Whilst Cllr Caroline Byles is of the view that we should be grateful that the proposals for the site between the railway and the A14 on the Stowmarket side of Mill Lane and Clamp Farm are not as bad as the original version, here in Creeting St Peter, we're not so certain.
As a result, this evening's Parish Meeting, held to allow villagers to find out more about the plans that Mid Suffolk District Council has put together, was well attended. Stephen Andrews and his colleague David McHardy placed the proposals within a much wider context and, whilst there is much distrust and suspicion, their enthusiasm in seeking an outcome that would be as unintrusive as possible whilst bringing maximum benefits to the area was, to say the least, disarming.
Yes, there will be some big distribution 'boxes', but there will be an area of protected wetland available for public access, as well as an all-weather football pitch, improved cycle routes and footpaths and even a regular bus service for the village - every half hour was mooted as a potential frequency. Stephen was keen to emphasise the environmental protection, with 40m wide bands of tree planting to soften the outline, reduce noise and protect the views that we now enjoy.
In truth, there is still much unhappiness over the threat to the relative piece and quiet that we currently enjoy. Concerns over the quality of the architecture, the additional traffic (some of it wholly inappropriate for the local road network) and of light pollution were all addressed with a welcome degree of frankness.
However, if this is the quality of the consultation we can expect, at least we are likely to get a fair hearing. Perhaps we need to start thinking about a Parish Plan?... And perhaps, just perhaps, Cllr Byles might like to turn up next time?
No comments:
Post a Comment