IT IS ironic that our Local Plan is been developed under a procedure amended by the Localism Act (2011) as many of us in Cirencester feel completely let down by the process.
We were disappointed by the draft Local Plan, particularly in relation to its emphasis on the scheme to build a totally inappropriate number of houses at Chesterton, and by the consultations on the scheme, which were really little more than promotion exercises.
The draft plan tells us that the population in the district is getting older and also admits that transport and internet connections are poor in some areas.
We are further disappointed by the intended lack of response to our many concerns and by the timetable for submission of the Plan to government.
Given the relaxed timetable for submission, we find CDC’s approach to the recent proposal to develop some of Kemble Airfield for housing to be unacceptable.
Although the Kemble scheme has some of the same negative issues as the Chesterton one, it is a brownfield site rather than agricultural land.
It would, at least, be of benefit to the local community of Cirencester and to the environment if about half of the number of houses planned for Chesterton were built at the airfield.
However, our greatest concern is the real possibility that, when the Chesterton scheme is submitted to CDC at the end of this year, it will gain approval, long before the Local Plan is submitted to government.
This scheme is likely to change the nature of Cirencester and put even greater pressure on services, including parking, which already limits the development of commerce in the town.
Jan Gronow
Coxwell Street
Cirencester
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