Newport Liberal Democrats Object to Newport Building Plans

'Dear Sirs,

We, in our capacity as members of the local branch of the Liberal Democrat Party, wish to object to the proposed developments outlined below:-

TWC/2011/0821 - an outline application for ~285 houses on land at Wellington Road (Grove Farm);

TWC/2011/0827 - an outline application for ~215 dwellings on land to north of Audley Avenue;

TWC/2011/0871 & 0916 - an outline and a full application for a 'Superstore', petrol filling station, ~350 dwellings plus circa 80 extra care, 4.5 ha. of employment land, related infrastructure, public open space and landscaping.

We believe that these proposals should be considered together, as the impact on the town and community of Newport is, collectively, far greater than the sum of the impacts of each one individually.

Our objections rest on four pillars:-

• The need for approximately 850 new houses and a supermarket in a town the size of Newport does not exist;

• The ability of local infrastructure and services to cope with the consequent influx of people is highly questionable;

• There will be very few nett additional employment opportunities created;

• The developments will all result in the loss of green space between the centre of the town and the ring road.

The need for more houses?

In the current housing market, with large numbers of dwellings for sale and completions difficult to achieve, there is clearly no local demand for another 850 houses. This means that there is a high risk of once green open spaces being blighted by part finished and occupied developments for many years to come. Almost all the new houses would be bought by people coming new to the town, the majority of whom would have to find employment in other urban areas. The needs of the wider community of the West Midlands would surely be better served by providing housing in and near to places where people could find jobs.

Do we need another new supermarket on the outskirts of Newport?

Apparently not, according to a planning inspector and members of the Borough Council who opposed a recent development proposal which incorporated just such a building. There is little doubt that the arrival of a large out of town supermarket would have a highly detrimental impact on the present High Street, with probably at least one of the current supermarkets closing and both direct and indirect knock-on effects on other retailers. In light of this, many of the new jobs which might accompany the development would be negated by the loss of employment from other sources in the town.

Infrastructure and services

Newport's schools are either at or close to full capacity already. Since the profile of the housing developments proposed would most certainly imply that many families with children would move into the area, it is not clear where these new pupils could be accommodated, in terms of either secondary or primary provision. There is neither the physical space nor, in these times of financial constraint, the money available to expand existing schools or embark on massive new build. Additionally, it is unlikely that there would be sufficient medical services to cope with the influx of people. Furthermore, with roads presently choked with traffic at the beginning and end of most working days, the arrival of several thousand extra cars onto our streets is going to generate chaos at these times and a consequent health and safety risk, especially to children going to and from their overcrowded schools! It is also unclear whether sufficient thought has been given to the effect on services such as sewerage and those provided by other utilities. In addition, at least one of the proposed developments would occupy land (near Audley Avenue and the Cemetery) which is already prone to flooding; a situation which would be likely to be exacerbated by covering the ground in concrete and tarmac!

Insufficient employment around Newport

The vast majority of those moving into the new houses would have to be employed elsewhere than in Newport. Public transport is simply not an option for most people and therefore, these 850 houses are going to generate huge numbers of new car journeys; hardly a 'green' result. This lack of a tie into the local community is also going to mean that many of those coming to live in Newport may continue to shop and socialise in areas outside of the town. This would seriously limit the purported advantages of expanding Newport's population and would reduce community cohesion.

Loss of green space

When the ring road was constructed, it was generally held that it would be necessary to avoid building on the land between that and the town centre in order to maintain the character of Newport. These developments are completely contrary to that principal and would result in the loss of a number of oases of natural beauty which are used and appreciated by townsfolk and which contribute to the positive impression of the area given to passers-by and visitors as they approach it. There are plenty of 'brownfield' sites within twenty miles of Newport (some even within the town itself) which could be used for additional housing without the serious loss of wild and natural habitat which the enactment of these proposals would cause.

For these reasons, we urge the Telford and Wrekin Borough Council to refuse planning permission for all of the above developments.

Yours faithfully,

John Evans

John Evans, Chairman, for and on behalf of

Newport Liberal Democrats.'

15 November 2011