MADAM,
When we were kids in school our teachers would show us a book of rural life, "in this field that is a cow, that is a lamb, that is a pig", will our future teachers show the next generation an updated version of the same book of rural life, "in this field that is a bungalow, that is a semi, that house with a pond is a mansion", this situation is no joke!
In my village of Wyesham we have already had up to seventy five new houses built and now there are plans afoot to build up to thirty five more, which is rumored to rise to 75 with the future total of two hundred and ten properties on the cards. Already the planners have said that the building of the first thirty five houses will be split over a two year period, so the village will have to put up with construction lorries going back and forth for all this period of time, goodness knows how long it will be if and when the larger numbers are to be built.
Unless something is done regarding the infrastructure of Wyesham beforehand, we will end up gridlocked with traffic, the local school overflowing with children, with no amenities at all in the village to release the boredom of the youngsters. Most days the traffic is already at bursting point. We have the Wye Valley traffic, the Forest of Dean traffic, the Wyesham traffic, plus the Grange School and the Lidl store traffic all converging to the junction at The Mayhill. A simple drive to Monmouth from Wyesham, which was typically 10 minutes can now take up to 45 minutes, and even then you are at the mercy of other drivers letting you into the queue. What is it going to be like with all these extra properties to be built? The residents in all the villages realise the younger people need these extra houses to be constructed to help them to live and work from their villages, like their forefathers have done for years, but surely an overall plan of the future is needed to sort out the traffic, the roads and the quality of life for our residents in these areas.
The proposed third lane to be constructed on the A449 is half-hearted, from the Monmouth Rowing Club to the Wye Bridge, surely it needs to be from Dixton Roundabout to the bridge, otherwise if a vehicle breaks down in the shortened version, there is going to be a backlog of traffic, which will close one lane of the existing two lanes, making the traffic flow worse than at present.
In the case of Wyesham, the residents are asking for - no, they are demanding - a public meeting to give them a platform from which they can voice their concerns. The future is not all about how much council tax can be raised by slamming houses up everywhere, it has to be a footprint for our future children, so they can enjoy life to the full.
John C. Morgan
(Wyesham)