Some time ago now, 19th June to be precise, I received
a letter from Broxtowe Council informing
me that the developers had withdrawn their application to desecrate Hempshill
Fields. Great news I thought and like the
rest of us, breathed a huge sigh of relief that the nightmare was over and we
could relax, safe in the knowledge that we could look forward to enjoying the fields for years to come.
Unfortunately, I overlooked the small print saying that the
developers might resubmit their application once they had come up with a plan
which overcame our objections. Just how
they hope to come up with a plan which allows them to build houses and at the
same time leave the fields as open space I find it hard to imagine, but there
we are.
Now it seems that Broxtowe Council is in the process of publishing a
new “Core Strategy” which amongst other things aims to identify suitable land
for building 6,150 new homes. So, unless
we are careful, it is possible that this new plan might designate
Hempshill Fields as a suitable location, despite our objections and the previous
strategy.
So, once again, we need to make it clear that not only do we
want to keep Hempshill Fields as open space now, we want it for our children
too. The plan is on the council’s website
You can have your say until Monday 23rd July.
That is only a week away, so we all need to do some thinking
and writing as soon as we can. Once
again, if you are unsure exactly what to say, you might want to take a look at
the representation submitted by our local MP, Graham Allen, which is shown as a
link on the right. This also outlines how to complete the online forms.
