I WAS very interested to read your story about North Station and the traffic congestion problems.

However no mention was made about traffic problems to the east of the town. Getting out of town is always a problem Once in the Hythe area there are so many foot crossings.

The traffic planners made a big mistake installing these as you are stopped just over the river bridge, again at Tesco and then once more half-way up Clingoe Hill.

Obviously done on the cheap without any thoughts for the motorist these surely should have been footbridge crossings or underpasses.

However there should be a strong case for a flyover from the Hythe, across river and railway to the A133 in the Clingoe Hill area moving traffic fast in the east end of town.

The problems simply are not going away – I well remember back in the Fifties traffic problems in East Hill/East Street areas because of the railway level crossing as East Gates.

My grandparents who lived in the lower part of Harwich Road had a letter from Colchester Council suggesting a flyover across East Gates and that their house could be in the shadow of it – nothing was ever done and like today no one seems interested in a fix.

Perchance the trams should be reintroduced to the town.

Sir Bob Russell was of this opinion in his days as an MP, a car park to the east between Elmstead/Alresford and Wivenhoe then tram lines down to the university across the railway and river along the Hythe into St Botolphs then into town – from the east.

I am sure trams from the south north and west could be viable too.

Come on Colchester, for goodness sake get us moving.

Paul Diggens Bromley Road, Elmstead Market

  • Our countryside will be gone forever

All power to Rosie Pearson’s elbow regarding the planned homes in West Tey.

An urban development the size of Bury St Edmunds would be a disaster for anywhere that is relatively urbanised already.

We all know the promises of improved infrastructure, GP surgeries, schools, etc but the strain on current infrastructure would be too much to bear.

Nobody seriously believes people would walk, cycle or public transport in preference to jumping in their cars and getting out on the already clogged up roads, just look at the A12.

We are fed the so called “benefits” a new sprawl would bring but we are short sighted if we don’t realise once the countryside in gone, it’s gone forever.

We are told we “need” all these houses but surely if we do, a new town of this size could be sited well away from any areas of current urbanisation, if any still exist.

Stephen Mann Colchester

  • Show respect for existing homes

Nice to know Neil Stock has gained a prestigious award for mass development in Tendring.

I would like to present him the wooden spoon for creating horrendous problems for residents who have the misfortune to live adjacent to Mr Stock’s prized building sites.

No thought has been given to residents for much of this development.

In my experience of attending planning meetings, some councillors on the committee decline to vote on key planning matters, and this is real democracy in action.

Normal planning considerations, e.g in regard to overlooking, seem to be totally ignored.

Having been unable to use my garden for six months because of diggers, noise, fumes, toxic dust etc, I was a little surprised to find Tendring’s planning department did not even consider it necessary to have a screen erected against the noise, dust etc.

If, as Mr Stock says, he “believes passionately in local homes for local people”, he might respect existing homes, which have much of their value dramatically reduced because of insensitive and inappropriate development in close proximity.

He talks about “quality living environments”, but has wrecked mine.

Marguerite Kramer Main Road, Dovercourt