brentwood.gov.uk

Dear Sirs,

Thank you for your letter of the 2nd February. We have carefully considered all documents relating to the Brentwood Development Plan.

The Plan which is fatally floored (for numerous reasons) must be re-visited we respectfully suggest to rectify errors and omissions.

The vast majority of building will be on Green Belt and we consider that the majority of houses will not be required in this area. Our observations and objections include the fact that more than 50% of the sites can be deemed de minimis development (where homes to be constructed total less than 5% of total development). Homes on these sites will be marketed in the price band of £1.5million to £2million pounds. Stratospherically beyond the reach of first time buyers or even purchasers assisted by the Bank of Mum and Dad.

Also, one might say fatally, the effect of the development termed Dunton Garden is misdescribed. It should be titled Dunton Pollution for the subsequent increase in vehicle numbers entering the A127 at the junction of the A 128 Brentwood Road. So close to a junction on that arterial road that is already so heavily polluted that Basildon Council intended to introduce a congestion charge. It is patently obvious that the two Councils concerned (Brentwood and Basildon) are in conflict. Basildon says too many vehicles use the A127 that there is a danger to health and Brentwood says let us allow another 10,000 vehicles or so onto this road. We would suggest that to endeavour to reduce the conflict you triple number of medical facilities in the Dunton development , this should assist in meeting demands caused by the dramatic increase in the number of vulnerable people, children and the elderly who will suffer asthma and respiratory disease.

Nobody of course knows when the vehicles arrive at the junction onto the A127 whether they will head left right or continue along the A128. However, this increase in traffic coupled with traffic from other sites including industrial/employment areas along the stretch of road leading to the junction with the M25 will no doubt increase levels of health harming pollutants that will overtake the whole area to include villages of Herongate and Ingrave and possibly even Brentwood town itself. It should be remembered that Schools and Care Homes are sited along the A128. The proposed development at Dunton completely ignores 2 critical facts (a) unless ALL housing is zoned as social housing the whole development will b unaffordable to first time purchasers.
Having tracked house prices in the Horndon area since the year 2000 a conservative estimate of house prices by 2030 would project to be £ 1million to £ 1.5 million pounds. Importantly (b) the only way these properties could be occupied by first time buyers would be through shared or joint ownership viz : with an aged parent or relative living in the property with a young couple which leads to further potential pollution additional victim and probably additional car owner , together with added strain on medical facilities.

Also and just as importantly the effect of the UK leaving the EU has not been factored into the Plan. We have yet to discover the number of residents in Brentwood who are dual nationals and entitled to reside in countries outside the UK. Taking into account medical, health and pharmacy workers, care home personnel and members of the professions together with retail outlet owners and their employees we estimate the number at between 3,000 and 4,000 (including dependents). The number for the whole of the UK exceeds five million(and rising). If negotiations with the EU lead to an adverse effect on the UK economy dual citizens will leave and settle in EU member states or indeed other countries of the World.

The Plan to concrete over the Green Belt and Farmland will have been proven to have been unnecessary yet lasting harm will have been inflicted on the people and their environment.

It is a fact that Developers are guilty of land banking, sitting on land where Planning Permission has been granted but failing to build, purely to increase profit through increase in land values.. Within the last 10 years these sites, if built upon, would have provided in excess of 800,000 homes in this Country. How many would have been affordable homes is a matter of conjecture, because the developers often inform Councils that they cannot afford to develop a site with the number of social units imposed, Councils are pressured to reduce the number of social dwellings planned originally.

Even when sites are developed the Builders are ensuring there are hardly any affordable houses built (see Report Guardian 5th March 2018). In Manchester none of the 14,667 homes in big developments granted Planning Permission in the last 2 years are set to be "affordable", Planning documents show - in direct contravention of its own rules and the Government's definition. In Sheffield where house prices grew faster last year than in any other UK city (but we would suggest Brentwood and Ingatestone would be closely behind). Only 97 out of 6,943 approved by Planners in 2016 and 2017 met the Government's affordable definition. That says homes must either be offered for social rent (often known as Council housing), or rented at no more than 80% of the local market rate. In Nottingham where the Council aims for 20% of new housing to be affordable just 3.8% of the units given the green light by Council Planners meet the definition. If Brentwood is not strict with developers the results will be the same as those mentioned (supra).

The Development Companies are responsible for shortage of housing in certain area, by drip feeding dwellings onto the market to increase house prices. This prevents , in particular, first time buyers from gaining a foot on the housing ladder. The dramatic decline in home ownership amongst the young does not lie with Parents or Grandparents but with people who control the supply of social housing.

The reasons set out in this communication should, we hope, send the Council (indeed all Councils) to review their respective Plans. They might consider halving the intended housing units to be built whilst leaving in position all infrastructure planned with medical facilities doubled to ensure all citizens timely access to health care and other amenities.

Yours faithfully,