ON the front page of the January 21 edition of your paper, I found James Gray’s denying that new houses will be built at Hullavington airfield to be a most unimaginative pronouncement.

The market towns of North Wiltshire are struggling with the requirement for new housing, not least because their infrastructure of schools, doctors' surgeries and indeed roads are approaching bursting point.

Hullavington Airfield offers in many ways an ideal location for a new town in North Wiltshire. It is close to junction 17 on the M4 and even boasts a railway siding that could, with a little imagination, be converted into a new railway station for our area.

I was interested also to read that Wiltshire Council’s associate director of economic development and planning services Alistair Cunningham apologised to members of the Chippenham area board over uncertainty over planning delays.

A couple of years ago I discussed with Mr Cunningham the potential of such a development at Hullavington over the phone. Now that the MoD is actually pulling out from Hullavington a new town there could offer Mr Cunningham and his team not only a way out, but a blank slate on which to plan a bold new future for this part of Wiltshire.

It should go without saying that improved transport links, new facilities, perhaps a swimming pool, schools, shops and affordable housing should all form a part of this vision, and in doing so take the pressure off our market towns.

DR BRIAN MATHEW, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for North Wiltshire