EXCLUSIVEWe dont want 1,500 newbuild homes in our beautiful Cotswolds town... it would be a disaster
Plans to build 1,500 new homes in a historic Cotswolds town have been denounced as horrendous by furious locals.
Plans to build 1,500 new homes in a historic Cotswolds town have been denounced as horrendous by furious locals.
In a recent poll, 96 per cent of residents of market town Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, which dates back to the Romans, voted against Cotswold District Councils proposals to build the new properties.
They fear the population-doubling development would bring traffic to a standstill and increase pressure on already-stretched services, such as GP surgeries, dentists and schools.
Cotswold District Councils draft local plan includes proposals for 3,300 homes across the area by 2041 - with Moreton-in-Marsh set to receive the majority.
The plans also come on top of the 900 homes built in the quaint market town since 2011.
Retired Alan Nicholls believes his former job as a transport planning officer gives him extra insight into the problems the intended expansion of the town could cause.
There has been local outrage at plans to build 1,500 homes in sleepy Moreton-in-Marsh (pictured)
Cotswold District Councils draft local plan includes proposals for 3,300 homes across the area by 2041 - with Moreton-in-Marsh set to receive the majority. Pictured: Construction workers at a development in the town
I spent my working life looking at issues like this and I am 100 per cent certain any development on such a scale as this would be a disaster for the town, the 77-year-old widower said. It would be horrendous for Moreton.
The existing roads can barely cope with the volume of traffic moving through the town as it is. If these proposals get the green light, we could see another 3,000 cars on the road, which would mean gridlock day and night.
I appreciate there is talk of a bypass to cope with the extra vehicles, but where do they put it and how do they pay for it? It is estimated a bypass would cost at least £60m.
Mr Nicholls, who now works as a volunteer on a local steam railway, added: Besides, were surrounded by glorious countryside. It would be a terrible shame to build a road through it.
Theres already too much pressure on our infrastructure here. There arent enough dentists or GPs and the schools are full. Moreton seems to already be at its limit.
I really do hope the council sees sense and abandons this crazy idea.
Tony Norton, who runs a public relations and marketing firm in the town, said that if the council had approached him to win over public opinion on the homes plans, he would have turned the work down.
Mr Norton, 73, said: I think it is a ludicrous idea and I wouldnt go anywhere near it on principle if I was asked to help with a PR campaign.
Locals fear the population-doubling development would bring traffic to a standstill and increase pressure on already-stretched services. Pictured: Diggers at a development in Moreton-in-Marsh
Estate agent and mother-of-two Kate Davis (pictured), 43, has spent her whole life in Moreton-on-Marsh and said the planned homes would be disastrous for the town she loves
Tony Norton (pictured), who runs a public relations and marketing firm in the town, said that if the council had approached him to win over public opinion on the homes plans, he would have turned the work down
Development on this scale is simply not appropriate for a beautiful town like this. The charm of Moreton would disappear.
It is a matter of great pride to the people of Moreton that we dont have multi-national businesses here. We dont want them.
You wont see a McDonalds restaurant or other fast food outlets because we are proud of our range of independent businesses but if the volume of new-builds goes ahead on this scale, the big corporations will move in very quickly.
And then theres the disruption. Moreton will be a building site for many, many years while the houses are built. The town will be ruined.
Wed need new schools, surgeries and other infrastructure and that doesnt come cheap. As things are now, there is just no way it could cope with these kind of numbers.
Moretons primary income is from tourists but if these new homes get the go-ahead, tourists will no longer want to come here and our economy will suffer too.
Its the governments fault because ministers are putting pressure on councils to build millions of new homes as a result of promises they made to the public. But were running out of grass to put these new homes on.
Estate agent and mother-of-two Kate Davis, 43, has spent her whole life in Moreton-on-Marsh and said the planned homes would be disastrous for the town she loves.
She said: We already have to wait six weeks to see our GP, unless its an emergency.
Chef Iva Monjane (pictured), 45, said she hopes the proposed new builds might offer her an opportunity to own her own home in the town where she works
Locals say a development of this scale is not appropriate for a charming town like Moreton
Pictured is an ongoing development in Moreton-in-Marsh
There are fears that the town will be completely overdeveloped by the draft council plans
Scaffolding is erected around a new build development in Moreton - and more could be on the way
Construction workers are pictured on a development in Moreton-in-Marsh, a Cotswold market town
Our primary school is full and we dont have a secondary school. The nearest one is 10 miles away.
The traffic here is already horrendous. We just cant cope with more houses and people moving in to the area. Its already unfair on locals, especially the younger ones, who cannot afford to buy their own homes in Moreton. It will just mean hundreds more homes they cant afford to buy.
But chef Iva Monjane, 45, said she hopes the proposed new builds might offer her an opportunity to own her own home in the town where she works.
She said: I cant afford to live here but maybe if there were another 1,500 new properties the prices might come down, for there would be more social housing, which could be good news for me.
I live in Stratford-on-Avon and I dont own a car, so I have to catch a bus, which is an hour each way, to and from work. It broke down on the way home the other day and it took me four hours to get back.
Id love to live here because its a beautiful town and my new job is here.
The plans also come on top of the 900 homes built in the quaint market town since 2011
Campaigners say that it would be far fairer to spread the housing across the area rather than dumping half on Moreton
Campaigner Sue Stapely, who is against what she describes as the overdevelopment of Moreton-in-Marsh, said: Im convinced that Moreton is not the ideal recipient of the massive amount of additional housing which Cotswold District Council (CDC) seems to think it is.
Its simply unfair and unjust to allocate half the total number of homes proposed for the entire Cotswold District to one small town, when a series of smaller developments, spread more thoughtfully throughout the area would be so much less detrimental to our community and produce a much happier mixed series of communities.
Our picturesque High Street is the historic Fosse Way, a major A road and many of the houses on either side of it are protected by being listed.
We already have huge parking challenges and if the 1,800+ houses threatened are built, the number of additional cars and the lorries needed for the construction work will simply make the town impassable.
Ms Stapely said the town will simply grind to a halt and fears the infrastructure will be unable to support a new wave of housing.
If Angie Rayners dream of more affordable, smaller social housing is delivered here, the return on the developers investment will be a great deal less than the profits they make on luxury executive home properties like those on the Ellenbrook Estate (formerly agricultural land), she added.
Meanwhile, CDC refuses to accept that its draft Local Plan Update is now redundant, following the new governments changed housing agenda and targets and the clearly-expressed wishes of the towns residents.
Cllr Joe Harris, Leader of Cotswold District Council, said: We are committed to an infrastructure first approach to development. Whats more, upgrading infrastructure in Moreton, such as its wastewater treatment works, fixing traffic congestion, and improving town centre car parking, are all high priority issues that we will try to resolve in the Local Plan Update.
The delivery of genuinely affordable homes for local people is a high priority for the council.
However, we know the Local Plan Update must take a holistic approach to development, including delivering supporting infrastructure first, and tackling a wide array of issues.
This is not only the case for Moreton-in-Marsh but also for the whole of the Cotswold District.
