Rain stops debate ?

Thursday. August 8th. 00:17

Tonight, the residents of the newly built estate that I live on are holding a meeting. They have decided to have this meeting, in the open air. Next to the recently constructed play-park that has been the object of much dissatisfaction.

There have been many, many, emails flying backward and forward amongst those who have a fuck to give about the state of the estate. There's arguments and confusion about which bits of it are still the responsibility of the builders (Taylor Wimpey) and which bits are the responsibility of the company that manages the estate - Chamonix Estates.


Lots of the residents are unhappy about the upkeep of the area, the general mess, seeming lack of maintenance and gardening - considering the hefty service charges we all pay to live here. These things are not the responsibility of the council, like they are in most areas. Our roads have not been adopted by the local council.

There's been a spate of bike thefts, and much is said about the locks being rubbish on the bike stores for the blocks of flats that are on the site.


I wonder if the fledgling democratic process will survive the English weather. Will the turnout be effected if it's colder, windier, or even rains ? I'm sure those that decide to go will be able to relocate somewhere else, to someone's house. It's not clear at the moment how many people are going.  Perhaps if our government was held open air, then the debates in the Houses of Parliament, would be more brief than present.

I have mixed thoughts about my attendance. As far as having an opinion about the 'service' provided by those that I am paying to provide such, and the upkeep of the site. I don't see how some of the charges can frankly be justified.

However, when I reported that my bike was stolen, and remarked in my email that perhaps this wouldn't have happened had the gate that was supposed to be there, as per the plans for the site at purchase, been present - within the space of about a week, they had organised for a gate to be fitted. This wasn't something that I've ever been billed for, but someone must have paid for it. This does now mean that I have 'claimed' ownership of the bit of the path to my front door that is onward of the gate. Therefore giving me a teeeny tiny bit of outdoor space.

And some ferocious bush plants that I have damaged my back trimming back. When I say trimming back, I mean - killing. The patch of greenery, bushes and grasses that are by my gate, and next to where the parking space is for my flat (that my Dad uses), have never been maintained. My Dad reckons that these are not maintained by the managing agents of the estate.

If this is the case, I fail to see what charges are levelled at my type of property, that aren't charged to all the other types of dwelling on the site for gardening, because the only areas that are adjacent to or attached to my flat aren't being looked after by any gardeners sent by Chamonix.

Part of me wants to get involved, part of me just wants to stay indoors and do some cleaning or writing. Considering how close the chosen location is to my flat, I could probably in all reason, actually listen from inside the flat. There's something about groups of people that aren't structured in any way, that I feel easily turn into an exercise in giving everyone a chance to speak, but no one a chance to actually answer anything or get anything done. All talk no action.

This may not be the case, but the number of emails I've seen flying backward and forward this week is getting close to those that I get at work. IE close to a level that I stop reading them. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Apparently, Chloe has died the tips of her hair blue. Brilliant, I'm going on holiday with a teenage smurf. 

Democracy in action ?

Last Monday, I went with my dad to a meeting of the residents of the development that we live on.

I find it interesting that there's something of a similarity of the meetings we have at work in that, you have lots of differing people going there hoping of pursue their own agenda or viewpoint, and that everyone else will agree with them too. Sadly the reality is that people spend much more time disagreeing on the differences than they do making any real progress on the things they do agree on.

There was, as expected a lot of emotion attached to the problems with parking on site. People very upset that there is not enough room for them to park their second car. This I guess is a problem for lots of people, being that all the properties have at least two bedrooms, some of them three or four bedroom houses. As their children get older, they will want cars, and somewhere to park them. That's without even considering that most households would have two working adults, and therefore need at least two spaces anyway.

Some of the people seemed to be surprised about the amount of parking there was for their properties. Can't understand this myself. Did they not look at the plans when they brought their home ? They quite clearly showed that there wasn't going to be any street parking, and that all but a few properties have only one parking space.

Also. What would they be doing were they to live elsewhere in the city ? Unless they had a double fronted house, or one with a long driveway they would only have room for one car on their own property, and for any others be struggling to find a space in the crowded streets.

Not being attached to, or dependant on a car does give you a different view on things, it also has the effect, maybe of making you a lot less selfish. MY car. MY parking space. MY right. No ?

The other thing that got the masses into a lather was the revelation that the childrens' play area that is soon to be built as part of the last phase of construction, and that it is for the use of local children, not just the ones that live on the development.

This really seemed to put the cat amongst the pigeons, with people getting indignant that the local children get to use the facilities, such as they will be, without having to contribute anything toward the cost. Scare stories of how the play park would be wrecked within a week and that parents driving to it, would block up the roads trying to desperately get to it.

All of these rather dismal assumptions based on the ignorance of the fact that there is a perfectly good play park just 100 yards away, behind the infant school, that rarely gets used as it is.

It's amazing how worked up people get over pretty simple, insignificant things. How they will devote their time and energy to pretty pointless exploits, drowning in the illusion of control, when the real things, the big issues go on without comment action or emotion.