Local Plan 2011-2031 Proposed Submission Draft

I am writing to object to the proposed development at Claybush Road AS1. My objections are as follows:

1.Failure to meet requirements for highway safety. The road will be very dangerous point for slower pedestrians and children to cross. No matter how many safety routes are put, in children will often take the shortest route. It is also a dangerous blind corner for cars; I was involved in a car accident on this corner 18 months ago.

2. Failure to protect a valued landscape. This is a beautiful upland chalk area, giving stunning views across the counties. Ashwell nestles in the natural hollow, building up onto the chalk means the view of Ashwell will also change into a more sprawling development.

3. Failure to protect an historic environment. Walking across Arbury Banks provides the feeling that people have walked here for thousands of years. Building onto the area would ruin this impression of history. When my children were younger we would go to Arbury Banks to watch the stars, as many families have done since Medieval times. Building a housing developement would introduce light pollution, so this ancient of activities would not be so dramatic.

4. Failure to consult on other proposals. Surely there must be somewhere else in the village that developments could take place.

5. Changing the skyline of Ashwell. The housing development has some proposed dwellings higher than 2 floors. Building houses so tall, on such a hill, would mean they were visible for miles around. Indeed the red balloons put up by the developers were visible from neighbouring villages. The most prominent building in the village should be the church - not a new build house.

All in all it would be a shameful and shocking loss to our village.