Ben Castell
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bencastell.bsky.social
Ben Castell
@bencastell.bsky.social
The town planner
Mary Gauthier for us last night. Spellbinding in a lower key way. Interesting how sad songs make me happy.
November 9, 2025 at 9:45 PM
So annoyed. 16 Lovers Lane is exactly the music 15 year old me loved. I knew the band & taped the singles so why on earth did I never listen to the album until now? These songs should have been living in my head for the last 37 years.

1988 was the best year for music as it was the year I turned 16.
September 2, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Email from EasyJet inviting me to check in. Any guesses which airport they, or presumably their AI, are calling London North?
June 13, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Wichita Line and Length Man
March 26, 2025 at 8:26 PM
You can try your #plantech if you like but don’t tell me a planning notice on a lamppost will never elicit pubic comment.
March 21, 2025 at 8:01 PM
I imagine the built environment people still on Twitter are excited about this.
January 22, 2025 at 12:27 PM
I have a passoin for it
December 12, 2024 at 2:31 PM
Alongside what politicians say about it on the radio, I have learnt to take articles about what is going to be in imminent planning reforms with a huge pinch of salt. But I hope this plan to take another look at the green belt is true.
December 10, 2024 at 11:05 PM
Planning news from this time last year.

Nothing has changed but then everything has.
December 6, 2024 at 4:58 PM
Any idea on my September?
December 4, 2024 at 10:37 PM
Some of my friends were pleased when their kids started uni in cities with good football watching opportunities.

Not sure how many other parents were pleased theirs got into Cambridge because it means more excuses to get to the Abbey Stadium.
November 26, 2024 at 8:48 PM
Yep
November 23, 2024 at 8:52 AM
Here’s what less concrete looks like. From AJ.
November 13, 2024 at 10:44 AM
Interesting company. What does this photo my wife has sent from Hong Kong say about where the Chinese state positions Trump in the fight against Western democracy?
October 30, 2024 at 4:19 PM
I have video of Peston and Balls murdering Anarchy in UK, featuring a glimpse of Ed Miliband’s rock n roll face if anybody’s particularly keen to see it.
September 8, 2024 at 3:33 PM
Many angry armchair experts at meeting our neighbours at Highgate Society holding about our proposed LTN.

The vicar & several resident assocs come out against.

Many people within the LTN think they’ll get more traffic.

Odd speaker from the floor requests people actually look at the evidence.
September 3, 2024 at 7:20 PM
I thought our (wonderful) street party had reached peak North London last year when Ed Balls and Robert Peston’s band Centrist Dad performed Anarchy in the UK to an audience including 2 Labour leaders and the BBC Culture Editor.

Now I am thinking again…
September 2, 2024 at 12:07 PM
August 30, 2024 at 1:45 PM
Does this count?

Top tip: ALWAYS sit on the right when flying into Heathrow.
August 19, 2024 at 10:50 AM
Listening to nothing else until 8pm
July 14, 2024 at 8:54 AM
Football tonight. Stevenage fans taunting Cambridge fans: “just a town full of Tories”. Ignorance of electoral geography aside (Cambridge not Tory since 1992; Stevenage Tory since 2010), shows that Conservatives have lost Stevenage Man.
February 27, 2024 at 11:36 PM
I’m a Quentin man
February 16, 2024 at 8:31 PM
Good haul this year.
December 25, 2023 at 9:57 AM
November 17, 2023 at 10:03 PM
Was a great tape. Either this or Rattlesnakes in that car usually.
November 11, 2023 at 10:44 PM