HAVE you noticed something odd happening in Kidderminster recently?

It has been going on for a few years now, just one or two here, and then three and four there - insidiously done under our very noses, slowly spreading like a disease.

I am talking about selling beautiful large houses with their extensive gardens for demolition, so the owners and developers can hugely profit from building "apartments in a des res" or "luxury townhouses in prime up-market areas".

They are faceless boxes and the latest scourge to threaten the character of Kidderminster.

I live in Ludgate Avenue, where it is peaceful, surrounded by mature gardens with huge pine trees, dense green foliage and home to many squirrels.

I could wax lyrically forever, but this is not going to help me or the squirrels if permission is given to knock down two beautiful Sutton Park Road houses with their coveted large gardens and build two three-storey blocks of flats, with parking spaces for over 50 cars.

Now you may think my only concern is for the view from my house of 43 flats instead of squirrels jumping through trees, and you are right.

But people need to consider access to these flats will be very close to the busy junction of Sutton Park Road/Bewdley Hill.

I and other local residents have put up with the problem of this hazardous junction for many years. Putting traffic lights there may help, but would create massive queues from Bewdley and Kidderm-inster, so we tolerate it.

But now developers want to put an access/egress for these flats virtually on top of this junction.

That could be as much as 60 cars or more coming out each morning onto this junction and it will affect everyone who uses it at peak times.

I believe this latest money-spinning idea of knocking down large houses for the land to be vulgar and motivated by pure greed.

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