brentwood.gov.uk

I wish to object to Brentwood's Strategic Growth Options Consultation on the grounds that the Council have fixated on creating developments within the greenbelt, and not identified redundant brownfield areas first.

The questionnaire is complicated and very difficult to understand. The level of plain English used is poor. The choice of answers given are also biased, weighted in favour of what the council wishes to hear.

I do not believe the consultation has been democratic in how it has been presented to the general public in either it's content or time frame.

Further more, neighbouring Thurrock residents, of which I am one, had no idea this proposal was even being discussed and considered until enlightened by friends living in West Horndon. If it wasn't for social media many more residents would be in the dark (many more probably still are).

The positioning of the Dunton Garden Suburb in relation to the south of the Thurrock Borough would have a catastrophic effect on the openess of our borough. To allow two boroughs to create a joint development would also create urban sprawl.

The openess and countryside between Brentwood, Basildon and Thurrock needs to be preserved for future generations. To suggest greenbelt areas can be redrawn is nonsensical in an area that is already only greenbelt! A loss is a loss. Native flora and fauna, paramount to the ecology of the local area, and a necessity to offset the current pollution levels caused by heavy traffic already using the A127 corridor, will be decimated.

The Lower Dunton Road and A128 are the two roads which would be used for access to the A13. Both are single carriageway. To build both Dunton Garden Suburb and widen roads would involve compulsory purchase of both land and housing.

Compulsory purchasing of agricultural and greenbelt land for development should only be allowed in exceptional circumstances. Considering unmet housing needs do not constitute an exceptional circumstance and does not outweigh the damage caused by the loss of greenbelt land, compulsory purchase orders should not be entertained until all brownfield, redundant sites in both the Brentwood and Basildon areas are exhausted.

Do I need to point out that there is an industrial site in West Horndon that should be used for housing before the greenbelt surrounding area is even considered?

The Government have pledged to protect the greenbelt from development so long as local Councils present a local plan that identifies suitable sites for their housing quota.

I do not believe Brentwood Council have identified enough redundant, brownfield areas and therefore, on this basis alone, the Consultation should be halted unil more options are identified.