LATEST MOAN FROM YOU AND ME 2019

Sometimes such redevelopments can be a success.

My sister-in law and her husband bought a nearly new house, over a decade ago in Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent.
It's an estate built on a former airfield. There are about 3000 houses and some low level commercial property. All the roads are block paved and no end of roundabouts to control the traffic. There's a small estate of shops. Tesco's wanted to open an "all nighter," but the residents' association, turned it down. They had a Waitrose instead.




The original 1930s Art Deco control tower had a preservation order, so it was restored and became a coffee bar.




Here's some random photos of the sort of houses. Lots of open spaces and trees. There's even a golf course.

 

I like the Coffee House and Waitrose seems to fit in nicely.

 

Just wish I could afford to live at Kings Hill, yeah it looks wonderful, it, along with all the other developments have caused pretty much gridlock on the surrounding roads, you cant go anywhere at any time of the day in this area without getting caught up in a traffic jam.

You can call me a Nimby if you like, but this kind of development is going on all the time, local people need houses, but most cant afford the kind of stuff they are building, all this kind of thing does is bring new people into the area, meanwhile locals still cant get a house.
Its crazy.
The proximity to London and rail links means those from London with houses to sell just move out into the countryside, well it was countryside once, before their houses were built.
Now its just another expensive housing development .

Rant over, but its getting stupid and we need a recession and house price crash to stop these crazy house prices, if we get a price slump the developers will do as they always do, just sit on the ground they have bought and build nothing.

 

Just looked up prices at Kings Hill! Not my scene, too many neighbours and I don't like traffic. Glad I live here.

 

Near here, they've built some smaller houses which haven't sold yet, that was 5 years ago when they were built
the countryside is going at a very fast rate even in the middle of nowhere it's being concreted over, for the last month we have had lots of concrete lorrys passing and now we will soon have loggers tree and soil going fast, no wonder our wildlife can't cope

 

Yet another cramped layout with inadequate parking so that residents and visitors park by bumping up onto the footpaths forcing the elderly, disabled, etc. out into the roadways. Very poor planning.

 

When I said I wish I could afford to live there I actually meant I'd like that kind of money, so that I could buy something a bit different.
I actually live on a old council estate built in the 40s and the amount of space and parking is better than in those expensive new places they chuck up.

 

Many years ago council housing standards included for enough space to grow your own fruit & veg, keep hens in your back garden etc. Then it changed to just enough room for a whirly line and a row of paving slabs. Christopher Addison would've been appalled.

 

We have the same issues. Big houses/footprints on a regular sized lot which would have had a modest bungalow in past years. Little houses or town/row houses with enough room outback for a patio table and chairs. But at least the towns/regions are now, finally, forcing the builders to reserve land and build large ho,ding ponds for rain runoff from all tne concrete that comes with tjese developments. And they make them fairly attractive and have lots of native water loving plants and trees growing there. These ponds are about 1/4 mile by about 300 feet and a good 40 feet deep.

I've seen birds this past spring that I haven't seen in years or never did so something is going well. Even the monarch butterflies are more abundant.

My house is 30 years old but it seems to me that my 40x110 foot piece of land is small compared to over the pond. You all have these yards that seem to run 200 ft or so.

Envy.... moan....

I guess because of that and my short growing season, I have spent loads on season extenders or insde growing spaces through winter.

 

Yes and no...The effects of development can be mitigated by active campaigning on the part of existing residents. When Wellingborough council sold off a school sports field for totally inappropriate and insensitive housing development, they didn't bargain for the massive backlash. The development went ahead anyway, but with modifications to the plans. The local councillor had his hitherto glorious political career destroyed and the council lost their majority at the subsequent election. Ordinary people can influence outcomes when they are motivated and show a bit of solidarity.