This must affect someone here.

[ILuvCowparsely]

Have no clue why i was sent this when it is 22 miles a way from me. Yet more demolishing stables for houses we don't want -


So sad they never stop doing this till there are no more stables left.

 

[Rumtytum]

Very, very sad.
It’s ever in the back of my mind that the riding stables I use and love might go the same way.
No reason I should think so, other than it covers a fair few acres and South Oxfordshire DC is on the lookout for potential sites.

 

[MagicMelon]

Surely this is probably someones private stables/land and theyve decided to make money by building on it? I know quite a few people who have done this. Unfortunately nobodys business if its privately done. Sad of course

 

[teapot]

Surely this is probably someones private stables/land and theyve decided to make money by building on it? I know quite a few people who have done this. Unfortunately nobodys business if its privately done. Sad of course

Very good point. A well known comp venue and rs near me applied for planning permission for a small housing estate. It was rejected but given the value of the land it made a lot of business sense from a future financial security point of view.

 

[Cowpony]

Our yard lost a big field we used to use. The land was owned by the local landed estate and they didn't want to sell. The council stuck a compulsory purchase order on them! I didn't think they could do that if it was just for private housing, but they did it. The developer built 2 "affordable" homes in amongst the executive detached ones so maybe that was enough to warrant it. The estate gave the yard another field to use instead but it's not nearly as big or as useful due to its shape and location. The final insult? The developers called the road "The Ridings" and advertised it with a very unrealistic drawing of a showjumper

 

[Widgeon]

Surely this is probably someones private stables/land and theyve decided to make money by building on it? I know quite a few people who have done this. Unfortunately nobodys business if its privately done. Sad of course

Probably privately owned, so I agree with you there, but I think many riding schools are? This does appear to have been a livery yard and possibly a riding school too.

https://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/horse-riders-on-patrol-to-keep-alban-way-safe-4975766

http://www.riding-schools.com/c/hertfordshire/st.-albans/barley-mow-stables/

 

[Widgeon]

The final insult? The developers called the road "The Ridings" and advertised it with a very unrealistic drawing of a showjumper

That always makes me laugh - "Cherry Orchard", "The Paddocks", "Green Acres" (AKA "we flatted all these nice things to build these soulless boxes. You can buy one for a mere £400K")

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Our town is under contract to build 600 houses a year in the local area - they are buying up any spare or farm land like no tomorrow, and building closer and closer to the South Downs.. it's horrible. Livery anywhere near here is like hens teeth unless you want super expensive part livery or to drive 20 miles each way.
It made worse by the fact that I can't bear new builds (sorry to anyone who has one, just my preference). They are all so cookie cutter, uncharacterful and they create the most dull looking estates. Not to mention they aren't affordable and the build quality is dismal, so what benefit they are bringing is beyond me.

 

[Bernster]

Don’t know barley mow but loads of livery yards around Herts have gone to development over the last few years. ?

 

[Cowpony]

That always makes me laugh - "Cherry Orchard", "The Paddocks", "Green Acres" (AKA "we flatted all these nice things to build these soulless boxes. You can buy one for a mere £400K")

They put up a big hoarding while they were building, saying "Countryside a 10 minute walk" with an arrow down the road. I felt like writing underneath "The countryside was right here until you b"$%^&*s built on it!"

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Probably privately owned, so I agree with you there, but I think many riding schools are? This does appear to have been a livery yard and possibly a riding school too.

https://www.hertsad.co.uk/news/horse-riders-on-patrol-to-keep-alban-way-safe-4975766

http://www.riding-schools.com/c/hertfordshire/st.-albans/barley-mow-stables/

I know barley mow it's not far from me, I live on the edge of an estate with farms and farmland it's owned by the same people as Hatfield Park, they have been trying to put 2,000 houses on it for some years now it keeps getting knocked back but it will probably happen eventually ? I will be moving then.

 

[peanutsmumma]

The yard i am on is due to be sold for development, its such a shame. I bought a house 18mths ago at the top of the road and have my horses in one of the fields behind the house.
We bought the house for the views more than anything, having the horses there was a bonus.
We will be absolutely gutted if it sells as it means we will go from being at the end of a cul de sac with lovely views, to part of an estate :-(

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I know barley mow it's not far from me, I live on the edge of an estate with farms and farmland it's owned by the same people as Hatfield Park, they have been trying to put 2,000 houses on it for some years now it keeps getting knocked back but it will probably happen eventually ? I will be moving then.

I would move a long time before then, as your house would be worth a lot less I would have thought?

 

[Nasicus]

Lost our little private haven recently due to housing. 8 acres, 5.5 of which is about to have 80 little boxes squished onto it. Bloody gutting.

 

[Widgeon]

Lost our little private haven recently due to housing. 8 acres, 5.5 of which is about to have 80 little boxes squished onto it. Bloody gutting.

It made worse by the fact that I can't bear new builds (sorry to anyone who has one, just my preference). They are all so cookie cutter, uncharacterful and they create the most dull looking estates. Not to mention they aren't affordable and the build quality is dismal, so what benefit they are bringing is beyond me.

I think this is why it upsets me so much. If they were building attractive houses or flats with gardens and amenities (like a shop, buses, green space, a playground) that "normal" people could afford, it wouldn't be so bad. Germany seems to manage to produce attractive new builds in the countryside - why do we continue to get it so wrong?! (Actually I have plenty of ideas about why but it's too depressing to think about so instead I'm going to go back to work)

 

[cold_feet]

Our yard lost a big field we used to use. The land was owned by the local landed estate and they didn't want to sell. The council stuck a compulsory purchase order on them! I didn't think they could do that if it was just for private housing, but they did it. The developer built 2 "affordable" homes in amongst the executive detached ones so maybe that was enough to warrant it. The estate gave the yard another field to use instead but it's not nearly as big or as useful due to its shape and location. The final insult? The developers called the road "The Ridings" and advertised it with a very unrealistic drawing of a showjumper

There’s a new estate near near called ‘Fieldfare Meadow’. As you say, final insult. Locals will use the current residents in their campaigns, another local one - Save our Swallows, then end up forever looking at houses and no *insert missing wildlife here*

 

[cold_feet]

That always makes me laugh - "Cherry Orchard", "The Paddocks", "Green Acres" (AKA "we flatted all these nice things to build these soulless boxes. You can buy one for a mere £400K")

Sorry, missed your post!

 

[Sanguine]

The yard my friend used to rent lost their grazing because the estate wanted it back.. its now overgrown and you can't even walk through it despite it being part of a public pathway.

A famous bit of land near me was sold a year ago, was gonna be for these really fancy housing estate it never happened and now they are selling it in sections of land.

Now where my friend now rents is under threat of having planning permission.

The yard I used to work out has now shut as a riding school and just hosts clinics for people with their own horses or private lessons on their own horses.

A riding school is now gonna be turned into a housing estate.. it went through

And there is so many more! It's so insane. I'm Hertfordshire based and we were talking about this on our Facebook group and the list is honestly endless

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

They put up a big hoarding while they were building, saying "Countryside a 10 minute walk" with an arrow down the road. I felt like writing underneath "The countryside was right here until you b"$%^&*s built on it!"

Like it.

Or the countryside you now only find in prehistoric maps.

 

[Sparkeyboy]

I can't understand how they're getting the planning passed, I presume it's all 'above board'

We've had 4 huge estates built within a 5 mile radius, it's ridiculous the amount of traffic trying to get through the country lanes. What I don't get is the lack of additional schools, dentists and doctors - we haven't had any new practices open so everyone's expected to squeeze in.

I went to an arena hire for the first time since Covid began and was gutted at the amount of signs for new builds that had popped up in the area

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I have had several letters come here, had a developing company on the back, I have shredded many. The last one I called, and said " Hello I am %%%% you sent a letter to my home". (checked address)

" Oh yes, hello Mrs ******** we are looking to develop in your area, and are looking for land or property which has fall into disrepair" " My blood increasing in temperature* .
I let him finish his waffle, then said *well where do I put my horses?* " You can find somewhere else to keep them"! " Why should I move them they have a home here* " Not interested we have had many calls like yours, this country will end up wall to wall bricks, not interested now or ever. I put phone down but not before tell him never to call me again.


MY husband said what I should have said when he said they are looking for property falling into disrepair and needing renovation, I should have said " what's your address I will send the developers round to your house."


Just to let you know girls, Been visiting my mum since she has been in her care home for actors and stage people , she went unresponsive Wednesday and Ambo's there 4 hrs, since then she has not woken and sleeping the whole time, we are approaching end of life and I am devastated, love my mum so much. :'(

 

[Ratface]

ILuvCowparseley, I'm so sorry that your mum is approaching the end of her life.
I'm also outraged on your behalf about the perpetually grasping box builders.
I have heard that some local authorities' representatives are able to be encouraged by "sweeteners". Not of the sugar type.

 

[SEL]

@ILuvCowparsely sorry about your mum xx. I'm in the SE and we're losing loads of fields and farmland to housing. I read recently that the last census doesn't even justify the level of housebuilding - just need to help businesses expand in other parts of the country to attract jobs. Don't know how true that is but I played musical livery yards for a number of years as they all closed. Owning my own fields does at least give me that security

 

[Sealine]

Based on St Albans house prices those houses will be around £1m each so that's a nice profit for someone. It's so sad to see stables and grazing land being built upon. 20 years ago a friend tried to get permission to build a small bungalow at her stable yard. She'd lived with her father all her life but when he passed away the house had to be sold. She was left homeless in her 60's and wanted to use her share of the house sale to build a home and be near her horses. Planning permission was refused. When she died the land was sold. The new owner was refused planning to build a barn conversion style house. I'm not sure what happened next but two years later the stable yard has been flattened and three bungalows built. The grazing land has been left to get overgrown but I expect in time it will all be built upon. I've come to the conclusion planning must be about back handers and who you know.

 

[clinkerbuilt]

At least two of the town-adjacent places I rode at as a teenager have been fully built over with little, dense blocks of single-family, terraced townhouses with no gardens, to the point that all trace of those stables as discernible places has disappeared. Their loss pre-dates Google Earth or digital photographs: they're lost places.
What saddens me (and I've whinged about this before elsewhere) is how much less accessible this makes horse-riding without extensive car use, and how much less visible too. There were so many stables that used to lodge in the nooks around settlements, and added something to the social landscape that way.

 

[Miss_Millie]

A few years ago we were looking at buying a lovely little cottage surrounded by green fields. We bought a different house in the end, and I'm so glad we did, as the land has since been sold off, the fields destroyed, and they're building hundreds of houses on it. That idyllic old cottage will now be caged in by an ugly estate of carbon-copy new builds with postage stamp gardens. I find it all very depressing. There are too many humans.

 

[Alibear]

My current livery yard, the owners have planning permission on several fields. Apparently now is not the correct time for the build to ahead, I guess for financial reasons. So it gets to stay a yard for now. I will enjoy it for as long as it lasts.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

They wanted to build a new high school here and the only way the farmer would sell them the land for the school was if he could sell the bit next to it for houses. The houses went up within 2 years, the school took 6 years to be put in place. The old high school is now a housing estate. There has been loads and loads of housing estates built round here. The town and the village used to be completely separate, now there is 1 50acre field splitting them - which has planning for houses. The houses are badly built, identical, boring houses. The minimal number of "affordable" houses were built. Most of which got bought by people buying to let. Which is completely wrong.

So whilst we are getting upwards of 3,000 odd houses round here, our population has more than doubled, we only have 1 dentist, 1 health centre, 1 high school, 2 primary schools (and if you don't live within 3miles of these schools your not getting into them!) The sewer system hasn't been updated to cope, we lost out police station and only have a part time fire crew. Our bus services got drastically cut due to covid and they have no plans to return to the old time tables or even anything resembling them.

The reason people want to be here - we are right next to the motorway which gives you easy access to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Dundee and Aberdeen. Not a bother.

 

[Merry neddy man]

I've just looked on Google earth and it's not near any large housing area its nicely in the countryside nicely outside St Albans, downside not far from a quarry 1/4 of a mile from what looks like a travellers site. Like a lot of others we have had our top of the hill far distance 180° view TOTALLY lost for 23 new houses the land was owned by someone who lives in America and has a big Hall and 95 acres in Yorkshire for when he pops back home to GB, the builders live in a big Grange with lots of acres, you very rarely beat the money men.

 

[The Irish Draft 2022]

My current yard has very old stables they are now protected. They don’t want them to be used as stables because they are historical . So the yard had to to build new stables which will cut the yard in half. They are turning the old stables Into apartments but are keeping the original building just renovation it they cannot knock it as it’s protected. ???