EASTLEIGH Council’s recently published Emergent Local Plan for the Borough makes disturbing reading for any resident of this town.

Despite having had some sympathy for the Council after having had their first local plan was rejected by the government inspector because it that it did not contain enough development land, that sympathy has evaporated because what was once a bad plan has know turned into an awful one.

All of the proposals, from Woodside Avenue, Borley Green, Hamble Lane and the Stoneham Lane development, appear to be driven by politics and money as much of the building will be on land that by chance happens to be owned by the local council.

How fortuitous for the council. Is this their way of trying to balance the books against the loans for private hotels, private golf courses, new luxury civic offices and now the Fleming Park sports centre rebuild which already has an expected cost escalation.

What annoys me most in any of these plans is only lip service has been paid to traffic congestion, air pollution issues and most important of all the views and impact on existing residents.

The proposals are once again cramming too many small dwellings onto the proposed sites.

One only has to look at recent developments to see insufficient parking for households that in this era nearly always have two cars and often in many cases commercial vehicles.

Nineteenth century tenements were deemed wrong, tower blocks of the 1960’s were wrong and already more enlightened planners are saying these small houses we now build are wrong.

In only a few years everyone will say it’s wrong.

But it all comes down to money. More houses more money for developers and councils.

Plagiarising the story of the Kings New Clothes, I point the finger at government, councils and developers and say that we do not have a housing crisis. What we have is an affordability crisis.

Go to any high Street in any town and the most numerous businesses that you find are estate agents. Eastleigh is a prime example.

There is certainly no shortage of properties filling their windows but with prices that first time buyers cannot consider.

My own house I could buy as a newly wed in the 80’s but is now way out of reach of current first time buyers.

If one reads social history we have had a housing crisis since the second world war. It is local councils such as Eastleigh aligning with developers to maximise financial profit that has driven house prices to the levels we now see.

It is time that Government placed a financial cap on profit from housing development.

By doing so house prices would not escalate at a disproportionate rate to earnings as they have done in the last couple of decades and local authorities would have to be more economic on their extravagant and and at times irresponsible spending plans.

Richard May, Eastleigh