Your views

Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbury, RG14 2AD

Now they are sententiously pretending them to be thoroughly researched and seriously thought-through strategic plans. I fear that if the WBC portfolio holder for planning, councillor Hilary Cole, had been involved in preparing for the London Olympics in 2012 they would have been ready for 2015! In reality these are threadbare, cobbled together, ill thought out, ‘jam jar’ plans (my old deputy head knew when something was just copied out of a text book!).

They are a woeful apology for a strategic plan that, if implemented, will destroy Thatcham’s views of the neighbouring AONB; devastate the beautiful fielded and wooded scarp that leads up to Cold Ash, Bucklebury and Midgham; bring the A4 to a stop at rush hour; and turn Thatcham into a ribbon development running for three miles along the A4.

So I give full marks to Laura for her honesty. Sadly though it serves to emphasise that no marks can go to the well-nigh unbelievable cynicism of the Conservatives’ West Berkshire administration in flinging a cursory plan for 2,500 homes at any spot on the map that they thought that they could get away with. Shame on them.

Please may I urge every resident of Thatcham to sign the petition that opposes the ‘splodging’ on to Thatcham of a new town that has not had genuinely serious thought given to it. This is an unplanned plan that shows no real care for Thatcham, West Berkshire’s second largest and oldest community.

OWEN E JEFFERY

Liberal Democrat, Thatcham

Central West Berkshire and Thatcham Town Councils