THERE continue to be letters bemoaning the state of our local county town.

I live in Staplegrove and am quite passionately against plans to extend the town on to the open agricultural land on my doorstep.

At worst, you can call me a Nimby but let’s think on.

I believe that these are retrograde plans but will provide Taunton Deane Borough Council with money.

This is because the plans are for more than 1,600 houses.

The government pays a New Homes Bonus to councils who build such houses. Developers of plans for these houses also pay out to help with so-called infrastructure.

These might be called ‘sops’ but are obligations. Even so, the developers design to make big profits, as do the builders.

RELATED: Staplegrove homes: Will they bring traffic chaos?

What’s in it for Taunton?

We already have developing ‘new towns’ at Norton Fitzwarren and Monkton Heathfield. Comeytrowe and Staplegrove will be two more. Not to mention all the other building at Nerrols , Bishops Hull, Stonegallows etc.

The government has lulled us into believing that we need more and yet more houses. Do we need them here?

Has our population increased that much? What about employment? The Staplegrove plans include a handful of potential jobs on site.

Where will the other new residents work? We know Taunton is losing, not producing, new jobs. Bridgwater might have jobs, and Exeter and Bristol.
Then there’s this infrastructure.

To us it means roads; routes for pedestrians and cyclists. The government and councils want us to walk and cycle because we are overweight and need to be healthier.

This is good in theory, because the country has insufficient money for the NHS and roads.

RELATED: 1,500-home plan for Staplegrove opposed by councils and residents

If we leave our cars at home, the roads will be less congested and polluted, but will we get the safe routes for walkers and cyclists?

Or will public transport be the answer? We are told so, but the buses are cut again and again.

Then there is the educational infrastructure.

Will Taunton’s parents be understanding when their children cannot find a place in a local school?

What is to become of pleasant Taunton? We can’t fix the town centre, so let’s build and build on our green and pleasant land. Will this fix the council’s financial problems? If it did, at what cost?

Please write to your council and try to stop the insane compunction to build their way out of trouble.

It won’t help us, the residents of Taunton.

J M BERRY
Staplegrove