We don’t want homes (From Witney Gazette)

We don’t want homes

6:47pm Wednesday 28th March 2012 in Letters

Sir – Bloor Housing’s representative Mr Macpherson wrote to say that there was “absolutely no question of threatening the identity of Brize Norton by placing 1,000 new homes...off Norton Way” (Witney Gazette, February 29).

This is the kind of posturing we have been forced to endure from developers circling our community like vultures.

Frankly, I’ve had enough. There is no way that Mr Macpherson is in any position to make that sort of statement, especially not with the ridiculous suggestion that Christ Church would offer to lease a tiny plot of land that is already surrounded by development on all sides within the village, as a buffer.

It’s like offering the jam as a buffer against the doughnut.

He further speaks of a potential extension of Monahan Way to relieve traffic, which is no offer of anything. Then he suggests an additional football pitch and improvements to our village hall would be beneficial.

He overlooks one important thing, however: that a revamp of our village hall will never offset the loss of the ancient village of Brize Norton.

We have stated repeatedly throughout the consultation process that we do not want a single new home to be built on the east site. Token offers like this may have tantalised folks a few generations ago but they certainly won’t wash now.

Now that the RAF has clarified that it only requires 200 new houses rather than the 780 that the district council previously reported, it has finally become clear that not only can this community not sustain any further development, but that there isn’t the demand that has been suggested either.

Any plan for further mass development is surely now in ashes.

Shane J Rae, Brize Norton,