A British farmer could be the biggest roadblock for housing developers in Greater Manchester, as he has firmly resolved to not leave his property, the BBC reported.
Godley Green Garden Village sounds idyllic, and the project has been billed as a sustainable housing solution for the land in question — rural acreage that was protected from this type of development not long ago.
In the United Kingdom, "Green Belt" has been a land designation since 1947, covering broad swaths of undeveloped land. According to the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the category was established "to prevent urban sprawl."
Alan French, 76, has lived on Far Meadow Farm — seemingly at the center of the planned Godley Green Garden Village — for 17 years.
French's last two homes were subject to compulsory purchase orders, a legal mechanism similar to the United States' eminent domain, which forced him to move.
While French acknowledged that he feared receiving a third CPO, he also told the Manchester Evening News that he had no intention of complying.
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"I don't go to the consultation meetings because I can't be bothered with it all. I'm done with it. I just think, piss off, leave me alone, I'm not moving," he said.
"Every time I move somewhere, developers want it. I'm mega pissed off," French added.
However, French is far from the only community member who vociferously opposed ongoing attempts to build thousands of houses on land that was recently protected from new builds.
The Evening News summarized a long list of local objections to Godley Green: vastly increased pollution, loss of wildlife habitats, displacement of residents, a decade and a half of construction, and what residents say are opaque planning proposals.
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In January, the Tameside Correspondent covered a then-recent planning meeting that delayed the development to the delight of many locals.
According to the outlet, 4,205 residents wrote letters of objection, and 4,459 people signed a petition opposing the construction of Godley Green.
"This is a place the community knows, uses, and loves," resident Jane Lawton said. "Once it's gone, it's gone forever."
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