ARTICLES in The Observer and The Sunday Times last weekend talked about the developments in Hook Norton increasing the size of the village by 10 per cent.

What about developments around Wantage and Grove increasing the size of the town by 70 per cent?

We acknowledge that there is a national housing shortage but developers have been planning a development of 2,500 homes at Grove airfield for more than 10 years and won’t start building until the financial circumstances are such that they will make enough profit (probably reducing the number of affordable homes in the mix and definitely not including the northern relief road which would be required to stop the traffic destroying the old centre of Grove).

We believe in sustainable development for our area but believe that a growth of over 5,000 homes in an area of only 7,635 homes is not sustainable without additional jobs for 12,000 people, road improvements, school places, health facilities and all the other infrastructure necessary to “enhance and improve the places in which we live our lives” (as the National Planning Policy Framework says).

The framework goes on to talk about “improving the conditions in which people live, work, travel and take leisure” and “moving to a low carbon future” linking work places and homes with cycle ways, public transport and footpaths.

If localism is about empowering communities then we should be able to stop development until we have guarantees that these developments will enhance and improve our lives.

Perhaps the best solution is that used 50 years ago, building new towns like Milton Keynes or Telford, then jobs, homes and the associated infrastructure can be built at the same time.

Julie Mabberley, campaign manager, Wantage and Grove Campaign Group