LATEST MOAN FROM YOU AND ME 2019

A few ago we provided joinery for a closed down country pub that was being developed.
They turned the listed 14 th century inn into a large house, then built about half a dozen detached houses around it on the land.

The pub went for near on a million and the houses in the region of three quarters of a million.
I drive past there every day, looks idyllic if you don't mind being 10 foot from your neighbor's house.
It's in a totally rural location with a railway station 5 minutes walk.

 

I love the way they prattle on about quality of life and how great it will be to live there.
They destroy the quality of life when they build these monstrous great big developments.
Well for the existing people anyway.
They also go on about space and wildlife, I guess if you come from the inner city seeing a sparrow that's not coughing is good.

 

It's the way some houses are built that makes me smile.

Go back to the thirties, many built locally are of a similar design. They are wider than they are deep. What restricts the usable space is the massive entrance hall and staircase. It was all about making an impression on visitors.
My sister-in-law's house in Kings Hill suits them, but I find the facilities just as strange. There's a small hall with a toilet to the right. To the left is the kitchen/diner. There's room for four people to sit at a table in the dining area, but the kitchen area is small. There's a decent sized lounge. Upstairs there's the main bedroom, but the size is restricted as it has an en-suite. There's also a single bedroom, you couldn't get a double bed in there and have room for any wardrobes. There's also a small bathroom.
What I find strange is that in a small semi, there's three toilets!

 

The point I was making, was that the three toilets weren't a choice. A lot of similar houses on this estate were designed that way. You didn't get a choice.

 

That's what housebuilders call 'sustainable'. No doubt after they build HS2 they will describe living near Birmingham and commuting by train to London as 'sustainable'.

A local landowner building housing on their land constucted a cyclepath to the nearest railway station so their development could be described as 'sustainable'. The grand landscaping scheme to mark the start of their 'green' scheme completely destroyed the best butterfly habitat for miles around.

 

Sitting here by the computer and that lovely noise of tyres skidding on a blind bend out side of house, two tractors & trailors having a close one, please drive with respect as someone else may be coming around the blind bend

All week we have had big t&t's up and down the lane, some driving slowly some driving like they own the road, just waiting for the bang

 

At the end of May our county council repainted all the road markings in our village.

Today our county council resurfaced the longest road in the village, completely obscuring all the new road markings.

 

I find that kind of thing really annoying, it's our money they are wasting.
Then they say they need more money, no they need more sensible people in charge.
Who are probably on astronomic wages, the bloke at the head of the KCC gets more than the PM, I believe.

 

It's not just the cost, but the chaos caused by obliterating all the yellow lines.

Once that happens it becomes a free for all with parking anywhere, blocking junctions, causing vehicles to drive over footpaths, and all sorts of crazy behaviour.

It then takes our county coucil at least 4 years to reinstate the yellow lines because everytime they turn up to repaint somebody's car is parked there.

 

The problem is the utility companies not working together with the local council.

The reason why we have so many potholes is quite simple.
When a utility company digs up the road, on completion of the work they make a "temporary repair" to the road. They at the same time they pay the council a sum of money for a permanent repair. There may be several holes dug in a stretch of road by different utility companies all effecting "temporary repairs." None get fixed until the whole stretch is re-surfaced, this could be years.

Many councils are obsessed with planting and maintaining roundabouts and verges and central reservations in towns and cities, with all sorts of flowers etc. The money spent on maintaining all this could be better employed on repairing the roads, "Or perhaps planting flowers in the potholes."

 

Being older and wiser now, no But the onus is on existing residents to make sure that the developers don't deviate too wildly from the approved plans. Individually, you can't fight the big boys, but collectively, you'd be surprised what effect the prospect of lost votes has on a council.