Amber Valley Borough Council - Green Belt Plunderers

To continue with my 'lets have a go at the council' theme:

I mentioned in my last post about 'Aldercar and Langley Mill' and the border between the two - once upon a time, separate hamlet and village [in that order] - is now somewhat fuzzy. But now I have to say that by the time Amber Valley Borough Council have finished with their big push to build on green belt land - that all the greedy, grasping developers have been buying up in readiness - the borders between most of our villages will be non-existent and instead of being individual communities, we'll just be part of a large town that may as well be called 'RIPNOR' or 'HEAPLY'

There have been protests, meetings, facebook groups and petitions all against AVBC selling off land at Ripley to accommodate a new Morrisons supermarket plus housing etc. The council are elected representatives to do our bidding but it seems that they're hand in glove with developers all the way. They even held this part of the - often postponed - planning board meeting in private, where the public was asked to leave. We know who voted to pass the proposals, we'll remember their names when they want electing again.

AVBC's best friends - the philanthropic developers - tell us ... and we're meant to be grateful by the way:

"We'll build a nice supermarket for you, create jobs for you, and we'll provide you with some lovely little boxes for you to live in and then we'll landscape a 10" wide strip of land with - exciting new idea - some indigenous plants ... Instead of keeping all these fields of unsightly green and woody stuff that just sits there growing. And did you know that it's full of pesky vermin living in it?"

"What? no, you're wrong, it's a completely absurd idea that all this greenery is meant to be enjoyed by everyone, because it's ours, we've bought it now. It needs building on so that it doesn't keep sucking up all the excess water or continue making the air too oxygen rich, thus giving you daft ideas about saving the green belt or the planet [whichever soap-box you're all on this week]"

And back to me in the real world:
All the - up to now, relatively clear - boundaries between ... Aldercar/Woodlinkin, Aldercar/Heanor, Aldercar/Loscoe, Langley/Marlpool/Shipley, Heanor/Crosshill, Woodlinkin/Loscoe, Codnor/Waingroves, Waingroves/Ripley, Alfreton/Swanwick/Leabrooks/Riddings/Butterley, Marehay/Codnor/Ripley, Belper/Heage ... Will be as blurred as Langley mill/Aldercar - I've no doubt missed a few proposed builds and made some huge mistakes, please feel free to correct me and I'll amend accordingly.

All these unique places with their precious green bits and individual identities will be lost forever as they merge into one vast sprawl ... Sad isn't it?

But I can't help feeling that it's all a smokescreen ... throw all the suggested builds in the pot at roughly the same time - so that we're up in arms about it - then they'll come back with maybe just one or two ideas that we'll have to accept and make it look like they've listened to us - and we'll think we've won ... cunning.

Hmmm, Amber Valley Borough Council have the audacity to tell us that they've got to build houses on green belt land - and accept s106 bribes so that they can afford to tart up their preferred areas - because people want to live here as it's lovely and rural ... Hellooo, you're busy urbanising our rural bits, you morons.

Rant over ...

My Views on Asda's Plans for Langley Mill

Ok, I've seen Asda's & Heanor Haulage's plans for Langley Mill.

So what was all that tripe about showing us the plans in early April where they would 'try to incorporate our suggestions where possible'. They haven't budged an inch as far as I can see. We're still going to have an enormous Heanor Haulage workshop across from us, it's not so bad further down the street where the offices plan to be, they're set further back & aren't so high or indeed likely to be noisy.
We were told by Asda representatives that the Heanor Haulage building would be two stories high, they were either fibbing or didn't know what they were talking about. I assume it was the latter as they had no reason to lie, a little retraining required I think before the next public exhibitions.

And where are my trees? the only ones near us look like they're getting the chop as they'll be in the way of Heanor Haulage & Asda's grand plan [yes, am in a mood].

I noticed on more than one page of the plans that they're quite chuffed to let us know how high the current building is & how high their proposed elevation will be, yes, it's lower, but that's from number 40 Bridge Street down. Only where Asda itself is, no mention of what it'll be like opposite the buildings of Heanor Haulage, quite nice where the offices are, set back away from the road, but we'll have the noisy high workshop, very close to us.

I also noticed that on every ASDA sign on the plans it said '24 hours', oh what joy, I'll be able to nip down for a bottle of milk in my nighty & slippers if they keep me awake.

Where's the rest of Heanor Haulage going? & why isn't it all going? This has me baffled but I'm only a simple woman, not privy to the machinations [what a lovely big word] of Mr Heanor Haulage & Asda.

I'm wondering if writing any sort of objection about the Heanor Haulage part of the plans will have the slightest bit of impact with the council. I've now fully accepted that Heanor Haulage is here to stay but a little more leeway in their building positions and LOTS OF TREES FOR ME!! would be appreciated.

Also there's the housing, now if it was being done on the back without Heanor Haulage on the front it'd be ok. I know I constantly moan about Heanor Haulage behind us but at least now we can see beyond them from the upstairs window & there's plenty of light. With Heanor Haulage's new proposed HIGH building on the front & modern 'get as many 3 story houses [up to 60] as you can on as little land as possible' attitude on the back, the overall view we're threatened with will be akin to life in a prison, although I've heard that it's much nicer in some prisons.

Anyway, how can we object to 'an outline' of the housing plans? there's nothing specific to point out & say "we don't think it's right".

I suppose it's our fault for being peasants & living where we do in the first place but before Heanor Haulage moved in it was lovely & peaceful even though it is dark on the front with the brick building & tin shack next to it. In winter the sun hardly ever reaches downstairs.

'Well established' I've seen Heanor Haulage described, as a firm it may well be, but it's suggested that they're 'well established' in Langley Mill. If you count 13 or 14 years as 'well established' fair enough. If this is the case then my grumpy old man, who has lived on Bridge Street since 1962, must by now have 'Stonehenge' status.

We're still puzzled about how the 'well established' firm Heanor Haulage got here in the first place. As the name suggests, Heanor Haulage originated elsewhere, in fact they've had several changes of address so I don't know why they wouldn't like another one, somewhere like, oh let me see, Heanor?

Oh yes, back to how they got foisted on us at Langley Mill. A big building firm wanted their land on Lacyfields road. It was all very hush hush, no-one knew they were coming, there were no notices anywhere. I know I'm repeating myself but they just turned up one Sunday afternoon.

All in all, I have to say despite my grumbling of things past that cannot be undone. I am in favour of an Asda store being built in Langley Mill. But unless it can be categorically proved that Heanor Haulage won't be a noise & pollution nuisance as they are now, then I will object to their part of the plans. And believe me, in the future after my objections have been completely ignored & Heanor Haulage are installed in their new workshop & strangely larger offices for a downsized company, I will be in touch with environmental health whenever I think it's necessary & be ignored a bit more.

As regards to the demolition & rebuilding, I expect noise & disruption, as long as the rules are adhered to about times of work & noise, then I won't be complaining too loudly, except of course here in my blog.

Oh yes Asda, don't forget the BATS, the man who checked for their possible roosts was too early, they arrived mid-May & they come every year, we're not sure exactly where they roost but we think it's in the building across the top of Bridge Street.

Asda have now written to us twice so far & we've recently had a letter from the council telling us how to have our say if we object to the plans. Now that is what I consider a courtesy by Asda & proper procedure by the council.

We've heard nothing from Heanor Haulage. I use that term loosely, I meant we've had nothing delivered in the post from them, about their plans & how they will affect us. Perhaps they're not legally obliged to, but surely it's in their interest not to alienate the residents by not even acknowledging their existence. I for one & others I've spoken to would like Heanor Haulage representatives to make themselves available for questioning on 24th June at the Bridge centre. We want to know what impact it'll have on our lives moving their workshop so close.
Questions about where the compressor will go & will it be soundproofed enough? How will they get rid of diesel fumes from the building? Are they likely to come our way? These are pertinent questions that we need answered, not just the nit-picking of a grumpy old woman - I mean me in case you were wondering...