Musings from the Merse
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Concrete 2 Paxton 0
A Good day for the Laird is the story behind Paxton Houses get the Green Light-full sordid details you can read here
PLANNING permission has been granted for two new houses in Paxton, despite objections from the Community Council, and what one Councillor described as "moral issues". sums it up. Bully for Councillor David Raw who could not accept the way the applicant had run rings around the planning regulations including cutting down his own plantation of Christmas Trees (in January-bad timing, or what?); the application had originally been rejected on the grounds :"that the development would result in the loss of a woodland resource and would subsequently have a detrimental impact on the landscape" Soon fix that-cut down the woodland resource; fait accompli; now let's start again shall we?
But not a problem for Big 'Dim' Jim, one of the other two Councillors for Eastern Berwickshire who has a peerless record in supporting any development, any where, whatever the local Community Council might think and how nauseatingly inappropriate it might be. In Dim Jim's eyes this Woodland Resource was no more than basically "pretty scrubby christmas trees", and urged the committee to look at the positives. He said: "These pretty* scrubby trees were felled by the owner for reasons which are not our concern. We have to look at the positives - new trees will be planted. I would support the recommendation to approve permission, we have to be positive and bold." ( subtext:Just in case I ever want to build on my own farm at Coldingham?)
So now the good people of Paxton will have on their doorstop two one-and-a-half storey properties with dry dash rendered walls, timber clad features and Redland Norfolk pan tiles. 'Timber clad features? Made from the felled Christmas Trees? There is a lost opportunity for you .
And so exciting is this new development (until it is mercifully screened in about 40 years time by a new mandatory planting of less pretty scrubby Christmas Trees) that Big Jim Fullarton is calling for a major new transport initiative to service it "This is now a completed building group. I wonder if it is in the interest of transport links to put a bus shelter in Paxton to link this community - I am going to put that out there.
Big Jim's syntax is hard to follow at the best of times*-there already is a bus shelter in Paxton-so we assume he means that a new bus shelter should be built near to the this startlingly bijou attraction thus allowing the people of downtown Paxton to take the 32 bus (never on a Sunday, mind you) to visit Scotland's Favourite Short Break Destination latest tourist attraction; 'Nothing on Telly Joan-lets pop on the bus and go and have a look at how the Johnny Dim Development is getting on and enjoy a stroll through the pretty pretty Christmas Trees"
(* 'Pretty' as in 'very' one assumes but with BDJF you can never be quite sure)
A Good day for the Laird is the story behind Paxton Houses get the Green Light-full sordid details you can read here
PLANNING permission has been granted for two new houses in Paxton, despite objections from the Community Council, and what one Councillor described as "moral issues". sums it up. Bully for Councillor David Raw who could not accept the way the applicant had run rings around the planning regulations including cutting down his own plantation of Christmas Trees (in January-bad timing, or what?); the application had originally been rejected on the grounds :"that the development would result in the loss of a woodland resource and would subsequently have a detrimental impact on the landscape" Soon fix that-cut down the woodland resource; fait accompli; now let's start again shall we?
But not a problem for Big 'Dim' Jim, one of the other two Councillors for Eastern Berwickshire who has a peerless record in supporting any development, any where, whatever the local Community Council might think and how nauseatingly inappropriate it might be. In Dim Jim's eyes this Woodland Resource was no more than basically "pretty scrubby christmas trees", and urged the committee to look at the positives. He said: "These pretty* scrubby trees were felled by the owner for reasons which are not our concern. We have to look at the positives - new trees will be planted. I would support the recommendation to approve permission, we have to be positive and bold." ( subtext:Just in case I ever want to build on my own farm at Coldingham?)
So now the good people of Paxton will have on their doorstop two one-and-a-half storey properties with dry dash rendered walls, timber clad features and Redland Norfolk pan tiles. 'Timber clad features? Made from the felled Christmas Trees? There is a lost opportunity for you .
And so exciting is this new development (until it is mercifully screened in about 40 years time by a new mandatory planting of less pretty scrubby Christmas Trees) that Big Jim Fullarton is calling for a major new transport initiative to service it "This is now a completed building group. I wonder if it is in the interest of transport links to put a bus shelter in Paxton to link this community - I am going to put that out there.
Big Jim's syntax is hard to follow at the best of times*-there already is a bus shelter in Paxton-so we assume he means that a new bus shelter should be built near to the this startlingly bijou attraction thus allowing the people of downtown Paxton to take the 32 bus (never on a Sunday, mind you) to visit Scotland's Favourite Short Break Destination latest tourist attraction; 'Nothing on Telly Joan-lets pop on the bus and go and have a look at how the Johnny Dim Development is getting on and enjoy a stroll through the pretty pretty Christmas Trees"
(* 'Pretty' as in 'very' one assumes but with BDJF you can never be quite sure)
Labels: Big Jim Fullarton, The Laird. inappropriate develoment
Comments:
A sad day for the proper planning procedures in the Borders and when a landowner seems to be in cahoots with a councillor what can Johnny Citizen do?
# posted by 
: 2:11 PM
: 2:11 PM
The lack of visual literacy of the planners is unparallelled - just look how they have wrecked Whitsome Hill and many other places. Planning in the Borders is beyond a joke. How can this issue be progressed?
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# posted by : 9:34 PM
: 9:34 PM