​After 11 years of running Alderton Village Store and Post Office Yari is retiring and the shop is for sale. Alderton thanks Yari for his dedication.
​
The shop is being sold as a going concern and includes the freehold premises, Post Office and stock. Alderton is a growing village and there’s potential for new owners to develop the retail business and extend opening hours.
Enquiries to Yari directly at the shop or message here to arrange a meeting.

English country villages are "under assault" from greenfield developers building housing estates on rural land, campaigners warned last night.By ROBERT KELLAWAY
03:01, Mon, Jan 16, 2023 | UPDATED: 09:38, Mon, Jan 16, 2023

Analysis by the Campaign to Protect Rural England suggests there are currently more than 400,000 homes with planning permission on greenfield sites.

Even if planning applications are rejected at local authority level as inappropriate they are often being granted permission at national level on appeal, councillors report.
The result is massive pressure on services such as doctors, dentists, schools and village lanes clogged with traffic - and the despoiling of some of the most beautiful parts of the British countryside.

Paul Miner, from the countryside charity CPRE, said building should be concentrated on brownfield sites where residential or industrial development has already taken place.
“At the current time, there is room for 1.2 million new homes on previously developed brownfield land,” he said.
“Much of it is in town and city centres crying out for regeneration and where there is an acute need for new homes. It is simply immoral to needlessly destroy the countryside when there’s no need.”

MP Laurence Robertson, who represents many Gloucestershire villages facing extensive new-build development, said: “Rural villages are under assault by this greenfield development. The expansion is so rapid it does not give the community any chance to expand at a sensible pace.

“I have helped residents in my village and others object to these developments and raised concerns but once an appeal is granted there is little that can be done.” Ironically, local businesses such as village shops and pubs seem not to benefit from the influx of new-build residents who tend to be two-car families who often shop online.

 

The issue is a countrywide one as councils search for ways of meeting what have been mandatory housebuilding targets. Green belt land being offered up for development by London and Home Counties councils has increased in area by a fifth to an area of more than 19,400 hectares since last year, research by the London Green Belt Council and the Campaign to Protect Rural England found.

If all those plans for areas around London and in the Home Counties go ahead, about 75 square miles of protected countryside would lose green belt status. Councils are also relying on “out of date” figures from 2014 for population growth to justify plans to build thousands more homes on green belt land around the capital, the groups claimed.

​And although it is widely accepted that more homes are needed, the issue has become a political hot potato with rural MPs warning that Conservative voters will desert the party if villages become swallowed up by sprawling development.

Yesterday it was reported nine local authorities in England have paused or scaled back their plans after Michael Gove announced last month that the government would no longer pursue a mandatory target of 300,000 new homes a year. The planning consultancy Lichfields has calculated that 33 councils have halted or cut their housebuilding plans in the past two years. However, for many communities, a change in policy is already too late.

The Daily Express was alerted to the problem by residents in the quintessentially Cotswold village of Alderton in Gloucestershire.

Its plight is typical of many rural communities as local government figures show greenfield development on rural land has almost trebled since 2008. On the southern border of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Alderton is centred around the 14th century parish church of St Margaret of Antioch.

The village boasts one pub, one shop, one primary school and 18 listed buildings, many dating from the Tudor period.
Since 2015 two new-build estates have been completed at Alderton and a third is under construction.

In addition, developers are seeking permission for three larger estates totalling 139 homes which are all likely to go to appeal at the Planning Inspectorate where they will probably be approved.

Alderton Parish Councillor Mike West, 73, said: “We accept that there is a housing shortage, that people need good homes and we have to do our share.

“Rural villages such as ours can easily accept some new development and indeed, if done well, it can be highly beneficial to the local community.

“But in the case of Alderton we may end up with a total of six new-build estates in a village of 277 dwellings and a population of about 900.

“These developments would almost double the number of houses and more than double the population in a very short period of time. “Everyone who moves here will need at least one car as there is no public transport to speak of. The village will become an urban dormitory.”

Fellow councillor Nicki Broderick, 61, added: “At the minute our local GP’s surgery is in a village nearby, Winchcombe. They are already overwhelmed by the demand on them. “The trouble is this housing is going up with no thought to the services and infrastructure that people who live here are going to need.

“It is extremely frustrating as Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Gloucester spent four years developing a Joint Core Strategy for housing in the region. The developers seem to ignore that and stick in applications for the most profitable sites they can find. “They don’t seem to care if their applications are rejected, because they know they have a pretty good chance of getting approval on appeal in the end. We are getting planning by appeal rather than any sort of coherent strategy and it is going to cause a lot of damage.

“I believe brownfield sites ought to be developed before any new housing can be built on what were until very recently farmers’ fields.

​​Local resident Sue Collins, who has lived in Alderton for 18 years, is hoping a planning appeal for construction of 56 new homes at the end of her garden will be rejected.

She said: “At the minute I look down the garden and on the other side of the fence there are a couple of horses in a paddock. “I don’t know what it’s going to be like with more 50 houses going up there instead, I just hope very much that it doesn’t happen.”

Landlady Wendy Wakeman has been serving the village for 23 years with her husband Mike at Alderton’s thatched pub, the Gardener’s Arms. She said that the two new build estates already completed had not significantly increased her business. Wendy, 57, said: “At first it was great, people had just moved in and they came here and said ‘ooh isn’t it nice having such a lovely pub in the village.’

“But after a couple of visits they tended not to come back very much. People have busy lives and after a long commute in the car popping into the pub of an evening may be the last thing on their minds. “We love the village but our business depends really on walkers, holidaymakers, rotary club visits and other customers who make a special trip to visit us.”

​The owner of the Alderton Village Store and Post Office for the last 11 years, Yari Aram, 70, added: “The people in the new estates are very nice but I do not see them often.

“They come to return things by post that they have bought on the internet but in most cases they are not my regular customers.” The new housing is popular with successful families with young children and some of the units must offer some affordable housing as part of the development.

Gavin Gallagher, Planning Director at Rainier Developments which is hoping to build 48 homes at Alderton, said: “We can confirm that we have lodged an appeal for our outline planning application for up to 48 new homes on land in Alderton. “Currently, we believe that Tewkesbury Borough Council does not have a long-term plan in place for the supply of land to meet the significant levels of demand for new homes, and our proposals are designed to help the Council to address this ongoing issue.

“Our proposal for additional housing in Alderton will also support the long-term futures of existing services and facilities, including the primary school which is undersubscribed, as well the village’s shop and pub. “The proposed development is well-located on the edge of the existing settlement, is close to main roads, and has had regard to all relevant environmental factors during its evolution, all of which is reflected in the final proposed design.

“Our plans will also benefit the overall sustainability of Alderton, with the provision of public open space, community areas and green infrastructure, including provision for 10 biodiversity net gain, which is again outlined in our proposals.”

Other developers hoping to build at Alderton were approached but did not comment.

Development of brownfield sites previously used for residential or industrial purposes reached a peak in 2008 but declined by 38 percent in the period to 2017. The amount of greenfield land being used for housing developments has increased from 3681 acres in 2006 to 9115 acres in 2017, an increase of 148 percent.

A spokesman for the Planning Inspectorate said: “Inspectors are independent and impartial. When making a decision the Inspector fully considers the evidence submitted at the appeal and takes account of current planning legislation, policy and guidance.

“We do not report on the number of greenfield development planning applications which are approved at appeal having been declined by the local authority.

​“Overall, about two thirds of our decisions agree with Councils and only about a third of appeals result in planning permission being granted. That has remained consistent over many years.”

Alderton’s annual charity football match ended Marrieds 2 : 1 Singles, marking a return to winning ways for the Marrieds. Player-of-the-Match Tom McCotter scored one with Steve Bowles converting a twelve pass move from one end to the other in possibly the best goal that the Marrieds have ever scored.

George Smith scored for the Singles but in a turn of fate mirroring England’s recent World Cup demise George also had a penalty to level it close to the end but super-Marrieds keeper Dan Carroll kept his effort out.
​
Both teams are either village residents or have close village connections. This year we had three female players. Katy playing in goal, Kelly featuring up front for the singles and Belinda in defence for the Marrieds.

It’s not just about the football though as over the years we’ve raised tens of thousands of pounds for local and national charities. This years total was a fantastic £2,284:
- £2,081 to Friends of Oak Hill School
- £203 to Alderton Acorns Pre-School and Toddler Group.

Great job everyone

Thanks as always to our players, supporters, volunteers, The Gardeners Arms and to the Greaves family who support us so generously each year.

Next year the charity is Vale Wildlife Hospital & Rehabilitation Centre

The cold weather prompts me to remind you of the open offer to our community that if anyone needs an extra pair of hands or help of any kind, especially at this time of year, we can almost certainly find someone to help.

It could be anything - shopping, a dog walk, Post Office visit, the lend of a heater, a cup of tea, or something more significant.

In the “more significant” category if you or your neighbours are completely stuck please don’t go hungry or cold this winter, there are always options.

Relatedly please keep an eye on your neighbours, especially if they’re vulnerable for whatever reason.

If you need any help or support please contact, in confidence, Mark Watts-Jones on 07973 963539, 01242620567 or mwjmai@gmail.com.

2021 was another strange year with its ups and downs, but the Shop did not do too badly and we survived. However during my break and the shop's closure at the end of the year, the shop had no income which inevitably damaged the business. At that time I received lots of kind messages of support from a lot of my customers and villagers. This was so heart-warming and comforting knowing that I would be ok as I have your support.

Sadly this did not materialise as physical support! Only a few of my loyal and regular customers have been supporting the shop. (Thank you for your loyalty!). I appreciate you moral support very much, but it is not enough to keep the shop going.

Please don't forget that:

The Post Office wouldn't exist without the Shop:
The Post Office was very busy for Christmas and couple of weeks after the New Year, which is great. Our Post Office attracts a lot of customers from villages around as we are the last one standing but please be aware the Post Office would not exist without the shop.

Newspapers wouldn't exist without the Shop:
Those of you who buy newspapers from the shop are familiar with me complaining about Smiths News service (or lack of it). I have to apologise for interruption to our services since late November. Hopefully we are getting back to normal.

 However the whole object selling newspapers in the shop is to attract customers and increase footfall for the business.  Other than that, it's not worth all the anxieties & problems it creates. So, if you are having your paper delivered or picking you papers from the shop, but don’t come in to shop you are not supporting the business which defeats the object.

Remember, No Shop = No Post Office and no Newspapers!

This is hopefully the last time I am going to moan and grumble, the rest I leave up to you. I don’t expect you to do your weekly shopping in the village store, but if you care about having your shop, don’t just wave hello & pass.
 
USE IT OR LOSE IT! Thank you, Yari.

Greedy developers CALA Homes who have already ignored local residents views in their pointless Community Consultation have just discovered that they propose to build on land that floods! But guess what - the greedy developers will fix it so that never happens! Who would have thought it - greedy developers fixing the flood risk so you'll never have a problem. Hmmmm.

​CALA Homes the greedy developers of - Willow Bank, Alderon held a Community Consultation Event - and guess what? They completed ignored the overwhleming views of residents. Who would have thought that the greedy developers ignored the views of local residents? 

Well, here's the results:
105 people attended the public consultation event. A total of 70 feedback forms were received at the event. 

• 89% of people were NOT in favour of the development
• 82% strongly disagreed that this development would provide much needed affordable housing
• 82% strongly disagreed with the design and layout of CALA's proposed development. 

Dear All
 
In September Police and Crime Commissioner, Martin Surl announced that he had taken the decision to reopen the work to assess the case for a change in the governance of Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS).
 
Work carried out by Office of the PCC (OPCC) has identified a number of clear benefits a change in governance could bring. They are all contained in an outline business case, now available on our website.
 
The next stage is to gather the views of people who live and work in Gloucestershire and this includes you. It is very important that as many people as possible take part in the consultation so please have a look at the outline business case and spare a few minutes to complete the short, anonymous, online survey. Please also circulate this e-mail and the links to your networks, including staff/members/contacts. This link also takes you to a short video explain the options and the case for change.
 
There are four models of governance to consider. These are:

• No change / status quo: This would mean Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service remains part of the County Council and collaboration continues to be progressed on a voluntary basis.
• Representation: This is where the PCC would become a formal part of the existing governance for fire and rescue in GCC, with full voting rights.
• Governance: Here the PCC takes on responsibility for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service in much the same way he currently does for Gloucestershire Constabulary. The role would become the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner. Police and fire would retain their own chief officers and staff and be operationally independent of each another.
• Single employer: This is where the PCC would take on responsibility for fire alongside the police and also appoint a single chief officer for both services. Front-line services would remain distinct but support services would be increasingly integrated.

 
Against a statutory test of critical factors (economy and efficiency, effectiveness, public safety) and an additional assessment of deliverability, our analysis shows that the Governance Model would achieve the best outcomes for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service and for Gloucestershire residents. This would mean that the PCC would become the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
 
Governance of GFRS would be very much the same as is it with the police. Neither the PCC nor the OPCC would be involved in any operational activity but there would be a requirement to develop a police and fire plan setting the strategic direction of the service as well as overseeing funding. Roles won’t change either – police will stay police and fire will remain fire.
 
A summary of the benefits we believe would be achieved with a governance change for GFRS are:​