WITH reference to Gordon Blake's letter (February 27): If the go ahead is given for the new homes on the Highfield site, then Lydney is only getting what it deserves. Lydney is the most mediocre, badly planned and badly administered town in Gloucestershire.

Of course the homes should not be built. Lydney is not suitable as a commuter town. The roads are inadequate as is the rail service. The other idea that jobs and services will come to Lydney as a result is a joke. The industrial estate is a wasteland. Who would choose to work there even if there were any jobs – and there won't be.

If the homes go ahead there will be an additional thousand teenagers with nothing to do. Naas Lane will be littered with burnt out cars and the harbour will be a no-go area after dark. I've seen FedEx drivers making drugs drops to Lydney dealers.

If the homes go ahead Tesco or some other supermarket will build a store to the east of Lydney hoping to attract more trade from Cinderford and Newnham. In any case the existing Tesco will be inadequate – just wait and see what an extra 1,500 cars will do to the town.

Any new housing should be spread in small developments throughout the Forest of Dean, preferably on brownfield sites. Lydney also needs a proper integrated transport policy. It might sound like a pipe dream but Lydney really does need a new Severn Bridge tramway/rail link across to Stroud and on to the Thames Valley.

However, in the end Lydney will get what it deserves. It's not looking good at the moment. Either you get used to it or you move or you do something about it. – John Fall, Lydney.