There are many factors why this site in Wicklewood would not be suitable for a new development of housing.
Low Street in Wicklewood floods on a regular basis. This year the road was flooded to a point where it was virtually impossible for cars to pass through. The water overflows into the low-lying properties on the north side of Low Street. The houses on the north side of the street have suffered flooding as a direct result of water flowing from the fields to the south side which are on a significantly higher level. There is a raised bank adjacent to the road on the south side of Low Street which forms the vital drainage ditch which generally helps to prevent flooding off the fields, however the farmland is considerably raised and land drainage discharges into this ditch and occasionally the ditch is not sufficient to prevent flooding.
Many parts of Low Street are of single width (one car wide) with no passing places and no highway drainage. This makes the road totally inadequate for increased traffic.
There is no public footpath along Low Street and therefore no safe walking route to the school and to the bus stop at the other end of the village.
There are no village facilities such as shops or a post office.

There is also inadequate infrastructure including electricity supply and we have regular power cuts. There is no gas supply therefore there will always be a greater demand on our electricity.
At present our Broadband is inadequate and inconsistent.

A new development would without doubt be out of keeping with the village and the small scale low-rise properties along the North side of Low Street and in particular not in keeping with the historic 250-year-old low level cottages to the North.
Because of the natural and physical features of the area and the properties on the north side of Low Street these houses and cottages would be overlooked by the new development and this would have a considerable impact on the lives of the residents.

Another important factor would be the loss of historic hedgerows which provides habitat for all kinds of species of wildlife.

The historic views across to the windmill have long been a significant part of Low Street in Wicklewood. It will be devastating to see Wicklewood Windmill an important tourist attraction, which is a focal point in the village lost amongst a modern housing estate. The open views across the countryside is what we treasure and a housing development would not be in keeping with our village.




The village of Wicklewood