brentwood.gov.uk

It seems that despite many people writing to object to the development of the sites at Priests Lane, no real notice seems to have been taken of the comments, many of which have been backed up with strong technical evidence. As such, I am writing to yet again, to object to the proposed building on the above sites. The Sustainability Appraisal has reached conclusions without any reference to, not only many reports which have yet to be completed, but also without any regard whatsoever to other issues which have an impact on the area. Most specifically, no reference whatsoever has been made to the traffic situation as this was outside the scope. This is no help to anyone who lives in the area, or indeed, anyone who needs to use the lane on a regular basis. Ever since we moved here 8 years ago, there has been a lot of traffic down Priests Lane and each year it gets worse, with more and more people using it as a 'rat-run' between Shenfield and Brentwood. In the morning and evening at 'school run' times there is traffic queueing as far back as our house which is on the corner of Glanthams Road. At these times a 2-3-minute drive up the lane can easily take 20 minutes, sometimes even longer. I work at a school which requires me to travel up the lane and traverse the crossroads at Ingrave Road, a junction which I understand is already operating at capacity in the morning. To get there for 9 o'clock I make sure I leave my house by 8 o'clock, otherwise I would be stuck in traffic. If I am any later I take an alternative route down Worrin Road but even so, I still find myself in a queue all the way down Crescent Drive to get onto Shenfield Road. An additional 95 houses together with associated vehicles would only make this situation worse. I did not like walking to school in the morning as some parts of the road are very narrow and if a lorry were to come down the road (or a refuse truck on collection days) the cars sometimes must pull onto the pavement to make way. I also had to cross the road in what I thought were dangerous areas as there is not a pavement on both sides. Again, more traffic can only make this situation worse. I am aware of the health and safety aspects of standing traffic and the effect of the subsequent air pollution on young children. Many children walk down Priests Lane to go to both the primary and secondary schools in the area and each day they are subjected to the carbon monoxide fumes of the queuing cars. More traffic can only make this worse and extend the density of the pollution further down the road from the junction meaning everyone would be breathing polluted air along their walk negating the health benefits of walking in the first place. The site is also a beautiful field with many trees, birds and animals. I have often seen badgers and deer in the field and some of my friends have found them in their gardens. Building on this site would remove an essential green area close to a town where such areas are few and far between. I have concerns over the ability of the current infrastructure to cope with an increase in the level of demand. I am aware there are places at the secondary schools in the area however I am also aware that the primary schools are currently at or close to capacity. Hogarth School has already been expanded, presumably to meet the current predicted need, however what about the need for additional school places a further 95 houses could bring? That need also is extremely difficult to accurately predict. Hogarth has already been expanded onto their playing fields which in itself is not ideal at a time when there is a focus on child obesity and their level of activity. It is very difficult to get a doctor's appointment; indeed, a non-urgent appointment is pretty much impossible to obtain without a wait of at least 2 weeks, longer if you would like to see a specific doctor. An increase in the number of people in the area can only make this situation worse. The expansion of Endeavour School is welcomed although this appears to be at odds with the size of the proposed development. Such a sizeable development so close to the school with the subsequent increase in traffic, noise and air pollution can only aggravate the health and safety of already vulnerable children. For all the reasons above I object to the proposed building on sites 044 and 178.