HMS Ganges - a house too far?

4.16.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 30th Mar 2005

From left to right: Councillors Dave Wood, Kathy Pollard, Penny Clarke and Wendy Sadler

The proposed development of 350 houses at HMS Ganges has come under fire from County Councillors for the area David Wood and Kathy Pollard.

Cllr. Wood, who represents the Peninsula division, said "The infrastructure of the Shotley Peninsula will not be able to cope with a development of this size. Local residents have made their fears known and the greatest concern appears to be around highway safety issues."

Kathy Pollard, who represents Wherstead added "The biggest problem is capacity on the B1456 which is the main access route to Shotley. The A137 carries traffic to the A14 and into Ipswich port, and the junction with the B1456 at Wherstead Strand is a real bottleneck at peak times. This can only get worse with the development around the Ipswich waterfront."

Dave Wood has voiced his concerns at many meetings with residents on the Peninsula "The vast increase in traffic will certainly affect quality of life for residents in the Shotley Peninsula. Speed limits, road safety schemes and traffic calming measures will help, but I believe the amount of houses proposed is far too high. Of course we need better community facilities in Shotley for young and old alike and any development would contribute towards that, but developers should have carried out a proper consultation with the residents, not just in Shotley, but throughout the Peninsula."