THERE’S an old saying that an Englishman’s home is his castle.

But for a small number of Oakes residents, their particular castle could be under siege.

A potential developer has tested the defences by querying if each resident in a quiet street is prepared to sell.

No-one is prepared to say why anyone would want to buy up the houses in Mountbatten Gardens but there is an obvious concern for those who have chosen to live there.

The worry must be what happens if a number agree to a sale yet others want to remain.

Would a developer be keen to press ahead with a commercial scheme on a limited scale, and would part of the residential street become a building site for many months?

There are many unanswered questions and those residents deserve to be given far more facts that they have at the moment.

Commercial sensitivity is one thing; keeping secrets from people who deserve the truth is another.