Homes plan will badly affect city

I appreciate the Canterbury City Council planning department is understaffed and overworked but a decision relating to the Mountfield Park estate will shortly need to be made and that decision will have a profound long-term effect on our city.

I am sure they will have the planning aspects well covered but I would like to draw their attention to three major issues: recent case law has highlighted the importance of preserving the setting of heritage assets; concerns over deteriorating air quality as the result of emissions from traffic have been raised by the Royal College of Physicians because of their impact on public health; fears over worsening traffic congestion, already a major problem in Canterbury.

The Mountfield Park plan has the potential to make a massive negative impact in these areas.

In a city with some of the most important heritage assets in the land, it is essential that the impact of the proposals is kept to a minimum.

The setting of the world heritage site of the Cathedral must not be compromised by the inappropriate building of houses and apartments, sited specifically to maximise future residents’ views of the Cathedral, while at the same time seriously damaging the visual setting of the Cathedral itself.

I am sure that you are well aware of the air pollution problems we face in New Dover Road and Old Dover Road, a situation that will only be made worse by this development.

And I am also sure they recognise the transport solutions suggested for Mountfield Park are undeliverable, requiring access to routes which are outside the ownership of the scheme’s promoters.

It is important that the members of the planning committee are made aware of these significant matters so they can fully consider them when making a