A visit to the site in question (reference 1) reveals a dispute about backlands. That is to say, one or more the the houses encircling a couple of acres of gardens are trying to sell up to a developer who want to put eight new houses on some of them. All the houses who are not selling up are profoundly shocked and hurt.
The sort of dispute that I am a bit uncomfortable about. The density of the older housing estates around here is quite low by the standards of modern estates and we quite clearly need more housing, which has to go somewhere. I think I prefer upping the density to taking over more green belt land - with memories of other places where houses have been allowed to sprawl all over the place - for example the Isle of Skye (houses which may well have been built with EU money for all I know) and the hinterlands to French beach resorts. I also have memories of new build estates on the north Norfolk coast - which are all fine and dandy, at least when the sun is shining, but where on earth are the jobs for the people who live in them? Round here we have the jobs.
On the other hand, I live on such an estate and the quality of my life would be diminished if a couple of next door neighbours sold up in this way. Diminished quite a lot in the short term while building was going on, somewhat in the long term when I would have more people and fewer trees overlooking our garden.
All said and done though, I think that, left to myself, I would not go to war about it. I would be sorry and that would be about it, and I would do my best to get on with my new neighbours.
PS: note the heritage ironmongery on what is probably a not very old gate. I think it can be bought in places like Homebase or Chessington Garden Centre.
Reference 1: http://www.saveourgardens.org/.
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