I was interested to learn that the public consultation event on Friday on plans by Robert Hitchins to build 500 homes north of Chippenham is to be held in Kington Langley Village Hall, which is a three-mile round trip for most residents of Chippenham. With no regular bus route serving the village, the event is inaccessible to all those other than car owners.
The proposed location will also result in every visitor using their car in order to visit the event rather than walk five or ten minutes to a more local and sustainable venue.
A more meaningful consultation could take place in a number of more accessible and convenient locations that are closer to the people who are most likely to be affected by the proposed development.
I would suggest St Paul’s Church Hall, St Paul’s School, Morrisons, The Olympiad and Chippenham Library, to name a few.
I would also suggest that a number of events are held at different times, i.e. weekends and weekdays, to make the event most accessible.
By undertaking a consultation event which is accessible to all those who might be affected by the development the developers are more likely to get a true reflection of what local people really think about the proposal. After all that is the aim of the exercise surely!
Charlotte Watkins, Chippenham.
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