Object

Addendum of Focussed Changes to the Pre-Submission Local Plan (Regulation 19)

Representation ID: 26563

Received: 30/10/2019

Respondent: Mr Kevin Craske

Legally compliant? Not specified

Sound? Not specified

Duty to co-operate? Not specified

Representation Summary:

Reductions in Blackmore Village from 70 to 50 (30%). The statements for justification are i) inconsistency with character, ii) impact on local services, iii) disagreement with settlement hierarchy, iv) Green Belt development and flood risk. In a large village it is difficult to understand how a total of 70 new homes can make too much difference. There are already a large variety in the types of homes in Blackmore so again how can new build be out of character? What can a reduction of 20 homes do to improve the village character that much? It does not make sense and again appears to be NIMBYISM! Does the council think a token gesture will do in this case? The impact on local services of 50 homes is not much different to that from 70 homes. Blackmore has good local services with a rail link to Brentwood and this was part of the reasons given for locating hundreds of homes in West Horndon. Road access is good with easy access to the A414, A12,M25 and M11. It has 3 public houses, 2 village halls, sports and social club, football and cricket pitches and a village shop with a farmers market at weekends. Hardly hard done by and surely it could easily take 70 homes without any impact at all. So this part of the justification does not ring true! What is the basis of the settlement hierarchy? Small population areas tend to provide only low order services such as Post Office and Newsagents, not 3 public houses, 2 village halls etc. This is a ridiculous statement as a justification. West Horndon Village has 1 public house, 1 village hall, no sports and social clubs or cricket pitches etc but is going to have almost 500 extra homes with no improvement in service or facilities. What about our settlement hierarchy? We do not appear to matter to the council and are not as important a village as Blackmore obviously. Again discriminatory, disgusting and very insulting to residents of West Horndon. Where is our value? We pay the same tax to support the council but are obviously second class citizens.

Full text:

Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to make the following comments on the Addendum of Focused changes the pre-submission local plan.
The initial statement that it is proposed to build an additional 70 homes at Dunton Hills Garden Village does not match up with the itemised changes. There are 70 homes being relocated from the Shenfield area and a further 20 homes from Blackmore Village area. That is a total of 90 homes. Where are the other 20 homes going to be located?
My specific comments on each proposal are detailed below;
1) Policy ROI
It appears that the Local Plan is to put all the homes it possibly can into Dunton Hills Garden Village at the expense of our local environment and habitat and flood risk rather than impose such a huge number of 70 homes in Shenfield. Obviously the environment and habitat in an urban area is far more important than green belt! Dunton Hills Garden Village is growing like Topsy and will be Dunton Hills Garden Town!
2) Policy R18
The reduction in the number of homes from 55 to 35 (almost 40%) in the Crescent Drive area is purportedly due to i) inconsistency of character, ii) implications on traffic and safety, iii) Development on an urban open space, iv) environment, habitat and flood impact.
1) I understand that Shenfield is an affluent area so any extra homes are unwelcome and out of character unless they are large and expensive. The need for homes must outweigh this and the council must find a way to build homes where needed, not where residents object on this basis. This is NIMBYISM of the highest order and should NOT be allowed. Come on Brentwood do the right thing by ALL borough residents not just the rich few!!
2) I find Crescent Drive to be a quiet almost traffic free area when I go to the Community Hospital so where is the traffic coming from? It is within 1 mile of the A12 so where is the issue with highway access? This sounds like a made up excuse to give padding to this reduction of home build in the area. It is nonsense.
3) How can a suburban area have an environment and habitat and flood risk which is of more importance than Green Belt? Our area of green belt is under severe risk as it is with the Thames tunnel plan and Brentwood council are making matters worse by adding to this pressure. In a Green Belt borough emphasis should be on urban/suburban new build not on using green belt as an easy option. Why are Shenfield opinions more important than that of West Horndon opinions?
All these justifications appear fatuous to me and this proposed change should be rescinded as the council and planning department appear to be making fools of themselves. These are not serious justifications for a re-think, more like a plan to try and shift as much new build as possible as far away from Brentwood Town as possible. When all recent road improvements are on the A12 corridor and the high speed link on rail is coming to Shenfield surely it makes sense to put as many new homes as possible in that area which is also rich in the settlement hierarchy with good transport links, shops and open areas. So again there in an obvious disconnect with no joined up thinking!
3) Policy R19
There is a proposal reduction in scheduled new build homes from 75 to 45 (40%), curiously exactly the same percentage reduction. The same items are stated as the justification for its reduction. My previous comment on POlicy R18 are also very relevant on this proposal too. I find it discriminatory, disgraceful and highly offensive that Shenfield residents have a greater voice than I appear to. They will now have only 80 homes scheduled for build where as our small village will have hundreds more and a new town on our doorstep. The A128 and A127 are already at capacity and entry and exit from our village is already time consuming and risky. Adding more homes and risk. Still Shenfield will be safer I suppose.
4) Policy R25 & R26
Reductions in Blackmore Village from 70 to 50 (30%). The statements for justification are i) inconsistency with character, ii) impact on local services, iii) disagreement with settlement hierarchy, iv) Green Belt development and flood risk.
1) In a large village it is difficult to understand how a total of 70 new homes can make too much difference. There are already a large variety in the types of homes in Blackmore so again how can new build be out of character? What can a reduction of 20 homes do to improve the village character that much? It does not make sense and again appears to be NIMBYISM! Does the council think a token gesture will do in this case? That is how it appears.
2) The impact on local services of 50 homes is not much different to that from 70 homes. Blackmore has good local services with a rail link to Brentwood and this was part of the reasons given for locating hundreds of homes in West Horndon. Road access is good with easy access to the A414, A12,M25 and M11. It has 3 public houses, 2 village halls, sports and social club, football and cricket pitches and a village shop with a farmers market at weekends. Hardly hard done by and surely it could easily take 70 homes without any impact at all. So this part of the justification does not ring true!
3) What is the basis of the settlement hierarchy? Small population areas tend to provide only low order services such as Post Office and Newsagents, not 3 public houses, 2 village halls etc. This is a ridiculous statement as a justification.
West Horndon Village has 1 public house, 1 village hall, no sports and social clubs or cricket pitches etc but is going to have almost 500 extra homes with no improvement in service or facilities. What about our settlement hierarchy? We do not appear to matter to the council and are not as important a village as Blackmore obviously. Again discriminatory, disgusting and very insulting to residents of West Horndon. Where is our value? We pay the same tax to support the council but are obviously second class citizens.
As a separate issue, why has the number of homes on brownfields sites reduced from 1152 to 1132?. There is no mention of where, when or why! Still, I expect they will be relocated to Dunton Hills Garden Town obviously.
All these proposals appear to token gestures pandering to the affluent areas of Brentwood. They show no joined up thinking, there are no explanations of traffic resolution unless you are in the Shenfield area of course.
In my opinion they are poorly thought out and are simply not justifications but excuses for a bad plan which will be pushed through despite protests from residents and tax payers. It is in a mess still!