WHAT a crafty lot the planners at West Wiltshire District Council are.

First it was called the Hilperton relief road and just going through the Gap fields and now suddenly it has become the Trowbridge relief road picking up the traffic from West Ashton, through Leapgate, Paxcroft Mead at bedroom level, crossing a busy housing development, full of young children, criss-crossed with cycleways and footpaths.

Then on to the Gap which is working farmland and used for informal leisure and is filled with wildlife already under serious countrywide decline. It will then join Horse Road, Hilperton, at an accident blackspot then on to Staverton with three dangerous old narrow bridges and roads that are even worse than Hilperton in places. It will then come to where it regularly floods causing the road to be closed. Due to housing at Staverton there is no room for a bypass. Wonderful.

Originally Gallaghers put up £500,000 towards the Hilperton relief road (we assume this is still in safe keeping), now Persimmon have applied to construct the road, no doubt costing several millions of pounds and surely this is not being donated from the goodness of their hearts? It is obvious to all that we have talked to that Persimmon will fill the Gap with massive housing and then our green lung will be gone and our village status and that of Staverton will be lost for ever. Villages are a traditional part of English scenery and the envy of many countries, so why are they being destroyed at a rate of knots?

Already we have by far exceeded the number of houses designated by the government and, as in a previous letter we wrote, our vital services are stretched to breaking point now.

An alternative northern route was put forward but with only a cursory investigation it was overturned. Any damage to the countryside is horrific but this route would have caused less and avoided the pitfalls of the new proposed Trowbridge relief road.

We are not giving up, in fact it has made us more determined to fight this issue. Each day we are getting more support which is very encouraging. To help we urge you to write to John Prescott, Minister of Transport, S Whitfield (01225) 776655 and any of the councillors.

B AND E PARFITT,

Hilperton Marsh,

Friends of the Gap.

FURTHER to recent reports re the Hilperton Gap road, I may be asking the obvious but why are Persimmon applying for planning permission to build the road?

If my memory serves me correctly a sum of money was pledged by previous developers, Gallaghers, towards the cost of a road as part of the planning originally granted for building on Paxcroft Mead.

I believe I also remember reports in your paper by various council departments, categorically denying plans to build houses on either side of this new road. If this should be the case, it begs the question as to why Persimmon should be building a multi-million pound road (it can hardly be less) at all.

Councillors, council employees and developers: could I please have an answer to the following:

1. Who, exactly, is paying for this road?

2. What, exactly, have Persimmon been promised in return for this road?

3. Is it true that Persimmon currently have options on all the land on either side of the proposed road?

There has to be something behind all of this developers are not known for their altruism!

Come on all those who profess to have a Vision for Trowbridge does it include even more acres of concrete, roads and houses?

One last thought considering how many of these homes are bought and occupied by people from outside Wiltshire (in fact all over the UK) how many more do the people of Trowbridge need?

J COLBRAN,

Trowbridge.