I often walk between my home and the centre of the village,
and as I do, I notice changes to the landscape. There used to be a bungalow at
a corner by a mini-roundabout. The property was allowed to deteriorate until it
was in danger of falling down. The only reason it didn’t collapse was because
there was a covering of ivy and other growth holding it together. Within the hedged
and fenced perimeter there were several dilapidated, rusted cars and vans.
Without warning, a time came when the vehicles were speedily
removed and bulldozers flattened the unsightly landmark. It was a shock to me,
as I was accustomed to the ugly feature that had often caused me to ponder how
the couple who lived there could accept their situation. That part of the
village was vastly changed by the demolition. Instead of dense foliage and an umbrella
of trees there was an open space. A place of shadow was transformed into a
place of light - not that it was wonderfully attractive, because of rubble,
twisted pipes and conduit littering the ground.
Curiosity caused me to speculate what might happen to the
land classified as ‘brownfield’, i.e., a site previously built on, often
industrial, ready for redevelopment. Rumours were ripe in the village for
another mini market. In competition with the Co-op a new Sainsbury's convenience
store recently opened, and a Costcutter, too. What next? Surely, the Council would not give permission
for yet another store!
Today I walked to the village, and to my surprise, there was
a drilling rig in operation at the corner site. They couldn’t be drilling for
oil, could they? Out of curiosity I took
note of the wording on the side of the rig: ‘Cannon Piling’. Immediately, things
were put into perspective. Work had begun on building a new property, most
likely a large house, as is the norm these days. Small houses are seldom built, because there's less profit to be made from them.
Time will tell, but I feel sure it will not be a TESCO superstore.
Links
Cannon Piling
Brownfield Sites
Costcutter
Sainsbury’s Convenience Stores
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