Villagers say 185 homes plan is 'utter madness'

Plans to build up to 185 new homes in a village near Peterborough have been branded "utter madness" amid a wave of opposition against the scheme.

Eighty-five objections have been made against the proposed build on farmland west of Peterborough Road in Farcet.

Forty per cent of the homes would be made affordable, according to developers Hallam Land and Persimmon Homes East Midlands, who argue it would help satisfy a "national imperative" to build more houses.

Huntingdonshire District Council is due to rule on the planning application on 19 January.

Planning officers have advised councillors to give "substantial weight" to the benefit of 74 new affordable homes being built in the area, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

But in a report prepared for the meeting, they said there had been "extensive" concerns raised about traffic.

They noted the plans included a new toucan crossing, which allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross at the same time, in Peterborough Road.

The site was within walking and cycling distance of key amenities, the report said.

But one objector wrote: "The infrastructure in the surrounding area is already at a straining point.

"I've lost count at how many problems there have been on the main road this last year or two.

"Adding further strain on these things would be utter madness."

In letters sent to the council, another resident added: "Even recently we've had large tailbacks through the village.

"It is getting increasingly harder and dangerous to get off driveways along Peterborough Road."

The developers have pledged to partially fund road safety improvements in the area if the project is approved.

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