‘No means no’: Protest against new homes set to take place this weekend

Residents fueled by a mantra of “no means no” are set to campaign this weekend against new homes being built in their area.People living in South Lynn are pushing to prevent any future development in the Hardings Way area, which was once the heart of the town’s whaling industry.In West Norfolk Council’s local plan, a section of land next to the road has been earmarked for 43 homes.

However, Cllr Alexandra Kemp, who represents South Lynn on the borough and county councils, says residents do not want this area built on and worry the new homes would be at high risk of flooding.She is therefore spearheading a “peaceful protest” at the bus gate along the road, running from 11am until 11.30am.“We’ve all worked so hard to keep Hardings Way traffic-free for the past seven years,” Cllr Kemp said.“But now the borough wants 50 houses behind Overtons which will lead to traffic on the bus lane and the children’s walk to school.“It’s time to show the borough council that no means no.”Cllr Kemp, who recently resigned from the Independent administration and formed her on Progressive Group, believes that the borough council’s failure to heed her calls shows it is “failing to connect with residents properly”.Meanwhile, Kevin Waddington, a resident of South Lynn who is also behind the demonstration, said: “The area reserved for new housing would need an access road to be built on the opposite side of Hardings Way to the Hardings Pits nature area.“There would be, first, heavy road building vehicles, followed by housebuilding traffic, and finally there would be residents cars, dustcarts and occassionly other heavy traffic such as removals vehicles.“The bus gates would have to be moved northwards, and the whole southern end of Hardings Way would be open to all forms of motor vehicles.”This is the continuation of a long battle. The road is currently for cyclists, walkers, and the hordes of small children on their way from South Lynn to Whitefriars Primary School – a safe way to tavel.“The whole area has a peace and tranquillity about it as it is the only remaining part of Lynn wihich has a really ‘rural’ feel about it. We are calling on the council to remove the threat to all this from the local plan.”We have been here before. During 2020 the council advertised in the local papers that Hardings Way would be closed every weekend from October to December for work on access roads for housing to be completed. One week before the due start date the whole project was abandoned in a spectacuar u-turn. This was due entirely to the strength of local feeling, demonstrations , lobbying, and considerable behind the scenes work on the legal and financial implications of the scheme if it proceeded.“We are still here and not going away. I invite everyone to the demonstration, and there is also an online petition ‘Keep cars off National Cycle Route 1 in King’s Lynn’ which has over 1,500 signatures.”Last month, we reported that the authority’s cabinet members had agreed to push forward with a £29,000 scheme to designate land at Harding’s Pits in Lynn as a protected outdoor space.The village green scheme hopes to protect this area from future development, ensuring it remains an open space for the community.The patch of land, also known as the Door Step Green, was created in 2004 through Countryside Agency (now Natural England) funding which has kept it as natural space for 25 years.Borough council cabinet members previously agreed to proceed with the bid, but they took a different view to Cllr Kemp and were supportive of the brownfield land in the vicinity being used for housing.Cllr Jo Rust, cabinet member for people and communities, highlighted that building on the brownfield site could create much-needed affordable housing for the area.