VILLAGERS are being warned that 270-home development they thought had gone away could be very much alive.

The Melbourn Housing Development Awareness Campaign (Meldhac) fears that 270 houses planned for a greenfield site off New Road in the village could still go ahead if the community does not remain vigilant.

To alert villagers to the continuing threat - and to explain how they can support their elected representatives - Meldhac and Melbourn parish council are planning to distribute a leaflet and a response form to every household in Melbourn during the next week.

As reported in The Crow, the controversial development - known as H7 and H8 - was dropped from the district plan by South Cambs District Council in June after a huge outcry in the village. But Meldhac and local councillors are warning that the district council’s new, revised proposals still aren’t a “done deal”. They are up for public consultation until October 14, when they will go to Whitehall for a final decision - and that decision could still go in favour of the developers.

A Meldhac spokesman said: “When we asked the village to have its say in a similar exercise early this year, we had an overwhelming response - in fact we believe the biggest of any village in Cambridgeshire. Now we finally have one last chance to finally see off the developers.”

The Parish Council, district and county councillors, as well as Meldhac, have accepted the prospect of several smaller developments in the village, and believe they will meet the area’s needs for years to come. These include 65 homes off Victoria Way, 11 new houses on The Moor, 6 more on land at the rear of the Old Elm Tree and a further13 on the site of the old police station (the Hub).

Villagers who want to know more about the district plan can see it in detail at an exhibition on September 9, from 2.30pm-7.30pm at the All Saints Community Hall in Melbourn.

The spokesman added: “We ask everyone to come along and to have a chance to have their say. We are planning to have people on hand throughout the afternoon to help and to advise.”