Plan is inconceivable I believ your readers should be made aware that Wiltshire Council’s cabinet is going to discuss the Chippenham Site Allocations Plan for future housing at its meeting on Thursday, July 9. The meeting is in Trowbridge at 9am.

Hundreds of objections have been made to the housing suggested for allocation at Rawlings Farm and across the River Avon on land east of Chippenham towards Abbeyfield School.

We understand these allocations would have a serious environmental impact on Chippenham with increased risk of flooding and would cost in the order of £25 million for a new eastern bypass.

The Rawlings Green allocation of 650 new homes would have a serious effect on traffic in Station Hill. A feeder road between Great Mead and Darcy Close would bring more traffic to the area and create additional congestion in Station Hill, not relieve it, as the council suggests. Both developments consisting of 1,450 new homes would also add to increased flooding because building homes adjacent to the river would add to the run-off. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) paragraph 99 states that: “Local plans should take into account climate change over the longer term, including factors of flood risk.”

The allocation on land east of Chippenham is immediately adjacent to the flood plain and the effect of building here will increase the risk of flooding to existing homes in Monkton Park and properties in our town centre.

There are sensible alternatives to Rawlings Green and land east of Chippenham which would be less environmentally damaging (especially brownfield sites) and could deliver housing sooner, including affordable housing.

I urge your readers to write to members of Wiltshire’s cabinet ahead of the meeting and also to our new Conservative MP Michelle Donelan, who said before the General Election: “I think the housing targets are too high for Chippenham.”

I attach a photo of the flood plain in full use on the east side of the river taken on Xmas Eve 2013. To even consider building on land adjacent to this defies common sense.

Andrew Stevenson, St Mellion Close, Chippenham.