"More homes for rich people? We don't want them, me duck", say residents of an affluent Derbyshire town close to Ashby de la Zouch.

Melbourne is a town by definition, but regarded as a village by locals.

Residents are concerned that a new application for 135 homes will have an adverse impact on roads, parking, schools and health services like dentists and doctors.

They feel that smaller chunks of housing, effectively a road at a time, would be more reasonable and sustainable, registering the need for family homes and properties for first-time buyers.

None of the residents in Melton Avenue who spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service are supportive of the scale of housing proposed by land agent Richborough for former market garden land off King's Newton Lane, to the north-west of the town.

Many note the issues with parking in Melbourne town centre and the lack of regular public transport and access for older or younger walkers to help plug that problem.

Meanwhile, traffic on Swarkestone Causeway (often referred to as Swarkestone Bridge), a narrow 13th-century listed monument across the wetlands towards Derby and the A50, has worsened and far exceeded a position of being unsustainable, they say.

The land off King's Newton Lane. Photo: LDRS

They say road safety is also a key concern with a number of tight bends and traffic stemming from Derby and Castle Donington, including the airport and racetrack. 

Pressure from more housing – said to have increased by 15 per cent since 2011 – in a town of 5,300 people, has become too much, they say.

Robert Gallamore, aged 78, who used to be the town's pharmacist, said: "No we don't want them. The size of the estate is too large. We need more houses for young people, not more housing for rich people.

"We need to help our young people get houses and they will need another bridge crossing instead of just Swarkestone."

Mary Stephens, who has lived near the site for 17 years, feared the impact on the wildlife such as bats and swallows who called the plot home, saying other areas ought to be prioritised first.

Euan McDougall-Brown, who has lived near the site for seven years but in Melbourne for more than 20 years, said he had hoped his view onto the fields would never be disrupted, with their home extension built to take full advantage of the landscape.

Hedges around the site and deer, foxes and owls could all be lost, he feared.

Tom Scanlon, who has started a campaign to oppose the plans, having lived in the town for 35 years, said: "We have had a lot of housing already and we are not a town like Swadlincote or Ashby, we cannot take many more homes.

"We are not objecting to building houses anywhere but there are no facilities, we can't get in at the dentists or the doctors and there are always queues to get over Swarkestone Bridge.

"Swarkestone Bridge doesn't need any more cars going over it."

He said young people in the town were ferried by a free bus to Chellaston for secondary school and that this was a clear indication of the lack of local services.

A new secondary school is supposed to be being built west of Chellaston at Lowes Farm as part of the Infinity Garden Village but this currently sits in limbo as part of the Government's freeze on future public spending.

Mr Scanlon said housing in the town is earmarked as being acceptable adjacent the settlement boundary but only in chunks of 25, not 135 houses, or through infill development.

The proposed site sits alongside the footpath which marks the settlement boundary.

He said there are 22 potential development sites around Melbourne earmarked by developers for up to 2,496 homes, potentially doubling the town's population.

Mr Scanlon said: "We have the same front doors but they are worth a lot more here."

Susanne Coton, who has lived in the town for 30 years, said: "I don't want them, me duck.

"The heart of Melbourne has gone and it is not what it used to be. It is not a village anymore but a small town.

"Swarkestone bridge can't take another 135 cars going over it, we already have to leave an hour to go to the hospital in Derby.

"They have been talking about doing something to it for 30 years. People are always crashing into it and it is always being mended."

An elderly resident who did not want to be named, said: "Melbourne doesn't have the facilities to handle another two people per house.

"The house prices now are ridiculous and they are not building houses for young people, they can't afford them.

"They should have smaller houses, not four and five beds.

"Soon it will be a village of old folks and you don't want that, there will be no end of complaining then, that is for sure.

"These houses won't be cheap, but nothing is cheap in a village. We need to give young people a chance, to help people get on the ladder in Melbourne."

Documents from Richborough do not detail the size of the homes, but do say 30 per cent of the properties would be classed as affordable housing.

The firm claims the impact on Swarkestone Causeway is "expected to be minimal" with a forecast increase of 28 two-way movements during the morning commute and 32 additional two-way movements in the evening commute.

Richborough was approached for comment but has not responded as of this article's publication.