A Plot on the Landscape

But maybe every cloud has a silver lining, just some more than others?

We had our report, or strategy, from the planning consultants arrive on Monday, and it really didn’t make pleasant reading.  Due to the planning history, and (much) more the point local planning policy, it’s time to get real and write off any chance of achieving the initial goal of two new homes/properties for the family on the site.

It’s frustrating to say the least, especially when they’re building about four hundred homes in open fields only a couple of miles away at Cranfield, and over a thousand in open countryside only a couple of miles away in the other direction to expand Milton Keynes.  Yet we cant use our own land to build a couple of new homes for the family.   The planning system really does truly suck.  While I can understand the spirit of the policies regarding “open countryside” (yes, ignore the properties either side of us in our “Hamlet”, both residential and commercial, we ARE apparently in open countryside, but NOT green belt), and the desire to preserve this green and pleasant land, it seems very rigid, and poorly balanced.

We cant re-jig, use space that is currently car park, and modernise and improve the plot and local area in general on a very small scale, while all around us, large open fields and farmland are being obliterated by developing towns and cities, with plans to do even more of the same over the coming years.  It’s madness.  If they want to preserve the countryside, why is John Lewis building the warehouse from hell just down the road (now THAT has spoiled some views), or building loads of new homes on the outskirts of Milton Keynes.  Why cant “they” consider our new places as part of their targets for thousands of new homes in the area?!

Anyway, enough ranting!

We’ve arranged to meet and talk to Al from the Planning Consultants next week, to discuss alternative, scaled down proposals.  Whatever we want to do, it’s not going to be easy, and we’re probably in for the “long game”, but we just want to be able to use this space better, and make it a better living environment for our family, and a better working environment for the company.  Shouldn’t  be too much to ask!

Prior to the bad news coming through, we also had a chat with the head of the Parish Council.  He’s amazed we got so firmly rebuked by the planning department with our pre-application, and is willing to do anything he can to put some weight behind our plans.  Not sure how much real help the Parish Council can give, but it’s nice to know someone appreciates we’re just trying to make it so we stay in the Village, and in Mid Beds, in a place we’re happy living in.

We want to build an environmentally friendly home, we live and work in the same place, we’re after just the sort of thing the government and various environmental groups keep saying they’re all for.  No commuting to and from the office, building on land that’s already paved over and not attractive, improving living standards and the rural environment, building a low cost (to run), efficient home, and improving the current house (which is appalling for energy and running costs).  You know, doing “the right thing”.  Only it feels just now that nobody wants us to.  It’d be much easier to buy an inefficient box home miles away from work, pulling people out of the rural communities they apparently want to protect, and increasing our “carbon footprint” as we start commuting to work.  Great.

Anyway, we’re not giving up, every avenue must be pursued  and investigated, at the very least to stop us wondering “what if…?”, and at the most, so we can work this out and get us a place to live, in a place we want to live!