Communique: squatters resist RDA demolition at Morlands

[Simon Fairlie]

THE LAND IS OURS — COMMUNIQUE	

Monday 5 January, 3 am

I have received a phone call confirming that 15 squatters have just  
occupied buildings at the Southern End of the Morlands site between  
Glastonbury and Street, Somerset. Formerly the site of the Morlands  
leather works, this is, the largest derelict site in the South West  
and has remained empty for over 14 years The occupied buildings are  
scheduled for demolition, commencing today, 5 January.

In 2001, The Land Is Ours planned an occupation of the site, but  
called it off at the last moment when the  SW Regional Development  
Agency suddenly bought the site, claiming it was going to redevelop  
it “sustainably”.

In the intervening 8 years,  the RDA has done absolutely nothing to  
the site except  demolish over half the buildings , even though most  
of these were assessed as beng sound and viable by a surveyors  
report. One of the buildings destroyed was the Hepworth Building, the  
first vaulted north light building ever erected in the UK. All of  
these demolitions occurred at short notice after assurances to  
concerned members of the public that they would not be demolished.

The RDA has also refused to consider at least three local proposals  
for sustainable redevelopment of the existing buildings, and  
persistently ignored all representations from the organizations  
promoting these projects.
It has also refused to consider any request from individuals and  
small businesses to rent any of the premises.

The RDA announced a week before Christmas,that they would be  
demolishing the South End the buildings  on the 5 January, on the  
pretext  that kids are getting in and might hurt themselves!  But you  
don't demolish tens of thousands of square feet of well built  
workshops that would cost many millions of pounds to build again,  
just to save the wages of a night watchman.

It is clear that the RDA's aim is to clear the site so it can sell  
off oven-ready brownfield sites to its cronies in the development  
industry. This is typical of the  duplicitous behaviour of the  
Regional Development Agencies which is experienced by nearly  
everybody who comes into contact with them, and earlier in 2008 was  
the subject of a Radio 4 documentary.


IF YOU ARE IN THE REGION PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT THE OCCUPATION WHEN  
IT FACES  TO THE DEMOLITION CREW IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS.

PLEASE SEND THIS COMMUNIQUÉ TO OTHER LISTS AND FRIENDS, ESPECIALLY  
PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH WEST

Simon Fairlie for The Land Is Ours

FOR MORE INFORMATION 01460 249204; chapter7 at tlio.org.uk

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