Don't shoot the messenger!

Easy to attack messenger over meeting over housing

I would like to respond to the letter in last week's paper about the public meeting at Beltinge village hall on Kitewood's plans for housing development (Letters, Herne Bay Gazette, October 27).

I too am a resident of Beltinge, but unlike the letter writer, I chose to organise a meeting to bring residents together to express their concerns. I put an agenda before the meeting which was accepted.

You will always will have some individuals who seek to attack the messenger rather than the message.

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Too much traffic...

The developers propose to improve access to the A299. Increased traffic from this proposed new town may turn left instead of turning right, and there we have Reculver Road. Pity the people who live near the junction by the school. Reculver Road is quite busy as it is. The increase in vehicles, (some families can have 3 cars; my neighbour has 4) will make local roads intolerable. I can envisage single and some double yellow lines along the length of the road.

I feel this developement is totally out of proportion for this area and farmland will be lost. Housing should be built closer to large towns to facilitate employment and reduce travel. I am therefore anti. I vote NO

Mick, 6th Nov 2011

I'm all for it

Got one of your leaflets on public meeting at Kings hall. First of all I do not agree its unwanted development, what about the shortage of housing and jobs in England? Its not as if this space is the only green space around.

If you put Hillborough in the midle of a six mile radius left and right (road atlas britain) you have hardly nothing to the right accept Reculver untill Minnis bay, accept sea views and green fields. Sweeping inwards through to Sarre, Upstreet, Grove you have marshes and open countryside. Westbere you have lakes and rivers then on to Broadoak and Tylerhill more countryside and woods, then Cloweswood, Thorndenwood, Bleanwood, which is about THREE times the size of Herne bay. Then back to the coast Swalecliffe on the left of Hillborough and more open space and sea.

How do I feel "fantastic" hope it gets the go ahead. 1000s of jobs, Good for the economy, more homes Britain needs badly.

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Enough is enough

We are completely against the proposed development. We have already been lumbered with the estate at Hillborough which has seen too much traffic in Beltinge (VILLAGE) and along Bishopstone Lane - dog-walkers going to the cliffs, so we don't want any more.

When we moved here 14 years ago there was a quiet village existence but not now. There is no infrastructure - schools, sewage works, bus service and a further 1,300 properties (and 1,300+ cars) will need all this, and possibly another doctor's surgery (we can't get in to see a doctor now).

I don't suppose our comments will make the slightest difference as once this crappy council has made up its mind it will go ahead. What's next - building behind the surgery along Bishopstone Lane???

See you at the meeting

Mrs M, 4th Nov 2011

Concerns: traffic, doctors...

Yes, we should like to save Hillborough, like many other people who moved to this district, the reason was to be away from housing estates and be near country and sea. When we moved to Bishopstone 20 years ago there was a caravan site at Hillborough and farmland and farm shop.

We now have a housing estate with more vehicles on the road, which has no speed limit as has Maypole and Broomfield, therefore, Hillborough and Beltinge are just race tracks for cars.

So what will happen if we have another 1,000 house built very near to this estate, people will want to use the road through Beltinge and thereabouts to reach the beach and local shops. We have to wait in some cases 2 weeks to see a particular Doctor we would like, meaning we do not need even more people using both medical centres. Schools are another issue where would children go for schools?

We have no buses after 7.00 p.m.and they are every hour through Beltinge and Hillborough, in spite of the existing houses, so who would want to move into these houses if there is no convenient way of travelling into Herne Bay, Margate etc.

DR, Bishopstone, 3rd Nov 2011