It is interesting to see how our competing government and local authorities can come up with ideas that environmentally misuse and abuse the land we have, producing the worst possible environmental results.
In the city of Portsmouth the old Tricorn Centre was knocked down so that a large commercial retail development could be built there. In the mean time a massive car park has been put in its place, encouraging people to use their cars. OK so far, this sounds typical and quite normal for todays poor eco standards.
But then at the same time plans are being made for fields near Waterlooville to be made into a suburban car junky housing estate, with all the people living their wanting to commute by car to their jobs.
See any obvious inconsistencies in the planning logic here?
OK, why not build high density housing on the old Tricorn land, eliminate the car park and build fewer or even no homes on the fields near Waterlooville?
Why would this be better? Well because living in the city centre would mean less need for a car. If you have the Cascades shopping mall next door, and Commercial road a stones throw away, why would you need a car!
Then of course the city railway station is within walking distance and the existing retailers will get more business from those that occupy the homes.
At the same time, the remaining fields just outside Waterlooville would remain as fields or at least less of them would be taken up by the creeping suburbia that is called Waterlooville.
Friday, October 26
Wednesday, October 24
Enjoy it while you can (the fields will be toast soon)
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What a nice view!
Yes some lovely fields not far away from Waterlooville, along the old Hambledon road. Trees, hedgerows, grass etc. a nice little habitat for animals, insects and birds. As a kid I played in those fields with friends.
During the war (WWII) my mother and her sisters played in those fields to, they even chased after a German pilot that was shot down nearby, in them there fields.
But enjoy those images while you can because those fields haven't got much longer to live. The big corporate developers are rolling in under the command of the government. In a few years time those fields will be covered in houses, flats, offices and shops (the West of Waterlooville MDA). Yes this so called low quality land is just the right place for humanity to expand its carbon footprint and park thousands of cars on concrete drives.
The new homes will be built to the current pathetic environmental standards where eco points can be gained for the most trivial addition to a design.
The photo on the right shows Hambledon road (a nice bit of it) and the hedgerows to the right of the road will be replaced by a small shopping complex, offices and homes.
The photo in the centre shows the nearby pylons that effectively mark the boundary of the scheme. The developers are making the land under the pylons into a 'pleasant' walk and cycle path. How nice of them! Of course they are only doing this because no one will buy a house under a pylon or its cables.
The development will of course mean masses of additional road traffic and subsequent CO2 emissions as people put their right to own a car and travel long distances to work into practice. The chances are that these people will be appeased by government, national and local.
This isn't the only development near Waterlooville, an even bigger project is due to be built nearer the town by a different developer. More on that and other stuff later.
Tuesday, October 23
Where's that then?
Waterlooville is in Hamphire, England, north of Portsmouth. Where is Hampshire you may well ask?
Well some would say it is on the South coast of England nestled between Sussex to the East and Dorset to the West. Some would say it is elsewhere, however these people would be wrong.
Why on earth would you call a place Waterlooville? Well having defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, Wellingtons army returned to Britain and passed through the area, some stopped off at a local pub and the area became known as Waterlooville.
Wikipedia has an entry for Waterlooville which appears to have been edited by someone working for the towns local electricians, Eric Jacksons (at least at the time of this posting). A little advert for a local company, which is great because local businesses are being devastated by the big corporates aided by the local council granting planning permission. Thankfully Eric Jacksons is still thriving, but the little local art shop that was once nearby is no longer there and the big corporates have moved in.
But i digress, Waterlooville was once a pleasant place, rural in nature and a vacation spot for the local city dwellers of Portsmouth. Trams and carriages brought city folk out to Waterlooville and people made a reasonable living in a little village.
All that changed as the 20th century progressed and Waterlooville became manipulated by the corporates and political vested interests into the environmentally desolate place it is today.
Well some would say it is on the South coast of England nestled between Sussex to the East and Dorset to the West. Some would say it is elsewhere, however these people would be wrong.
Why on earth would you call a place Waterlooville? Well having defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815, Wellingtons army returned to Britain and passed through the area, some stopped off at a local pub and the area became known as Waterlooville.
Wikipedia has an entry for Waterlooville which appears to have been edited by someone working for the towns local electricians, Eric Jacksons (at least at the time of this posting). A little advert for a local company, which is great because local businesses are being devastated by the big corporates aided by the local council granting planning permission. Thankfully Eric Jacksons is still thriving, but the little local art shop that was once nearby is no longer there and the big corporates have moved in.
But i digress, Waterlooville was once a pleasant place, rural in nature and a vacation spot for the local city dwellers of Portsmouth. Trams and carriages brought city folk out to Waterlooville and people made a reasonable living in a little village.
All that changed as the 20th century progressed and Waterlooville became manipulated by the corporates and political vested interests into the environmentally desolate place it is today.
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