the local paper about how much attention it's got, how many local members etc etc.
myheadsashed - Member
Set a facebook account up 'save herston meadow'
That'll show them. 😡
Email sent, as a Dorset local I'm down there at least once a month.