Bully boy attitude over 100 new homes plan

WE still seem to be going through the same hoops over the breakdown of the 100 houses Wates/Bewley (W/B) are building on their Lancaster Park site.

The request by W/B to remove the affordable houses balance of 40 must be resisted at all costs.

Providing 40 affordable homes was a key ingredient in the deal when planning permission was granted. If the consortium got their sums wrong and are not going to make the profit they were hoping for, tough. This bully boy attitude is unacceptable. Hungerford wanted 40 affordable houses and that’s what must be delivered.

Take a look at the Wates accounts. They don’t appear to be doing that badly.

In spite of assurances that the concerns of the residents of Kennedy Meadow would be listened to, they were not.

The leader of the WBC group at the site meeting frankly appeared disinterested in our views as did the representative from W/B.

They were going through the motions. The foundations of a five-bedroom mansion 10 yards from our rear fence are now in place.

The noise is so bad from 7.30 in the morning that we have had to move our bedroom from the rear to the front of the house.

What was a pleasant rural outlook is now a very muddy, noisy building site and is likely to remain that way throughout 2021 and on into 2022. And it’s all in an AONB.

You will understand why we are not sympathetic.

Separately, it is understood that a study has been commissioned into these matters by WBC, “but paid for by Wates/Bewley”.

That in no way can be considered impartial.

Being a cynic with no faith in the planning system, I suspect that further planning applications for even more houses on the land not utilised will be forthcoming shortly, which, if granted, will ruin Hungerford for ever.

Please stick to your guns Hungerford town councillors and don’t let the ground rules be changed.

TIM AND PENNY BEVAN

Kennedy Meadow

Hungerford