DESPITE overwhelming objection by the majority of residents of North East March, 110 letters of objection, a petition with 569 signatures and a children’s petition with 42 signatures, Fenland District Council approved plans for 79 acres of land to be allocated for housing.

At the full council meeting, councillors did not even discuss the issue.

Councillor Gavin Booth, supported by two other non-March Councillors, did request that this allocation be deleted from the core stategy but all Conservative councillors voted overwhelmingly to include this allocation.

It was obvious that all Conservative members had been instructed prior to the meeting not to discuss the issue and to vote for the inclusion.

What makes matters worse is that we have just learnt that Network Rail has recently announced that, due to improvements of the rail link between Felixstowe and the Midlands, there will be a substantial increase in rail freight movements coming through March.

From the existing 20 movements a day, this will increase to 48 movements a day. Longer wagons are also planned.

This will result in longer, more frequent hold-ups at the Station Road level crossing causing more traffic congestion.

Now Fenland District Council proposes to add more than 1,000 extra vehicles on this road network as a result of the proposed housing allocation!

We elect these councillors to act on our behalf, we pay for their allowances and then they completely ignore our very real concerns about this massive scale of proposed housing development.

Call this decision democracy? I, and hundreds of residents in North East March would call it dictatorship!

TREVOR WATSON

The Laurels

March

Via e-mail