Two green plots of land in Broadstairs are to go up for auction despite the sale initially being halted in May following a plea from residents, area councillor and the town tree warden.
Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey had put one 9,417 sq ft plot by The Silvers/The Hawthorns and another 10,046 sq ft plot off Chestnut Drive up for auction. Both plots had a guide price of £15,000 for the freehold.
The plots were withdrawn with a pledge by the housebuilder company to engage with residents about future plans.
But the sites are now relisted with Allsop auctioneers to go under the hammer on November 3. The guide price remains the same as previously.
Both plots, which are on the estate built by Wimpey in 1972, are marked as Green Space in the town’s Neighbourhood Development Plan and the district Local Plan. The land off Chestnut Drive is also the site of a memorial tree planted for a resident of the estate who walked there every day.
Broadstairs tree warden Karen McKenzie says despite the pledge from Taylor Wimpey director Tim Betts no discussions took place with residents or the town council.
She said: “We are losing green spaces in Thanet at such a rate. I’m heartbroken. As Tree Warden, I persuaded Broadstairs Town Council to request that TDC put Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) on all the trees. TDC refused because they said the land was not at risk. How wrong they were!
“We planted two trees on the smaller of the two sites with TDC’s blessing. They didn’t even own the land!
“We emailed Tim Betts when the land first came up for auction and got it withdrawn. They promised to discuss its future and then we never heard a thing. It’s disgraceful that once again profit overrides the environment.”
Town and district Green Party councillor Mike Garner said he is disappointed that the sites have been relisted for sale without the promised ‘engagement’ over the future of the sites.
He said: “The way that Taylor Wimpey has handled this over the Summer has been extremely disappointing. When they first withdrew the land from auction, they told us that they would speak with the Town Council, and residents, to see what other options might be available. I was hopeful that the Town Council would be able to take over the land on behalf of the local community.
“Despite reminders from me, and from the Town Clerk a month or so ago, the only ‘consultation’ they have carried out is to deliver a letter to some of the residents telling them that the land is once again going to be auctioned.
“I don’t believe this is good enough and have again written to them asking one last time for them to reconsider their approach. Although it is very unlikely that any sale of the land would lead to development because it is designated as local green space in the Town Council Neighbourhood Plan, I think we would all be happier if we could find a way to transfer ownership to the Town Council so that it became a community asset in perpetuity.”
Taylor Wimpey says the land will be sold as a green site – its existing use – and that it is unlikely permission would be granted to build on it.
A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: “We apologise for any upset caused as a result of our decision to sell the land at Broadstairs.
“We have written to residents to let them know in advance of the upcoming sale and will be happy to continue to engage with local councillors on any questions they have about the auction.
“We would like to assure the community that the land will be sold in its existing use and it will be the responsibility of any new owner to apply for planning permission should they want to change this.”
The Green Party fails to draw the conclusion, that this is capitalism: although the profit from sale is minimal because it is not building land, nevertheless Taylor Wimpey have to squeeze the last drop of profit.
So the land will be sold as it is!!! No building on it but just as green as it can be, as it is now , good news!! I hope the new owners won’t change their minds.
I think you miss how easy it can be for developers to overturn things at appeal. A new owner would be within their rights to fence off the land. The informal footpath through is not marked on KCC rights of way map. The new owner will have to have an arrangement with TDC for maintenance. Then what happens when the area gets over grown and becomes an eyesore? Hey presto allowing housing is an improvement.
Hopefully the new owner will be responsible enough to ensure that it doesn’t become an eyesore
The problem here is all wimpy are concerned about is how much money they are going to mak.
And that also is the same with the local authority.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to money.
Also, something that has been going on for years is money talks.
£15,000 for each?
If folk are that concerned, then have a dig around the back their sofas, club together, and buy the plots!
Put your money where your mouth is.
“Only £15K for each!?” I was thinking the same thing, Phyllis Quot. So why can’t we have a whip round and buy them?
“Put your money where your mouth is.” etc
But , then, I thought, who has £30K or anything like it round here? We are in a cost-of-living crisis.
And I also thought, “But I DO put my money where my mouth is everytime I pay my Income Tax, VAT and Community Charge”.
When I pay taxes, I am paying for a local Council that protects green spaces, that buys them to protect them, that maintains parks and nature reserves, that strongly resists destructive building development, that puts Tree Preservation Orders on specific trees to ensure their survival. All these functions that USED to be assumed without question.
So I would be paying twice if I helped out with a contribution to buy the land.
Our local Councils have been stripped of resources for years. NOT because we, the Community Charge payers, are paying less, but because central government find it easy to constantly reduce its grants of money to local Councils which were always the MAJORITY of the funds the local Councils need.
When we find our local services disappearing, we tend to blame our local Councils(sometimes correctly) without realising that the Westminster government is the guilty party. But Westminster just looks the other way and pretends it’s nothing to do with them!
Unfortunately, standing in a General Election with promises to properly fund local services isn’t very attention-grabbing, compared to “Get Brexit Done” which sounds so easy and dynamic. We get what we vote for.
What Keefogs said.
A very realistic assessment of the situation.
As open green space these sites should be protected from development but, as Karen McKenzie says, in due course the owner could try for permission to develop and at the asking price, they would be incredibly cheap as building plots.
since having at a look at those parcels of land, i think the neighbouring locals and nimby tree huggers They can actually purchase those plots. Seen it done before but without tree huggers.
Those two plots are cheap, so easy to bet PP for several detached properties (yes) . Better than an area become derelict and used by antisocial drug drinkers+dog shiitting dog ing etc.
Seen it all b4
Unless someone well-off & community-minded wants to buy this land, the only rational reason to buy it is to hold onto it for a few years, watch land/house prices increase further, then apply for planning permission so you can then you can make a killing. Why on earth else would you buy it??