brentwood.gov.uk

I would like to raise my objections to the Dunton Hills Garden Village plan as supported by Brentwood Borough Council.

I object to this idea for several reasons:

Overdevelopment and Urban Sprawl: This plan will inevitably lead to a mass of urban sprawl between Upminster and Basildon. The openness of the land at Dunton Hills helps to provide a green lung between the edges of the capital, the industry within Thurrock and the housing within Basildon. The Dunton Hills Garden Village will completely erase this lung of open space and with no well-defined boundaries will see other councils build their own estates to increase the size of the development. In the 1980's the idea of a new town at Tillingham Hall was touted but failed to go ahead as it would have been fairly isolated with poor links to a town centre. This same criticism can be levelled at the Dunton Hills plan. The nearest town centres would be over 5 miles away. Residents on this new estate would be isolated and connected to nowhere. Once this land is built on there will be an opening of the floodgates in building applications in the neighbouring villages and towns. I understand the need to build houses and understand that all councils are under pressure but I do believe that Brentwood, Thurrock and Basildon should work together to put pressure on the national Government by explaining that South Essex cannot cater for the huge influx of people that they seek to place here.

Loss of Green Belt: Dunton Hills will ruin a huge swathe of open green belt within South Brentwood. I do not see any exceptional circumstances why all of this land must be built upon. The views from the A128 across Dunton Hills are extremely picturesque and the current golf course is a pleasure to play. To take away an amenity like this in an area where public amenities are scarce seems completely backwards. We should be protecting the green belt and leaving this land open for all within the wider area to enjoy.

Loss of Historic Fenland: This is the last remaining open Fenland within Brentwood. The council have no clue as to the historic importance of the land at Dunton Hills. Along with Orsett Fen and Bulphan Fen this makes up the last Fenlands in South Essex. Again this should be something that Brentwood Council should be protecting. The fens are awash with wildlife and have retained their medieval openness and field patterns for hundreds of years. They are also prone to flooding as they act as a natural drainage area for the Mardyke River. To build a new community on this site would inevitably lead to future problems with the housing similar to issues at Enfield Garden Village in the late 1980s and 90s. I believe that Brentwood and Thurrock Councils should seek to make the fens at SSSI which could help bring tourism to our small patch of Essex, not build over a large portion at Dunton and thus losing the fen forever.

Better Chosen Sites Nearby: I also object as there are better sites nearby which could be improved.

1. West Horndon Industrial Estate: As a visitor to West Horndon on a daily basis I see the trouble that the industrial estate causes on village life. Not only do the lorries cause traffic issues they generate mass amounts of pollution. This employment site is no longer suitable for the village and should be moved to the M25/A127 site as proposed by Brentwood Council. This move would allow the site to be developed for housing adding to the village and would give the council a real chance to improve West Horndon. A new village centre could be built along with a village green, attractive housing, landscaping and amenities. The clearly defined boundaries of the estate would mean that any new development could be contained and therefore not cause urban sprawl. This would also protect the beautiful farmers' fields around the village which all produce crops.
2. Smaller developments of houses could take place around Childerditch village, Little Warley, Great Warley (South of the A127) rather than one huge development at Dunton Hills. Small developments in these locations would add to the small populations of these places and would help to add a sense of community whilst giving younger families a chance to own their own home in the village that they have grown up.
3. There are ample pockets of land around Brentwood Town that should be developed before anything at Dunton Hills. Whilst it is nice to have a town centre that is only metres away from the green belt and open land, it does make sense that if green belt land has to be included in the LDP then those pockets should be developed first. There are good transport links, schools, doctors and shops so there would be no need to work that into a plan.

Transport and Infrastructure: Lastly I object to the Dunton Hills plan as the area does not have the transport infrastructure to cope with such an influx of new residents. Whilst West Horndon station is a quieter station which services all the villages from Orsett to Herongate, there is not adequate parking or space for more parking at West Horndon station. These new residents will drive to the station no matter how many bus routes are promised, which will put a strain on the village's main thoroughfare. The junction between Station Road and the A128 is dangerous and there have been many accidents there in the recent past. To add to this seems a ridiculous idea. The reality is the council decision makers do not live in the south of the borough and are completely ignorant to life south of the A127. There is a lack of buses in the area meaning people will use their cars for every journey they make. This development will also add to the already congested A127 and will invariably lead to more accidents around the Halfway House junction.

Overall this is a poor plan that has only progressed as it the furthest point south in the borough. The idea is really to create a shanty town of tomorrow on the fringes of Brentwood and add strain to both Thurrock and Basildon's amenities as well. The council frankly do not understand the nature of the southern parts of the borough. They do not understand the historic nature of the fens and the importance of keeping it open. Brentwood Council should be protecting this landscape not seeking to erase it from the borough. There has to be better alternatives then this plan that we will live to regret, as we have done with the vast majority of council decisions over the years.
I hope this objection is taken into consideration.