I READ with interest a recent letter from the chairperson of the (RTPI) Royal Town Planning Institute South West, (new one on me) (Postbag, August 22).

It discusses the possibility of building a housing estate on the East and South side of the M5 in the area of Junction 25, which he states, would be a major impingement into the Green Belt.

Not only that, there is a real possibility of a vast increase in vehicles due to this proposal which would have to negotiate this specific area of junction 25. I can imagine!

A visiting acquaintance of the letter writer described this as 'Los Angeles'? Too late! He should also cast his eye on an area from Bathpool to Monkton Heathfield to the North and East of Taunton where you have the new A38 Eastern relief road.

A mixture of Milton Keynes with accompanying roundabouts and the vast estates of Croydon.

The 'villages' and areas of Monkton Heathfield, Bathpool, Creech Heathfield, and Britain's Ash have now been engulfed with housing, swallowing up field after field of the green stuff.

Hedgerows gone, wildlife gone, even the deer we could see in the morning mists from what was surrounding fields gone - except a few that didn't get the email, wondering around trying to work out what the hell happened!

So, if the RTPI wants to see poor planning with no thought to infrastructure, come to Monkton Heathfield.


READ MORE: LETTER: 'Don't let developers build east of the M5 at Taunton'


At certain times of the day you can join the traffic crawling along the A3259 pushing out tonnes of the stuff that will make our planet a nice hot smog infested world, as they stop/start because too many vehicles, including trucks, don't want to use the new Eastern relief road (A38).

But you ain't seen nothing yet! Phase 2 is going to start soon.

Another 1,800 houses being built all the way up to Walford Cross alongside the existing A38 which will become a single carriageway due to the proposed continuation of the Easton Relief Road, contributing to more traffic crawling through Monkton Heathfield, and thanks to Persimmon who stated, 'they can't afford to build the new road first', which means Persimmon will not be building the accompanying continuation of the Eastern Relief road alongside phase 2 until they have sold sufficient houses, whatever that means!

The extended Eastern Relief Road will be like the phantom bus gate and the Western Relief Road at Monkton Heathfield.

And as I said earlier: All this traffic will be heading right through Monkton Heathfield.

EAMONN LENISTON
Monkton Heathfield