April's article for the 3 villages newsletter and a response to the Daily Mail article and news about a Gloucestershire parish council
Village life
Yesterday the Daily Mail headline screamed from the shelves ‘No right to live near parents’. The National Trust chief addressing house builders said all new housing should be added to towns and cities and villages protected. Others note that this would add to high cost of housing that would rule out locals in favour of those selling up madly priced London homes etc. No room for those maintaining local industry – yes there is some, but rural wages are usually lower than cities; or for younger families – who can afford the country dream until the children have left home, so what future for village schools and the roundness of community life?
Meanwhile a parish council in Gloucestershire objects to the homeless community shop finding a home in the parish church – ‘it’s inappropriate’ they cry (oblivious to the middle ages history of markets gathering at village churches). Yarpole shows how it can work, and a village shop is a huge asset, Orleton’s flourishes and Brimfield’s gain is very appreciated.
Both of these stories show people trying to capture and preserve their image of English country life, but our villages are not museum exhibits but living communities. There will always be debates about housing, and other changes to aspects of village life – but all living thing face changes and so must our communities whether town or country. That doesn’t mean it is easy, nor that changes aren’t to be considered and debated, but that we can’t make one rule for all situations, nor turn our communities into museums of theme parks.
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