NOT ON ERDDIG
ANNOUNCEMENT:
We thank all National Trust members for their support of both motions proposed at this years AGM.
Although the motion to scrap the Erddig development was won by your support, the chairman of the National Trust used his discretionary proxy block vote to sway the final result. Sir William Proby used around 8,000 votes of undecided Trust members to sway the result, on an issue that he clearly has an undoubted conflict of interest.
Results: Motion 1 - To scrap the Erddig development and create an endowment fund for Erddig out of the Trusts 350 million annual operating budget.
Results
FOR 14,380
AGAINST 14,139
Block vote used by William Proby, National Trust chairman 8,019
Therefore, clearly this development should have been scrapped but in fact the motion failed due to the block vote. Mr Proby has a clear conflict of interest in this matter and should not have been able to use over 8,000 votes to sway the result. We are currently taking legal advice as regards this matter.
Results: Motion 2 - That those responsible for the decision to develop at Erddig be removed from the National Trust.
FOR 10,156
AGAINST 16,781
Block vote used by William Proby, National Trust chairman 8,176
The amount of support on the second motion again shows that National Trust members are unhappy with the Trusts unethical behaviour.
PROXY BLOCK VOTE:
We condemn the National Trust for this completely un democratic behaviour, the National Trust for Scotland does not use proxy block voting precisely for this reason.
It is clear that there is a deep division within the National Trust. Thousands of members are unhappy with the Trusts behaviour and decision making.
We are now confident that we can call an extraordinary meeting of the National Trust within a year. The repercussions from this will be much more far reaching than the 2 motions proposed at this years AGM. We will keep you updated of events.
National Trust AGM 2008
Thank you to all those National Trust members who put forward 2 motions for the Trusts upcoming Annual General Meeting in Liverpool on November 1st.
The two motions are as follows:
1 - That the ‘new village’ development at Erddig is scrapped and any money needed for the upkeep of Erddig Hall be taken from the Trust’s £350 million annual operating budget.
2 - That those people responsible for the decision to develop land at Erddig in Wrecsam be removed from the National Trust.
We have recieved an overwhelming amount of support over the last few years from thousands of National Trust members who are horrified at the thought of the Trust becoming a property developer. Many more have been contacting us recently to express their support for the campaign and to tell us they will be voting for the development to be scrapped and for those responsible to be removed from the National Trust at the AGM.
Nothing is more sustainable than a green field!
At present the Trust continue to argure that the development at Erddig will be sustainable, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The ‘new village’ will be primarily for commuters and not for local people, we can’t afford the houses. This is not sustainable in terms of the environment, dramatically increasing the amount of traffic in the local area and also encouraging the use of the car to commute from North Wales to the major cities of the North West of England. It is also not sustainable in terms of community cohesion. Rhostyllen is a small ex mining village, the proposed development will increase the population by almost 40%. We want to be a village, not to be merged with neighbouring areas through urban sprawl.
As for the so called ‘benefits’ to the community as displayed on the Trusts website, we make the following comments:
55 Affordable houses
We don’t want any houses on one of the last open green spaces in our village. 25% of this development will be ‘affordable’, this is an insult. Whether or not they will be genuinely affordable is another debate. We have already had one affordable development in the village, these remained empty for years because in fact when people applied they found they couldn’t afford them!
The provision of a new Community hall
We already have a village hall at the heart of our village. What the Trust are proposing is building a new one for their new village and new community, which will be seperated from Rhostyllen by a busy main road. This further outlines the damage that will be done in terms of community cohesion.
An education contribution for a new classroom at Rhostyllen County primary school
Our school is already struggling to cope because of previous developments and increases in population. A new classroom will not be enough to cater for the need, additionally the only way to add this classroom will be to build on the childrens existing play yard which will dramatically reduce the amount of playing space available.
A 3,000 square foot shop
We already have shops in the existing village centre that serve us well. Again, this new shop will be seperated from the existing village by a busy road. It is in fact solely for the benefit of the Trusts new village, not for us.
Sustainability is about more than solar panels and street layouts.
Here are some projected carbon emissions based on the fact that the majority of people buying these houses will be commuting from the major connurbations of the North West of England. Based on trends usual to the Wrecsam area with a mixture of commuters from Chester , Ellesmere Port, Liverpool and Manchester. It is estimated that 75% of residents on the development will commute.
The following are 2 projections, 1 for average car mileage very efficient 40 mpg, projection 2 more realistic 21 mpg. It is estimated households have only 1 car, and drive only to work and back. Realistically, it is more likely to have 2 cars in most households, and commuters tend to shop and enjoy recreation in their work cities.
(numbers read per 40 mpg car, 21 mpg car in brackets)
Each manchester commuter produces 7.5 (14) tons CO2, needing 37.5 (70) trees to offset.
Each Liverpool commuter produces 5.4 (10) tons CO2, needing 27 (50) trees.
Each Ellesmere commuter produces 3 (5.5) tons CO2, needing 15(28) trees.
Each Chester commuter produces 1.7 (3) tons CO2, needing 8.5 (16) trees.
This comes to a total of 734 (1369) annual tons CO2, needing 3670 (6843) trees planted ANNUALLY to offset the carbon emissions of this commuter village
The following is a statement taken from the Trust’s ‘design statement’ for the new village:
”
11.1 National Trust’s Aims
“The National Trust is deeply concerned about the damage which is
being caused to the wider environment by emissions and pollution
resulting from the exploitation of fossil fuels and is committed to
reducing the use of fossil fuels and increasing the use of clean and
renewable energy.A principle aim of The National Trust is to achieve low CO2 or zero emissions in its developments.”
The Trust also argue that any money made from this development will go towards the upkeep of Erddig Hall. Erddig Hall does not need ANY work doing to it at present. At the 2007 AGM the Trust’s Chairman said they would buy up greenfield land out of their £350 million pound annual operating budget to protect it from development. We feel this is outrageously hypocritical in light at what’s happening to our village. Why not save save our greenfield from development? It won’t cost a penny because they already own the land.
Who is responsible for these development plans?
The following is a statement taken from the AGM aganda:
“Originally the Executive Committee on behalf of the Council, and subsequently the Board of Trustees, considered and approved the proposals at appropriate points as they developed, including the principle of the scheme, its design basis and the sales process. Our Committee for Wales has given the scheme its full support.”
Our campaign team has written directly to Iwan Huws, NT Director for Wales to ask under the Freedom of Information Act for the minutes from any meetings at which the Erddig development has been discussed and also for the names of those present. The Trust has refused to give us this information.
The communities pressure group Cymuned have joined forces with the Rhostyllen residents committee to oppose the building of 223 properties on Erddig ground by the National Trust. This land is opposite the small Welsh village of Rhostyllen.
THIS DEVELOPMENT WILL HAVE A MASSIVE IMPACT ON THE COMMUNITIES OF RHOSTYLLEN AND WRECSAM FOREVER
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NO LOCAL NEED
There is NO local need for this development. There are already plans for other developments in Rhostyllen. This development is far too large for the community. These new homes will be priced beyond the reach of the majority of local people in the area. In fact, there is NO need locally or otherwise for this development, other than a desire for lifestyle change.
NO GENUINE CONSULTATION
This is the largest development in the history of Rhostyllen, yet few people have been told the truth about the impact this development will have. The National Trust have lied to the community about the number of properties they intended to build. The number has increased by 50% since their local presentations (presentations rather than consultations) several years ago. The impression given at the time was that planning permission had already been granted. There was no option to object.
LOSS OF GREEN SPACE
This land is one of the last areas of green space left in the village, and local people do not want to lose it. The area in question acts as a buffer zone for a nearby special conservation area, yet no up-to-date environmental study has taken place.
TRAFFIC
The Wrexham road passing through Rhostyllen is already one of the busiest roads in Wrexham and is a main link road from the A483 by-pass to the town centre. It is also the main artery into the town for the villages of Johnstown, Rhos, Pen y Cae, Ponciau and Ruabon. 13 tragic deaths on this road is already 13 too many. 223 additional houses along this road will increase congestion and raise safety concerns. A further 223 houses means at least another 300 cars to add pollution and to impact on the everyday lives of local people.
SERVICES AND AMENITIES
Such a large increase in the population undoubtedly will impact on local services, both within Rhostyllen and in Wrecsam in general. It must also be remembered that this latest planned development is just one more in a long line of projects that are increasing exponentially the population of Wrecsam county (Brymbo 500 houses, 2 large commuter estates in Ruabon, planned 1000 flats Mold Road Wrecsam, 4000+ houses built since 1996 ,5000+ houses already with full planning permission). So far, NO houses for locals only (like in Yorkshire and Shropshire) have been built. This means that our already stressed national health service, including doctors, the hospital and dentists will be put under yet even more pressure. It also means more landfill, and more pupils in our schools which are already at bursting point. Obviously, large increases in the population put more pressure on all services.
DIVIDED COMMUNITY, SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The National Trust plan to build a ‘new village’ on this site, adding to local fears that their close community will become divided. This new village will primarily be for people wanting to commute to and from the North west of England (in fact, the properties not yet built, and not yet with planning permission, are already being advertised by Countryside properties in Warrington as Rhostyllen, CHESHIRE!). Rhostyllen has a strong sense of community, something becoming more rare within Wrecsam county. It has its own character and identity.
This development proposes building 200+ households directly opposite to the village. The social implications of this have not been considered. In combination with all the other afore-mentioned developments, the social complexion of Rhostyllen and the county will be changed. These important considerations have not been looked into. Proper planning should take into account such important and far reaching implications. There is also a strong feeling within Rhostyllen and Wrecsam county that the national identity and culture is being compromised by ever increasing numbers of luxury developments. These developments only serve to further increase house prices beyond the reach of locals.
WE DON’T TRUST THE NATIONAL TRUST
They have already lied to the local community. They said that they intended to build 140 houses and no apartments. The plans that they have actually submitted are for 223 properties, including 68 apartments.
The National Trust are a registered charity and as such recieve funding from various sources, including donations and funds from the Assembly government of Wales, including Objective One funding. They also rely heavily on volunteers. As a registered charity they should not be profiteering from land donated to them in good faith by Phillip Yorke, the last Squire of Erddig. It is well known locally that his wishes were to protect the estate in perpetuity. Many local people who knew him personally attest to the fact that he stated on several occasions that he was adamant that the land should not be built on. He relented to pressure and agreed eventually to allow one development to go ahead to give the National Trust at Erddig a start up. This brought the National Trust nearly 1 million pounds in 1972. They also got £120,000 from the national coal board as compensation for subsidence caused by the mines. How much does the maintenance of Erddig Hall actually cost?!
The National Trust are supposed to conserve our heritage, but the heritage of the people of Wrecsam and Rhostyllen is being destroyed by the National Trust. The heritage of Rhostyllen is that of a close-knit community and of a Welsh mining village - they propose to change Rhostyllen into a commuter belt suburb of the North west of England. The heritage of Rhostyllen and Wrecsam, however humble, still deserves recognition, respect and protection.
The National Trust have been involved in speculative land purchasing at Erddig and have refused to extend the lease of a local farmer. Extremely underhand and unethical methods were used. (see Tara’s story).
The National Trust even went as far as to go into the local school in Rhostyllen to promote their new development to the children. They did so without the consent of any of the parents. This is blatant propaganda.
The National Trust are suppose to conserve open spaces and the environment! But they are proposing to build on one of the last open green spaces in Rhostyllen. The site acts as an important buffer zone and corridor for a nearby special conservation area where it is known that endangered species live, including otters.
The National Trust wanted to destroy an ancient Ash tree on the site. This tree had a preservation order on it, yet this did not stop the trust attempting to destroy it! Thankfully, Wrecsam council refused them planning permission.
Please support your community and fill in the online petition. The planning committee will now not be meeting to discuss this development until October or November. Help us get the message across that we DO NOT want this ‘new village’ by sending off a letter of objection to the council!
Click here to sign our petition. Thank you for your support.
Click here to send in an objection.
[Please download this poster (Right click, and then ‘Save Image’), print it out and put it up somewhere…:-)]