‘Satanic acts of destruction...’

Satanic acts of destruction are being carried out by property developers and land owners out to make a quick profit.

Our villages are being systematically stripped of their grandeur and slowly made to merge with neighbouring towns and vanish forever. Towns are getting choked by vehicles due to severe lack of parking and increasing traffic congestion.

Our local health, welfare, education and social services are getting severely over strained, all due to the increasing rate of housing development.

The people who represent us seem to be quite inept in doing anything.

A local MP who likes to nod in agreement, then sits on the fence. Councillors who only got themselves elected to increase their social statuses. These people are supposed to represent the feelings and aspirations of local people.

May I point out to our local elected leaders that the greatest ally on the side of the developers is the Ribble Valley Development Plan.

This plan is the root cause of all our troubles. It does not do anything beneficial for the valley. It is ill-conceived, irrational and the only place fit for it is the incinerator.

It was said by the leaders of our government when they first came to office that they would like to see more powers given to local people, therefore, would it not be a great idea to hold a local referendum on the issue of local development housing?

If Ribble Valley Borough Council refuses to hold a referendum, then it will mean only one thing – that Britain is no longer a democracy and has become a dictatorship.

These demonic developers like to use the phrase “Come and live in the glorious Ribble Valley” in their sales pitches. I would, therefore, like to propose the following: The Ribble Valley and its environs are the jewel of Lancashire. The very centre of the United Kingdom. The very place the Queen has reportedly said she would like to retire to.

Would it be fitting to seek a new status for our beloved valley – that of a National Park? It would be even more fitting for such a place to be called “The Royal Lancashire National Park”.

The strength of our beloved valley comes from its people. We all have a common enemy – the gold digging developers of the Ribble Valley.

Only together, shoulder to shoulder, can we banish these materialistic and greedy forces that are invading our valley.

James Barry Turner,

Moorland Crescent,

Clitheroe