Object
Draft Local Plan
Representation ID: 13478
Received: 22/03/2016
Respondent: Mrs Rachel Gibbs
Development too big - will be unmanageable and unsustainable. Concerns include:
- Trains currently at capacity, congestion of local roads especially the A127 leading to unacceptable pollution level
- Local hospitals and GP surgeries will not cope and lack of healthcare professionals to cater for such an increase in population
- Local area already short of a secondary school
- Erosion of green belt leading to loss of wildlife and against government policy
- Flooding concerns around lower areas
- Brentwood council pushing for most of its housing target towards the Basildon side, despite benefiting from crossrail, vast A12 improvement and secondary schools.
- Lack of funding.
I strongly oppose the Dunton Hills Garden Village development. With plans to build 2500 homes, this would amount to about 6000 extra people, about 2/3 the amount of Langdon Hills, the village where I live. Here are the reasons why I oppose the development:
- Basildon and Southend hospitals are both on Red or Black Alerts during most of the winter this year due to lack of beds. Furthermore there is already a shortage of healthcare professionals to fill healthcare posts. This will be exacerbated due to erosion of pay in real terms and stress due to short staffing. The introduction of university fees on student nurses and forced contracts on junior doctors will make the situation far worse. Thus, the increase in population resulting from this development will further increase the pressure on hospital services.
- Local roads heavily congested at peak times, especially the A127.
- Pollution levels will be unacceptable due to the extra cars this development will generate and due to roads on standstill as a result of congested traffic.
- The trains are at capacity at peak time
- A secondary school is already needed in the Langdon Hills area as there are already 3 large primary schools nearby.
- Concern with GP surgeries. How will Doctors be found to fill posts as there is already a shortage of GPs in the UK? This will be exacerbated with the new forced contract by the government in August this year.
- Erosion of green belt land which will incur loss of wildlife habitat. Green belt was created to stop urban sprawl and building on it is against government policy unless in extreme circumstances. Using housing targets should not be allowed to constitute extreme circumstances.
- Floodings: the area is known to be prone to flooding. Such a large scale development will require extensive drainage, but where will this be directed to? This may precipitate floodings in the area itself and neighbourhood areas, especially the ones located at lower level.
- Austerity: funds will be insufficient to finance the infrastructure required for such a development to be sustainable. Here is what the letter that Basilson council sent today (21/03/16) announcing to residents: "As the government continues to reduce funding for local councils, the fact is that things are going to get tougher for all councils". So where will the funds needed come from? Essex County Council's funding is also reduced as mentioned by its leader: "Funding will fall by almost a quarter by the end of the decade", Basildon Echo, 9 December 2015.
Also why does Brentwood council push for most of its housing by the Basildon side and hardly any houses on its side? This means that the new residents will use Basildon's infrastructure and amenities that as I have described are currently already at breaking point. This large scale development is pushed to the Basildon side even though Brentwood is benefiting from Crossrail and vast improvement on the A12.