0:00:03 > 0:00:05I'm just trying anything I can, really.
0:00:07 > 0:00:09You know, you have to appeal to the top, don't you?
0:00:09 > 0:00:12To get yourself heard.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16She might not be aware that South Oxfordshire District Council had
0:00:16 > 0:00:21planned the largest strategic site in the entire of South Oxfordshire
0:00:21 > 0:00:23on Green Belt. It makes no sense at all.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30- THERESA MAY:- For 30 or 40 years, we simply haven't built enough homes.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34As a result, prices have risen so much that the average home now costs
0:00:34 > 0:00:37almost eight times average earnings.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42And that's been a disaster, for young people, in particular.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Our housing market is broken.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50The Government has established it needs to build 300,000 homes a year
0:00:50 > 0:00:52to meet demand.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56As Prime Minister, I'm going to make it my mission to solve this problem,
0:00:56 > 0:01:01and make the British dream a reality by reigniting home ownership in
0:01:01 > 0:01:04- Britain once again. - APPLAUSE
0:01:04 > 0:01:06So, to try and solve the problem,
0:01:06 > 0:01:10the Government has taken a very controversial decision.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14It allowed houses to be built on sacrosanct land -
0:01:14 > 0:01:17the Green Belt around our major cities.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24It's a juggernaut. It's a complete juggernaut.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27- CROWD:- Save the Green Belt, save the Green Belt!
0:01:27 > 0:01:29I mean, we've thought long and hard,
0:01:29 > 0:01:31is there a silver bullet that would stop it in its tracks?
0:01:34 > 0:01:38In this series, I'm investigating whether building huge new estates in
0:01:38 > 0:01:41the countryside is a solution to the housing problem.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47So I've come to the beautiful rural county of Oxfordshire...
0:01:49 > 0:01:51..where house prices are on a par with London.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Everyone needs somewhere to live.
0:01:56 > 0:02:01But is destroying our precious green belt a price worth paying for fixing
0:02:01 > 0:02:03the housing crisis?
0:02:04 > 0:02:07People should be happy where they live.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09And I would hope,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12I would imagine that the people who live here are very happy.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- ANNOUNCER:- This is BBC Radio 4.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Ambridge is about to become a concrete jungle,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26at least that's what Susan told me.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30THE ARCHERS THEME PLAYS
0:02:32 > 0:02:36When a social problem reaches The Archers, you know it's big.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39- 'Do you know anything about this housing development?- At Bridge Farm?
0:02:39 > 0:02:41'Yeah, people were talking about it at the pub.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44'It sounds like it's going to stretch from here to Penny Hassett.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46'Well, to be honest, I don't really know...'
0:02:46 > 0:02:49Oxfordshire, it's so beautiful in the spring,
0:02:49 > 0:02:51driving down its country roads.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54It makes me feel a bit like Inspector Morse.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Although I'm not driving an old-fashioned Jag.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I'm in a Renault Modus.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03And I'm not investigating a murder in a vicarage.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10My case is an alleged crime against a whole community.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14The village of Culham.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22This tiny Anglo-Saxon settlement is a charming blend of quite small
0:03:22 > 0:03:24houses and great big mansions.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31It's the kind of place people put their garden apples out so you can
0:03:31 > 0:03:33take one, should you be ambling by.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35HE CRUNCHES APPLE
0:03:36 > 0:03:38It's kind of like you see it now, isn't it, really,
0:03:38 > 0:03:41it's sort of sleepy and quiet.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47Caroline moved to this charming county after many years living in the capital.
0:03:47 > 0:03:52This doesn't have a shop. It doesn't have a village hall.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54And yet, somehow, it's got much,
0:03:54 > 0:03:59much more of a community atmosphere than I've ever experienced before.
0:04:01 > 0:04:06'Separated from Caroline by not much more than a row of apple trees,
0:04:06 > 0:04:11'I found the Wilson family, in the largest house in the village, Culham House.'
0:04:11 > 0:04:14How do you keep an eye on them all with such a big garden?
0:04:14 > 0:04:16They're walled in, which is quite good news...
0:04:16 > 0:04:20They can't get out, which is the important thing!
0:04:20 > 0:04:21Yeah...
0:04:23 > 0:04:27Guy is a property developer who works in London.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30We bought this house to live in this area to enjoy the countryside and
0:04:30 > 0:04:33what comes with it. And that means nature, farming,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35people saying hello to each other.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38It's a different sort of way of life to one which is in a town.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42A rural area like this is what England is beautiful for.
0:04:45 > 0:04:50In a house apparently built by those who erected Blenheim Palace,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53I found Edward Reily Collins.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56You can hear the birds, you can hear very little traffic.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59You have a sense of this rural idyll.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- What you think of the quality of the housing that is being in Oxfordshire?- Erm...
0:05:04 > 0:05:08- On the big estates?- I'm told to keep my mouth shut by my family, because, er...
0:05:08 > 0:05:12..you know, they say I...I might be putting my foot in it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14I think they're absolutely diabolical.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16I wouldn't want to live there!
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Guess what it's going to do? It's going to create tyre-kickers.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20They've got nowhere to go and play.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23So they'll go and smash up somebody's car or whatever.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24You know, people need...
0:05:24 > 0:05:27- What's a tyre-kicker?- A tyre-kicker is somebody who is bored and they go
0:05:27 > 0:05:29around kicking cars.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38The tranquillity around Edward's elegant pile could soon be shattered.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43After over half a century of being protected within the Oxford green belt,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46tiny Culham is about to have a rude awakening.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52The council has just announced plans to build a new small town right next
0:05:52 > 0:06:00to Culham, super-sizing it from 170 houses to 3,500.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05When complete, it will have a population of around 10,000.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10That's a bit like injecting Culham with vast quantities of steroids.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Oxfordshire has its own unique housing crisis,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18more severe than the rest of the country.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22It's partly because the city of Oxford has not built enough homes in
0:06:22 > 0:06:24recent years. So now,
0:06:24 > 0:06:30vast acres of beautiful countryside are making way for estates like these,
0:06:30 > 0:06:34as the quest begins to build 100,000 homes over the next 12 years.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40How would you feel if a development such as this arrived on your doorstep?
0:06:50 > 0:06:55Basically, every piece of wood or stone or paintwork or everything has
0:06:55 > 0:07:00been put in by us. A very hot summer, 2003, we actually lived,
0:07:00 > 0:07:05the whole family lived in a caravan in the field for six months.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08So that was quite a squash, with a family of six, four children and us.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15Andrew Rushton is a maths teacher, and his wife, Cathy,
0:07:15 > 0:07:16is a school secretary.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19There's a nice birthday party going on there...
0:07:20 > 0:07:22- ..in this room...- They bought this house,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25and totally rebuilt it into their dream home.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29An isolated rural idyll.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33The perfect place to raise their children.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40But now, they stand to lose it all.
0:07:43 > 0:07:48When the plans for the new development were made public two weeks ago,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51they noticed something odd about the map.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56It was their home - it was no longer there.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06That whole orange area was seen as a developable area for housing.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11And basically our house had just been ignored.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14- As if our house doesn't exist. - No.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17But it is actually at the centre of this development.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22We were told that all of the property owners or the landowners had been
0:08:22 > 0:08:25talked to and knew about this.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27But, erm, but nobody spoke to us.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38So, from here to as far as you can see to the horizon there,
0:08:38 > 0:08:40that would all be... This is all housing.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47You do feel, you know, there's a real loss of our home, really.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51It's also got lots of very happy memories,
0:08:51 > 0:08:55because we've had our young kids here, and then they've grown up, and
0:08:55 > 0:08:58erm, it's like leaving any family home, but this is a very,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01very dramatic way to leave your family home, I think.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08I found it quite shocking that the Rushtons had never been consulted about this.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12But the law says anyone can submit a planning application on
0:09:12 > 0:09:15your land. They don't have to ask your permission.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17DOOR SLAMS
0:09:17 > 0:09:20- RADIO:- Not just for our good, it's for the good of the village, too.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Oh, the good of the village?
0:09:23 > 0:09:26You can be sure that not everyone is going to see it that way.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Within just a few days,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33the news of the announcement had spread through the village.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36- RADIO:- If I was dead, I could hardly let you know...
0:09:36 > 0:09:40I got wind of a hastily organised meeting at the village primary school.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48We hear all the time that we need houses, but we don't need houses here,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51absolutely desecrating greenfield sites...
0:09:51 > 0:09:54My feeling is that it's completely wrong,
0:09:54 > 0:09:59because you've got an ancient village going back to Anglo-Saxon times in
0:09:59 > 0:10:04Culham, and there you are plonking a town in the middle of these villages.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Squatting on children's chairs,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12the adults have come together to plot their resistance.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Exactly, and we're all fighting the same thing.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19But first of all, they need to choose a leader.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21- Who wants to lead? - Who wants to what?
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Who wants to lead this group?
0:10:28 > 0:10:30I will make every meeting I can,
0:10:30 > 0:10:34but I cannot be relied upon to be there all the time.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36I'm not going to be there all the time, either.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38I have my own business and I'm doing a degree.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40I mean, this is like, mega.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44Everyone here was adamant the new housing development was a catastrophe
0:10:44 > 0:10:46for Culham. But to me,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49they all seemed quite reluctant to take on the role of leader.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- Would you be happy to lead? - I'd prefer...
0:10:52 > 0:10:54You've put so much work into it already.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Yes, I'm willing to put work into it.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58- Yes.- But I'd quite like...
0:11:01 > 0:11:03..a more authoritative voice, put it that way,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05or someone who's been here longer.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07They'll be terrified of you!
0:11:07 > 0:11:09THEY LAUGH
0:11:09 > 0:11:13In the end, it was Caroline who was coronated.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Although she appeared quite conflicted about it.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20In six months' time,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23the planning authority will vote on the new development.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Even though the villagers don't get to vote,
0:11:26 > 0:11:31it's not a fait accompli - they can try and influence the decision.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35But I could see the idea of going to war did not sit easily with these
0:11:35 > 0:11:37genteel countryfolk.
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Bye, Caroline, thank you.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47The local plan should not allocate land for development where there would
0:11:47 > 0:11:51be significant harm caused to one or more priority habitats or species
0:11:51 > 0:11:54located on or in the vicinity of the site.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Over the next few weeks,
0:11:57 > 0:12:01Caroline will have to cram up on the immensely complicated world of
0:12:01 > 0:12:03planning law.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07As you can see, Culham Green Belt has taken over my office.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13She's going to have to take on planning officers and property developers
0:12:13 > 0:12:19- at their own game.- Pages and pages and pages and pages of documents,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21every document is, like, massive.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27As a manager of classical musicians,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30it's not something she will have been prepared for.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35Here was me just a sole trader running my own business and being a
0:12:35 > 0:12:40part-time student and sort of trying to be a reasonable mum and look after
0:12:40 > 0:12:45a garden, and suddenly I'm wading through sustainability appraisals
0:12:45 > 0:12:47and Green Belt reviews.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50I'm not pleased to be leading it.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54I'm doing it because I care about Culham.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57And somebody's got to, somebody's got to step up.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59But that's what it seems to be about, is that...
0:13:00 > 0:13:03..ordinary people are having to sort of step up and...
0:13:05 > 0:13:07..kind of do extraordinary things, really.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Or try to do extraordinary things.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Hear, hear!
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Mr Deputy Speaker, this is a complex challenge and there is no single magic bullet.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22If we don't increase the supply of land for new homes,
0:13:22 > 0:13:27more money will simply inflate prices and make matters worse.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31To tackle an extraordinary crisis in housing,
0:13:31 > 0:13:35the Government has taken the extraordinary step of overturning a law that
0:13:35 > 0:13:38was designed to protect our rural landscape.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45Up until now, the countryside around some of our major cities could not
0:13:45 > 0:13:49be built upon, to prevent urban sprawl.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53Now it can. But only in exceptional circumstances.
0:13:59 > 0:14:05This is the man who thinks he's found those exceptional circumstances.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11So, this is a map of South Oxfordshire,
0:14:11 > 0:14:13the southern corner of Oxfordshire.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17So, this top slice here, this dotted area is all Green Belt.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22And then we've got the Culham site, this is in the Green Belt here.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26A few weeks ago, not many people in Culham had heard of John Cotton.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30But now the leader of South Oxfordshire District Council is as
0:14:30 > 0:14:35popular in this part of rural England as Dutch elm disease.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37There were two big things that make a difference,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39for this site in particular.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42One is this area of employment, which you can see is pretty big.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44You know, there's 3,000 jobs or more on that site there.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47And then there's a railway line here, with a railway station just there.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51- And what does that mean?- Well, from a sustainability point of view,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53in terms of getting people moving about,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57we hope that by having homes here right next to a railway station,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01the likelihood that people who will choose to live here will either work
0:15:01 > 0:15:05on this site or choose to commute by rail into Didcot
0:15:05 > 0:15:12or up into Oxford, is high. Far higher than if you put them here or here or here or here.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Because there aren't railway station there.
0:15:14 > 0:15:15You live in a village, don't you?
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Yeah, I live in Burcot. So, I live here.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Slap bang between those two.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26And how would you feel if there was a big 3,500 house development
0:15:26 > 0:15:28next...coming to Burcot?
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Erm, well... I would say that we've got 1,700 homes here
0:15:31 > 0:15:32and 3,000 homes here,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and not actually that much further apart than Culham.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38My wife is somewhat edgy about this.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41She is not enamoured with the idea of it.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43- What, with Culham?- Yeah.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46- Why is that?- She thinks that we should try and preserve the
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Green Belt as much as we can.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52And, erm, is sceptical that, erm,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55that we need to build there.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58But it's not a topic of conversation in the Cotton household.
0:15:58 > 0:15:59It's best avoided!
0:16:01 > 0:16:02It's come to something, isn't it,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05when you've got to convince a whole district of your plans,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07but then also your wife, too.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09HE LAUGHS
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Erm...
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Yes, perhaps.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22John rejects the notion that Culham's new small town would destroy the
0:16:22 > 0:16:25village's iconic charm.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28To prove the point, he's taking me to another vast estate,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31not far from Culham - in Didcot.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34It's one of his proudest achievements.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37So, this is Great Western Park.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41When it's finished it'll be about 3,500 houses, all told,
0:16:41 > 0:16:42so it's quite a big development.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46What is it you like about this development?
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- HE LAUGHS - Erm...
0:16:49 > 0:16:50Why did you laugh?
0:16:50 > 0:16:54It wasn't the question I was expecting.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56What do I like about it...
0:16:57 > 0:17:00- It's a fantastic view. - BIRDS CHIRP
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Reminds me quite a lot of my grandparents' house.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04I'm not saying that was the motivation,
0:17:04 > 0:17:07but my grandparents used to live opposite a bowling green in a very
0:17:07 > 0:17:10dodgy part of Gorton in Manchester.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Erm... And the one nice bit of the area was the bowling green.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16People should be happy where they live.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19I would hope. I imagine that people who live here are very happy.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Rather like Dr Who,
0:17:27 > 0:17:33I felt as if I had journeyed through time to the year 2030 and I was
0:17:33 > 0:17:36driving through the future Culham new development.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Here, 10,000 people would live in perfect harmony.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45And up to 40% of them in affordable housing.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Who could argue against that?
0:17:50 > 0:17:52Well, tonight,
0:17:52 > 0:17:56John Cotton must sell his version of Utopia to the Culham residents.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02CHURCH ORGAN PLAYS
0:18:15 > 0:18:19John Cotton had agreed to explain his plans to the village, but the
0:18:19 > 0:18:23only place big enough to get everyone in is the church.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29The last time it was this busy was Christmas Eve.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39I was only allowed to record the audio of the meeting,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41so I went into the graveyard.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Culham has a rich history, which the villagers are rightly proud of, but
0:19:00 > 0:19:03it has not been immune from change.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11I've done some digging around and discovered that Culham, actually,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13shrank in medieval times.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25It might have been because of the result of the Black Death
0:19:25 > 0:19:28or a series of poor harvests, or even the failure to embrace
0:19:28 > 0:19:31modern farming techniques.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36No-one knows for sure.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Clearly, a huge amount of emotion involved in it.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00It is a really tricky thing if someone is suggesting building so
0:20:00 > 0:20:02many houses next door to you, I get that.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06But equally, as I talked to the audience about tonight, we've got to
0:20:06 > 0:20:08put these houses somewhere.
0:20:09 > 0:20:15It seemed the prayer at the start of the meeting had not had the desired effect.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19The matter will be decided when the planning authority
0:20:19 > 0:20:20vote in four months' time.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Order! Order!
0:20:30 > 0:20:37I now call the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Right honourable Philip Hammond.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41Successive governments over decades have failed to build enough homes to
0:20:41 > 0:20:46deliver the home-owning dream that this country has always been proud of,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49or indeed to meet the needs of those who rent.
0:20:49 > 0:20:50Hear, hear!
0:20:52 > 0:20:56I was wondering who will benefit from the new development at Culham,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59should it get built?
0:20:59 > 0:21:03And is the government's solution of building these vast new estates going
0:21:03 > 0:21:08to bring the prices down and make them affordable to the people who need them?
0:21:16 > 0:21:19- Hello.- Hi.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21SHE LAUGHS
0:21:21 > 0:21:27- You can't be tired again.- Mark and Rebecca, newlyweds with a new baby,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30have had to live with her parents for the last three years,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32just a mile outside Culham.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36- Er... It's not too bad, is it?- It's all right.- It has been all right.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39I mean, there's obviously challenges, you know,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42- for Mark, I think. - More for me than for you.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- Yeah. I mean, it's not a natural... - I'm living with my in-laws.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- And it's not a natural situation, is it? To live with your in-laws for so long.- No.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55But I suppose renting is not really the cheaper option, is it?
0:21:55 > 0:21:58No. No. Like I said, renting around here is the same.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01You would be paying the same amount per month as you would a mortgage.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04So you would never be able to afford to save.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Like other new estates in Oxfordshire,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11the one down the road is likely to have family homes on sale,
0:22:11 > 0:22:15for £300,000- £600,000.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19But how affordable will it be for this nurse and trainee paramedic?
0:22:19 > 0:22:23How big a deposit does one need these days to be able to get on the
0:22:23 > 0:22:24property ladder?
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Er... A lot. A lot!
0:22:28 > 0:22:31I mean, at least, I would say, probably £30,000.
0:22:31 > 0:22:37At least. But actually, I think, for us, it is not so much the deposit,
0:22:37 > 0:22:41it is what we would be offered mortgage wise.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Because we don't, you know, collectively, we won't earn a great deal.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46We both work for the NHS.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49I don't think we'll be offered a massive mortgage.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51How much would you be looking to spend?
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Realistically, I don't think any more than £250,000.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00But, again, being realistic around the area,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04there's not a great deal for £250,000.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07So, erm, yeah, I mean...
0:23:07 > 0:23:10It's not good.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- KNOCK ON DOOR - Hi, there.- Hi.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24- Hi. Would you like to come in? - Yeah, thanks.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26'Just down the road from Rebecca and Mark,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30'I paid a visit to a single mum who may no longer be able to afford to live
0:23:30 > 0:23:34- 'in the area she grew up in.' - Our cosy lounge.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39'Sarah did once own a house,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42'but has ended up renting after her marriage came to an end.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46'She'd like to get back on the property ladder.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50'But for now, she may not even be able to stay where she is.'
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Further to your application for housing benefit,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56I must inform you that with regard to you informing us of your change
0:23:56 > 0:24:00of circumstances, that your housing benefit has now been suspended.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07And the reason for that is because you've got a full-time job?
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Yes. Because I've gone full-time at my work.
0:24:10 > 0:24:15'Going full-time means Sarah now earns too much to get help to pay her rent.'
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Let me ask you, how much is your rent here?
0:24:19 > 0:24:21£1,325 a month.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26And how much is your income, if you don't mind me asking?
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Um...
0:24:30 > 0:24:32£200 short of that.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Right.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42'The shortfall in Sarah's wages mean she may need to move out when her
0:24:42 > 0:24:45'tenancy agreement is up in a few months' time.'
0:24:46 > 0:24:49So, you think you might have to move?
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Sadly.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Which is heartbreaking.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58- You like living here?- Yes.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01Well, it's our home.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Um...
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Sorry.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I think you just want to do the best for your children.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22- Are you OK?- Yeah.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31There are houses being built all around Oxfordshire.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Why are they so expensive?
0:25:34 > 0:25:40They need to look at the bigger picture of who actually needs these houses.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43First-time buyers, young couples.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49It certainly isn't a solution to my situation.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Solving the housing challenge takes more than money,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00it takes planning reform.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- Hear, hear!- We send a message to the next generation...
0:26:03 > 0:26:07You would think the new houses at Culham would benefit young couples
0:26:07 > 0:26:10like Rebecca and Mark and single mums like Sarah.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13But clearly, they are unlikely to.
0:26:13 > 0:26:18Instead, the plight of these three people illustrate how deep-rooted
0:26:18 > 0:26:21- the housing crisis is. - ..not hide from it.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24To seize the opportunities ahead of us and together,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27to build a Britain fit for the future.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!
0:26:41 > 0:26:44This is Abingdon Dog Training pet display team.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47It is the summer in Culham.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50And three months before the vote for the huge new development.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52And about turn!
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Most people are here to enjoy the tombola.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00And the dog show.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03John, thank you for coming. Congratulations on being re-elected.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Thank you.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09But Caroline and her campaigners are seeing it as a lobbying opportunity.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12That's got a rare orchid growing in the woods.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16They have done some research and believe the roads will
0:27:16 > 0:27:19never be able to cope with all the new traffic on the estate.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23And they are worried it could also destroy a lot of natural habitats,
0:27:23 > 0:27:25including a very rare heronry.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29That is the SSSI, isn't it?
0:27:29 > 0:27:33- Just sort of, just on the edge of this wood here.- Right.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36But behind this, the smiling faces,
0:27:36 > 0:27:39a sinister development was starting to unfold in the village.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46The new estate was still only a glint in John Cotton's eye.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50But people's lives were starting to be affected by it in a dramatic way.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58- RADIO:- Have you been spreading rumours about a housing development here?
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Why not? It is true, isn't it?
0:28:01 > 0:28:03Telling a village all about our business, it is so irresponsible.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07In a field, right next door to where the Rushtons live,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09is a woman who runs a stables.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11- RADIO:- If there is going to be a new housing estate in Ambridge,
0:28:11 > 0:28:13it is everybody's business!
0:28:13 > 0:28:16INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:28:16 > 0:28:19What is your horsey called, Isabella?
0:28:19 > 0:28:21- Titchy.- Sorry?
0:28:21 > 0:28:24- Titchy.- Titchy? - Yeah, Titchy.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28Isabella, can you come around here and put your hat on?
0:28:28 > 0:28:29Eight years ago,
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Mary started her business here with nothing and has since built it up
0:28:33 > 0:28:35into a thriving livery with 14 horses.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42Right, then, are you going to use the reins for a bit,
0:28:42 > 0:28:43and then we will do that? OK.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47She has installed her own stables, fences,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49and recently built a menage, too.
0:28:49 > 0:28:54Go on, give him a kick. That's it. Good girl.
0:28:55 > 0:28:57This was just an empty field when I came up here.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00So I started from nothing, basically.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02- SHE CLICKS HER TONGUE - Titch!
0:29:02 > 0:29:08So, everything is mine. All the stables, the shelters, the menage.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10SHE CLEARS THROAT
0:29:10 > 0:29:16Mary's stables sit in the middle of the 300-acre site of the future estate.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19And she rents the land from one of the main landowners.
0:29:20 > 0:29:25The landlord came to me saying that they were looking to build on this
0:29:25 > 0:29:32and that I would have to either go or he had to pay me out, basically.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Or relocate, should I say.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42This wasn't the only visit Mary had from her landlord around this time.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45On another occasion, when she was with her parish councillor,
0:29:45 > 0:29:48he turned up again at her stables.
0:29:48 > 0:29:53But this time, the mood was different and the tone was less friendly.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57He was basically saying I cannot have my business there.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02He said that
0:30:02 > 0:30:04no, I can't have my business, but it is not him doing it,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07it is the planners.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10And he wanted Mary to move...
0:30:10 > 0:30:13Er, lock, st... Well, not even lock, stock and barrel.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15- No.- He wanted you to move...
0:30:16 > 0:30:20..off the yard and he would offer that and he said that in front of
0:30:20 > 0:30:23me, that he was offering Mary's yard to somebody else.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28I've got it in writing that all my buildings and my fences would be
0:30:28 > 0:30:33bulldozed as of a date of leaving them.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38That is my business, so I should be able to just pick it up and move it.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42So I can carry on. But it is not that situation.
0:30:42 > 0:30:44So, erm, yeah...
0:30:56 > 0:30:58It is taking up a lot of my time and energy.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04And I just feel like I am up against a bully that is...
0:31:06 > 0:31:08..is making my life a misery.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10And actually, my other half has turned around and said to me
0:31:10 > 0:31:15I am just not myself... Sorry. ..the last few months...
0:31:15 > 0:31:17- SOBBING:- ..which is awful!
0:31:17 > 0:31:20- WHISPERING:- Such a good girl.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22SHE SOBS
0:31:22 > 0:31:25Which is horrible because...
0:31:27 > 0:31:30They are trying their best to push me out, basically.
0:31:30 > 0:31:32Yeah.
0:31:32 > 0:31:34It is not good.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40I found Mary's account of what unfolded that afternoon
0:31:40 > 0:31:42quite unsettling.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45Several months even before the villagers have had a chance to argue
0:31:45 > 0:31:51their case, there was a sense that things they hold dear, homes and livelihoods,
0:31:51 > 0:31:53were being threatened.
0:31:57 > 0:32:03Just a few yards from Mary's stables, the Rushtons had also had a visit.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05This time, from a property developer.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10A man with an interest in building Culham's new town,
0:32:10 > 0:32:11should it get approved.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19They sort of assured us that our house would remain...
0:32:19 > 0:32:23- ..which was big of them.- It was a bit of a relief because we were
0:32:23 > 0:32:25worried in March that they were going to, er...
0:32:25 > 0:32:29just bulldoze our whole area and build houses.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32So they reassured us that if we wish to stay here,
0:32:32 > 0:32:36er, we were welcome to do so.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39So this is what they said they would do for us.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45Does it provide you with any sense of comfort?
0:32:45 > 0:32:47SHE LAUGHS
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Well, I think it's a joke!
0:32:50 > 0:32:53It could be a cartoon.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55And I think we all know it could be a cartoon.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58It is going to be an absolute nightmare to live in this house.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00It is unimaginable.
0:33:00 > 0:33:04I mean, we are in the middle of just fields at the moment.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08To have that quantity of housing and people and cars
0:33:08 > 0:33:11is just unthinkable, really.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14I just think this is a huge force that we are up against.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16I mean, we have thought long and hard,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19and not just the campaign group, but us, just as a couple,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22is there a silver bullet that would stop it in its tracks?
0:33:24 > 0:33:28Even though the plans were a long way from being approved,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32there was a sense that some people were already acting as if it was a
0:33:32 > 0:33:33foregone conclusion.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37I contacted the developers,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40but they weren't interested in taking part in the documentary.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47For 20 minutes, I listened to this conversation that Mary would have to
0:33:47 > 0:33:50get rid of all her stables, would have to get rid of her...
0:33:50 > 0:33:54The following week, I was back in the primary school.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Top of the agenda for the parish council
0:33:56 > 0:33:59was the visit of the landowner to Mary's stables.
0:33:59 > 0:34:02So he turned up without any sort of formal request.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05All the key people from the campaign were present.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09But also, a legal representative for Mary's landowner.
0:34:09 > 0:34:11A man called John Taylor.
0:34:11 > 0:34:15I am quite astonished that landowners are already giving people
0:34:15 > 0:34:18notice on the land. It hasn't even gone through the local plan yet.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22Yeah. And several months ago, he came to me and he said that I'm going to have
0:34:22 > 0:34:24to move due to the planning.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27I think I ought to declare an interest here
0:34:27 > 0:34:31and say that this matter is in the hands of solicitors.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34THEY ALL TALK AT ONCE
0:34:34 > 0:34:36I do know the legal situation here.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39I'm not going any further on this because there is another side to
0:34:39 > 0:34:41this story, as to what has gone on in conversations.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48Did it take you by surprise, her accusations?
0:34:48 > 0:34:51- Yes.- Does that sound like the man that you know?
0:34:51 > 0:34:55No. And I have known the family for...forever.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59There are two brothers. This one is a fairly mild-mannered individual.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07The atmosphere in the classroom that evening had been very tense.
0:35:07 > 0:35:12In an odd way, Culham had become the centre of a kind of gold rush.
0:35:12 > 0:35:19I had heard an acre of farmland around here would normally cost about £10,000.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22But as soon as that same acre becomes earmarked for development,
0:35:22 > 0:35:26the value can shoot up to about £1 million an acre.
0:35:28 > 0:35:33The fields around those tiny hamlets and down by the stables and
0:35:33 > 0:35:36underneath the floorboards of the Rushtons' house,
0:35:36 > 0:35:38they were filled with gold.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44- RADIO:- We have got something these people are crying out for.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46- Land!- That's true.
0:35:46 > 0:35:51The two main landowners who own most of the 300,000 acres where the new
0:35:51 > 0:35:54development would be built were not willing to take part in the
0:35:54 > 0:35:58documentary. But John Taylor,
0:35:58 > 0:36:00the legal representative from the school meeting,
0:36:00 > 0:36:01was happy to do an interview.
0:36:03 > 0:36:06He is not just legal adviser to one of the landowners,
0:36:06 > 0:36:08he is married to the other.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13These are replicas of the terracotta army,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17that have been buried by one of the Chinese Emperors...
0:36:19 > 0:36:24..who originally had provision that on his death,
0:36:24 > 0:36:27the whole of his army was to be slaughtered and buried with him
0:36:27 > 0:36:30so that he could take them into the next world.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35I wanted to ask John how he justified building on the green belt.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40Unless we are prepared to expand into
0:36:40 > 0:36:44what are otherwise being seen as sacrosanct areas,
0:36:44 > 0:36:49which were placed...were laid out at a time when the population was
0:36:49 > 0:36:52probably 25 of 30% fewer than it is now...
0:36:53 > 0:36:58..how else are you going to house those people who aspire to have their own home?
0:36:58 > 0:37:00Almost every case,
0:37:00 > 0:37:05the people who are against the housing build have the huge advantage of
0:37:05 > 0:37:10living in a house. But I think that is the nature of the Britons.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12So, it's human nature, really?
0:37:12 > 0:37:16I am afraid it is. And again, you might say, is it only human nature?
0:37:16 > 0:37:19If you look at the animal kingdom,
0:37:19 > 0:37:22you get groups of chimpanzees coming across another troupe,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25straying into their territory, they get seriously upset.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30We think of it in terms of being perhaps only a human condition.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33I am afraid it isn't. I think we like to protect our own.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35I think that is probably what it is.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42To criticise people for being Nimbys is fairly easy, I guess,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45when your wife owns so much of the land around Culham.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51But talking to John made me aware that there is something in this issue
0:37:51 > 0:37:54that goes to the heart of the human psyche.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01I get the sense that the villagers feel at risk of being overwhelmed by
0:38:01 > 0:38:0410,000 new neighbours.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08Rather like the common grey squirrel monopolising its rarer,
0:38:08 > 0:38:10red-coated cousin.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23In the four months since the announcement of the development,
0:38:23 > 0:38:27one family in Culham had seen their home erased from a map.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31And another person had apparently had her business threatened.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36Now, more than ever, was the time to fight back.
0:38:38 > 0:38:43And how better than sending some strongly worded letters to the council as
0:38:43 > 0:38:46part of a public consultation process?
0:38:49 > 0:38:53Edward has travelled down to John Cotton's vision of Shangri-La,
0:38:53 > 0:38:58Great Western Park, in Didcot, and he has taken some photographs.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01All I can say, if the council consider innovative
0:39:01 > 0:39:04is what they built up there,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06and here's a picture I took the other day,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09it is absolutely horrendous.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Soul-less, no character, it is a disgrace
0:39:12 > 0:39:14to this beautiful rural county.
0:39:18 > 0:39:23Guy and Sophie Wilson are both submitting objections, too.
0:39:24 > 0:39:28- Let me ask you a really contentious question.- OK.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30How would you feel if your children
0:39:30 > 0:39:35- ended up as adults in Great Western Park?- Erm, how would I feel?
0:39:35 > 0:39:41Erm, if they're happy and they have got jobs and they've got friends
0:39:41 > 0:39:45and...are able to communicate, and...
0:39:46 > 0:39:49..then I would be proud of them. And support them.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54I think ultimately, we're country people.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56Yeah. But if they owned their own houses, though?
0:39:56 > 0:40:00As well... I'd be proud of that...
0:40:01 > 0:40:03..as well.
0:40:03 > 0:40:05Buying their own houses is hard these days.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10It's now a waiting game for the villagers.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15They are hoping so many of them object to the plans it will affect
0:40:15 > 0:40:18the vote in one month's time.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21THE ARCHERS THEME PLAYS
0:40:25 > 0:40:27- RADIO:- We're very pleased to be offering a small number
0:40:27 > 0:40:30affordable houses for the village.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Now, now, then, PLEASE hear Mr Elliott out.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36RADIO DIALOGUE FADES OUT
0:40:37 > 0:40:39During my time in Culham,
0:40:39 > 0:40:43I'd met a single mum who was in a Catch-22 situation,
0:40:43 > 0:40:46and facing the prospect of losing her home.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51This afternoon, I was going to meet up with Sarah
0:40:51 > 0:40:53at the local Citizens Advice Bureau.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59So, you've been looking at the housing situation, I understand,
0:40:59 > 0:41:03and you've been in contact with the council's housing office?
0:41:03 > 0:41:09- Yes.- And at the moment they regard you as adequately housed.- Mm.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12Because Sarah had recently returned to full-time work,
0:41:12 > 0:41:17she'd had her housing benefit cut, and now, unable to afford the rent,
0:41:17 > 0:41:20she was having to look into social housing.
0:41:20 > 0:41:23- Erm, you're on the housing registry, I understand.- Yes.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27But unfortunately, given the shortage of social housing in the area,
0:41:27 > 0:41:29and the demand for it,
0:41:29 > 0:41:33there's no guarantee you'll be able to bid for a suitable property...
0:41:34 > 0:41:37- That's ridiculous. - ..in the near future.- OK.
0:41:38 > 0:41:39I'm very sorry.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43- No.- It's the situation.- OK.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Perversely, Sarah might need to default on her rent,
0:41:46 > 0:41:49effectively making her and her family homeless,
0:41:49 > 0:41:52before she is eligible for social housing.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56There's got to be a way round, to not having to get to that situation.
0:41:56 > 0:42:00- There must be... - Well...- I have to make a decision.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02I've got to sign this or do I...?
0:42:02 > 0:42:07Am I voluntarily being awkward and saying, "Well, I'm not going to get out."
0:42:07 > 0:42:11What...? So, I'm automatically going into arrears.
0:42:12 > 0:42:14Right.
0:42:14 > 0:42:18Well, speak to your landlord and explain your situation.
0:42:18 > 0:42:19Right.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24- Is there anything else today? - No, I think I've just got to...
0:42:24 > 0:42:27I mean, I do sympathise with your situation, but it is difficult for you.
0:42:27 > 0:42:29I just feel there is no answer at the moment.
0:42:29 > 0:42:33I don't feel like I'm any further forward.
0:42:33 > 0:42:37You are literally in no man's land. You're stuck.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Bring on the debt and the worry, basically.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56Ironically, the simple solution for Sarah would be to return to her
0:42:56 > 0:42:59part-time work and to go back to claiming benefits.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01But that's not something she wants to do.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07INDISTINCT CHATTER
0:43:08 > 0:43:13But what her situation made me aware of was that the battle raging over
0:43:13 > 0:43:18Culham was really just a symptom of a much larger malaise at the heart
0:43:18 > 0:43:20of the housing crisis.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22- How are you? - Thank you for joining us.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24- Very well, thank you.- Hello.
0:43:24 > 0:43:30There are just two weeks to go before the vote on the Culham new town development.
0:43:30 > 0:43:33The results of the public consultation are out,
0:43:33 > 0:43:38and there is a bombshell in store for the villagers of Culham.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41LIVELY CHATTER
0:43:49 > 0:43:53So, you can see Culham, objections, supports,
0:43:53 > 0:43:57in terms of the tone of comments, are pretty even.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59'According to John's the results, slightly more people
0:43:59 > 0:44:02'from the surrounding area SUPPORT the development
0:44:02 > 0:44:04'than are against it.'
0:44:04 > 0:44:06Are you surprised by that?
0:44:06 > 0:44:08I mean, I'm kind of surprised from the way, you know,
0:44:08 > 0:44:10the people of Culham have been talking.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14- Maybe I'm not talking to the right people.- Erm, I'm surprised and not surprised.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16I mean, there are a lot of good reasons for including Culham,
0:44:16 > 0:44:20but there's one big reason to not do it, and it's that that is in a Green Belt.
0:44:20 > 0:44:24It's not something we would want to do if we had alternatives.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27I mean, the key thing is, this isn't a referendum.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30We're not choosing by which site most people like and which one most
0:44:30 > 0:44:34people don't like. We're choosing on the basis of planning reasons.
0:44:35 > 0:44:38Saying why, for planning reasons, you wouldn't want to choose that site.
0:44:38 > 0:44:45Two, four, six, eight. SODC's in a state!
0:44:45 > 0:44:50A bridge is what it wants to buy, the countryside can just go die.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54- CROWD:- Two, four, six, eight...
0:44:54 > 0:44:58Caroline and Cathy have arranged for a final protest on the village green.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04Hi, everyone. Just want to say a big thank you for everyone for turning
0:45:04 > 0:45:07out today to support us.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09This is such a massive,
0:45:09 > 0:45:12such a massive project, and we're working...
0:45:12 > 0:45:16- Keep going.- We are working really, really hard to try and save Culham.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19We have got green tea and scones...
0:45:19 > 0:45:22I put John Cotton's findings to Caroline.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27Those figures are manipulated. That's absolutely untrue.
0:45:27 > 0:45:29Anything that they dream up like that is just
0:45:29 > 0:45:32complete rubbish.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35- It's distorted.- Politics.- Distorted facts.
0:45:38 > 0:45:40Thanks for that.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45Caroline is adamant that John Cotton's results are fixed.
0:45:45 > 0:45:47And I must admit that, today,
0:45:47 > 0:45:50the whole village does seem united in opposition.
0:45:53 > 0:45:58But I was intrigued to find out if there were any dissenters in the ranks
0:45:58 > 0:46:01and whether they would be brave enough to speak to me.
0:46:06 > 0:46:09I was going to do my own survey of the village.'
0:46:31 > 0:46:33- Hello.- Hi.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36- What's your name? - Maurice Braithwaite.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40What's your feeling about this new development?
0:46:40 > 0:46:42Well, I'm for it, actually.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46I think with the progress that's going on, we do need it, you know,
0:46:46 > 0:46:50because there's young couples there's a lot of people that are home
0:46:50 > 0:46:52starters and whatever, you know what I mean?
0:46:52 > 0:46:56They need to get onto that...that circle, sort of thing, you know?
0:47:07 > 0:47:10The Green Belt is completely choking the housing market and causes all
0:47:10 > 0:47:12the house prices to go up, making it really,
0:47:12 > 0:47:15really difficult for anyone to get into the property market.
0:47:15 > 0:47:18And I think that's really unfair.
0:47:18 > 0:47:21I feel like there are probably people involved in it who are more
0:47:21 > 0:47:24concerned about their house price is not going down...erm...
0:47:26 > 0:47:29..than they are about the environment or about Culham as a historic place.
0:47:31 > 0:47:33And are you happy?
0:47:33 > 0:47:36Have you thought this through, about speaking out in this documentary?
0:47:36 > 0:47:39Have you thought about the ramifications, personally, in the village?
0:47:39 > 0:47:40Yeah. I'm not scared.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45THE ARCHERS THEME PLAYS
0:47:45 > 0:47:49- RADIO:- Me and Ed have lived and worked here all our lives.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53There isn't even a sliver of a chance of us having our own home in the village.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59The doorknocking had made me aware that it's those who don't want the
0:47:59 > 0:48:02houses who have the loudest voices.
0:48:02 > 0:48:07- RADIO:- These affordable houses would be a real chance to give our children a
0:48:07 > 0:48:08decent life here in Ambridge.
0:48:11 > 0:48:16Perhaps the fictional village of Ambridge is the exception to the rule.
0:48:16 > 0:48:18Hello. Good to see you!
0:48:19 > 0:48:21But I felt, across the country,
0:48:21 > 0:48:27those who need new homes do not bear placards or chant slogans.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31Maybe they are the silent majority.
0:48:33 > 0:48:38- RADIO:- They're hypocrites! Talking about having sympathy for young people
0:48:38 > 0:48:42wanting to make a start in life and then shooting us down in the next breath!
0:48:43 > 0:48:47Personally, I don't care as long as my family has a home of our own!
0:48:51 > 0:48:57What I was learning making this film is that not everything is as it first appears.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04I was heading back to the family whose home had been erased from the map.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08Do you want some milk?
0:49:08 > 0:49:10The Rushtons have always been at the very heart
0:49:10 > 0:49:13of the Culham protest movement. Five months ago,
0:49:13 > 0:49:16they were at the very first meeting
0:49:16 > 0:49:20of activists that took place at the primary school.
0:49:20 > 0:49:21But, in all that time,
0:49:21 > 0:49:25no-one had explained why their house had been overlooked.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37At last, John Cotton has agreed to meet with them.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43Good day.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45- Andrew, hi.- Hello. Good to see you.
0:49:45 > 0:49:47Well, please have a seat.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50- Where do you want me?- Mr Cotton, do you prefer, or John?- John, John.- OK.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53- Take a seat, please.- Definitely.
0:49:53 > 0:49:56When you were in the church, we met you afterwards and you said, you know,
0:49:56 > 0:49:59I am sorry, this shouldn't have... And you did promise...
0:49:59 > 0:50:03- An unfortunate set of circumstances. - You did promise, John, you did say
0:50:03 > 0:50:05that you'd give us individual feedback within weeks,
0:50:05 > 0:50:08"An e-mail, would that suffice?" And there wasn't anything.
0:50:08 > 0:50:10I'm pretty sure I sent you something, but anyway.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13- You didn't.- No, you didn't.- OK. - OK.- And, actually,
0:50:13 > 0:50:15we thought our house was going to be demolished and I actually went
0:50:15 > 0:50:17through some grief at that stage,
0:50:17 > 0:50:21because I felt that there is no sign of our house here, none at all.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24What more would you want us to have done, then,
0:50:24 > 0:50:28because we're at a very early stage, so this kind of detail is...
0:50:28 > 0:50:31I think what more you could have done is shown an awful lot more respect to us.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34We have had no respect paid to us whatsoever.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36As it is, you know,
0:50:36 > 0:50:39you became your own worst enemy because we have become rather angry
0:50:39 > 0:50:42about all of this, and we wouldn't have been so angry if we were informed at a
0:50:42 > 0:50:45much earlier stage. We would have been much more reasonable.
0:50:47 > 0:50:49Heard and understood.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54That's what's they showed us as the scheme.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56So this is our land.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59Like I said, a trapezium type shape.
0:50:59 > 0:51:02- We think this is a laugh.- Mm.
0:51:02 > 0:51:05How would to you imagine that would be like to live in?
0:51:06 > 0:51:10Erm... Hard to picture, really.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13I mean, these things are always a matter of negotiation, aren't they?
0:51:13 > 0:51:16You know, I don't know what the landowner has been offered for this land,
0:51:16 > 0:51:19but I would imagine... How many acres are we saying this is?
0:51:19 > 0:51:22Well, there's two landowners, so that's 300 acres.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24300 acres, so if you said £1 million an acre,
0:51:24 > 0:51:25which is not unusual,
0:51:25 > 0:51:28I would have thought that is what this will demand somewhere there,
0:51:28 > 0:51:31or thereabouts. That's £300 million.
0:51:31 > 0:51:32HE LAUGHS
0:51:32 > 0:51:36You can see now why this big business makes these things happen as they do.
0:51:36 > 0:51:39There's huge amounts of money involved.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43So, if it goes ahead in that way, I'd be surprised, very surprised.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48- I would have thought the developers will make you an offer you can't resist.- Mm.
0:51:48 > 0:51:51Would be my expectation.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55But, who knows?
0:51:57 > 0:52:00I don't think it's as negative as you see it.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03I think you're in a more powerful position than you might realise.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05Mm.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25After John Cotton had left,
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Andrew and Cathy told me they had been made an offer for their land,
0:52:28 > 0:52:32but they wouldn't tell me how much, and they said they'd rejected it.
0:52:34 > 0:52:38I can see that the Rushtons would prefer it if the development just
0:52:38 > 0:52:43went away, but I also sensed that they were quite conflicted about it.
0:52:45 > 0:52:52What would you do if someone offered you several times the value of your home?
0:52:59 > 0:53:01- RADIO:- I take it you're here for the meeting, ladies?
0:53:01 > 0:53:04Of course. As concerned locals, it's our duty.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08It's the day of the vote for the new Culham development.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15I probably come across as much more feisty than I really am.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18I take things very personally, I'm very sensitive...
0:53:19 > 0:53:22..and, erm, I cry a lot.
0:53:24 > 0:53:29I get very weepy about various things and I love my family and I
0:53:29 > 0:53:32love my house and I love...
0:53:32 > 0:53:34I love rural life.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38And I've really, really grown to love this village and I don't want
0:53:38 > 0:53:41to see it ruined.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45I don't want to find that it's turned into a big town.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50- RADIO:- You're speaking as though they're already approved, Justin,
0:53:50 > 0:53:54- which clearly they are not. - Not yet, Linda.- Quite.
0:53:56 > 0:54:00- CHANTING:- Save the Green Belt! Save the Green Belt!
0:54:01 > 0:54:05- Save Culham Green Belt! - CHANTING:- Save the Green Belt!
0:54:05 > 0:54:08Save the Green Belt! It's not a joke.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10It's not a joke, it's deadly serious.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13I'm smiling, Caroline.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17That's the trouble. He's smirking most of the time.
0:54:20 > 0:54:24This vote signals the end of my time here.
0:54:24 > 0:54:29Thank you and welcome, everybody. Now, in view of the...
0:54:29 > 0:54:33Caroline will have just three minutes to persuade the planning authority
0:54:33 > 0:54:35to vote against the plans.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39If I lived in Culham,
0:54:39 > 0:54:43I'm not sure I'd like the idea of a whole new town arriving on my
0:54:43 > 0:54:47doorstep. It's a huge decision to build on the Green Belt and,
0:54:47 > 0:54:50once it's gone, it's gone forever.
0:54:50 > 0:54:55Can I ask Caroline Baird to come to the table?
0:54:55 > 0:54:59But, maybe, sacrificing a village here or there is a price worth paying,
0:54:59 > 0:55:02if it gets to the root of the problem.
0:55:06 > 0:55:10I ask you to vote against this and take Culham out of the local plan
0:55:10 > 0:55:14tonight. Leave Green Belt boundaries as they are.
0:55:14 > 0:55:16No compromises.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20- Thank you for listening. - Thank you very much.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25But if the Culham new town finally gets built,
0:55:25 > 0:55:29will the people who most need those homes be able to afford them?
0:55:30 > 0:55:33To even start solving the housing crisis,
0:55:33 > 0:55:36the answer to that question has to be yes.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41I think we can now go straight to a vote.
0:55:43 > 0:55:46All those in favour...
0:55:54 > 0:55:57Against...
0:55:59 > 0:56:01- Two...- Two...
0:56:01 > 0:56:03So that is carried.
0:56:03 > 0:56:06Thank you, everyone, especially the public.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09And the ones who are sitting on the wooden chairs,
0:56:09 > 0:56:11my heart goes out to you.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14BUZZ OF CHATTER
0:56:24 > 0:56:26Watch out for Mr Mole.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30- RADIO:- Oh, sorry to call round so late.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34But the PC have voted and I wanted to let you know in person.
0:56:34 > 0:56:39- OK.- They approved the proposed housing development.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42- Really?- Yes. - That's great.
0:56:42 > 0:56:47I thought you'd be pleased. Your speech changed a few minds,
0:56:47 > 0:56:52- or at least gave them something to think about.- Really?- 100%.
0:57:30 > 0:57:34On next week's episode, I'm on the other side of the fence,
0:57:34 > 0:57:39with the architects and the developers who are changing the face of rural Britain.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42We provide something will work for the next 100, 200, 300 years.
0:57:45 > 0:57:51With the people trying to create a sense of community from scratch.
0:57:51 > 0:57:53THEY CHEER
0:57:53 > 0:57:57I'm really excited over my postbox!
0:57:57 > 0:58:01- Yippee! - CHILDREN CHEER
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Hello!
0:58:04 > 0:58:09And, with the pioneers making these new mini utopias their home.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11This is a nosy person's paradise!
0:58:12 > 0:58:15But like I said, I like to know what they're doing anyway,
0:58:15 > 0:58:17so it doesn't matter!
0:58:17 > 0:58:19There's no soul to the place, is there?
0:58:19 > 0:58:21It's just... It's just a roof over our head.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27Nobody has a right to a view.
0:58:27 > 0:58:30Things change and we have to get used to that in Britain.