The Green Belt

It won't be called the Green Belt for much longer, it'll soon be the Grey Belt if housing developments go on elsewhere like they do here. Since we moved in there's been a house built in the garden of the house which backs onto our garden , and now there's another one proposed for the garden on the other side of that. Now, granted they were big gardens, but now they're filled with such great big galumphing houses that both houses have tiny gardens.

We protested against the building of the first one but it went ahead anyway, and it's not actually too bad for us. You don't notice it unless you're in the corner of the garden by the veg patch, and you can also see it from our bedroom window. It's worse for our neighbours, who can see it every time they go up and down their stairs - that would drive me potty.

Granted, I suppose building in people's gardens is better than wiping out a few more fields, but one of the things I like about living out here is the sense of space, and that's going to disappear if this keeps on going. Someone told me that there might also be a problem with flooding - it won't affect us, since we're at the top of the hill, but if there's a lot of rain that can't soak into the ground (since the ground's covered in houses!) then it'll flow down the hill and flood the town. Not good. I'd like to say "Well, that's what planning laws are for, I'm sure they've taken account of this", but the cynic in me fears that isn't the case....