SIR: Following up on my recent letter to the editor regarding affordable housing in Winchester, at the full council meeting on February 24 I asked the council leader if there had been any dialogue with the consortium promoting Royaldown to see if a new council estate could be part of the development.

Cllr Thompson said that there hadn’t been although she readily accepted that Winchester had a pressing need for more affordable housing and mentioned that over the next 10 years around 1,000 new affordable homes were planned to be delivered.

What saddens me is that whilst politicians on all sides seem to wholeheartedly support the need for more affordable and inclusive housing, they seem reticent in saying exactly where these new homes could be built.

I have to wonder if Winchester was today presented with the proposals to build the council estates of Stanmore, Winnall, Weeke and Highcliffe if residents would be forming campaign groups to oppose them?

Winchester desperately needs strong political leadership and whilst Cllr Thompson is correct to say that housing allocations needs to follow the Local Plan process, what clearer signal could be given by the leader if she were to say that there will be a brand-new council estate rather than shoehorning more homes in the existing council estates like the Valley in Stanmore and around the Winnall flats.

Winchester is a great place to live but only if you are wealthy enough to be able to afford to get into the privileged Winchester club which regrettably isn’t the case for many people who were born here.

Ian Tait,

Bereweeke Road,

Winchester