COMMUNITY FIRST IN KINGSBRIDGE, DEVON

Could this be a first for Kingsbridge? This petition helps to give a voice to all that share these concerns.in the words of the Totting Beck Front.....Power to the people

There is already evidence all around Kingsbridge of hideous ugly planning applications having been approved, we have to save Kingsbridge while it can still be considered an attractive place to live & visit.

The Tooting Popular Front surely……Smiffy.

A review of site allocations needs to take place to reflect new planning legislation and housing market demands that have been effected by current financial crisis.The Core Policy targets for affordable housing set by SDDC are comendable but will not be delivered by Provate developers who require significant profit margins.

Is this what Cameron means by his Big Society?

Good to see a beautiful town stick up for itself!, I am watching my small town in Lincs slowly getting overdeveloped and ruined by greedy land developers and out of touch councillors!

I totally support this petition. Like many in our country I feel that the views of ordinary people are no longer listened to. Big business and profit seem to be the only important issues, and rule over the wishes and quality of life of the average tax payer. Please show us that this is not always going to be the case, and bear in mind the damage to Kingsbridge and West Alvington that will occur if this plan is forced through.

I think its a good cause.

What can you say?is it any wonder people are angry more unaffordable investment properties to benifit mainly outsiders and developers and all their self serving hangers on.including many who should be arguing for money spent on trying to bring jobs and real commerce to the area not more empty pension funds in bricks for outsiders and multi property over charging landlords.could go on but no point repeating every body elses points.

Why in an agricultural area is land, which is being utilised for cattle and not just lying fallow, allowed to be built upon? Where will our farmers graze their cattle, who will produce food for our community - or will this be yet another industry that will close down and the goods be imported from overseas?

I'm in total agreement apart from the Affordable Housing bit. Only because it's the wrong terminology! A 4 bed house on the market at 80% of the average value for that type of house makes it affordable housing!!!!! We need 50% plus to meet the HOUSING NEED, i.e. houses that our young people can afford rather than just second home buyers. One of the only green fields in West Alvington when viewed from most of KINGSBRIDGE will be lost if this goes ahead.

Please remember that it is not just West Alvington it is also the Field behind the houses on Trebble Park Estate ... we had to allow the Doctors Surgery to have access to their new Surgery ... which was given when they aggreed to limit traffic (with traffic calming) to enter from the estate
the limits were 1.to narrow the access road single file passing only
2.speed bumps on the entrance road to the access road
3.no access for any vehicles other than farm vehicles to fields
4.and no permission granted for access to any new builds on fields
behind the estate
5.the above to protect the lives and security of the children and
elderly crossing the access road that cut the estate in half

we all agree more housing is needed ... but access for these homes should not cause problems for the people already living in the area .. i was for the idea to put the new cemetery on the field
and within reason more social housing (which is needed most) but access should be to both halves of the new build via another suitable new road

Not a resident but the area I visited is lovely and deserves to be treated with respect.

The people who currently live in Kingsbridge have chosen to live here because they like it as it is – without the development known as “K5”. Our elected representatives on the councils have been appointed to represent the people of Kingsbridge and the clear message coming to them is that the people they represent do not want K5 to proceed. Representatives, please listen and act.

My particular view is that the current Kingsbridge is a great place in which to live. I was born here, went to school here but I did not see that gave me divine right to live the rest of my life here, I had to earn that right. In order to find a good job when I left school I had to move several hundred miles away from Kingsbridge. When the time came for me to own my own house I could only afford one 40 miles away from where I worked. This experience did me good and eventually led to me being able to buy a house in Kingsbridge. I value this greatly as a result. Today’s young people should be given the same opportunity to earn the right to live here rather than rely on others to hand them subsidised housing on a plate. If this view is accepted the development should not proceed.

The above is my view based on my experience. This might not be accepted by all. There may be some who feel they should be subsidised and therefore require “affordable housing”. This leads to two questions:
1 The subsidy will be provided by current residents. Have they been given the opportunity to say whether they are willing to provide the subsidy?
2 Is there a list of actual people who currently live in Kingsbridge who are waiting to live in the K5 houses and who have jobs which will enable them to actually purchase each of the houses to be built?

If the answer to either of the above questions is “No” the development should not proceed.

#14: shaz - the full planning  

 "We all agree more housing is needed".  Have you asked everyone?

Bearing in mind the cost of two, three and four bedroom houses in the South Hams, even if "affordable" were only 60 or 70% of the market value (which it isn't), I doubt that they would be "affordable" on the average local wages.

I also doubt that there is a genuine "local" need for this quantity of housing and that it would be mainly for second homes or for social housing from outside the area. People would be brought into Kingsbridge only to find that there is little infrastructure: and if they have been moved from a larger town none of the facilities they are used to.

There was talk of building small industrial units - what is the point of that when the banks are not lending even to established businesses?