Construction Work

[itsnotmeitsu]

160+ plus properties are being built on what was previously a school playing field next to my home. We've lived alongside this construction site for well over a year. Now they've reached our boundary. The boundary line is eight feet from our living room and bedroom windows (single story house). This morning I wandered into the living room in my nightwear to put on a heater to see four or five workmen just outside my window. Not saying they're noticing me, but I feel invaded.

This house will never feel the same for us. I used to love watching the wildlife on the playing field. We still have our garden squirrels and foxes, but obviously the playing field wildlife has been lost or moved. I hate the way central government has been allowed to dictate local planning applications, and local planning generally no longer has a say.

People have to live somewhere. There will have been local engagement sessions across the planning and development process.

Well before this work started there will have been consultancy where people in the area have the chance to object. Did you check before you bought the house who owned the land and if there were plans to build on it?

I understand where you are coming from OP - having it on your doorstep really brings home the fact that there are too many people in the world. I don't really know what the answer is because as PP have said people need to live somewhere as the population increases. If it wasn't that playing field it would be another one, but it's very sad the level of destruction we as humans carry out in the world. I don't think Nimbyism is the answer, because that just pushes the problem onto someone else, but as I say, I don't really know what is.

@Monkeybutt1 > We obviously did the usual checks but didn't check who owned the land in that area currently being built on to see if there were plans for development on it, as we didn't need to. In 2002 the land housed a secondary school and its playing field, so was owned by the council.

Once the school closed, to merge with another closed school in a new-build, developers were able to buy up and build on the land. Of course there were planning procedures, consultations with residents, etc, which was when I realised local planning authorities have next to no say anymore, because central government planning is able to over-ride them.

The 160+ properties going up on the site of the school and playing field are so close together, and their dimensions so small, I'm just glad I'm only having the building going on feet away from me, rather than living in them. This is an expensive area property-wise, whether owned or privately rented, and the few 'affordable' homes being part of the developer's submission to get the planning permission are in no way affordable to most people in this area.