Letter to Mr Kojan.

(comment on draft regeneration strategy, Wakefield)

Whilst happy to see plenty of development I cannot help but be alarmed at the general form, the reasons for it and further implications.

For starters, all new housing is subject to higher density build due to land being artificially restricted rather than positively as communities of people with shared interests (and a common timetable). The latter point something our political leaders seem desperate to foster.

Instead of a natural community developing we are getting a sketchily offered, pick n mix version where privacy, individuality and free association are practically sanctioned by authority.


Our homes fulfill a number of roles yet it's hard to imagine a comfortable family life in such cramped conditions. Overclose proximity to our neighbours is bound to lead to compromise and occasional tension as our activities impinge on those of others.
In crude terms merely going to the bathroom during the night provides a dilemma over flushing and disturbing the neighbours. Granted, my house is some 100 yrs old - I just hope these new homes have decent soundproofing.

Houses built for an entirely different era need constant upgrades so there's always noisy rebuilding work going on and little peace and quiet in the neighbourhood. It's probably fair to that within 20 yrs the process will need to be repeated if occupiers haven't already started updating.

And what of normal leisure pursuits such as playing your favourite music just the way you like it or even kids playing out?

Never mind though, if our quite normal activities prove too intrusive, rest assured, we can always rely on an ASBO or CPSO to keep things quiet.


It used to be said that an englishman (or woman)'s house is his (or her) castle. It would appear not so now. Gordon Brown's prudence will cost us dear both in money and increasing intrusion into our homes. His profligacy with taxes has led to suggestions of window, patio and even 'view from your house' taxes.
It gets worse - they now want to photograph and catalogue every room in our homes. Which with some snide irony perhaps, is being introduced into Northern Ireland first.

Despite our relative wealth we get slammed by high house prices due to this restriction of land; only ameliorated by low interest rates. How long this situation lasts is anybodys guess but there have already been murmurs of trouble ahead in the economy.
Interestingly enough, the debate heard was more concerned with the lack of prison spaces to house us should we resort to criminality as a result.
No focus on decent jobs then?

Decent jobs and a better quality of life could be had by ditching the sustainability agenda and building spaciously on redundant farmland with modern services and infrastructure.

But no, Castleford MP and housing minister, Yvette Cooper, gets herself all excited at the prospect of theoretically building most, if not all, UK housing on dilapidated brownfield land at high density; aided and abetted by hubby, economic secretary to the treasury and Normanton MP, Ed Balls.
That is some double act from so called socialists.

In this way our own private space gives way to chaperoned public space replete with selective heritage features and equally meaningless but instrumental public art.

And what of transport? Private motor cars are frowned upon as unsustainable, antisocial; every regeneration plan attacking private car use and our freedom to roam. This could almost be bearable if public transport was reliable, ran an extended timetable and was user friendly.

Defra minister, Dave Miliband talks of his environment policy as being for 'a land fit for heroes'.
I can only asume he's been watching too many Disney videos.