brentwood.gov.uk

1) Green belt. The ever-increasing pressure for more roads and housing means it is vital the council should do everything it can to protect and invest in the Green Belts that we have. Development on Green Belt land is supposed to be tightly controlled - its purpose is to serve as a buffer between towns and between towns and the countryside. Green Belt land also brings social, environmental and economic benefits. They are responsible for food production, flood prevention, climate change mitigation and more. We should be protecting them and not recklessly building on them. 2) Health. The nearest Health Centre appears full to capacity and can take weeks to obtain an appointment if required. How will this improve if additional houses are built? 3) Education. Blackmore school is full. The parked cars for the school line Nine Ashes road at 8:45 and 15:00 Monday - Friday. The ones that can't fit on the road park down Woollard Way. How will the school accommodate the additional influx whilst striving to achieve the best Ofsted award it can? Will the educational needs of the current pupils be undermined due to the additional pupils? 4) Transport. The bus service is part-time. Is this sufficient? The village is already busy with traffic and parked cars throughout the day - more noticeably in the morning and evening rush hour periods, making parking to access local amenities extremely difficult. Will additional housing improve this already unsatisfactory situation? 5) Disruption. How long will it take to build the additional houses earmarked for Blackmore and is this acceptable to current residents?
6) Land permanent loss of viable agricultural land. The risk of increasing frequency and severity of flooding. The clay soil in the area already makes drainage very difficult and the Green Belt land helps greatly in removing excess rainfall. Will building on this land make the flood risk better or worse?