I am writing to express my concern about the possibility of the former Bees rugby club ground off Sharmans Cross Rd being developed for housing. I have always understood that this land was set aside for sports facilities and when it has been used for that purpose in the past it has been a very valuable amenity for the local community. Surely at the moment when most politicians seem to agree that youth crime largely arises from a lack of things for youngsters to do, local authorities should be doing more, not less, to provide playing fields and other facilities for sporting and leisure activity.
Furthermore this particular site is wholly unsuitable for a large number of new dwellings. There are insufficient local facilities for schools and medical provision so more homes will simply put extra pressure on these resources.
A large number of new homes on this site will also cause parking and traffic chaos. Parking along Sharmans Cross Rd is already bad when there are events on at Sharmans Cross Junior School. In terms of traffic, the junction between Sharmans Cross Rd and Streetsbrook Rd is one of the worst in the borough for congestion and danger, particularly as Stonor Park Rd and Dorchester Rd also join Streetsbrook Rd at this point. In rush hour at both ends of the day there is significant congestion here which causes some drivers to take risks and pull out onto Streetsbrook Rd in dangerous circumstances. This would become far worse if there were a significant number of additional drivers trying to get out of a new estate.
I would urge the Council to re-think this issue if there is any prospect of the site not being preserved as open land