The Editor

Chippenham Gazette & Herald

29^th January 2010

Dear Sir

Re:      How to prevent unwanted housing developments in Chippenham

Further to your article of 23^rd January the safest way to ensure these houses are not built is for a change of government at this year’s General Election.

The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) has been imposed on Wiltshire Council from our Labour government.  A Conservative government plan to abolish the RSS and return planning powers to local authorities.

I would like to add my support to the campaign group at Bird’s Marsh and Harden’s Mead.  The change in the economic climate has left many assumptions the Core Strategy was built upon as outdated.  Questions must be asked to whether Chippenham has the jobs and infrastructure to support such population growth.

However, the safest way to ensure these houses are not built is to return a Conservative Government at this election.  A reversal of the RSS is the only way to ensure that communities, like our own in Chippenham, have the power to ensure future housing developments meet our needs, not a specified formula from Westminster.

Yours faithfully

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones