Bourton residents group holds fundraising fete (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Bourton residents group holds fundraising fete

11:00am Sunday 1st July 2012 in News By Ian Craig

RESIDENTS concerned about proposed housing developments in Bourton-on-the-Water held a fundraising fete last month.

Residents group Bourton Against Development (BAD) held a fundraising fete at the Victoria Hall on Saturday June 16.

Visitors had the chance to meet members of BAD, sign petitions and become a member themselves.

After Prime Minister David Cameron pledged earlier this year to protect villages from “sprawling housing estates”, the group invited him to open the fete, although press officer Fiona Formby said he did not turn up.

“We thought he might like to open our fete and reassure us that our beautiful village would not fall to such a – pardon the pun – fate,” she said.

“He said he'd protect our countryside with as much vigour as he would protect his own children and we need him now to ride on over from his Oxfordshire home and protect Bourton."

There are currently two major proposed developments in Bourton – one for 171 homes to the west of Roman Way and another for up to 100 homes off Station Road, although no formal planning application has yet been lodged for either of them.

BAD Chairman James Hickman said the organisation is not opposed to all development but is concerned with the impact of over-development, particularly on infrastructure, healthcare, education and road safety in the village.

“There is genuine fear that the sewerage system already operates at capacity and that these two new builds will cause further flooding - and these are serious issues that will be left to the locals to deal with once the developers have built and left the area," he added.