LDP - Proposed Housing Allocation 18

I am writing to object to the proposed development of 100 houses on the Sharmans Cross Road rugby ground. My reasons for objecting are :

1 The effect on the traffic in Sharmans Cross Road. As a frequent user of Sharmans Cross Road I am already affected by the congestion at certain times of day - mainly morning rush hour and school start/finish times. At these times the parked cars along the road are a major obstruction and it is effectively reduced to a single lane road. This causes delays and the parked vehicles can prevent motorists easily seeing pedestrians who may be trying to cross the road or enter/leave the parked vehicles.The traffic generated by the additional houses will only make a bad situation worse.

2 The loss of sporting facilities. SMBC should be actively encouraging people to play sports - not removing facilities which enable them to do so. Once built on the sports grounds will never be reclaimed for sport and the creeping urbanisation will result in progressive degradation of the environment.

3 The effect on wildlife. Any reduction in green sites like the rugby ground will damage wildlife habitats, particularly if mature trees are destroyed.

4 The scale and density of the proposed development. The proposals are totally inappropriate and fit badly with the much lower existing housing density in the surrounding area. There would also be increased pressure on local schools and medical facilities.

5 SMBC policy on the use of the grounds. I would like to see SMBC confirm its policy, which was minuted in 2013, that they would not sell the freehold of the land which would only be used for sport.