Standing room only at meeting over controversial plan for more than 1,000 new homes in Wing
Wing Village Hall was packed for a public meeting about controversial plans to build more than 1,000 new houses.
The community briefing meeting, held on Sunday August 2, was organised by the Stop Wing New Town Group and attended by more than 400 people, with some forced to listen from the car park as they couldn’t fit in the hall.
Aylesbury MP Laura Kyrke-Smith, told the meeting she would submit an objection to the plan to Buckinghamshire Council and the Planning Inspectorate, as well as the council’s deputy cabinet member for planning Michael Bracken.
Ms Kyrke-Smith had already raised concerns about the Wing proposal before the meeting.
She said: “Some housing growth could be appropriate in Wing, but the proposed new town is a fundamental alteration to the village’s character, more than doubling the number of existing dwellings.”
The meeting was originally intended for Wing residents, but but drew people from nearby villages as well
One attendee from a village near to the proposed site, which could include up to 1,630 new homes if approved, said: “It’s going to be a disaster because there’s no infrastructure.
“This is not sustainable development and seems to be the wrong plan in the wrong place.
“Many inaccuracies have been pointed out by the Stop Wing New Town Group but the planners are not revising anything.
“Wing simply does not fulfil any of their own requirements for a development of this size.
“I think a lot of parishes are going to try and work together as it needs a huge groundswell to oppose the developers.”
The meeting heard how the proposal would bring 8,000 more vehicle movements on roads every day, and 10 years of heavy construction traffic.
Buckinghamshire Council explained there was no public money available to pay for infrastructure, with developers expected to foot the bill for roads, schools and health facilities.
Earlier this month Buckinghamshire Council published its Regulation 19 Draft Local Plan, which formally identifies a 96-hectare site to the north-west of the village for a minimum of 1,630 new homes.
It was claimed during the meeting that the land for the site has been provided by the Diocese of Oxford, which been approached for comment.
The Stop Wing New Town Group claims that the development would ‘obliterate the rural setting of a scheduled ancient monument and Grade I listed building,’ – All Saints Church in the village, which dates to the Anglo-Saxon era.
So far 1,425 people have signed a petition, started by the group, calling for the Wing New Town proposal to be refused.
Buckinghamshire Council is currently consulting on its Draft Local Plan. The consultation is open until 11.59pm on Sunday, September 6 at the council’s online consultation portal.