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January 2007 - DDC Preferred
Options |
Looking back at a busy
year for the group I feel we have worked extremely hard
and achieved notoriety but as yet, the end result of stopping the mass
housing threat to the village is still a way off.
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| Only last
month we received information that developers were working on plans
for the site at Singledge Lane behind the Ramada an area we had been
told in previous meetings with the DDC that was not being
considered. You can see from the preliminary plan below this project
has come some way forward and Ward Homes and Barton Wilmore believe
that they can solve any access problems, apparently they have been
working closely with the DDC planning Dept… well there’s a
surprise! |
| These houses
will be in addition to the thousands on the East side of Whitfield.
If this development of up to 271 houses succeeds there could be
applications for further development on Nursery Lane backing onto
Lenacre Ave and perhaps further along Singledge… where will it all
stop? |
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| If planning
permission is granted for all the Whitfield sites then the houses
built could be 1,790 East Whitfield, 271 Singledge plus whatever
they can fit in on Old Park, the ESSO site, Guildford Avenue and the
Royal Oak. Whitfield will be more than doubled in size. Double the
houses - double the people - double the traffic – double the
problems! |
| On a
positive note,WAG is to participate in the Examination-In-Public
February 2007.We will be able to put our points of view and
arguments to the panel of decision makers with the hope that common
sense prevails and that wholesale use of our countryside is not just
freely given. |
| Other Parish
Councils have shown their support and whilst Whitfield fronts the
battle we do not stand alone.We do intend to use all our resources
to continue this campaign. |
| Whilst
writing this I took the opportunity to look back at last years
report and in that I wrote of the possible 9295 houses around
Whitfield. Since that time the numbers have been up and down and the
areas of study narrow and wide. I get the feeling that while we are
worrying nowabout only doubling the size of Whitfield somewhere in
the background hidden under a pile of paperwork at the Council
offices is a nasty surprise which
in the future will come back to haunt us all. |
| Our Village
has been identified by DDC as a means to help finance the future of
Dover and therefore this development is in their minds essential to
Dover’s prosperity. Jobs will follow and everyone will be better
off… sorry that will not happen… new business and jobs, linked
with infrastructure and services must stimulate the building of new
homes - not build thousands of homes and hope the jobs and people
will follow. |
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Look out for further
reports over the coming months… WAG |
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