When you look at the world outside of your window, how does it make you feel?
To me, the world feels out of control, not that it has ever seemed in control during my lifetime but the UK seems to be in a very bad place right now and within all of that South Leeds can feel like it is sinking. The time has come to acknowledge the practical steps that need to be taken. The future has not been written yet and we can either sit back, complain and let it wash over us, in which case we get the future that others think we deserve. Or, we can take steps to engineer a future that we want. The future is worth fighting for! The time for impotent rage and/or wallowing in self pity is over, it is time to take action.
Psychological freedom is attached to economic freedom, this means that we in South Leeds start from a position of great disadvantage, but to address this means that we must first know the enemy.
This particular corner of South Leeds is beset on all sides by a great many issues that control our community, issues that remove the basic freedoms that others in more economically advantaged areas would rarely, if ever, have to consider. Whether it is pensioners who feel unable to leave their homes due to the fact that they do not feel safe, or younger generations of families unable to access public spaces due to the behaviour of others, it is an especially terrible thing in an area in which many people do not have access to private gardens. It is in areas such as this that the public environment is then imperative, and yet it is being allowed to rot, and the enemy is not who you might think.
‘Buy land they’re not making it any more.’
Mark Twain
Technically not true, volcanic eruptions in the South Pacific have created several new islands in recent years, the newest currently forming off the coast of Iwo Jima. The most recent island to be created that is now inhabited is Iceland, which is roughly 250million years old. The reason that I include these facts is to point out how long it takes for land to become habitable. The human race may not be around to see new habitable lands, it is therefore essential that land is not just owned but that it is also looked after. This is where we, the communities, come in. Humans are the dominant life form on this planet and we must be stewards of our environment. It is here that we must step up to the plate and take control where the money grubbers always fail.
Large tracts of land change hands regularly, often moving quietly from public to private ownership. Eventually we find ourselves in a position where all land is owned by companies that are unaware of what they own, and care about it even less. The small patches of land that remain undeveloped and falling into disrepair that pepper the realm, including here in South Leeds, are all examples of this. You can probably picture any number of such places within a few hundred yards of where you live. You would probably find that such land is not owned by the council, and therefore not subject to being looked after by the council. Often this land is sold as part of a larger package for development but with restrictions that require a certain amount of green space to remain.
It is at this point that a problem occurs; that being the difference between environmental and financial value. Developers will only see the part of the land that has financial value and will fail to take into consideration the land which must be spared to ensure that we do not loose all access to green space, essential particularly in inner city areas where a lack of such access has negative mental health implications. In the 1950’s an act was put in place to ensure that, during the clearance of areas designated as slums with high pollution and over-crowding problems, adequate consideration was given to people on low income in relation to access to sunlight and clean air. This necessarily means areas of open space and vegetation. Unfortunately the cause of business is not aligned with that of environmental preservation and it is here that the pact falls apart. Whilst the developments happen quickly with the principle of maximising the use of space for maximum profit in as little time as possible, little consideration is given to the bits of land in between that have no financial value. Cursory boundaries are raised to outline what is owned, and the inappropriate planting of shrubbery is used to appease environmental restrictions. These patches are evidence of the chasm between environment and economy, between community and commerce, between the haves and the have nots.