brentwood.gov.uk

MM1/MM2
The village of Blackmore does not have the capacity to copy with so many more houses. Public transport is very minimal, with only an infrequent bus service that goes to other nearby villages. There is no train station and the roads are narrow with many blind bends which makes them dangerous to walk. The roads them selves are in desperate need of repair, and will only get worse with the increase in traffic that 70 more houses will make. It is reasonable to assume each house will have at least two cars, which means around 140 more cars will be travelling the roads everyday, increasing congestion and pollution. This goes against BBC’s objectives and the Government’s aim for reducing unnecessary car journeys. That is not to mention the loss of the two greenbelt fields, which would mean a loss of homes for the local wildlife.

MM5
Blackmore only has a small local shop, a tea shop and a part time hair dressers so should be recognized as a class 4 village. It is nothing like the nearby villages of Kelvedon Hatch and Doddinghust, which are class 3. Aside from having many more shops and amenities, their roads are in much better condition and are much safer.

MM78
Flooding is always an issue in Blackmore, with very little (if anything at all) being done to prevent it. The floods have become more frequent in recent years, occurring multiple times during the year, and with the worsening climate crisis and extreme weather conditions, this situation will only worsen. This development would see two fields concreted over which will make the situation even worse. I understand there are plans to add two ponds on each field, which just seems bizarre, as this will not help in any way. The water table is at ground level so heavy rainfall would be a big problem.

MM81
I do not think the Exceptional Circumstances Test was carried out thouroughly, overwise it would have identified, and included in the LDP, the brown field sites in Stondon Massey and Red Rose Lane, Blackmore.

MM107/108

After an outcry from the residents of Blackmore, the BBC decreased the planned number of homes from 70 to 50. However this has since been put back to 70 again. I don’t know why we were asked for a public response for it to then be ignored. It feels like a very sneaky and underhanded tactic used to ignore the valid and real concerns put forward by the people of Blackmore, who will be the ones to suffer should this proposed plan go ahead.