Friday, February 12, 2010

Who owns the land?

I was struck by a comment by Town Cllr Barry Chapman. On the St Neots Community Forum Cllr Chapman pointed out the following:

"As for comments about whether it is the church car park or not - I refer to "my street" it doesn't imply I think I own it!"

How true this is. I also refer to the street where I live as my street. I do try to take care of my street. I report problems like abandoned cars and street lights out. Whilst I want my environment to be good referring to the street I live in as my street doesn't mean or imply I own it.

So what would imply that I either owned or controlled a property? Some examples:

If you saw this sign on a wall who do you think owns or controls this building? 
Answer: St Neots Town Council? And you would be right.

Another example:

If you saw the sign pictured below on fence who do you think would owns or controls the land?
Answer: St Neots Town Council? And you would be correct.

Last example.

If you saw this noticeboard in front of a car park who would you think owns or controls the land?
Answer: St Mary's Eaton Socon? Wrong! Diocese of St Albans? Wrong! or even the Church of England? Wrong! The correct answer is St Neots Town Council.

Having a large sign at the entrance to a piece of land implies to me that you own or control the land. Some Church users refer to this piece of land as the church car park. With this sign at the entrance I can see why they think so! Now the car park needs repair it changes from a church car park to a community car park which hard pressed council taxpayers is called on to pay for repairs.

Once the church car park issue is resolved I feel the church will still have this sign up implying it controls the car park.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with your comments Rednek. When you criticise the Town Council or Councillors it is usually constructively.

A thought for you ? Had the Town Council not voted the way it did and I said at the meeting when the holes first appeared that the Church should get it repaired.It was after this that it suddenly became a community car park.

Had the press not got hold of the story, and had the ensuing hullabaloo not taken place do you think that Councillor Farrer would have decided to repair it or that Tesco would have offered the £9000.
Doug Terry