Sunday 13 July 2008

Housing Plans

Residents in Broxtowe have reacted with disbelief to the proposals of consultants that three large housing estates could be built on the greenbelt in the borough. Before I go any further I'll make it clear that I would personally be very affected by these proposals as the largest proposed estate is directly behind my house. I don't hide from that at all.

Even if I wasn't affected personally I would still consider the proposals to be deeply flawed. The consultants did not look at any possible sites in the flood plain. That may be understandable given last years flooding, but if buildings were properly designed with flood risks in mind then matters could be far better than they are at the moment.

Equally on the largest proposed site in the borough, that directly behind my house, the consultants taken no account at all of the wholly inadequate transport arrangements that exist here for getting into the centre of Nottingham. All traffic has to go on one of two already highly congested roads, the A52 or the A609. Neither of these has the spare capacity to take potentially a further 10,000 vehicles travelling each way each day.

As a member of the Development Control Committee I have to consider any planning applications impartially and dispassionately, which I will do, but I cannot see how this proposed rape of the green belt could ever be justified.