An HM planning inspector saw fit to give permission in December for the building at Welland of 50 houses (12.5 per cent of existing village outside the settlement boundary) on sloping farmland with keuper marl less than two feet below the overlying clay.

This will be almost worse than building on flood plains and will exacerbate flooding at Brook End in spite of ever-changing solutions for the retention of water.

More seriously, landslip and early damage to the houses themselves will result.

In addition, these are houses that no one needs either on account of size or price, even when "affordable", and they do not meet the real need of younger villagers who wish to remain in their home territory.

S M Appleby (Mrs)

Welland