CAMPAIGNERS have sent an objection to the Secretary of State over the future of Saighton Camp.

A planning application by developers to build 103 dwellings on the part of the site occupied by the married quarters was rejected by Chester City Council earlier in the year, but has gone to appeal.

Objections were made by Mark Williams, chairman of Huntington Parish Council, Paul Offer, prospective parliamentary Conservative candidate and campaigner Peter Moore-Dutton.

Cllr Williams said: 'What has been proposed is to develop a small corner of the site without having any view of the grander scheme. We have no objection to the whole site being developed, but not in a piecemeal fashion.

'This could potentially double the size of Huntington, so we need to make sure the infrastructure and local facilities are expanded to cope with the increased demand.'

Mr Offer, who lives in Chester Lane between Huntington and Saighton, said: 'Saighton Camp gives an ideal opportunity for a development that includes a balance of light industrial usage and housing, including much-needed affordable housing.

'It is a shame to see such as large expanse of land being left derelict, but to allow the development in an ad-hoc fashion will almost certainly lead to problems in the long run.'

Mr Moore-Dutton said: 'The drainage from the camp is inadequate for a large-scale housing development, which is a major consideration along with the traffic implications.

'There'll also need to be improvements to the local infrastructure and to local schools and doctors surgery to cope with the increased demand.'

Great Boughton parish councillor Barbara Thomas has expressed concerns that the development will mean more speeding traffic on Caldy Valley Road and increase problems at the Sainsbury's roundabout.