Originally Posted by
ASRAAMTOO
Had they suggested such a plan to start with then the local job losses may have precluded the council granting planning permission for any use of the airfield.
Let's be fair, Marshalls aren't the villian here. Cambridge Council has been trying to force them out for years so the airfield could be released for housing. All Marshalls have done, wisely, is play their hand to best advantage. They've waited until the desire for housing land is so great they can name their price, call the shots in terms of the planning permissions, set their own timeline to vacate, etc. It's an approach that is enabled by central government's crazy policy of insisting we build 300,000 houses per annun - whether we want them or not. It means local authorities
have to find enough land for huge volumes of new homes, otherwise they get penalised and the houses still get built anyway!
Our insatiable appetitie for land to be developed is a national tragedy that is destroying our environment and our quality of life, but we are too short sighted to do anything about it unfortunately.