I AM so angry I could scream.
It’s bad enough having the massive new Bovis Homes estate next to the cattle market foisted on those of us who live in Harnham, Netherhampton and Quidhampton, with the extra traffic congestion that will ensue from 640 homes (and don’t forget, there’ll be more to come on the other side of Netherhampton Road and at the old business park).
But do we really have to swallow the PR guff issued to the Salisbury Journal by the builder’s senior strategic development manager Robert Winstone as well?
Insult is piled on injury when Mr Winstone boasts that the development will “help improve the community” with “investment in schools, health, transport and the environment”.
Wow, it’ll include “open space and play areas” where once there was good-quality agricultural land and a green entrance to the city!
It’ll provide a new primary school - on the wrong side of Harnham from where everyone agrees that one is actually needed.
I don’t believe for a minute that parents on their way to work from East Harnham, or indeed from elsewhere in the city, will walk or cycle with their children all that way to that school.
Of course not, they’ll drive, adding to the pollution and congestion that already blight Netherhampton Road every rush hour (Covid lockdown excepted, of course).
Bovis will invest £13million on, among other things, “local air quality projects”. It’ll darned well need to!
The only moderately good thing about this whole debacle will be that 40 per cent of the new housing will be “affordable”.
But what an environmental price we will all have to pay for that “affordability”.
However, let’s look on the bright side. The company’s new range of homes is named after trees. Not just any old trees, but good old British trees! That’ll make them feel all soft-focus nature-friendly, won’t it?
And the designs will “focus on bringing the outside in” – not including any fumes, I hope – maximising space and light with – ooh, wait for it - bifold doors. So that's all right, then.
It is great to hear your voice Annie, keep it up your skills at articulating general frustration is much needed!
ReplyDeleteLike you I am livid at the housing plans for the Netherhampton Road Annie. Morning and evening rush hour traffic at the Harnham Gyratory doesn't even bear thinking about, not to mention the knock-on effect for Quidhampton as drivers create a rat-run in a desperate attempt to speed up their trips into the city.
ReplyDeleteI suspect it's Wiltshire Council who is to blame for the non-relocation of the businesses at Churchfields to the Netherhampton Road since I believe the businesses have been promised the move since the late 1960's. Perhaps the Council have made the relocation costs prohibitive but I still believe that new housing would be better placed at Churchfields as originally planned, because it's close to the city, rather than creating more large housing estates like Longhedge Village and St Peters Place, which increase traffic movements and pollution.
Brilliant idea unknown.Why can't the powers to be see the benefit of this. Oh! Because they don't live in Salisbury but in Ivory Towers in Trowbridge. We who do live in Salisbury and often walk along Churchfields to go to town or Cathedral see what a massive improvement that would be. Oh and by often I mean a minimum of 3 times a week.
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