brentwood.gov.uk

I am writing in respect of Brentwood Borough Council's "local plan" and, in particular, to oppose the proposed development in respect of land along the A12 corridor (site reference 023A & 023B). I appreciate the requirement by the Government for each local authority to provide their quota of new housing but there appears to be significant issues in this area, particularly as the amount of Green Belt land in Brentwood is one of the highest in the country. It would appear from the latest plans that access to the new development would likely be via Doddinghurst Road. With 200 homes planned and an average of 2 cars per household, this would lead to an increase in traffic in the region of circa 400 cars leading to added noise and pollution in this area. Furthermore, since the redevelopment of the Little Highwood estate, the local infrastructure is creaking. Ongar Road is now regularly congested at peak times and Wilsons Corner is commonly snarled up throughout the day. The traffic quite often queues back to the A12 bridge at busy times. Adding another 400 cars funnelling from Doddinghurst Road will make this approach into Brentwood even worse especially as it appears that Essex County Council have previously ruled out any new access slip roads on and off the A12. After periods of heavy or persistent rainfall, parts of Ongar Road have been flooded with massive puddles regularly appearing as the drainage is obviously blocked or not working as it should. This is not a one-off and has been getting worse year on year. Building on green belt land is only going to make these flooding issues worse. It will also destroy wildlife and an area of land that helps clean up the air close to the A12 for the benefit of the local community. Once the green belt is gone we cannot get it back so the redevelopment of brownfield and old industrial sites should be a must. There would also most likely be a significant increase in traffic along Sandpit Lane, commonly used as a cut through from Pilgrims Hatch. This road is already quite dangerous in nature due to its narrowness and the speed of oncoming traffic. More traffic along this road would result in more potential for serious accidents. Additionally, the junction with Ongar Road is not fit for purpose and Essex County Council continues to fail to make improvements to this junction. On a larger scale, Brentwood is lucky to have a number of very good schools. However, with more local housing in this area, the impact on placements at the local schools will make it even harder for parents who are residents who already live in this general area. Similarly, this will also impact on GP services for which most people struggle to get an appointment with their own doctor and have to wait up to three weeks for the pleasure. It will put more strain on the local health and social care services. My parents have been residents of Brentwood for 70 years and my sister and I were very lucky to grow up and continue to live in such a lovely area. However, if those in control continue to destroy green belt and the Borough in general and we as residents allow this to happen, we leave a negative lasting legacy for our children, grandchildren and future generations. Therefore, I strongly oppose the plans for site reference 023 and the local residents strongly believe that there are more appropriate and suitable areas in the Borough to use for development rather than cram a load more of extra houses into an already densely populated area.