News

Dear Editor,

Re: Closed footpath between Swann Way and Killing Wood

As a resident of Hawkinge who has been affected by the new fencing of "The Buffer Zone" but who does not back onto it, I am puzzled by the assertion that "the majority of people have walked outside the perimeter fence". I had never walked outside the perimeter fence in the eight years that I have lived here and nor had the other regular users.

The "perimeter fence" in any case was an old stock fence left from when the airfield had agricultural use and was naturally decrepit as is the continuation beyond this renewed section. Surely the buffer zone was to protect residents from road noise and there is already dense planting towards the road. Nearer to Swann Way, this has been enhanced by the planting of dogwoods etc just outside the garden fences and this seems to afford enhanced privacy.

I agree that having access to this area is a privilege but it seems strange that the privilege is restricted to those who paid the builder to put a gate in their fence. It begs the question in that case of whether the builder had the right to grant that exclusive privilege.

It would be a great shame if these garden gates became a major issue in this debate because I can thoroughly understand why easy access to this area is desired. The issue is that so many other people want to share in this access as they have done previously for a very long period indeed.

Finally the time for public discussion of such a matter is before a decision is made rather than after. That is a democracy after all.

Peter