New housing at Kintbury in "worst place imaginable"

Villagers say that the land to the east of Layland’s Green, which has been identified by West Berkshire Council as one of its preferred sites for future development is the “worst place imaginable” for houses.
During a 40 minute debate at a packed Kintbury Parish Council meeting earlier this month, residents highlighted the potential for flooding, the impact on wildlife and the strain on local infrastructure as some of the reasons behind their objections.
The proposals have been outlined within the district council’s Housing Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD), which sets out plans to provide 10,500 new homes in West Berkshire by 2026.
Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News, Steve Smyth, who lives in Craven Close, which backs onto the land, said: “There are five or six concerns that I have about building houses on the site.
“For a start the area is prone to flooding. Then there is the issue of wildlife - there are great crested newts and a number of other protected species living on the land.
“Also, the homes are built on clay foundations and two of the bungalows have had to be underpinned because the clay has got wet and the houses have started sinking.
“On top of that, Kintbury’s roads cannot cope with any more traffic. It is a totally unsuitable site for development.”
Another local resident, Lyn Gainey said: “The council has said that the access point will either have to be from Layland’s Green or Craven Close. I live in Craven Close and can tell you that a lorry would struggle to get down here because of all the parked cars on the edge of the road.
“There is also the issue of flooding. The water has to go somewhere, but there is no drainage, so where is it going to go?
“It is not sustainable and is inappropriate to build houses on that land.”
Another resident, Mary Head, said: “Kintbury simply does not have the infrastucture to cope with more houses and the land at Layland’s Green is quite possibly the worst site imaginable for houses.”
During the recent meeting the chairman of Kintbury Parish Council, Stephen Cook, said: “We simply cannot cope with any more houses. We know that but West Berkshire Council don’t seem to care where they go.”