I WAS appalled to read Cllr Barker's letter in the Citizen, April 8, whose mission in life it seems is to see that this corner of England's green and pleasant land is concreted over.

He refers to professional and independent survey of housing need. We have recently been the victims of such a survey which showed that in the Kellet ward there were 81 families who needed rehousing. A statistic that no one could uphold which was brought to us initially by our own ward councillor who could not name one (in need) family, whose resignation we subsequently called for and who has now mercifully retired.

Almost two thirds of the planning committee swallowed it whole though and approval was given to build a row of affordable houses on a previous green site on the basis of this statistic indicating that a quarter of the population was living in cramped squalor thus satisfying all those who had a commercial interest in the development.

Now, some parish councillors and residents who sought the truth had done their own survey and found only a small handful of persons who might be eligible. The chairman of the planning committee refused to answer the question - did she believe the 81 statistic?

She also refused to meet us to offer an explanation of the curious procedures. The person appointed to deal with difficulties in relation to housing associations refused to get involved. The planning office did not wish to know about our results but certain events subsequently indicated how much faith they had in the professional and independent survey.

The director of legal services, who lives in Nether Kellet, refused to answer the question how many people did he know who were eligible for tenancy. He also refused to meet fellow villagers. He and his section bent over backwards to accommodate the housing association in two ways. Attached to such developments there has to be an agreement defining the area from which such tenants could be drawn. We thought it would be Nether Kellet. Even when Arkholme and Halton wards were added it was not seen as a large enough catchment area to provide sufficient tenants and the proposal that it be made any rural ward was put to the planning committee and agreed. We expected the Falklands Islands to have been included at the next stage. They also arranged for the council to offer a financial guarantee that if tenants could not be found then the council would stump up the rent for the empty property. The housing association involved is having to demolish dozens of its houses for the lack of tenants. We concluded that Mr Barker's 'concealed households' must have included rabbit families living down holes and the row of hutches being built almost in our front garden seems to confirm this.

I can only congratulate big business for their ability to manipulate the system as here we see speculative building on a green site. I challenge Mr Barker to investigate this whole disgraceful episode and offer some explanation.

Mr Barker seems fond of St Augustine's sayings. The good saint also said: "When regard for truth has broken down, all things remain doubtful." Let's all hope that May brings some changes.

Derek Matthews,

Laithbutts Lane,

Nether Kellet.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.