I FIND it sad that the district council wants to protect the Roswell Lakes area from developers, but have permitted them to build huge housing estates on irreplaceable farmland on the other side of Prickwillow Road all the way down to Thistle Corner. No w

I FIND it sad that the district council wants to protect the Roswell Lakes area from developers, but have permitted them to build huge housing estates on irreplaceable farmland on the other side of Prickwillow Road all the way down to Thistle Corner. No wonder developers are attracted to the Roswell Lakes side of the road.

However, if the council can redeem themselves by saving the Roswell Lakes area, that will indeed show a u-turn and perhaps an end to the urban sprawl that is choking the infrastructure of the city and surrounding villages.

And save the Roswell Lakes area they must - why should we all pay council tax if the council fails to protect the region from rampant development, especially on green field sites and conservation areas such as Roswell Lakes? This area is an oasis of wildlife and interest and these are some of the many reasons to protect it from the unconcerned greed of developers:

n Vital green buffer between the river and the housing estates north of Prickwillow Road and light industrial development along Lisle Lane and Cresswells Lane.

n Recreational value for sailing, walking, running, fishing, bird watching, blackberrying, and its flora and fauna.

n Interesting industrial archaeological site, eg small sections of the old narrow gauge clay pit railway still exist.

n Site of scientific interest because of the fossil content of the clay.

n Teeming wildlife, including kingfisher, grebe, marsh harrier, and occasionally deer.

Roswell Lakes is self-conserving and local people should be allowed to continue to enjoy it without the interference of developers and the environmental destruction they can cause. An example is the huge area of thriving wetland that was drained for the vehicle distribution park bounded by Roswell Lakes, the old sugar beet factory, and the river. Not only was this development an environmental disaster, it is now sterile, empty and unused.

Saving all of the Roswell Lakes area from any form of development (housing, theme parks etc) is going to be a serious test of the commitment of the council and the church to long-term conservation of the region for future generations.

JOHN TURNER

Cromwell Road

Ely