CONTEMPLATING further development in the area can be depressing, but the population is increasing remorselessly as a result of migration and people having more than one child each.
That said, the disfigurement caused by alien block and brick structures which have so characterised post-war developments need not continue.
The UK government, its agencies and local authorities are committed to the implementation of sustainable policies.
There is nothing sustainable about blasting rock to manufacture concrete blocks. Neither is it sustainable to blast local stone for building or any other purpose. Quarrying, as distinct from digging, causes immense irreparable damage.
The sustainable way to build, and to glean materials, is by that method which has been in use throughout the ages, until recently, for vernacular building, that is by using materials renewably. Naturally-occurring dug-on-site stone or flint, or clay as brick or binder for cob would be used.
This area abounds in lumps of soil-borne stone. There is never a need to bring alien material on to the site. Renewable timber, or natural fibres such as straw, bracken, wool, for insulation or as fuel, can be sought from close by.
Buildings so constructed can be dismantled, once more to become part of the landscape from which they were fashioned; or alternatively the constituent materials can be re-used or recycled for further development on the site. Local distinctiveness is assured. Pollution from manufacture and transportation can be eliminated.
Developments which do not conform with this model for sustainability should not be permitted.
A Langdon
Homer
Mary Tavy