Letter: Unease as views of residents ignored over housing scheme

I have already made clear my objections to the planning authorities in the past, and I am in agreement with the vast majority of residents of Roden Grove, Sun Grove and Brook Drive and also the town council, that this is an inappropriate site for many reasons.

Firstly, I believe there will be an increased flood risk to the whole area, as the land is on a known flood plain. Secondly, there will be an encroachment of the town boundary towards the village of Tilly, thus blurring the distinction between the two locations.

Thirdly, there will be a significant increase of traffic upon a narrow and decayed road surface.

Finally, there will be added pressure upon an archaic and problematic sewage system that struggles to cope with the existing number of houses on the estate.

To add to my anxieties, I now feel that the perfectly valid concerns of Wem residents have been ignored.

It was the request of the town council and the residents that this proposal would at the very least be decided by the planning committee, thus enabling the views of all parties to be heard.

Instead, the proposal has already been approved by planning officers, a decision which has side-stepped the issues raised by the people who are effected most.

Shockingly, even Wem Town Council was kept in the dark about the decision, despite Councillor Chris Mellings specifically asking for all parties to be kept informed.

To my eyes this appears to either be a deliberate act of deviousness or a lack of genuine interest in the common person's view point.

I am sure that all council/planning committee members are aware for the need at the very least to be seen as acting for the members of society.

I strongly urge all parties involved in the planning department to reconsider their decision, and put forward the proposals to the planning committee, in order to allay the residents' fears and also to show that the decision-making processes are befitting of modern values and not part of an outdated, behind closed doors system.

Simon Boden, Wem