17th October 2025
When Lisa Smart MP appeared on BBC Question Time this week, Romiley residents might have momentarily spilled their brews in disbelief. There she was, in full technicolour, declaring that “what we don’t want is a load of quite uninspiring homes being built on patches of land that we really value.”
Strong words, Lisa. Stirring stuff. Almost enough to make you forget about Padden Brook. Almost.
For those with shorter memories (or longer patience), Padden Brook is that little green lung near Romiley where, for 14 long months, residents watched as a W1-protected woodland was slowly destroyed — while Smart’s office apparently operated on a “strictly observational” policy, if they even observed.
Now, almost after the last tree has fallen and the last bird has packed its bags for Marple Bridge, we find ourselves listening to the very same MP explaining that we must build homes — “but only in the right places.” One imagines she meant somewhere else, perhaps somewhere not visible from the BBC cameras.
Locals might be forgiven for thinking there’s a touch of irony here — or maybe just impeccable comedic timing. After all, there’s something almost performance-art about decrying “uninspiring homes on valued land” after watching valued land turned into uninspiring homes.
But let’s be fair. Perhaps Ms Smart was referring to a new phase of political innovation: “retroactive opposition” — the brave art of condemning things long after they’ve happened. It’s a bold strategy.
Meanwhile, the Padden Brook campaigners, armed with shovels, saplings, and a sense of déjà vu, continue their work — actually fighting for our green spaces.
