HOW will Cirencester benefit from the 2,350 homes proposed at Chesterton Farm?

Our councillors must tell us.

Three recent opinion polls, including the Standard poll last week, have told councillors that local people strongly oppose it, with very good reason.

In last week’s edition, Jeremy Handel, spokesman for Bathurst Development Ltd, claimed a long list of benefits for Cirencester provided by the 2,350-home scheme.

But the millions of pounds promised for new roads, utilities, school and community facilities will provide less than the minimum required for this new town the size of Tetbury.

For example, the route to the town centre for half the new homes will be along Somerford Road, already suffering with on-street car parking and dangerous junctions. Just one set of traffic lights is proposed for this extra traffic.

There is no evidence for extravagant claims for £40 million annual benefits and 1,600 new jobs – quite the opposite.

On part of the Corinium Via site, planning permission was given for commercial development providing new jobs, but the developer found it more profitable to build houses, with CDC approval, and the promised doctors surgery, convenience store and bus services never materialised.

Chesterton Farm residents walking to the town face a journey of 30-40 minutes each way so they will drive to the town, and find no parking spaces. Is this sustainable?

Inevitably, 4,000 to 5,000 extra cars will be added to Cirencester roads, but right now there is insufficient town centre parking, as reported in last week’s Standard, and CDC has no credible solution. So how does Cirencester benefit?

JOHN NICHOLAS

Cirencester