For and against development

Plans for 700 houses in Sturry look well thought out.

It provides much-needed housing close to the city centre, which reduces the number of journeys by putting housing where it is needed, and there is also going to be a really useful new road that will help ease the traffic along the A28.

Every town needs to grow if it is to prosper and offer affordable housing and affordable goods and services. The location really makes sense and I think will help achieve many good things. Canterbury needs people in order to become a modern vibrant city.

As the economy shrinks following Brexit, it will be useful to have some large-scale projects to help alleviate that decline.

We will have to compete outside Europe and that means lowering the cost of production, housing and the cost of living. Cheaper housing helps support that. By the look of it, we will stumble into a hard Brexit and lose our cushy place within Europe, with all the social and environmental approaches that we have become used to about to change. So let’s be prepared for this and change with it. Old ways will have to be sacrificed. It may mean going down a gear or two and swimming in a cold dark sea, but we will still be in the race. Chris Dewhurst Upper Strand Street, Sandwich

Residents of Sturry and Broad Oak have been quietly campaigning against the housing and road plans, from responding at every opportunity to the Local Plan to attending the consultation events and even measuring the air quality to establish a baseline of pollution.

We have listened in incredulity to council members stating that this development will never happen in their lifetimes, to developers stating that 1,100 houses will not increase the already high pollution in the area, and how the development will attract people from London.

We’re told that the cost of the relief road that the developers will be making contributions towards will wipe out the profits, and reduce the numbers of affordable housing to around 11% rather than the 30% required by the council.

Our beautiful ancient woodlands are at risk of being destroyed. To be surrounded by housing and roads will put all our natural plants at risk, increased domestic animals will kill bats, mice and other small animals. Our open spaces of farm fields and woodland will be taken away from us, our views of the Cathedral will be compromised.

We are now facing the challenge of making sure our voices are heard in our objections to the outline plan, questioning why our green gap between Sturry and Canterbury will be lost, why the developers have increased the numbers of