Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2012-03-18 04:48:34 - Graham Ellis
Yesterday was the second of two days walking to and through the new housing area to the East of Melksham - sometimes known as the "Gateway" although there's a puzzle as to where it's the Gatweay to! With many developers, each with their own names for their own areas, it looks rather as if we'll have "Manor Farm" and "Dauncey Gardens" as names around for many years, rather than any encompassing name. I'm not sure which element (subarea) I took this picture in; although the streets are not yet surfaced, and there's an unfinished air in parts and "diggers at work around the corner", people have moved in and the place is coming to life even at the weekend.
There has been local concern at elements of the build - to quote an email I received recently "agressive and very urban banal housing developments right up to the back fence" when talking about existing properties, but to be fair to the developers, that's concerning a forthcoming phase rather than the current one. And consider the variety between these two pictures and you'll see that we're not getting a one size fits all estate - but rather a variety that will build up a true rainbow community. Consider, too, that "all this development" right across the UK will only account for some 1% of the countryside in 50 years, and that a somewhat larger town of Melksham will be so much more self-sustaining than one that stagnates.
If the houses weren't selling, they wouldn't be being built. It's heartwarming to know that people want to live in Melksham, and I say a warm welcome to them. On the walk, Verity-Jane's group was joined by several of the new residents and I learned of how they have moved to Melksham over the last few months, attracted by the lovely area in which we live, and the friendliness of the people, as well as the variety of facilities in the town, its geopgraphic location, and the details of the individual house and it's setting where they now reside. And it's so good to feel the budding sense of community too - we stopped by at one of the new resident's homes ... tea and cake was served for all in what turned out to be an unintentionally symbolic joint venture between our walking guide, carrying cake, and one of our new residents, supplying mugs of steaming hot tea.
There's a lot happening in Melksham - look around, read the local papers, pop into the Library or Melksham House, follow Twitter, see what's going on in the Assembly Hall, search the web ... drive into the town, hop on a bus, walk your dog. And allow time to pass the time of day with people too. I love it here; so do others. And I welcome the richness of new blood, the depth, knowledge and friendliness of old blood. Truely, we're developing into a town that should be the envy of others. Exciting times in Melksham.
Yesterday was the second of two days walking to and through the new housing area to the East of Melksham - sometimes known as the "Gateway" although there's a puzzle as to where it's the Gatweay to! With many developers, each with their own names for their own areas, it looks rather as if we'll have "Manor Farm" and "Dauncey Gardens" as names around for many years, rather than any encompassing name. I'm not sure which element (subarea) I took this picture in; although the streets are not yet surfaced, and there's an unfinished air in parts and "diggers at work around the corner", people have moved in and the place is coming to life even at the weekend.
There has been local concern at elements of the build - to quote an email I received recently "agressive and very urban banal housing developments right up to the back fence" when talking about existing properties, but to be fair to the developers, that's concerning a forthcoming phase rather than the current one. And consider the variety between these two pictures and you'll see that we're not getting a one size fits all estate - but rather a variety that will build up a true rainbow community. Consider, too, that "all this development" right across the UK will only account for some 1% of the countryside in 50 years, and that a somewhat larger town of Melksham will be so much more self-sustaining than one that stagnates.
If the houses weren't selling, they wouldn't be being built. It's heartwarming to know that people want to live in Melksham, and I say a warm welcome to them. On the walk, Verity-Jane's group was joined by several of the new residents and I learned of how they have moved to Melksham over the last few months, attracted by the lovely area in which we live, and the friendliness of the people, as well as the variety of facilities in the town, its geopgraphic location, and the details of the individual house and it's setting where they now reside. And it's so good to feel the budding sense of community too - we stopped by at one of the new resident's homes ... tea and cake was served for all in what turned out to be an unintentionally symbolic joint venture between our walking guide, carrying cake, and one of our new residents, supplying mugs of steaming hot tea.