Housing fears (From Evesham Journal)

Housing fears

8:00am Saturday 30th June 2012 in Letters

A ‘CONSULTATION’ meeting with housing developer Crest Nicholson on Monday night at Bretforton Village Hall revealed how badly our local councillors have managed the implications of the Localism Act 2011.

The housing developers have seized upon on the local maps in the poorly thought out and yet to be ratified South Worcestershire Development Plan.

They stated that because Wychavon District Council hasn’t got a five-year housing plan, there is a “presumption to agree” to the building of as many new homes as they can fit in on the land highlighted on the SWDP maps.

In Bretforton, when the parish council had a public meeting about the SWDP, we were told that no actual plans had been submitted and that they were consulting about whether the village needed the housing.

At no stage was it made clear that we were being asked to approve the principle that the land would be developed.

The housing developers have now informed us that the original meeting was in fact the first stage of getting approval to have a housing development.

They told us that the principle of whether we want Bretforton’s open spaces turned into housing estates is no longer open for discussion and that the debate now is what type of houses and how many will be built upon the sites along Station Road.

We are now facing an onslaught of planning applications for housing estates that have no consideration for infrastructure, schools, drainage, employment and an irreversible carpeting of productive agricultural land that has provided jobs in our village for years.

I would strongly urge all residents to investigate what is being planned in their area and then point out to our district councillors that if they don’t support the views of the their electorate and protect the environment in which we live and work, we will choose new independent councillors at the next election who will keep us properly informed and fight for our views in planning meetings.

Local residents who are concerned by Crest Nicholson’s and other developers plans for Station Road in Bretforton are asked to attend a meeting at the village hall at 8pm tomorrow night (June 29) to form a neighbourhood group to discuss what actions can be taken.

WARWICK PARTINGTON Station Road, Bretforton