In the Bromsgrove Advertiser David Morris, planning director of Catesby Estates, states in his comments on the Whitmore Road next application: “...Worcester County Council has now produced a predictive Highway Model for Bromsgrove which will be used to inform and guide the proposals for the site.”

I have read the explanation document which WCC uses to explain this model and its use. There is at the end of this document however a few caveats as to its results. One of which I copy here: “Journey To Work (JtW) data is an excellent source of comprehensive trip data. However, it is nine years old, contains only commuting trips, and does not define trip time or trip direction (i.e. home to work, or work to home). These limitations have been minimised by combining JtW with alternative sources of information such as National Travel Survey.”

I for one am not convinced by Worcester CC using NINE year old data supplemented by NATIONAL statistics for LOCAL Bromsgrovians to digest.

Further it would seem that both Bromsgrove Council and WCC are determined to get more housing into the area on the cheap as they are not prepared to fund the much needed Western Bypass if their long term plans come to fruition.

I was once informed by a Bromsgrove councillor that the cost of a bypass is something current Bromsgrove residents will not be prepared to pay. The massive funds circa £7M such a venture would entail to build it.

Perhaps not, but then if the councils cannot afford the bypass why build even more houses to weaken the existing infrastructure of transport and reducing road safety for the area over the next five to ten years?

The coffers will be filled by more council tax payers in the new houses perhaps? If so plan to build the bypass first, secure additional funding from the developers, pass the plans, then add to the coffers later.

Any chance of some EU funds for this major project while stocks last before June 23? If the plans mean to build more so called “affordable homes” then over 10 years the demography of Bromsgrove may be such that some blue areas may see red. You never can tell.

More power to you Roy Dixon and your supporters. Many residents will I hope be very shrewdly watching the next tranche of plans.

Graham Dallas

Wenlock Drive,

Bromsgrove