ABOUT SAVE CAPEL
Since its formation in May 2019 SaveCapel has strived vigorously to protect our beautiful Parish of Capel from being destroyed by an ill conceived TWBC Local Plan. Four and a half years later our efforts have been partially rewarded by TWBC announcing major modifications to their Local Plan removing Tudeley Garden Village and considerably reducing the proposed development in East Capel. We’ve won you may think, but this is only a battle victory, we still have the war to win.
The Save Capel campaign continues to raise awareness of the ever developing situation, gathering evidence and arguments in efforts to ensure that development of the Local Plan affecting any part of Capel Parish is compatible with our rural setting, with suitable infrastructure, sustainability, soundness and deliverability.
Our rural Parish is principally excellent, high grade farmland not only providing a rich source of food production but is also steeped in history and which must be protected for future generations from urbanisation by greedy developers, so our campaign continues to be focused on our purpose to protect Capel Parish.
Our latest news
Four ways you can help us Save Capel
Sign our petition to show the strength of resistance to the plans for Capel
Pledge your financial support to help fund the most critical stage of our campaign
Make a donation to support the costs of saving Capel
Become a member and have your say in our campaign
Save Capel in The Sunday Telegraph
The proposed area of development
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has Save Capel asked supporters to become members?
Save Capel should be run democratically by members of the community, which is under threat.
This is achieved by electing the steering group, or executive as it is known.
Having an elected executive shows that those people who are leading the campaign have a mandate from the community to do so. This is something that has been challenged by external parties in the past.
To make that approach work fairly, ahead of the first election, campaign supporters were asked people to become members, to enable them to stand or vote in the election.
Membership is like being a shareholder in a business, who gets to vote on key executive roles and decisions.
The difference is there is no cost to becoming a Save Capel member as no shares need to be purchased. And membership is equal to all who wish to join; no advantage is gained from an increased number of shares.
This approach, which is typical of many voluntary and charitable organisations, also means that if enough of the members have significant concerns about how the campaign is being managed, there is a mechanism for them to challenge that.
If the Local Plan is just a draft proposal, why should I worry?
The TWBC Local Plan will shape how Capel will change in the very near future. It is during this Local Plan preparation phase that we can have the most influence over shaping the future of Capel. Once the Local Plan is adopted, many of the big decisions will have been made, and our influence becomes more limited. It is very important that everyone has their say now.
Is “Saving Capel” just “Not in My Backyard”?
No. We welcome well thought out, good development. People need new homes and the Parish of Capel is a lovely place to live.
The size and scale of the developments proposed in the Local Plan are clearly going to be beyond anything the area can cope with. Tudeley and the Parish of Capel are at serious risk of being ruined forever. There are other options that TWBC have available to them that would be much better for the environment and easier to implement with regard to infrastructure.
Supporters of garden communities, particularly those with substantial vested interests in their development, will dismiss opponents as “NIMBYs”. That term is used to attack people who are defending their local environment by those who are seeking to profit from its destruction.