brentwood.gov.uk

In your forward to the Consultancy document you state:
S1. The Councils preferred special strategy for the Borough aims to protect the Green Belt and local character and foster sustainable communities. This certainly has not happened where West Horndon is concerned, but it is in keeping with the constant neglect in almost all departments shown to this village over the last 50 years.

The plan aims to ensure development happens in the right place, where it can do the most good and least harm (to whom) with good access to facilities, such as healthcare, (non existent) parks, schools, shops and public transport. The Plan aims to ensure the historic and natural environment are protected and wherever possible enhanced (you are intending to turn this village into a Town AND DESTROY OUR COMMUNITY) In planning a New Town you need to have regard to the present villagers who all moved here because of its rural location and village atmosphere.

P.8. States that all development sites will be identified having regard to whether they:
(A) Are accessible to public transport. We have two trains per hour, which are already overcrowded, and no further room for improvement, and three busses in the morning that turn around at Brentwood and come straight back. There is only one bus back in the afternoon and that is the school run. (B) Will have no significant impact on the green Belt. This will certainly have an enormous impact on the Metropolitan Green Belt that separates us and no one else from the London urban sprawl at West Horndon.

P.9. Reason for rejection states: Development in remote locations would undermine the rural character of the Borough and increase car dependency. No thought has been given to the requirements of this small village when it is planned to treble its size. The roads that are available to us are almost inaccessible in rush hour and indeed we are often used as a rat run when overcrowding or accidents take place.

Any reduction in the Industrial Site will cause a reduction in employment in the village and no thought has been given to this. Plus, the place that it is proposed to move the site to will be returned to green Belt when no longer required by its present clients, therefore will not be available for use by West Horndon industries.

Both pavements and roads are full of potholes, some seriously. What action is the County Council going to take to this problem? Nothing in the proposals contains any change to this status.

Significant change will have to be made to the drainage system for surface water which is not absorbed by the fields will flood the village, and any surplus will go through and flood Bulphan which is in itself a flood plane. The flood alleviation scheme has been grossly neglected over the past 30 years so what hope do we have that this will change.

The Borough has seen this village as an opportunity to protect the Brentwood area and we have been thrown to the wolves.

Any hint of Travellers being allowed into this village will be met with utmost resistance and when it gets known that this is a possibility then no one will buy property down here.