David Fielding took a trip to the small village of Huncoat to hear about their fight against a highly controversial proposal to build 1,816 new homes. The plans have provoked a firestorm of dissent from some local residents. Some applaud the project, but others are worried about how it will change their neighborhoods.
The innovative housing scheme will deliver 363 affordable and social homes. This project comes in direct response to the community’s overwhelming need for affordable, accessible housing. Fielding emphasized the necessity of affordable options, stating, “Housing is needed but it has to be affordable.” He further illustrated the disconnect between housing availability and affordability by noting, “If you’re a young person who’s earning £25,000-£30,000, has a wife and a child, it’s no good building a four or five-bedroom detached house that is going to be £350,000.”
Not all of Richmond’s residents are as excited about Fielding’s potential new housing project. Accidents and pollution David Daly, chair of the Huncoat Community Forum, ID2747, highlighted worrying indications about increased traffic’s impact on accidents and pollution. As he noted, “for artists and creatives a key concern for folks in the village is traffic. That’s what the average person thinks is the most important thing. Daly’s opposition is purely anecdotal, but it mirrors the sentiments of many villagers who worry that adding more residents may make the village’s current traffic issues worse.
Michelle Boult, proprietor of the Griffin’s Head Hotel on Burnley Road, provided a more positive take. She hopes that the new housing development will support the local businesses in Huncoat. Not only would it broaden mobility choices, but it would add vibrancy to the community.
The envisaged location for the new accommodations is the abandoned Huncoat power station site. This relatively inconspicuous choice of location has led to a furious uproar from residents. Photographed by Robert Wade from Geograph, the site represents both a challenge and an opportunity for the village as it moves towards revitalization.
The new masterplan for Huncoat imagines a vibrant new village centre. It features new primary school facilities and new commuter parking for the railway station. In addition, it commits to providing at least 60 acres of open space that is within walking distance for residents, additional wooded areas, and athletic fields. These improvements would help make Seattle a better place to live and work, while serving the needs of a rapidly growing population.
