Letter to an open-minded NIMBY
An article for The Critic
I was recently comissioned to write something for The Critic magazine. Read the full thing here.
Dear NIMBY,
I know that name, NIMBY, starts us off on the wrong foot, but I promise that I want to talk to you not as a political opponent but as a fellow citizen — maybe even as a future neighbour.
I understand that you have solid reasons for why you object to new development; why you push back against housing targets; why the council granting planning permission sends you running to judicial review. I get that your scenic views, local walks and amenities such as parking might be affected if those houses went up, if that reservoir were built or if your station car park were given over for flats. There are generally downsides to these decisions, and the current system leaves those downsides to be felt most acutely by those who already live in the local area. I can acknowledge all of that.
In return, I need you to acknowledge what life is like outside your front door. Demographically, you’re now probably at least into your fifties. It’s likely that you own your home; you might even have paid off your mortgage. You were born when that was an achievable goal, even the norm, for millions of people. Yes, you had to work hard, but you’re now living in shady suburbia or a verdant village, owning a valuable asset that confers security and wealth upon you and your family. It’s easy for you not to realise — or turn a blind eye to — the fact that this deal no longer exists.