Dear Sir,
If anyone was hoping for any clarification on the proposed re-generation plans for Aycliffe West from the meeting held at the Councils’ Offices yesterday (25.04.18), they’d be disappointed -because there was none!
I am a retired, single, home-owner and I was about to put my property on the market in order to move closer to family, when the announcements regarding re-generation started appearing in the press.
Call me a sceptic if you want but I immediately knew this would not bode well for residents-and home-owners especially.
I wanted to ask anyone representing ‘Livin” how they intended compensating me for the fact that my property was now worthless and ‘un-sellable’ as no one in their right mind would want to buy a house that was (potentially) about to be demolished.
Well, that’s what I would have liked to have asked but as no-one from ‘Livin” was there Oust as they haven’t been at the previous two meetings) I didn’t get to voice my concerns.
The meeting was crowded with inadequate seating arrangements many members of the public were left to find a place to stand wherever they could – loud discussions were being carried on regardless of whom was speaking from the ‘chair’ – clearly everyone there were anxious about their future housing security.
When questions were put to the ‘Council’ regarding the plans the ‘Chairs’ response was ‘We don’t know- it’s nothing to do with us! – and ‘You’ll have to ask ‘Livin’!
How ‘helpful’ was that?
Just as ‘helpful’ was the chair-persons’ statement that the meeting was a Council meeting and NOT a public meeting (why were we invited then?)
Quite a few local Councillors were in attendance and spoke about a number of concerns – some more relevant than others – some were making no sense at all and just added to the general confusion!
Two or three Councillors declared a ‘vested’ interest in the proceedings and excused themselves from some of the agenda.
Their ‘vested’ interest was (apparently) because they either lived in the affected area or had family members living there.
It occurred to me that these were EXACTLY the people needed to champion residents’ concerns! -why should they be ‘barred’ from taking part in the agenda ?
One thing I did get out of the meeting was that some-one stated ‘Livin” are a registered charity and as such a ‘non-profit making organisation’ – to which someone else replied ‘No!. . . they are no longer a registered charitable organisation’ (They withdrew this claim last year apparently).
This now puts a whole different angle on Livin’s plans to re-generate this area.
Where I live I look out of my kitchen window and I overlook ‘West Park’ I see the grass, the trees, and the lakes, these views are one of the reasons I chose to buy a house here in the first place.
This part of West Aycliffe is actually a prime piece of real estate that, if and when it is re-developed, houses will sell for at least five times the current housing values.
To my cynical eyes anyway ‘Livin’ have been absolutely devious in first of all claiming charitable status which allowed them to gain control of the estate (for nothing – because after all they’re a charity – right?) and then withdrawing their ‘charitable’ status in order to re-develop and build houses they can sell for a fortune.
Organisations such as ‘Livin’ make plans years and years in advance and they have simply taken advantage of a nationwide ‘re-generation’ programme instigated by central government.
Go on line and see how wonderful this program is! – regeneration.gov.uk
Name and address supplied
