Mass protest over controversial Hagley housing estate

8:27pm Saturday 22nd September 2012 in Local

AROUND 500 angry villagers marched on Lord Cobham's estate to protest against plans for a controversial new housing estate in Hagley.

The crowd shouted “Down with the Cobhams” during the march on Hagley Hall, in Worcestershire prompted by developer Cala Homes' bid to build 175 houses, between Stourbridge Road and Kidderminster Road.

Protestors, who took to the streets on Saturday September 22,  booed and blew whistles to show their anger at the proposal to build on land previously owned by the peer, who is believed to be away in Norway.

Residents have expressed concern over traffic, pollution and the effect extra pupils would have on village schools.

Comments(22)

No to CALA says...
11:40pm Sat 22 Sep 12

Well done Hagley residents!
Hagley fights back!
Hagley is already contributing to the housing stock through other large developments.

People of Blakedown,Belbrought
on,Clent,Romsley act now - developments in Hagley will affect you and your children.

You must object now: pec@bromsgrove.gov.u
k

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NIParis says...
11:44am Mon 24 Sep 12

Think they all want to grow up the noise of the whistle was an absolute nuisance and talking of traffic the chaos they caused walking through Hagley effected my regular bike ride on Saturday's,

Hope if Cobham doesn’t sell to Carla homes he sells it to a travellers site.

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carolynw1946 says...
2:22pm Mon 24 Sep 12

In reply to NIParis
If Cala and Cobham get their way you can forget your Saturday bike ride, you'll need a helicopter to get anywhere in Hagley. I've lived here 65 years and this was the first protest in all those years. One hour of protest against a landowner behaving like a Medieval Baron with no compassion, or respect, for his villagers, and Bromsgrove Council, who are Hellbent on turning Hagley into a congested, polluted urban sprawl.
Well done villagers!!! Keep up the fight
Planning decision Bromsgrove Council Office 15 October Everyone welcome!!!

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DAVID1875 says...
8:49pm Mon 24 Sep 12

NIParis,this is about local people carrying out their democratic right to protest against an unsustainable disproportionate housing development which will adversely affect the whole community.It is disappointing to say the least that Lord Cobham has shown little consideration for the community in deciding to sell farming land to Cala when he claims on his website that the Hall and community are intertwined! Instead of just thinking about yourself and your bike ride,consider the wider implications of the development on local traffic congestion,pollution
,flooding,strain on doctors and schools,loss of green field forever.

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satchman says...
8:49am Tue 25 Sep 12

If David Cameron gets his way with planning laws then you are all doomed anyway. Good luck though!!

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ozpat says...
8:55am Thu 27 Sep 12

NIParis!
Bloody good on ya! love your viewpoint! As for the "protest" I am only saddened to have missed it !!!! I hope lord Cobham does the right thing for the majority and ease the housing need for surrounding suburbs and if not get the travellers in that will make em appreciate the housing proposal at least! But then again there was a whole lotta huffing when the travellers passed through recently and the general passive aggressive response was to blame the police for not doing anything! so I say again NIParis a sound voice of reason in an unreasonable protest! love it mate!

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kingswinfordman says...
12:22pm Thu 27 Sep 12

NIParis raises a good point re Travelers. Kingswinford/Wall Heath has hosted the travelers site for many years and it is about time that somewhere else within the Dudley Borough had the pleasure of their company.

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fugitive says...
1:24pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Here we go again, i remember not so long ago "we don't want a fish and chip shop in the village" but i bet they have all used it at some time, and what a nice little chippy it is. Now its back to Lord Cobham selling a piece of "HIS" land " A FIELD" to help the housing situation in and around Hagley, what a crime? i'v never heard such a load of rubbish being spoken in my life, all i can say to you do gooders is get a life, and thank you Lord Cobham for doing this for the future of Hagley.

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wyre270963 says...
1:28pm Thu 27 Sep 12

I think that its right to build the houses in Hagley, why should other villages and towns have to do it and Hagley are so special, may knock some of the O I live in Hagley out of you, its called progress.
Get off your high horse Hagley your not that special.

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kingswinfordman says...
5:02pm Thu 27 Sep 12

kingswinfordman wrote:
NIParis raises a good point re Travelers. Kingswinford/Wall Heath has hosted the travelers site for many years and it is about time that somewhere else within the Dudley Borough had the pleasure of their company.
I clicked submit too soon. I was also going to say

"The South East corner of the Borough (Norton towards Hagley) would make an ideal site as it is so close to the M5 and M42 and the greenbelt that the travellers seem to enjoy"

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ozpat says...
9:45am Fri 28 Sep 12

Good bloody luck to ya Cala homes!!! the NIMBY Hagley protestors have had their day and say , build the housing and meet the need and pay no attention to the narrow minded "O I live in Hagley" banner waivers !!!! Bugger em eh!!!!

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Hillus says...
10:19am Fri 28 Sep 12

The damage was done in the 1970's when aload of cheap semis were build for the invasion of 'The Brummies'. Hagley is no longer a desirable place to live, unfortunately!

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Hillus says...
10:36am Fri 28 Sep 12

fugitive says...
1:24pm Thu 27 Sep 12

Here we go again, i remember not so long ago "we don't want a fish and chip shop in the village" but i bet they have all used it at some time, and what a nice little chippy it is. Now its back to Lord Cobham selling a piece of "HIS" land " A FIELD" to help the housing situation in and around Hagley, what a crime? i'v never heard such a load of rubbish being spoken in my life, all i can say to you do gooders is get a life, and thank you Lord Cobham for doing this for the future of Hagley.”========I remember that chip shop opening to a fanfare. I made a special visit to it about 2 years after the opening and what a let down it turned out to be. Served by a pimply faced youth with a cold piece of cod and so so, freshly cooked chips. I said "I'm not paying for cold cod. He said, OK, I'll cook you a piece special then". What a let down!!!

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dudley old boy says...
11:18am Fri 28 Sep 12

Hillus what a snob at least the pimply faced youth was working

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desmodave says...
12:53pm Fri 28 Sep 12

"and the effect extra pupils would have on village schools."

Clent, the other parish with land within the development has land suitable to expand the village school.
The proposed development also contains a significant proportion of affordable homes, sadly lacking in both Hagley and Clent.

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DAVID1875 says...
4:55pm Fri 28 Sep 12

ozpat,
quite what travellers have to do with the planning application is beyond me.But whilst on the subject Hagley Police did FAIL to use their specific criminal powers to remove the travellers,even doing nothing when the travellers fly-tipped the entire site before they left.Police only turned up after they had been told that the travellers had left! wyre270963,you obviously cannot read and understand English as you have been told twice that Hagley has already had its quota of housing and continues to. And again,Ozpat you do not seem to understand that local council plans stipulate that developments should only be to meet local housing need which the amount of homes in Hagley currently being built already meets.All the comments arguing for the development above are clearly being made by people ignorant of the facts and lacking in local knowledge-do you not know of the adverse effects on the local community and area of such building?Fugitive,Lo
rd Cobham is not doing this for the future of Hagley,he is doing it to get £10 -15 million for his estate!

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ozpat says...
10:22pm Fri 28 Sep 12

David1875

"The Travellers" point was referred to by another member earlier whom incidentally I happen to agree with. As for the planning criteria to only allow building to meet local need, well that is what it is doing as well as providing housing need and opportunities for others, what can be so wrong about that? If Lord Cobham wishes to sell his land then that is his right and frankly his motives are not anyones business, why should he be held to account for exercising his legal rite? lets hear the real reasons why these protestations are being made, I get the distinct whiff of NIMBY, anyone else smell it?

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DAVID1875 says...
6:27am Sat 29 Sep 12

West Mercia Police failed to act on the travellers-FACT! Local need criteria equates to 20 or so homes per year in Hagley,according to the district council's own plans,Hagley already takes that without the latest Cala proposal.Lord Cobham states on his website the community are a vital connection to Hagley Hall-but he is isolating himself from the community and selling his land for building against the wishes of the community.As for NIMBYism,this is a false accusation.We have building in Hagley already in plenty of other areas so "not in my backyard" does NOT apply to villagers attitude.And what is so wrong about local villagers protecting their own local environment? I presume the only people who can smell NIMBYism are people who live thousands of miles away from Hagley and do not know the full facts! Such as the genuine arguments against such a development such as: increased traffic congestion,increased pollution in a designated AQMA,increased risk of flooding,loss of green fields and natural wildlife habitat forever,lack of immediate public transport links,unacceptable strain on schools,medical services and local infrastructure,and criteria that is not being met in order for ADR land to be built on.

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DAVID1875 says...
6:30am Sat 29 Sep 12

And Ozpat,let's hear the real reasons why Lord Cobham is selling the land as you are so intent on knowing the real reasons...it is all about money,millions of it,that is Lord Cobham's only motivation!So much for him saying how vital it is he maintains connections with the community!

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kingswinfordman says...
8:19am Sat 29 Sep 12

Its interesting that none of the protesters mentions the impact on property prices which, I suspect, is the major (if not only) concern of many residents.

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dudley old boy says...
1:24pm Sat 29 Sep 12

I wonder if any of these protesters if they owned land and wanted to sell it would give a monkeys about the residents no thought not nimbys

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DAVID1875 says...
4:33pm Sat 29 Sep 12

It is normally people who have no knowledge of the local situation who resort to labelling people NIMBYs! We should be discussing the real issues here,which I listed previously.

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