Andover Liberal Democrats have expressed concern over the government’s revised housing numbers for Andover. Government planning inspectors are seeking a further allocation of 1100 houses in the Andover area. I wonder whether the inspectors were aware of the pressure put on the town by such a large increase in numbers or they have any understanding of the town and its needs.
Andover has already seen an allocation of 3700 homes at East Anton and Picket Twenty. Further plans for building at Picket Piece and on other sites will bring the number of new homes in Alamein and St Mary’s wards to over 5000. If an additional 1100 are now added this would mean a 20% increase in the size of the town over the next 10 to 20 years. This cannot be achieved without a corresponding improvement in the town’s infrastructure – the roads bus and train services, the water and sewage systems, shops, leisure facilities, telephone services and schools. This investment must be made before or during the new building and cannot be funded only by local taxpayers or by the developers.
Liberal Democrat councillors will be seeking talks on improving Andover’s infrastructure before further building takes place and strongly opposing over-development in any one part of the town.
When are these houses that are already allocated going to be built? The town is short of affordable housing, but due to the ‘credit crunch’ the developers at East Anton and Picket Twenty seem in no rush to start building. From 1999 onwards the builders promoting both these sites promised that they were in a position to start almost immediately, yet the first sign that they will not make a vast profit from these houses they start dragging their feet. Lets get them start building then worry about everything else as so many people in this town would like to live in their own ‘affordable’ home.