Musings from the Merse
Friday, May 04, 2007
Developers Hit Back
A bloggee obviously incensed by comments re appropriate development in these columns has e-mailed as follows
I was recently reading your blog, and I thought..this guy and his cronies wants Berwickshire preserved as an idyllic, financially unsustainable, child free, social deprived, geriatric enclave! .The children and young adults in the area can't wait to escape to a real life amongst a living population elsewhere. No doubt they'll return when their own children reach the "tempting years" to keep them out of harms way amidst the bright city lights; inadvertently driving them, through boredom, to underage illegalities and geriatric tauntings and, in due course, away to the city. Meanwhile their parents will stagnate to maintain the pool of social services and health trust dependent clients and vision less nimbys*. Free care in your twilight years is a great plus for Scotland but it does seem to attract an ageing population from outwith our borders, who, once there,seem determined to pull up the drawbridge and promote universal vasectomy for all those who can't, in order to preserve their idyllic peaceful haven. Unfortunately someone somewhere down the line has to pay for it all. Unfortunately to do this there has to be a vibrant living community! Unfortunately there has to be, heaven forbid, people who work! Unfortunately there has to roads and vehicles! Unfortunately there have to be taxes. Fortunately with a few more houses and a bit more economic activity Berwickshire might just manage to be a bit less of a parasite to the Scottish Borders economy. The planners know this, many of the regional councillors know this, as do many of the working population who rely on a vibrant, active countryside for their livelihood. It's time we all got together and worked towards a sensible balance. If you don't want the villages crammed full of houses in every nook and cranny, and you don't want the outlying settlements and farmsteads to be socially sustainable what do you want?
I am sure some others will wish to rush to agree. Hint on authorship of above-I believe he lives not a million miles from the Fishwick Traffic Hell blackspot. One at least of the regional councillors he mentions shares a common interest in farming and development-how one can help the other. And he himself has done much to ensure his outlying farmstead is socially sustainable by starting on a major concreting over of many of his broad acres. I doubt if even Don Quixote tilted at so many windmills simultaneously
* The Laird's favourite word-once famously preceded with 'poisonous little'
A bloggee obviously incensed by comments re appropriate development in these columns has e-mailed as follows
I was recently reading your blog, and I thought..this guy and his cronies wants Berwickshire preserved as an idyllic, financially unsustainable, child free, social deprived, geriatric enclave! .The children and young adults in the area can't wait to escape to a real life amongst a living population elsewhere. No doubt they'll return when their own children reach the "tempting years" to keep them out of harms way amidst the bright city lights; inadvertently driving them, through boredom, to underage illegalities and geriatric tauntings and, in due course, away to the city. Meanwhile their parents will stagnate to maintain the pool of social services and health trust dependent clients and vision less nimbys*. Free care in your twilight years is a great plus for Scotland but it does seem to attract an ageing population from outwith our borders, who, once there,seem determined to pull up the drawbridge and promote universal vasectomy for all those who can't, in order to preserve their idyllic peaceful haven. Unfortunately someone somewhere down the line has to pay for it all. Unfortunately to do this there has to be a vibrant living community! Unfortunately there has to be, heaven forbid, people who work! Unfortunately there has to roads and vehicles! Unfortunately there have to be taxes. Fortunately with a few more houses and a bit more economic activity Berwickshire might just manage to be a bit less of a parasite to the Scottish Borders economy. The planners know this, many of the regional councillors know this, as do many of the working population who rely on a vibrant, active countryside for their livelihood. It's time we all got together and worked towards a sensible balance. If you don't want the villages crammed full of houses in every nook and cranny, and you don't want the outlying settlements and farmsteads to be socially sustainable what do you want?
I am sure some others will wish to rush to agree. Hint on authorship of above-I believe he lives not a million miles from the Fishwick Traffic Hell blackspot. One at least of the regional councillors he mentions shares a common interest in farming and development-how one can help the other. And he himself has done much to ensure his outlying farmstead is socially sustainable by starting on a major concreting over of many of his broad acres. I doubt if even Don Quixote tilted at so many windmills simultaneously
* The Laird's favourite word-once famously preceded with 'poisonous little'
Labels: Borders, Ravings in the Countryside
Comments:
I do not know who your bloggee is but I assume he or she is someone intent on providing affordable homes for the young in appropriate places with good infrastructural support. If he supports building £800,000 castles on farmland and calls that social progress, then he/she is talking self-justifying, defensive crap!
# posted by 
: 10:32 PM
: 10:32 PM
Just as well there are enough tax-paying people in the Borders to pay for subsidised housing and agriculture.
# posted by : 10:34 PM
: 10:34 PM
What a load of sanctimonious rubbish from you correspondent. Guess who? If true to form, this vituperation is the start of yet another devious plot to subvert the pathetically weak planning practices in this area. Does he really think he fools anybody?
# posted by : 10:40 PM
: 10:40 PM
It is the people who live here, pay taxes here, spend here, drive small cars here who drive the economy. It is not the 5% of the population who earn their subsidised living from the countryside and who seem more intent on selling land for mansions for others who live in Edinburgh, school their children and shop in Edinburgh.
Pioty he does not understand basic economics! Never mind I am sure his regional councillor will explain!
Pioty he does not understand basic economics! Never mind I am sure his regional councillor will explain!
# posted by : 11:03 PM
: 11:03 PM
'Fortunately with a few more houses and a bit more economic activity Berwickshire might just manage to be a bit less of a parasite to the Scottish Borders.'
Is this person living on the same planet? I assume that the 'economic miracle,' their words not mine, that are wind turbines that are already up and in the planning pipeline do nothing for the Border's economy? It seems to me that the blogee is a pillar of self interest.
Is this person living on the same planet? I assume that the 'economic miracle,' their words not mine, that are wind turbines that are already up and in the planning pipeline do nothing for the Border's economy? It seems to me that the blogee is a pillar of self interest.
Of course I am happy to have the farmsteads and countryside economically sustainable. That is why I have not yet rebelled against allowing farms to get away without paying rates, and therefore contributing to the local services like the rest of us do, and why I still pay my taxes that keep farmers economically solvent in a mollycoddled way that no other industry benefits from. If he does not accept that then can he list the local farms that have been put up for sale and not found ready buyers - usually other farmers! Does he really believe these small businessmen have the right to live in a lifestyle no other small businessman can afford and have the right to foist their increasing greed on the vast majority who do not want the countryside concreted over? £800,000 houses do nothing for young parents or local industry. The ownership will be either more retired people who he mocks or city commuters. Perhaps he now realises from the comments that self serving pontification does not wash with the majority.
# posted by : 4:33 PM
: 4:33 PM
Following e-mail received :
Good Morning, Sir. I was recently reading your blog, and I thought... Can you [please] make a couple of corrections to my contribution to your blog? First sentence should be "socially deprived" instead of " social deprived" and following the comment about drawbridges and vasectomies it should be those who "can'" - not "can't"
Regards
[Farmer C representing Fishwick Traffic Warden Services]
Also he requests 1st Line take 's' off 'wants' and 'be' inserted into 'roads and vehicles'
Hope that is clear
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Good Morning, Sir. I was recently reading your blog, and I thought... Can you [please] make a couple of corrections to my contribution to your blog? First sentence should be "socially deprived" instead of " social deprived" and following the comment about drawbridges and vasectomies it should be those who "can'" - not "can't"
Regards
[Farmer C representing Fishwick Traffic Warden Services]
Also he requests 1st Line take 's' off 'wants' and 'be' inserted into 'roads and vehicles'
Hope that is clear
