Gary's News and views
Gary writes a weekly article which appears in the Plympton Plymstock and Ivybridge News in South West Devon. The articles are published here.
Friday 27 May 2016
MY FIRST LOOK AT SHERFORD
Two weeks ago I had a tour of the monstrous building site that is or will one day be the new town of Sherford. You need a visionary's eye to see it, but it is slowly taking shape. The lead contractors are very professional and recognise the acute disruption to local people while the new community rises from its earthen roots.
The entrance into Sherford, from Haye Road, is going to be spectacular, with a wide flat approach flanked by a massive earthen bund along one side and King George V Playing fields on the other. The town proper is accessed through a raised bridge rather like an Eastern European City. Once under the bridge, a right turn will take visitors to the first batch of houses to be completed and from which this twenty year project will grow.
The bridge is a bat-tunnel, providing a channel for bats to use at night, so as not to disorientate them. We live in a strange age, where thousands of pounds are spent accommodating wildlife, even though throughout history as our natural environment has changed, its inhabitants have shown themselves to be immensely adaptable.
The first show house is now expected to open in September 2016. Many local people are looking forward to that moment and there is every likelihood that these houses will sell well. The design of the town remains highly attractive, especially with the sports and leisure facilities it will contain and the huge community park on its Eastern border. Three well known house builders will be competing with each other for our custom which is a healthy way of ensuring that standards remain high.
We have all suffered much disruption and delay in recent months as a better road system is put in place, especially on the journey between Plympton and Plymstock. I gather the Stanborough Road works will be complete within three months and I am told that it will operate much more successfully than the previous one, where peak time delays were commonplace. If the recently completed scheme at Deep Lane is anything to go by, that will certainly be the case, as traffic flows have dramatically improved on the south side of the A38.
Soon then, the many young people who have been looking forward living in Sherford can start to enjoy the security that home ownership brings.
And we can man the barricades to protect the rest of our green spaces.
Two weeks ago I had a tour of the monstrous building site that is or will one day be the new town of Sherford. You need a visionary's eye to see it, but it is slowly taking shape. The lead contractors are very professional and recognise the acute disruption to local people while the new community rises from its earthen roots.
The entrance into Sherford, from Haye Road, is going to be spectacular, with a wide flat approach flanked by a massive earthen bund along one side and King George V Playing fields on the other. The town proper is accessed through a raised bridge rather like an Eastern European City. Once under the bridge, a right turn will take visitors to the first batch of houses to be completed and from which this twenty year project will grow.
The bridge is a bat-tunnel, providing a channel for bats to use at night, so as not to disorientate them. We live in a strange age, where thousands of pounds are spent accommodating wildlife, even though throughout history as our natural environment has changed, its inhabitants have shown themselves to be immensely adaptable.
The first show house is now expected to open in September 2016. Many local people are looking forward to that moment and there is every likelihood that these houses will sell well. The design of the town remains highly attractive, especially with the sports and leisure facilities it will contain and the huge community park on its Eastern border. Three well known house builders will be competing with each other for our custom which is a healthy way of ensuring that standards remain high.
We have all suffered much disruption and delay in recent months as a better road system is put in place, especially on the journey between Plympton and Plymstock. I gather the Stanborough Road works will be complete within three months and I am told that it will operate much more successfully than the previous one, where peak time delays were commonplace. If the recently completed scheme at Deep Lane is anything to go by, that will certainly be the case, as traffic flows have dramatically improved on the south side of the A38.
Soon then, the many young people who have been looking forward living in Sherford can start to enjoy the security that home ownership brings.
And we can man the barricades to protect the rest of our green spaces.
posted by Gary @ 15:18
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