I POPPED in to the Wantage Civic Hall to look at a display for the proposed Crab Hill development.

I found myself among other anxious and angry residents, who are also worried about the probable impact of 1,500 houses on the site. I should say that as a resident of Elm Road, I am biased and belong to the ‘not in my backyard’ brigade. Having said that, I do feel that my objection to this and other developments is based on more important criteria. Before I retired, I would leave Wantage early in the morning, take the A417, cut through Featherbed Lane to the top of Steventon, then down to the A34.

My wife, now also retired, would leave a little later and take the A338. We both invariably found the going slow and an accident somewhere along the way (fairly frequent on the A34) would reduce it to a crawl. I always felt sorry for motorists trying to access those roads from West or East Hanney and East Hendred. Although the new proposals include new roads around Wantage, they can only exacerbate the problem that exists on the two routes mentioned. 1,500 houses are likely to add 3,000 cars into the equation. When one then adds the cars that will go along with other development plans, the problem becomes mind-boggling. It doesn’t end there. Parking in the Waitrose and Sainsbury’s car parks is becoming more and more of a trial with motorists regularly driving round and round to find a space (don’t get me started on the empty disabled parking allocation). In terms of entertainment, the area appears to be on a downturn, with pubs closing and store spaces unoccupied. Punitive ground rents have reduced the choice for shoppers, filling the town with charity shops. These, and other thoughts, have been voiced by residents from Wantage and Grove, but it appears that no-one is listening. Apart from a couple of landowners, who will benefit from this expansion? Will there be hundreds of jobs for the new residents to walk or cycle to?

Dr Patrick Wilmore

Elm Road

Wantage