Tales Of Snails And Property Trails

#SnailGate #ShellGate #FaunaGate

It really is hard to think, that a flying visit to these leafy parts of Hertfordshire, can spark memories of all those housing and property scandals from not so long ago. Astonishing still that it could be still in turmoil. I mean, chap parks his space-ship on a day-trip from Mars and still we are caught in this time warp. Let’s face it, it really has gone beyond a simple planing matter.

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STOP THE TRUCK…..!!

This site, of which there are many up and down the land going through unenviable changes, by dint of political birthing pains and amputations, has developed into a full-blown ‘….GATE!’ of its own. Anyone been caught hiding in offices recently?

Well – and apart from the obvious ££££’s falling off the page – councils have a duty to protect, not to go at it hammer and tongs to flog off every last strip of common land. Particularly those bits of land which have been formulated over the decades and centuries for common usage. And maintained as such.

Some seven/eight years ago the saga of an allotment and adjacent field/open space grabbed the developers attention and that of everyone else too. Valued then at over a million the original plan for 42 flats was turned down. It set in train a series of events which has caused mayhem, anger, mistrust, and fundamentally the best ‘cock up’ since commercial television was launched (the opening lines were “…Welcome, and hello traitors!”).

Minded that I am of how bitchy and but-we-know-best  these things can get, the only people who are seduced by these actions are the faux-elite hell bent on rubbing other peoples’ noses in it. They have a death-wish upon upon all who stand in their way, and will happily use the moral high ground when all else fails. If it means side-stepping procedures or just plain ignoring them, sobeit.

All this mind, to evade the scrutiny and levelled criticisms which duly will be flung. Well SURPRISE! Here is some flinging.

I might add thoroughly deserved too. Chap comes all this way to have a chat with old friends, can’t park the ship because some tribe of vertebrae deem it a building site, the planet seriously has lost it.

The guys back home put together a rescue pack with apologies for running out of brown envelopes – apparently the currency might be a bit dodgy too…!

Busted…!

The argument loses all political credibility when you have councillors serving on two councils and the same planning committees debating the same subject. Mud sticks, even if they do record an interest, yet stick their ‘oar’ in regardless to steamroller recommendations through.

What is worse, is making use of an Officer of the Council to delay/sit-on information from a Government advisory body recommending NOT… *NOT* to develop the land in question. Thus A LOT OF TIME, MONEY, ANGER, DUPLICITY, AND MORAL BLACKMAIL would have been saved. Unsurprising then for an official complaint.

Lo and behold, one complaint against the Town Clerk concerned – John Bagshaw. (just pondering how many more there will be and to whom in addition).

Allegedly then the question arises of when and where the ‘real’ decision has been made and who’s tripped over whomever’s tongue as they drooled over their project maturing.

Amazing what happens when people try and cut corners toadying up to their masters at whatever level. That ‘Rover’ you guys have sent up to our place should find the remains of the last race who tried it.

Quite remarkable really, when you think all this should never have happened thanks to our chums below

Everything’s on hold

When the domino’s have been reshuffled you’ll find all the players (..bar the losers) will be off up the High Street like Barry Sheen. There are preferred developers waiting in the background positively itching for the first sod . However, there are so many people NOW not saying a blasted word, until decisions elsewhere have been declared – you can be forgiven for not knowing where the hell you are.

Everything so far leans towards it ending on the desk of the Local Government Ombudsman irrespective of outcome. Which would be too little…too late, and all the damage done.

#FaunaGate #SnailGate or #WaterGate you choose.

There’s been a whole lot of fauna-gating-going-on either way!

Me, I’m still following the money…even from Mars! Tell you what, I’ll do another few orbits until the next round of idiocy matures. Meanwhile  Bufo Bufo (below) just could have the final say (Martian humour)

For more keep in touch with Carol Hedges lay advocate extraodinaire