The Royston Say No To Gladman campaigners have given their take, in their own words, on points made in the planning application for up to 99 homes south of Echo Hill in Royston – ahead of an online meeting later this month.

• Up to 99 houses — the drainage system is designed to support 185.

• Briary Lane is frequently referred to when what is meant is actually Bridleway 13 (BW13).

• It was stated that there is no vehicular access to the site via Briary Lane. The only access to the site is via Briary Lane.

• The previous application was refused partly because access via BW13 would lead to the death of trees separating BW13 from Therfield Heath. With the current application although access is via Echo Hill, services will still be run along BW13 and so the likelihood remains that those trees will die following root damage.

• The proposed widening of the footpath along the north side of Sun Hill will lead to root damage and the deaths of horse chestnuts and lime trees which line it.

• Those lovely looking blue ponds on the plans are actually soakaways which will only briefly contain water after excessively heavy rain.

• The playing areas have not been allocated maintenance so will most likely become dangerous eye sores.

• There has long been an informal agreement not to breach the 110 metre contour line, this development would do that and make it the highest in Royston.

• Two photographs purporting to show the entrance into Echo Hill are, in fact, Layston Park

• We believe that the ecology report commissioned by Gladman contains some errors and omissions. We have therefore commissioned an ecologist to carry out a survey but have been refused access to the fields.

• Immediate access to the site will be by demolition of a house in Echo Hill and because of topological constraints will require huge amounts of earth removal and relocation and still leave very steep slopes.

There will be an online meeting hosted by RSNTG on Tuesday, July 14. For more detals see their website roystonsaysnotogladman.co.uk or search for the group on Facebook.

Gladman has previously told the Crow they would not comment on the planning application.