Friday 20 April 2018

More houses for Gretton?


Another week, another planning application.  This time for 120 homes on agricultural land behind existing homes in Gretton, with access down a narrow road that usually has cars parked both sides of it.

In fact, so bad is the on-street car parking in Gretton now it's been reported that the service bus - soon to be axed, incidentally - couldn't access its normal route last week and had to leave some passengers behind.

What if that had been a fire engine or ambulance trying to respond to an emergency call?

The applicant for this particular housing development, just off Southfield Road, is Gladman, as featured on BBC Countryfile recently.

They of course won't be building the actual houses - they will simply try to get the planning approved and sell the land on to a house builder.

So the talk in their glossy brochure sent to every Gretton resident of leisure areas, sympathetic architecture and at least 40% affordable houses is just that - talk.  They might as well promise each existing villager a pet Unicorn.

Over the last few months Gretton has lost its fantastic Post Office and Shop, the heart of the community; The Talbot Public House has had to close its doors for the final time too, and is for sale as a private house.

The Number 67 bus to Corby - a vital lifeline for those in the village who don't drive - is being axed due to NCC cutbacks.  This bus service makes numerous appearances in the developers' documentation, used as an example to highlight how well Gretton is served by public transport and how new residents will be able to use the bus to access employment, schooling and leisure facilities in Corby and Market Harborough.

The roads through Gretton are riddled with potholes that, despite being reported numerous times, just don't get fixed.

The broadband speed is woefully inadequate at times, mobile phone signal is limited, the sewerage system struggles to cope and villagers complain about lack of water pressure.  On top of this, the primary school and nursery are at full capacity.

How on earth is this village supposed to cope with another 120 houses, potentially 240 cars, and about 500 more residents when its existing facilities cannot serve the current population?

If you wish to object to this scheme, please write by 3rd May to Corby Borough Council, Planning and Environmental Services, Deene House, Corby, Northants, NN17 1GD, quoting planning reference number 18/00271/DPA

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