My plan, when I began documenting this journey, was never to be the harbinger of doom for the OPD movement. I was always sticking up for opd on the fb page, telling people that said it was impossible without loads of cash, that it WAS possible and that I was living proof. I’d bought marginal land, at a bargain price. I’d improved it and made it work. I had been told before applying that it was a policy that was watertight. That if you ticked all the boxes then they had to grant you permission. And if they didn’t, then you would win at appeal, because everyone wins at appeal.
These things are clearly not true and I found out the hard way. I’m not going to sit by and watch other people be drawn in and fooled in the same way.
My friend sold his profitable business to do OPD. He has land and is half way though the process of applying. He was optimistic, like I was. He’d been told what I was told. Now he’s crapping himself. We met on the OPD FB page, five years ago, green as hell, both asking stupid questions. The answers you got back then were very different to the answers you get to the same questions now. What happened to every piece of land in Wales has outline planning for OPD?
I got to the chase first and he’s watched me go through hell. Now he’s following behind me with his own project. But he’s no longer confident. He’s seen the whole bloody process from start to finish and beyond. He’s understandably worried.
I know that I’m not in the good books of the OPC. I don’t blame them for that. They’re trying really hard to fight the good fight for a movement that began with such promise, but unfortunately, with the loss of support in Parliament, and the lack of individuals in power who support the scheme, and the arbitrary way in which LPAs can make things up as they go along, and differ so widely in attitudes that Caerphilly Council are encouraging OPD and others are clearly not, it seems that a losing battle is being fought and that OPD is now just another Place in the Country type fad.
I’ve been told to not diss the policy, as the policy is not at fault. A policy should be able to be applied by a multitude of protagonists with uniform results. That’s what a policy is. However, that is clearly not the case in this instance. A policy can only be as good as those who are in charge of its operation. If it’s not going to be applied consistently, then I’d go as far as to say that it’s not a policy. It’s just plain old discretionary planning permission.
OPD was, I thought, supposed to answer a legitimate, community housing need. People choosing to live a low impact alternative lifestyle. There’s nothing alternative about OPD as it exists now. If you have the means, you can buy the best land, hire the best people to write your plan, hire the best lawyers, and hey presto.. planning permission. Same as it ever was. Many people who currently have OPD permission are not living on their site. They’re living in accommodation elsewhere and building their dream home from afar. That’s self build. To me, OPD is creating your space around you, as simply as your needs allow – isn’t it?
My blog seems to have gone viral, and that’s good. I want peeps to know that I’m not dissing OPD, or the people who have been successful. But to expect me to not react with some bitterness and anger would be to assume that I’m Hercules. I’m not. I’m not a hippy living in fairyland either. I’m just a local kid who made tons of mistakes and will never be permitted to forget them. Apparently if I’d had a community meeting none of this would have happened. I was not really in the fluffy place to be doing those things at that point, but that’s the thing, the people judging me on my wrongs, only know the bits, or care about the bits, where I messed up. When I’m right, no-one remembers, when I’m wrong, no-one forgets.
There are people on the OPC page who are, and never will be, anything to do with OPD. They’re there for what reason? I see them like the posts where my failures are highlighted. They’re people who used to be on my friends list on FB, but made judgements and then deleted me. Now they like nothing more than to watch me suffer. But that’s ok. Their weird little lives are empty, and that’s no concern of mine. On the other hand I’ve had so many messages of support I’m touched beyond words, which is not like me 🙂
I’ve had lovely words, offers of places to stay, made new friends, re-engaged with old ones.
That’s the main reason I’ve written this, is to say thank you to them, and you know who you are. New people coming into my life with kindness and humility and humanity and compassion and understanding, leaving aside judgement, because they know what it’s like to be in the positions I’ve been in, because they’ve actually taken notice of the Tess behind the online, angry persona Tess, that the others all like to think they know.
To the friends old and new, who get it, and have been there for me, and who stick their necks out, and who show solidarity, I thank you and I love you. You’re all mega.
Finally, with all that’s going on globally, how can any of this even be an issue? Who cares? As usual the main point of someone just needing a home is completely missed. My tiny life is a microcosm of that insane, macro world out there. All the madness, all the fighting, all the wars… it exists here in miniature. What a load of nonsense it all is. I have no control of any of out there, but I have control of in here. I’m entitled to tell my story. To fight the small battles in my little world. And to give people the warning and flip side in order to make informed decisions.
And so I continue with the show. It’s all I really know how to do innit.. theatre. Apart from making a lovely cup of tea….
Postcards from the Hedge 