I'm amazed that there has been no comment or letter in the Herald for the last two weeks about the roadworks in Farnham town centre.

Perhaps everyone is just too accustomed to the frequent congestion and gridlocks; perhaps they think it will be worthwhile once the altered road layout is completed.

But nobody I have spoken to understands how the proposed layout will help the congestion. In fact, the general opinion seems to be that there will be even worse holdups and danger to pedestrians at the foot of Castle Street and the top and bottom of Downing Street.

Perhaps we're being unduly pessimistic - I really hope so!

Alastair Emblem

Farnham

In 2008, the East Hampshire Community Partnership (EHCP) produced a paper on the issues to be considered that relate to the quality of life of the community. The vision for the district was that, by 2026, East Hampshire would be a better place where residents live in safe, attractive and prosperous towns and villages and where they will have good access to a range of housing, jobs, leisure and community facilities.

They would also enjoy a high-quality built and natural environment where they would live and work in a way that respects resources and the district’s natural environment. Fine words indeed but, with 2026 less than a year away, just how close to reality has that vision been for the southern parishes of Clanfield, Horndean and Rowlands Castle?

As a resident of north Horndean and a user of Clanfield facilities, I have my doubts about ‘the vision’ in relation to these two parishes, doubts that have been coloured by the fact that my ‘quality of life’ has taken a down turn over the years instead of being improved.

Having lived in Horndean since 1962, one great concern of mine has been the steady increase in housing in the area without any thought being given to the need for supporting infrastructure.

Gone are the days when we could go to local surgery and arrange a same-day doctor’s appointment. Sadly, unless it is an emergency, such appointments now take days, as does the processing of prescriptions. With an aging population in my area which, is likely to be the case according to the 2008 paper, these two health-supporting facilities are of prime importance but given little consideration by our planners, it would seem.

As for residents living in a safe and attractive place, with the increasing number of homes being built the roads are now busier than ever, parking spaces can be at a premium and the policing of the ever-increasing size of residential areas is now a thing of the past. Our Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Donna Jones, prides herself on having recruited some 700 additional police officers but I have no idea to where they have been deployed, certainly not to the southern parishes. We do have a local bobby scheme now and our responsible officer has an area stretching from East Meon to Rowlands Castle, a distance of about 11 miles. Hardly local!

The district’s natural environment is being eroded, with many of the local green spaces, termed ‘greyfield’ sites I believe, and many brownfield sites, such as Gales Brewery, having all seen developments over recent years, some resulting in the loss of so-called green lungs, all to the detriment of the local population and wildlife. An example were the green slopes running east from Green Lane in Clanfield, some 37 acres in all, having long gone and replaced by about 300 dwellings 15 or so years ago. With an average of 2.6 cars and 2.5 residents per household, that development alone generated approximately another 780 vehicles and over 750 residents and has proved challenging for elements of the local infrastructure.

But wait, there is more in the pipeline! As you reported, Clanfield is now faced with the possibility of another 200 homes being built on land west of Sunderton Lane. If the application by developers, Barret David Wilson Homes is given the nod, that development will generate another 500-plus vehicles and about the same number of new residents.

EHDC planners need to understand that Clanfield, for what supporting infrastructure it has to offer, has already reached saturation point where developments are concerned and common sense should prevail. This is a ‘quality of life’ issue and the planner’s vision has never been reached. The powers that be need to understand that this current proposal could be the last straw.

Robert Davis

Hawthorn Road

Horndean

In reference to the correspondence from David Wylde, regarding possible community uses for the seldom-visited new square in Brightwells, I propose an idea.

The market squares I’ve seen in many French villages often have a large, permanent and tall structure serving as a roof, with open sides made from glass and steel.

In France, this is often beautiful as well as functional, and provides cover from wet weather for the weekly markets they have there.

We should consider how our stallholders have been severely let down, losing so much they’ve worked hard to prepare for, after several popular markets on Castle Street or West Street were recently been cancelled at the last minute due to extreme weather.

The Brightwells area, being surrounded by tall buildings, provides shelter from wind. If a beautiful, freestanding roof structure could be built in the middle, perhaps markets could be held there, without the need to close Castle Street or West Street every time.

It would also help to relieve traffic flow and encourage some life into this large, but currently dead area.

Beverley Fowler

Wrecclesham

David Blower moaned about the unwelcome use of the word 'gotten' in the Herald, labelling it as American.

But in 1620, when the Pilgrim Fathers arrived in the New World, they would have used 'gotten' as often as 'got' as the past participle. It had been in use in England since the Middle Ages.

It is our American cousins who have preserved the English language in this instance, not we who stayed at home.

Mike Randall

Rowledge