BASE HEADER

Having considered the proposals we would like to object as follows:-

We understand the need for more housing, but this should be in areas already available for development, not encroaching onto Green Belt.

There may not be many Brownfield or similar category sites, but what is there should be built on before any Greenfield land is utilised. Land has been designated Green Belt for a specific reason, that it is not to be built on. So why try to change this?

More recent development of the town seems to have been weighted on the south side. This is logical as it offers easier access to the motorway, train station, two large supermarkets and employment. With the advent of the new Morrisons store, it would be totally illogical to build houses on the north side when more than adequate facilities will exist on the south side.

Movement from north to south of the town is limited through just four road bridges across the river, and these are already over capacity at peak traffic times. They were not designed to carry the current levels of traffic, let alone an increase.

We would not support any road development along the scale suggested. New roads are expensive and no doubt would involve building a bridge(s), and along with a Park and Ride, would absorb yet more Greenfield land. So it is not just land required for housing; where would it end?

It would appear that the proposed building at Milverton and Blackdown, is just to spread the development to the north as well as south of the town.
A sort of balancing act? And yet the main access to transport and road connections are to the south of the town? To be realistic, we might support some limited building of a small number of houses in this area, say up to 50, provided this would not require the building of any commercial development - eg supermarkets.

In summary :

It only makes economic sense for further housing development to be limited to south of the river (which also happens to be non Green Belt land) and
where much of the infrastructure and facilities already exist. Whereas
developing a whole new area of housing plus infrastructure on the north side would seem to be a waste of public money.