Post office closers and back grarden develoments

We give our support FULLY to saving the post offices, unlike the lib/dems who turned up had a photo shoot then went home, we sat outside the post offices for many hours collecting names for our petition, you would have sen us outside New Malden post offices week after week.

On back Garden, I said the following during the debate in full council.
Mr MAYOR
When asked, the general public would say that Brownfield sites are old gas works or disused factory sites, little realising that it also includes back garden’s,

Conservative MP Greg Clark is leading a campaign both inside the House of Commons and outside,

To draw attention to the Garden Grabbers, and in 2006 put the matter before the house with the backing of 170 MPs from all parties,

The latest information I can find suggests that of the of the 150.000 houses build each year, 30 000 are built in back gardens.

London in 1997 had a figure of 13% proportion of new building on previously residential land,

This had reached 29%. By 2006.

The consequence of this was that an area five times greater than Hyde Park was concreted over,

Gardens that were natural soak always for rainfall, contributed to flooding

Wild life lost their habitats and there was loss of matures trees, many felled without planning permission.

Yes there were objections from local people who saw their sunlight and views taken away
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And had purchased their houses with thoughts have having space to get away from it all.

Now to be confronted by brick walls butting right up to their boundaries.

But because this was not a great block of flats or something that affected a community, objectors were on their own, with not much punch,

Yet street after street road after road have been affected.

If all the objectors could be joined together as a group, instead of having to fight individually then the story could have been different.

We as a council can, and must support our residents in this creeping concrete take over bid,

We can be their voice

I urge the executive of the council, To peruse with urgency a change in the UDP( LDF)In order to address this issue