I must take my hat of to the Berwickshire as the paper has done justice to the Community Council Minutes-reproduced them in full and filling one quarter of a broadsheet page in three long columns. No trimming or censorship. The Laird's donation of land to the Berwickshire Housing Association for Affordable Housing is given the the treatment -referred to as being considered inappropriate by 'many people' and described as a possible Trojan Horse for a larger development project. The Borders Councillor, is also quoted as saying that this proposal will not help solve Paxton's drainage problems. In fairness the BHA plan is to build 4 houses on a ten house site with the rest of the site taken up with a sewerage plant.(What a pretty sight for a charming village?) But such a commodious installation for only 4 houses has, in itself, raised fears for a Trojan Horse approach to the whole field.
We will now have to see if this Community Council challenge will raise hackles/the temperature locally in a public kind of way or whether the battle will now go underground 'behind closed doors' within the entrails of the Planning Department. Last time there was a flurry over the local plan led to a pamphlet war, a virtually real petition in the pub and a lot of written protests to the Planners. People Power was successful on that occasion. But this time?
Incidentally at the very end of the minutes there is a reference to a member of the CC talking to a local farmer about moving a dumped car from a field (See previous rants and a photo or two) Last time names were given (as this time also) there were ructions and repercussions. Hopefully History will not repeat itself especially as the farmer in question could hardly be blamed for having a car abandoned on his property
