brentwood.gov.uk

I object strongly to the development of these 2 sites on the following
grounds:
1 The traffic congestion in Priest Lane is so bad that it makes it
difficult for cars to exit from my cul-de-sac as the queue goes
beyond my road. It's quicker to walk than drive to work in the High
St, only drawback is that I suffer from chronic condition which is
exacerbated by traffic noise and fumes from the queue of cars. It is
dangerous to cross Priest Lane as it's so busy, narrow and winding
but you have no choice if you live on side without footpath! The
footpaths are narrow, uneven and peppered with potholes which
has caused me to fall more than once! Despite my complaints,
ECC has declared that they are not bad enough to warrant repair!
It's no wonder that over the 20 years I've lived here, the number of
school children that walk this route have dwindled and are
choosing to go by car, creating a vicious circle of more traffic and
pollution. This development will only increase both cars and
pedestrian traffic to what is historically meant to be a lane. Despite
highlighting concerns in last year's LDP, the 2018 revised plan not
only does not address any of these health and safety issues, but
proposes site access from Bishop Walk that the Highways Agency
had previously raised concerns about traffic safety during the
planning application more than 20 years ago when Priests Lane
was quieter!
2 This Protected Open Urban Space is a vital green lung in
absorbing the pollution on the adjacent roads and Crossrail and is
used by a wide range of birdlife, including pheasant, muntjac deer,
badger, foxes, shrews and rabbit and the wildflower meadow
attracts butterflies It is a green corridor espoused in the LDP yet
are happy to see it destroyed forever by development.
3 Access by emergency services would be further restricted with
knock-on effects on health and crime.
4. There are no plans on matching the increases in housing with
increase in GPs given that local surgeries are struggling now at
maximum capacity.
5. Priests Lane is often blighted by repairs from gas leaks and heavy
construction lorries will only damage the already fragile network of
pipes beneath the road.
6. Although it borders Hogarth School, no land has been set aside to
replace the playing fields lost to last year's extension of the school
to accommodate current needs and tackle the childhood obesity
crisis in UK or even to allow future expansion of the school to
serve the increased population of the many allocation sites in the
LDP.
Despite the high level of objections to these sites, the council have
even removed their previous recommendation to keep part of the
land for open spaces available to the community, at the behest of
one of the landowners which shows staggering disregard for
democracy. This together with unavailability of evidence pertaining
to this site from the Highways survey makes this consultation a
farce and waste of taxpayer's money.