TO whom it may concern?

Your company has already built many very nice new homes in our small Georgian canal town (Stourport) and I am sure the new properties will be as tastefully designed and built, unlike other homes which are not so pleasing to the eye.

However, have you considered the considerable overload to our already-exhausted infrastructure?

There is one very old bridge from Pearl Lane which means travelling into Stourport or Kidderminster, a five-mile journey, now takes well over an hour and this can only increase.

Under that bridge is the only sewage pipe which sends all sewage from one side of the river to the other eventually going to the sewage treatment farm at Oldington.

This pipe was temporarily repaired some 12 years ago and at the time it was made clear that the repairs would not last and the alternative solution was to feed a pipe under the river.

The pipe is leaking again and is badly in need of repair.

I know this as a long-time member of Stourport Boat Club which is badly affected by sewage overspill into the river from the said pipe.

Clearly the building of new housing developments will have a retrograde effect on these repairs and only lead to the need for actions to be taken much sooner with the potential impact of traffic control restrictions on an already very busy bridge.

Our new medical centre is oversubscribed and doctors’ appointments are usually filled within 20 minutes of surgery opening time.

Imagine the impact of all these new houses.

On top of which the increase in cars backing up to the Dunley Road each day which will make planning for a doctor’s appointment even more difficult.

Our nearest hospitals can have 32 ambulances queuing outside.

Local schools are unable to take new pupils meaning children of four years have to travel to the other side of town.

If you have a child of four and another of seven, just trying to get them both to school on time with each on the opposite side of the bridge is very difficult.

So whilst I have no objection to your homes, don’t you think you have a responsibility to contribute towards upgrading and improving the infrastructure before you build because otherwise not only are the people of Stourport going to suffer but all those people buying your new homes are going to be sorely disappointed.

Or maybe the people of Stourport should make all these negative points known to prospective buyers and perhaps they won’t be so keen to purchase.

Martin Gavin

Stourport

What do you think? Write to letters@kidderminstershuttle.co.uk.