Are you aware that Snetterton village (Our Wonderful Village – where we choose to live) is under threat again!!!

The World Horse Welfare and 2 local landowners are trying to sell off a substantial amount of land to a developer.

Interestingly in the WHW’s current Mission statement they state: Underpinning the way they work are three principles. Two of these are*Reducing our environmental footprint.*Encouraging human well-being. Also in their values they state *Compassion  In our attitudes, behaviour and decision making.

As residents of Snetterton village we certainly do not feel that there will be any reduction in their environmental footprint if this sale goes ahead - in fact the opposite.  The well-being of the residents in our village is certainly not being taken into any consideration if this goes ahead. We have seen no compassion at all from WHW for how this sale will impact our lives and the beautiful area that we live in.

At our local parish council meeting it was suggested by a local councillor that ‘out of town retail outlets are very popular!!!!’ For who???? Certainly not for the market towns or the countryside they are destroying!

These fields are both pasture and arable and home to a great deal of wildlife, including deer, migrating birds, foxes, birds of prey and numerous other animals and insects.  To allow the development of this land will be devastating to the environment, wildlife and natural habitats.

As a local community we have noticed the ever increasing industrialisation of our village and surrounding rural areas since we all moved here. This is not acceptable!

Without a doubt any further development will also add to the increased traffic through the village. 

The residents of Snetterton chose to live in this place to be part of the preservation of this rural area and preserve and protect it.  To surround these properties with buildings, cars, noise and further light pollution will be destructive beyond belief.  These fields need to stay as pasture and arable land so that they can continue to contribute to the biodiversity of the area.

Interesting the World Horse Welfare objected to a recent application themselves in Snetterton with Tony Tyler their Deputy Chief Executive stating;

“We welcome development which brings employment to the area however we would not want to see the current proposed use extended to include cooking or any process which included the risk of smells. This is because any such process would have an adverse impact on the residents and other employment opportunities for the area. We also have concerns that the huge height and overall size of this building will have a negative impact on the countryside aspect of the area. This could potentially affect the number of visitors coming to our centre to walk and generally enjoy our rural location. We suggest that, if planning consent is granted, it is for a smaller building and includes clear conditions which restrict use to re -packaging and/ or includes significant controls over smells.”

Why is the sale of their land - that does all of the above - not matter this time?

Whether you live in the affected area or not this campaign is crucial. We need to make a stand against this continued wanton destruction of the countryside and people’s homes and lifestyles by these companies. We are a 'Green and Pleasant Land' rapidly heading towards being concreted over. And for what? Certainly none of the reasons cited by the building companies but instead to make money. The true cost of these developments is the heavy price paid by the wildlife and residents who have their habitats and their homes destroyed.