Scotforth residents will remember the packed public meeting in the Unitary Church in November 1997. When Labour councillor, Ian Barker, told us that we needed a huge housing development on the green fields to the south of Lancaster. Due to people living living in smaller households as a result of family break-ups, people living on their own and living longer.

If you travel down Ashton Road these days, you can see the first new houses built as part of the Lancaster South scheme. They have five bedrooms, double garages and a placard outside informing buyers of the prices; which start from £170,000.

I don't think that those are 'smaller households', Mr Barker? You must be joking! As the Green Party has always said, these houses will not meet local housing needs. Instead, they will encourage commuters to Preston and Manchester to use our beautiful countryside as a mere dormitory, destroying it in the process.

Emily Heath and Tony Pinkney

Rossmoyne Road, Scotforth

(members Scotforth Green Party)

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