UNFORTUNATELY I was not aware of the recent meeting concerning the proposed housing development by Allaston Developments Ltd. I have since read their web site and am appalled at what is proposed.     

Living at the top of Allaston Road it will not affect me as directly as those lower down, but still I do not relish the prospect.   To start with the concentration of houses will be pretty horrific – 250 plus 20 self-build plus 35 retirement properties on a site of this size is too many.   

Access will be from Windsor Drive, Oak Meadow and Court Road.    These roads are not capable of carrying the traffic which will be generated by so many houses.  Yet another piece of agricultural land will be lost and the urban spread goes on.    Such a high density development can only depreciate the value of the existing houses along Allaston Road. 

The school will be hard put to cater for the extra pupils likely to arrive.    Where are the jobs for the new occupants – or will they just add to the daily migration along the A48 to Gloucester or Bristol?

They talk about drainage.   I remember all the problems when the Springmeadow area was developed and houses had mini rivers running through them – people opened the front door to let the water flow out which was coming in at the back.

The next obvious stage will be building up to and along Driffield Road – another minor road which already carries far more traffic than it was intended for.   I know we need more houses but there are more sensitive ways of providing them and better places but probably not so profitable to the developers.   

They talk about 'meeting local needs' and 'affordable and suitable for local people'.  I am afraid I have got rather cynical in my old age and always have doubts when told that this is all done for altruistic reasons. Suspect the main  reason is to make a cracking good profit for the developers and anything else is just a lucky by-product.

– B. C. Baker, Lydney.