FEARFUL residents have compared plans to build hundreds of homes in Cottingham to Hull's Bransholme estate.
East Riding Council revealed the latest draft of its Local Plan at a public consultation meeting, which was met with outrage by residents from the village. Since the first draft earlier this year, planning officers have increased the original number of potential homes for land near Castle Road from 188 to 301. But residents say this will increase the number of cars in Cottingham's already traffic-choked roads and it will lose its "village identity".
Castle Road resident Dr Peter Adman, 71, said: "They will be creating a second Bransholme right where we live. It will bring down the value of our homes by about £50,000 – who would want to live somewhere facing that estate?"
Their worries are compounded by the imminent decision over Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust's plans to build 600 homes on the same area of land – although planning officers say this is too many homes for the area. They increased the number of homes in Castle Road because the plans now include land at Castle Hill Hospital, where the 600 homes would be built. They have also removed plans to relocate the playing field and will no longer build 100 homes in Abbots Walk because it is in a flood-risk zone.
Senior strategic planning officer at the council, Owen Robinson, hinted it was unlikely the NHS trust's application would be approved.
He said: "We have determined 600 homes is too much for the area. We would only want a proportion of that, so this indicates it is not something we would support. This is a requirement by Government and a key part of it is making sure land is available for housing. If we don't provide it, we will struggle to refuse inappropriate developments."
But residents are not reassured. Diana Sandy, who has lived in Hallgate for 40 years, said: "This is going to make traffic infinitely worse."
Janet Chia, 49, of Castle Road, said: "We are all so worried, it is absolutely desperate."
Dr John Coope, 70, of Castle Road, said: "We will be surrounded by houses. Lovely open spaces will be taken away and traffic will become much too heavy."
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