Another Downton episode!

Our Downton Abbey episode last Thursday (which you can still read by clicking here) has set a number of people thinking, including David Latchford. We are delighted to bring you his take on an episode of Downton starring David Gladman, the speculative developer and the Earl of Grantham as they visit Audlem:

As may be imagined, David Gladman was not well pleased by the Planning Inspector's refusal of his planning application to build houses on the front lawn at Downton Abbey although he was not aware as yet that the Inspector had been blackmailed into giving his refusal by the Dowager Countess of Grantham in return for her keeping quiet about his one night stand with Lady Mary.

He therefore went to see Lord Grantham to try and persuade him to use his influence with Lord Pickle of Bradford to have the Inspector's decision reversed. Lord Grantham was, hardly surprisingly, still totally against house building on his lawn.

David Gladman, trying a different tack, told him that the income from the T.V. Series on Downton Abbey would not last forever and pointed out that Upstairs Dowstairs was for most people a distant memory and that he would soon run out of money.

Moreover, if he did not act quickly he would not be able to use the loophole caused by the Planning Authority's failure to complete their Local Plan and 5-year Housing Supply, thus losing the opportunity of making millions of pounds.

"Come with me to Cheshire," said Gladman "and I'll show you where a load of NIMBYS are trying to stop me building just because they are rich people who want to keep their lovely country views at my expense."

And so it was that Lord Grantham and Gladman travelled to Audlem and parked their Rolls-Royce in Daisy Bank Crescent.

"These people do not look especially rich to me," declared Lord Grantham. "Perhaps not" retorted Gladman, "but you and I will be when we've ruined their view".

"But won't the people buying your new houses have to be very rich to be able to afford these views?" asked Lord Grantham.

"Ah" said Gladman archfully, "this is where the clever bit comes in. First I build the houses and fleece the new owners who think they are getting lovely views. Then when their money is in my pocket, I will fulfill my obligation (which was in small print obviously) to sell the land in front of them for allotments which are what this village wants, apparently".

"Can you imagine their faces", he chuckles, "when their fancy views are blocked by a load of corrugated iron sheds and rotting compost heaps! Talk about the stinking rich. That'll show them!"

"I will promise them a new village hall, a new medical centre, a new school and lots of other goodies but having sold the houses, the builder can always go bust leaving them with a 120 boring estate houses but nothing else".

"By Jove David," says Lord Grantham, getting all first name-ish, "I am not sure I approve but I suppose one has to move on these days and accept new ideas. Or so everyone tells me! So,
If we can get Lord Pickle to move the planning application from my front lawn to up here in Audlem, what's in it for me?"

"Well your Lordship" says Gladman, with a nod and a wink and a sly grin, "I think I can make it worth your while".

And so it came to pass, fast forwarding to 2030, that Downton Abbey remains in idyllic open countryside whilst Audlem, due to the precedent of the Gladman estate, and with the inevitable further developments, has expanded dramatically and is now part of Crewe.

To be continued..... or altered by events.

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.