In the next 25 years, 59,000 extra houses will be built in Aylesbury Vale, putting a massive strain on the infrastructure of our region.

With the help of local authorities and MPs, we have calculated that to maintain a reasonable standard of living, the Government needs to spend £713 million on schools, roads, transport, education and the environment.

We are calling for a personal guarantee from the Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott that this money will be made available.

So far, the local authorities say that this guarantee has not been forthcoming.

We need your support.

The Government has to know how strongly we feel about this issue in Aylesbury Vale - if we stay silent we will only have ourselves to blame.

To read our open letter to John Prescott, click here.

To sign up to the campaign, and send us your views, click here.

Your letters of support will be published on AylesburyToday.

We are also organising a petition to be presented to the House of Commons.

Click here to sign up to the petition.

The following councillors have already signed our petition which will be presented to the House of Commons, courtesy of David Lidington and John Bercow...

David Lidington MP
John Bercow MP
David Rowlands, BCC, chair Bucks Fire Authority
John Cartwright, AVDC leader
Bill Chapple, BCC deputy leader
Carole Paternoster, AVDC
Keith Turner, AVDC
Mary Baldwin, BCC
Steven Kennell, BCC
Glenda Reynolds, AVDC
Valerie Letheren, BCC
Marion Clayton, BCC
Neil Stuart, AVDC
Julian Newman, AVDC
Rodney Royston, BCC
Bruce Allen, BCC
Quintin Ings-Chambers, BCC
Corry Cashman, AVDC
Timothy Mills, AVDC
Frank Downes, BCC,
Valerie Baxter, AVDC
Margaret Morgan-Owen, AVDC
Freda Roberts, BCC, AVDC, ATC
Netta Glover, AVDC
Ambrose McGinn, Oving Parish Council
Roger Ball, Oving Parish Council
David Meacock, BCC, Chiltern District Council
Hedley Cadd, AVDC, BCC
Frank Sweatman, BCC
Margaret Dewar, BCC
Alan Sherwell, AVDC
Ray Ghent, AVDC, ATC
Ian Metherell, AVDC
Pauline Wilkinson, BCC
Mrs V Peters, Aston Clinton Parish Council
Dorothy Smithies, Weston Turville Parish Council
Mr Cozens, WTPC
Stuart Eades, WTPC
Douglas Burnham, WTPC
Mrs Hoth, WTPC
Mrs Stevens, WTPC
Harold Newman, Whitchurch Parish Council
Jaki Beech-Phillips, WTPC
Judy Brandis, AVDC
Michael Foote, WTPC
Brenda Jennings, BCC
Ashley Bond, AVDC
Niknam Hussain, AVDC, BCC, ATC, deputy Mayor
David Thompson, AVDC cabinet member for leisure
Pamela Bacon, BCC
Mike Appleyard, BCC
Bill Lidgate, BCC
Peter Cooper, AVDC
Alison Walsh, AVDC
David Smith, AVDC
Derrick Isham, AVDC
Steven Adams, BCC
Sir Beville Stanier, AVDC
Dennis Green, BCC
Chris Richards, AVDC
Mervyn Bailey, Bucks Hospitals NHS Trust PPI Forum
Ashley Bond, Whitchurch Parish Council
Angela Hart, Haddenham Parish Council
Mr R Cooling, Watermead Parish Council
Raj Khan, BCC, AVDC, ATC
Pauline Wilkinson, BCC
A Cozens, Weston Turville Parish Council
Peter Roberts, BCC

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Your comments so far...

I fully support the campaign to ensure that financial support is received for Aylesbury Vale. The supposed 'Green Belt' area which surrounds the home counties is already at a large capacity and with the forthcoming influx of developments, I feel the nature as well as the infrastructure of the Aylesbury Vale region will be irreparably damaged. I understand that further housing within Britain has to be provided, but with other fast-paced cities such as Manchester on the increase in employment and popularity, housing negotiations could have been made elsewhere. Despite this argument, there is still time to alter the provisions that this county so desperately requires, if it is to with stand such a forseeable increase in population and demands on the local economy. Thank you very much for responding to government's plans for this area.

Harriet Snookes, Green End Street, Aston Clinton

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Whilst we all have to sit back and watch the greenbelt land around the Vale disappear to become a concrete jungle, it is still a valid point that AVDC needs funds from the Government to accommodate this massive growth in Aylesbury.

J Knight, Meadowcroft, Aylesbury
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The Vale is a place of outstanding natural beauty and
should not be sacrificed to satisfy John Prescott's whim of concreting the South East. He doesn't live in this area and he should not be allowed to ruin it for those of us that do.

Lynne Hunter, Long Meadow, Bedgrove, Aylesbury

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This funding should include adequate resources to increase the number of water reservoirs. Otherwise, where does all the
water for the new houses, the supply of which is a legal requirement?If this cannot be done, relocate newd evelopments, commercial and domestic, to areas where water is plentiful.

Barry Thomas, Andrews Way, Aylesbury

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We have lived in this area for 4 years now and would hate
it to be ruined by ill thought out policy from the ODPM. I don't believe that John Prescott or his department has any regard for the people in the southern counties and we are regarded as expendable by the administration.

Jane Nashh, Upper Icknield Way, Aston Clinton

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I think it's ridiculous that we are to be expected to absorb all the extra people into the area without ensuring that the
infrastructure is in place to support them. The roads are already congested, services are in disarray and school class numbers are ever increasing, where will the new people go?
Sue Templar, Aylesbury Road


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We did not want Aylesbury to be massively expanded. It
was not our choice. We expect proper funding. Now we feel insulted that it has even been proposed that we are to be charged to use our own roads due to your decision to over-populate Aylesbury Vale.
Alan Cooper, St Annes Rd. Aylesbury

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Our town is being completely destroyed as all the houses
near the town with gardens are being heavily targeted by developers and concreted over to make high density flats with no gardens. This has divided the community between those taking the money and getting out and those wanting to stay and fight. Already the traffic is a problem. The
problem is not fighting it at local level but on a national level. I am suggesting that we join forces no matter we are to make it a bigger protest. Please show your support by signing up at www.caterham.windahl.com
Windahl Finnigan, Stafford Road, Caterham

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What about a bypass around aylesbury! We need it now
never mind when all the new houses are built. The roads are clogged up at the moment. Why do we need all these houses down south! What is wrong with Yorkshire or any other big county? we will need more resevoirs and schools and leisure facilities.
Nicholas Bryant, Alwin Close, Aylesbury

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Dear Editor

It is clear that John Prescott has not thought about the consequences of building thousands of new houses in the Aylesbury Vale area.
He tells residents to accept growth but does not mention anything about improving the infrastructure.

Like a true politician he has skirted around the issue of
infrastructure and granting the appropriate funds that the Bucks Herald and people of Aylesbury have asked for.

Mr Prescott also does not commit to saying that there will be 1060 new homes a year being built in and around Aylesbury. This means there could well be more than this number and no money guaranteed for added public services,
schools, hospitals, transport or roads.

The deputy prime minister advises us that we need to, "Build houses where people want to live," and "build on old industrial sites in preference to greenfield land."

However people will not want to live in the area if there
is not adequate infrastructure in place, and new developments such as Weedon Hill and Berryfields are being built on greenland, not old industrial sites.

It is not surprising that local MP David Lidington claims that John Prescott does not care. It has taken him too long to reply to the people of Aylesbury and when he does he doesn't have to decency to answer the questions and concerns raised.

Nicholas Sabine
Watermead Resident

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If we stopped all immigration to this country maybe there would be jobs & houses to go round. Young adults born & brought up in Aylesbury cannot afford to buy here as it is. The industrial town of the 70's has long gone. Did someone forget to tell John Prescott. All he is creating is a commuter town & lots of extra cars on the road most either going down the A413, the A41 or to Milton Keynes. One big traffic jam, morning & evening. The pleasant market town of the 70's has long disappeared. Wendover has not benefited from all the extra houses built on former MOD land & all the extra houses still to be built really spoils what used to be a village when I was a teenager.
I haven't seen any jobs created in Aylesbury for the last 20 years, just job losses as all the firms have either moved or closed down.
Regards DC, by email

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I think our town is not ready for more housing the roads
are bad in the aylesbury vale area plus the stoke mandville hosptail is still bad for waiting times.

I think our town is not ready for more housing the roads
are bad in the Aylesbury Vale area plus the Stoke Mandville hosptail is still bad for waiting times.

John Ward, Grendon Underwood

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Without extra investment in roads,public transport,
hospitals & GP services, schools, WATER, Leisure, investment in job creation in the town, then the prescott houses will be a disaster for the area and its people.
Mark Willis, Aylesbury Town Council, Mandeville & Elm Farm

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Without infrastructure there can be no jobs and no growth.
Cllr Paul Hughes, Sandhill Way ,Aylesbury, AVDC

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Does anyone care about what is happening around us and being destroyed in the name of John Prescott and his desire to concrete over everything?

The urban sprawl and destruction of the countryside referred to by Carol Heslin and P. Hinton (Bucks Herald 18/01/06) is already in progress.
For example we Bishopstone residents are no longer able to walk outside our homes as our 18ft wide road is now used as a fast bypass every day by hundreds of vehicles, not only by commuter and school run traffic but by huge continental vehicles as well.
We have no footpaths and to walk through the village is
pure suicide. We use our cars to get to the one letterbox we have, it being too dangerous to do otherwise.
Our small villages and hamlets - unique and beautiful over the years are being destroyed at a rapid rate. Soon there will be no green space between huge housing estates and tiny villages such as ours and these will be lost forever.
Janet Cope, Furlong Crescent, Bishopstone


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I would like to support this campaign. Having moved to
the Aylesbury area six years ago I found no work. I have to drive out of the area for my part time job and because there is no public transport I have to drive to work.
How are all theses people coming to Aylesbury in
the future get jobs locally when we do not have them now! Crazy Mr Prescott. Please listen to the people of Aylesbury.
Mrs G. Edwards, Mercers Meadow. Wendover

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As an employee of the local hospital I am very concerned
that our resources to cope with emergency admissions is already at breaking point.
Additional homes means additional potential patients and
if that capacity is not provided the emergency service for all residents of the Vale will be threatened. Also, the time to transfer patients to Wycombe will be severely compromised unless our transport links improve significantly
Gill Hale, wellington road, Aylesbury

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I am very pleased with this pro-active stance taken by The Bucks Herald on this very important issue.
Although Government has paid 'lip service' to the need for infrastructure to support its growth agenda for our area, so far it has failed to give us any guarantees that it will provide the required infrastructure from Central Government funds.
In fact, as time goes by, Central Government appears to be backing further away from providing any infrastructure, its
current position being that the relevant infrastructure will be provided by some form of development tax on new properties.
Such a tax would be able to provide some infrastructure, but it will not be able to pay for all that is required, and will certainly not be able to make up the infrastructure deficit from which we currently suffer, even before the
growth agenda takes effect.

Cllr Carole Paternoster, Aylesbury Vale District Council

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I support your campaign but fear that the Precott
bulldozers are unstoppable.
We the tax payer will have to provide the money to underpin the huge infrastructure that will be required.
John Prescott has no idea what it is like to contend with the lack of facilties that local residents have had to put up with for years and will now get worse.
Do you really think he will listen to those who are actually "in the know"? Chance will be a fine thing.
Helen Coetzee, Kestrel Way, Watermead

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I support the Bucks Herald in this campaign to bring to John Prescott's attention the real cost of the growth agenda for Aylesbury Vale.
As far as I am concerned we need infrastructure improvements now especially in improved road systems, not at some dubious
time in the future - get the infrastructure in place first and then add the extra housing.

Dominic Cox, Briars Close, Aylesbury

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Lack of facilities, lack of sensibly planned internal & bypass roads of the size needed to carry extra & heavier traffic, too few extra shops, and too many new houses that are starting to sell more & more slowly, are beginning to stifle Aylesbury!
David Gambrell, Barrie Close, Aylesbury

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Without an adequate infrastructure the dream of the new Aylesbury will turn to dust. Masses and masses of soul-less building estates without facilities or access,gridlocked roads,the majority of children being bussed out to schools in other areas and inadequate health provision when it is available. The infrastructure should have been planned, gone through public consultation and be at the building stage
now. The housing estates are. This requires immediate action from Bucks County Council.
Michele Challenger, Hardy close, Aylesbury

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Typical John Prescott and government thinking. Big sound
bites and ideas but no follow through with financing these projects.
There isn't enough car parking in the town now as witness the queues by 10.30 am Saturday mornings at the multi storey car park. Then where are the additional doctors, hospitals, schools and other infrastructure coming from and who is going to pay for all these facilities to be set up.
I was born in Aylesbury which was a beautiful friendly market town, 10 minutes walk and you were out in the countryside. Now you need a car to get to the countryside and with John Prescott's harebrained schemes to
build over green land there will be no countryside left to enjoy.
P.Hinton, The Spiert, Aylesbury

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I fully support this campaign to get the funds for
Aylesbury Vale, quite apart from schools, 999 services shops etc. where are all the extra school leavers going to find gainful employment, on minimun wages they won't be able to afford the expense of travelling to other areas for work.
Where are the jobs for all the extra people who will be living here and will our unemployment figures rise?
If many of the people moving here have to drive to other areas for their work this will create heavier traffic flow and resulting congestion on the main routes around the area.
Aylesbury desperately needs a bypass now. When any of
the major routes in and out of Aylesbury have a delay for whatever reason all of Aylesbury is a traffic nightmare.
I find it totally shameful that John Prescott and his department should ever expect these new developments
to come about without first putting the funding for all the infrastructure in place first.
Marie Casselton, 219 Buckingham Road, Aylesbury


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I support the campaign by The Bucks Herald to get £713
million of infrastructure for Aylesbury Vale in the next 25 years to support the additional 59,000 extra houses planned for this region.
Andrew Targell, Stonechat Watermead


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I would rather we didn't have all these houses built but if we must, then we need the money for all the infrastructure in place first, and not be a burden on local people.
A. Bennion, Mandeville Road, Aylesbury

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There is already huge pressure on Aylesbury's existing
roads and lanes. This is evident to anybody who drives in or around Aylesbury.
Improvments to the infrastructure are needed now before more
houses are built! This should be done before new housing estates are build here there and everywhere. I am 100% behind The Bucks Herald for attempting to get reassurance from John Prescott and the Government that the neccesary money will be avaliable for Aylesbury to improve the
infrastructure, education, transport and environment.
Nick Sabine, Lark Vale, Watermead

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Without an adequate infrastructure the dream of the new
Aylesbury will turn to dust.
Masses and masses of soul-less building estates without facilities or access,gridlocked roads,the majority of
children being bussed out to schools in other areas and inadequate health provision when it is available.
The infrastructure should have been planned, gone through public consultation and be at the building stage now. The housing estates are. This requires immediate action from Bucks County Council.
Michele Challenger, Hardy close, Aylesbury

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Aylesbury Vale should not be expected to provide the additional level of housing proposed without a major improvement to the intrasructure - schools, health, libraries, liesure facilities. Unrealistic expectations on the increased use of public transport are naive. We need fewer houses or more roads.
Wendy Illsley, Church Farm Close, Bierton

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Having moved from Harrow in Middlesex 18 months ago to enjoy the countryside and give our two young boys a better quality of life, we are most concerned that the urban sproil that we escaped from (and the many problems that it causes) is being moved onto our new doorstep.
Mrs Carol Heslin, Woollerton Crescrent, Wendover

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We are already feeling the effects of an inadequate infrastructure in and around Aylesbury.
Traffic is a huge problem, almost everytime we attempt a trip into town we've been grid locked whatever the day or time, and parking almost impossible.
There have been a number of ocassions when we have given up trying to get to shops, libraries or banks, and just turned back and gone home.
Class numbers in schools appear to be increasing.
What especially greaves me is the lack of facilities, ie green spaces to kick a ball etc. for young people on the
new estates being built. There are plenty of tiny corner playgrounds for the very young, but not much else. I was brought up in Liverpool and have seen the results of cramming as many dwellings into as much space as possible without good facilities, and the results were not pretty! I could go on, and on!
Barbara Demagalski

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Totally agree with ensuring efficient infrastructure -
hospitals, roads, schools, GPs - and an efficient public transport system. And we need more multistory car parks - not everyone has strength to carry shopping to and from bus stops and struggle on buses at a time to suit the bus operators.
Peter Underwood, Wendover Road, Aylesbury

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Residents of villages like Weedon in Aylesbury Vale where
there are few amenities of any sort, and woefully inadequate public transport provision, are often obliged to travel into Aylesbury or other centres by car. Without a great deal of investment in improvements to the road network, bus services, and car parking facilities this is going to
become a major headache.
Hilary Bates, Weedon

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Born and bred in Aylesbury and lived here all my life I
do not like to see this lovely countryside turned into yet another sprawling suburbia and I fully support your campaign.
D J Moran, Richmond Rd, Aylesbury

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Lack of facilities, lack of sensibly planned internal & bypass roads of the size needed to carry extra & heavier traffic, too few extra shops, and too many new houses that are starting to sell more & more slowly, are beginning to stifle Aylesbury!
David Gambrell, Barrie Close, Aylesbury

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The following people have signed up to the campaign, but have not left comments:

Mrs M Lunn, Heath End, Berkhamsted
Mr and Mrs C J James, Wendover Road, Aylesbury
Mr and Mrs David and Jean Sills, Aylesbury
Mary Pritchard, Haddenham
Rev David Jenkins, Herston Close, Aylesbury
Mr and Mrs E Drew, Chesterfield Close, Stone
Mr and Mrs D Harvey, Ingram Avenue, Bedgrove, Aylesbury
Mr M F Tilley, Broughton, Aylesbury
Mr and Mrs O'Sullivan, Park Street, Aylesbury
Mr L P Deering, Grecian Street, Aylesbury
M Armstrong, Broughton, Aylesbury
Mr and Mrs Gurney, Lee Lane, Terrick, Aylesbury
Mr and Mrs Spooner, Wingrave Road, Aston Abbotts
Mrs A Black, Ellesborough Road, Wendover
Mrs M Collier, Brougton, Aylesbury
Captain & Mrs AFC Nerryss, Bishopstone, Aylesbury
R & D J Potts, Verney Walk, Aylesbury
Mr & Mrs R C Piddington, Cromwell Avenue, Aylesbury
P D Jenkins, Finmere Crescent, Aylesbury
Mrs S A Towell, Couisins Piece, Chearsley
Mrs G Franklin, Rubens Close, Haydon Hill, Aylesbury
Mr R D Phillips, Raven Close, Watermead
Mr and Mrs W V Browne, 159 Broughton Avenue, Aylesbury
Roger, Marilyn, Chris and Tony Cooling, Goldcrest, Watermead, Aylesbury
Paula Kinsella, Ridgeway Court, Bierton Road, Aylesbury
Mr and Mrs P Gulland, Wykeham Way, Haddenham
A Gilmore, Wallbridge Close, Hartwell Estate