brentwood.gov.uk

I am writing to vehemently object to the proposed development near Honeypot Road. This development is NOT sustainable:-new home owners WILL be dependent on the car for journeys to work, school, shops, leisure activities and other services and amenities. Clearly the infrastructure in West Brentwood cannot cope with 200 houses & a 40 bed retirement home. The traffic created by such a development will be horrendous for the local homes, roads & junctions & create a massive dispiriting nature. Residents will not be able to walk or cycle on Weald Road, forcing cars on the already busy roads. Buses would struggle to use this route. The distance to the station, shopping & doctors would be too far to walk- again forcing more traffic. Accessibility to public transport is poor. The local lanes are narrow & dangerous. The noise of construction & residents & overlooking would lead to a loss of privacy and will certainly impact on the peaceful enjoyment of our home and garden. 'The proposed siting of the development is particularly ill-considered: it is on a Greenfield site. The National Planning policy states that the development of Green Belt is by definition inappropriate and harmful'. The current usage as submitted in the nomination form is a wildlife area that edges allotments and is part of the historic area of South Weald. The green open space provides wellbeing of everyone in the community.' Safeguard the Green Belt from inappropriate development and enhance its beneficial use. Green Belt land should only be considered after all sustainably located, suitable, available and deliverable brownfield sites have been identified as allocations'. This green area creates an important break in the view across West Brentwood. It also protects the residents from noise and traffic pollution from the A12, as well as drainage for rainfall, the area is known for its flooding. The land is also home to bats, birds, badgers and deer. What will be the impact is the usage ceases? "If the land was not there the water from the runoff from the gardens would have nowhere to go and may cause flooding. The wildlife would be forced to go somewhere else and the houses would no longer have the special outlook which we value". Sadly it seems to be once developers have placed an option on land it becomes less desirable for the local council to fight for it. This land was dismissed under the spatial strategy but this has been reversed, where is the evidence for this reversal? It was also placed under Community Asset Transfer, again this was overturned. We would also experience light pollution & the density of this proposed development will not be in keeping with the local community. It does state in the NPPF that 'planning should take in to account different characters of different area'. There is sadly very little evidence of how such a development is meant to be proposed. Where is the access to be? How is the pinch in Honeypot Lane to be dealt with? Enormous increase in local traffic? The already busy Honeypot Lane & A1023 junction-coupled with the new development at the former police station site. Local amenities are at breaking point at the moment with doctor's surgeries taking weeks for appointments. St Peters School has very little room for development (although expansion has been turned down, sadly this will probably be reversed). As for the residents of the proposed development, there will be noise factors due to the proximately to the A12, especially with the proposed widening of this. I appreciate the pressure to build new dwellings but feel that other sites are more suitable & we can not see ANY BENEFIT TO THIS PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT except to appease developers. PLEASE think about the future of Brentwood and the need for this precious green space. ANY units here will be a travesty, coupled with the greed of developers -eventually all the space will be used as planning will no doubt always be sort again & again until this is done. Rather you use more appropriate sites to the full capacity than place random units everywhere in the hope of appeasing all.