brentwood.gov.uk

I accept that with Brentwood being a district with a high proportion of Green Belt finding appropriate sites for development is a struggle.
Why have sites such as the areas alongside the A12 along the Rayleigh Road not been considered in this respect? There are many others that are not on the list proposed by BBC
There is no justification for placing such an unacceptably high burden of 4 sites within an established Green Belt area of the Blackmore parish when other villages in the area have no houses being proposed at all. The increase in the number of proposed additional development in the area of the village of Blackmore at Orchard Piece and Woollard Way will increase the existing number of houses by 30%. The existing infrastructure is overburdened already on Roads, Drainage, Schools and Health and other services, and could not possibly survive an increase of this size. It would irreparably damage the existing community and provide an unacceptable environment for the huge number of new inhabitants.
Before any plan could be acceptable (even to the Council let alone the existing community) a full detail of solutions to the Infrastructure shortfalls would need to be put forward and agreed by the council and the voters. This has not happened so far.
It would require major upgrades to utilities systems such as foul water system, water supply, power, gas and communications
There is no GP surgery within the parish and the local health centre already struggles to service the needs of the community.
The local primary school in Blackmore is already full and the possibility of an increase in demand for this or other local schools may not be met within the local education system.
There is a limited bus service which will put additional pressures on the roads which are not up to the existing traffic with most being too narrow for larger vehicles to pass, many flooded areas causing extra danger zones and collisions, plus abysmal surfaces already causing damage to many of the vehicles. If there is any intention of providing Affordable Housing, the bus service could not support the burden of those residents and roads could not support additional cars (even if they could be afforded. As there is no employment in the village, solutions to these problems would be critical. Even households of higher values would need to commute to maintain their employment.
The proposed access via Red Rose Lane for the Woollard Way site is ridiculous. I assume no one from the planning team have actually seen it, as is barely wide enough for 2 vehicles let alone an additional regular daily increase of approximately 200 cars that will put unacceptable pressure on local traffic through the village and local countryside.
The development in Orchard Piece with access via Red Rose Lane is again an ill thought out proposal, this is again barely wide enough for 2 cars with no passing places for vehicles the additional traffic will cause damage to the road which already suffers from use by heavy vehicles which damage the verges and flooding occurs regularly due to the high water table with the run off from fields and the poorly kept ditches overflowing that results in abandoned vehicles.
Apart from the proposed new sites, there will already be a massive influx from the new building site at Norton Heath which has only just started as part of Epping District Council's solution to the same problem. Unfortunately Blackmore is the closest community by far to it and will therefore surer all of the consequences of extra use of its already overburdened services and infrastructure. Other villages run by Epping will therefore benefit at the expense of villages run by Brentwood.
In summary the degradation of the environment around Blackmore is an unacceptable burden on the residents of the village and the proposed development does not represent a well thought out option to meet housing needs. In the overall borough where the housing stock increase is under 10%, Blackmore faces 3 times that increase if BBC where to ignore the huge and protracted opposition that is already being mounted locally. You will no doubt remember the 5 year battle fought and won by the villagers with massive national publicity to stop the local listed public house being turned into one private home.