A petition has been set up, which has been signed by almost 5,000 people, to save St Francis Animal Welfare in Fairoak, Hampshire, UK. Due to the continuing human population growth in the UK – and it is at a high rate currently – more houses need to be built across the country. Central government places a demand upon local government to build new homes and this is exactly what is happening at a plot of land immediately adjacent to the St Francis Animal Welfare facility (in my view).
This is a 62-year-old rescue centre at which there are over 100 domestic animals. It is a no-kill shelter. Those who run the shelter believe that building new homes immediately adjacent to it will result in the shelter being moved. They believe this because the shelter is noisy and people don’t want to live next to a noisy animal shelter. They fear that they will be asked to move despite the fact that they were there before the proposed residential housing development.
The problem of noise is an interesting one. Of course it is a problem which would not exist but for the close proximity of an animal shelter to residential housing. I wonder whether noise from animal shelters is a known issue.
Annette Lodge, chair of trustees at the animal shelter (a charity), has experienced the problem before, when 30 years ago it happened when they had to relocate from their then Horton Heath centre due to many complaints from people living in the houses that were developed right up to the centre at that location.
“The idea of building houses right up to our boundaries is ridiculous. The council won’t listen to us, they’re trying to squeeze us out of existence. All we can do now is show them just how much local support we have.”
There is a campaigning group called the Eastleigh’s Action against Destructive Development which put forward their objections to the plan at the planning inspector’s hearing on Friday, November 22.
Comment: my general impression of this problem is that it is happening in a similar way in other parts of the country. This is because central government has decreed that local authorities build new homes wherever and whenever possible to meet a huge demand, which is increasing. This demand primarily comes from unfettered immigration and the offspring of the new immigrants. This links in with Brexit and all the issues surrounding that. In this instance the pressing demand for housing which is well known in the UK has directly impacted the very existence of a much loved animal charity.
Source: Hampshire Chronicle online. The interpretation of the story is mine and that interpretation is based on sound first hand experience and knowledge of the situation in the UK.
