This afternoon as I was driving along the canal bank, I saw for the first time the huge and I mean huge housing estate that is being built there. Hundreds of new houses from 2 bedrooms up to 4 bedroom semi and detached homes and I wondered did the developers and the council, who must have agreed planning permission, look into or at least consider the impact that these homes are going to have on the infrastructure of the area. For instance, when these houses sell, the occupants are likely to have a least one car per home. So has anyone thought about the increase in traffic, which could cause havoc on a public highway system already near to breaking point. Or have the local schools been informed of the possible increase in children in the area and how are these schools going to be able to accommodate all of these extra bodies in buildings which are overcrowded already. Does anybody actually think of these questions at all or do they think that these changes will just be absorbed by the area? It made me also think about what happened to the businesses that were there originally? Where will all these new people work? Is there going to be enough jobs for them? I know that shops and hopefully any local businesses left in the area will benefit from this influx of extra people but I do worry that the congestion caused by more traffic on the already busy roads is going to become a problem. It also made me think of a visit to Perth Australia I made last year where new housing estates were going up thick and fast. First the local park or lake is built as a centre piece for the area and then roads orbited that. Schools and shops are built next and houses are built when and where needed. Now I know that Perth is a fast expanding city and that they are fortunate to have large amounts of land for huge building projects like this housing estate I saw today but we don’t have this luxury and I have to admit that I am concerned that all this building will have a negative impact on the surrounding area but hey what do I know. After house hunting with dear daughter mine I can appreciate the need for new houses so maybe I should just sit back and wait and see what develops. You never know the powers that be will have already addressed my concerns without me even knowing it. I wait with bated breath. Thought for the day: Planning is everything!
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Relax Sue, they are new houses, not new people! I can't speak specifically about this project but normally, when LA's are properly funded and staffed, there would be a forward planning section within CYP or Education and there would be liason between them and the Planning department.......These days, who knows!
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