Environment, Landscape, Wildlife and Conservation

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Comment

Draft Local Plan

Representation ID: 14002

Received: 20/03/2016

Respondent: Mr Marc Godfree

Representation Summary:

West Basildon's and South West Brentwood's greenbelt land is land that we must save and preserve. Not just for our wildlife, health and wellbeing but with the proposed Lower Thames Crossing; the London sprawl and housing development will bring the end of Essex as a community and Brentwood and Basildon as towns.

Full text:

Dear Sir / Madam
I am writing to formally register my objection to the 'Brentwood Draft Local Plan' proposal, due to the negative impact I believe it will have on the surrounding communities. I, as I am sure many residents, have lots of questions with regards to this consultation. I have summarised my concerns and questions here with further explanations and questions explained in detail below.
Summary of questions:

1. Why is greenbelt land now being considered for declassification in and around the Brentwood / Basildon area?
1.1 The proposed land can often be seen throughout the year growing many varieties Vegetables, food and hay for livestock. Is this land no longer needed for agriculture?

2. What, if any, consideration has been given to the wildlife that will be impacted with such a large scale development on greenbelt land?
2.1 Has the Wildlife Trust, RSPB, Butterfly and Rare species groups been properly consulted on the wildlife in the proposed area?
2.1a Will their views, comments and professional advice be properly listened to and addressed?
2.2 What thoughts and considerations have been made to ensure that our wildlife continues to thrive?
2.3 Simply including a green space 'here and there' isn't sufficient as unlike humans wildlife knows no boundaries and by segregating them to a specific area will just encourage inbreeding, predation and further decline as they have nowhere else to go.
2.4 Will there be any considerations to wildlife corridors between open spaces allowing species to breed, migrate and exist safely and naturally?

3. Have all brownfield sites been considered and exhausted before planning on building on greenbelt land?
3.1 Why is it that greenbelt land appears to be more appealing than brownfield sites for developments?


4. Approx 2500 for Dunton Hills Garden Village! Does this truly reflect Brentwood towns growth expectations for the indigenous Brentwood people over the next few years?
4.1 Will these new homes be designated solely for the people of Brentwood? If not why not and please explain how this will be divided up.
4.2 Will the infrastructure as it stands cope with an increase in the new population
4.3 What plans are being proposed to cope with a minimum of 5,000 new people to the Dunton Hills Village area?
4.4 What plans are being proposed to cope with a minimum of 5,000 new people to the Dunton Hills Village
4.5 Schools, Hospitals, Emergency services are all under strain as it is. Are there plans to rectify this before the proposal of new buildings goes ahead?
4.6 Will there be any revisions to the proposal to consider allocations, both land and infrastructure for the likes of schools, hospitals and emergency services?
4.7 Can Brentwood cope with the additional waste, landfill and sewage that will be created?
4.8 What measures are going to be put in place and enforced to ensure a good level of air quality? Surrounding areas are already fairly high!
4.8 Who will foot the bill for all of the above?

5. With the ever increasing worry and risk of flooding, what assurances can the residents of Brentwood and the new residents of the Dunton Hills Garden Village that they won't be affected by any increases in flooding?
5.1 We have already seen that parts of the A127, Lower Dunton Road and some minor roads are prone to flooding due to either surface water or road drainage systems backing up. Will these be addressed especially since the new development will be partly built on flood plains?

6. West Basildon's and South West Brentwood's greenbelt land is land that we must save and preserve. Not just for our wildlife, health and wellbeing but with the proposed Lower Thames Crossing; the London sprawl and housing development will bring the end of Essex as a community and Brentwood and Basildon as towns.

Detail:
As mentioned at the start of my letter I am writing to formally register my objection to the 'Brentwood Draft Local Plan', due to the negative impact I believe it will have on the surrounding greenbelt areas, wildlife and communities. In fact this development will have far greater reaching impacts for anyone living, traveling or passing through South Essex. We should be proud of the green belt areas that surround our area and look to protect them for many years and generations to come. These areas should be the last place considered for building new properties especially when there are so many brown field sites yet to be improved and are suitable for housing development. It's madness that there is more red tape for developing brown field sites than on green belt land!
Simply declassifying green belt land (because it is easier than utilising brown field sites) without specialist investigation in to the species that use this as their habitat and home is unacceptable. There have been many sightings and recordings of wildlife in the area which include the following some of which are protected species and can be found in and around the Dunton Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserve. (Not an exhaustive list by any means):
- The following species are all found in the area and they are also in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan:- Water voles (legally protected and endangered) , Grizzled Skipper butterfly (legally protected and endangered) , Great Crested Newts (protected) , Slow Worm, Grass Snake, Cuckoo, Song Thrush, House Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Turtle Dove, Wood Warbler. The following are also found in the area and will disappear should the proposal get passed:- Bats (protected), Badgers (protected), Adders (protected) , Kingfishers, Bullfinches, Buzzards, Sparrow Hawks, Owls, (Tawny, Barn and Short Eared Owl), Foxes, Rabbit, Deer. Although Dormice (legally protected and endangered) have not yet been found in the area because surveys have not been conducted, they have been found in neighbouring village of Stock within Billericay, not 10 minutes from the proposed site so there is an extremely high possibility that they are also in the area. Dormice are also a protected and endangered species.
- There are also many trees, plants and vegetation that would be lost that provide as homes and food for all of the above
- Roadside verges seem to be shrinking and are even being cleared which was once enforced by Basildon Council to help preserve and encourage wildlife to flourish. This can clearly be seen on the verges and central reservation of the A127 between Basildon and Dunton Junctions.

We are fortunate to have the Dunton Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserve where we can escape from the hustle and bustle of normal daily commuter life. There are very few places in Basildon where you can get to see beautiful countryside that hasn't been developed or see fields that haven't been concreated over. The views across to London from the top of Dunton reserve are amazing and will be lost forever should this development go ahead. These views have recently seen a Solar farm built directly opposite this reserve and now we are hearing of a proposed wind farm. More worryingly is that these views that we enjoy are a home, a habitat that links together to keep the great British wildlife flourishing. Nature doesn't understand boundaries and needs natural pathways, links and open spaces from one site to another to enable species (animals, insects and vegetation) to exist.

With the development of Dry Street now going ahead we will be putting a massive obstacle between two reserves (Langdon Hills Country Park & Dunton Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserve) which will unquestionably have a massive effect on these species. Now we are planning on doing the same between Dunton Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserve and Thorndon Country Park!

With an existing infrastructure that is already showing signs of excessive strain how is Basildon supposed to cope?
Basildon Hospital is already under pressure and it took over 4 hours for me to be seen in A&E when I had stiches in my leg due to a recent accident. Local Doctor Surgeries are also stretched and it can take me weeks to get an appointment with my doctor and inevitably I get to see a locum and not my allocated doctor. How will the local health services be improved to accommodate such a huge influx of people? What provisions for both land and infrastructure has been considered for Basildon hospital especially with the development of Dry Street?
The main transport routes of the A12, A127 and A13 are already stressed to breaking point . The sheer volume of traffic can bring both roads to a standstill and is a frequent occurrence during rush hour times, and that is before adding in the effects of any incidents or accidents. Even travelling down the A127 during the day is restricted rendering the speed cameras pretty much ineffective these days. When these main routes are blocked traffic spills into neighbouring side roads creating yet more traffic and pollution for our area. What plans have been taken to make the necessary improvements to these roads alleviating the already high volume of traffic and to cater for the obvious traffic that new properties will create? And that is not only new properties in the Brentwood area but also development sites stretching from Southend to London along the A127 and Colchester to London along the A12 as anyone who uses these two main routes will be affected.

The local Primary Schools in Langdon Hills are regularly oversubscribed meaning children have to pass their local school to go to another. Some families are even divided forcing siblings to attend different schools due to being oversubscribed. With the proposal of "affordable housing" you must expect many families with children to move in so why isn't there more schools being planned within the proposal. Where will the new Brentwood residents be expected to take their children to school?

** Wouldn't you agree that we have the right to protect our green belt land. Exhaust our brownfield sites and say enough is enough, we are full? Surely more properties for Brentwood brings us very close to its limits of being full! **

The local services can't handle the existing numbers of residents , so to propose to add many thousands more, without providing any level of detail within the proposal as to how they would be catered for is not the way a council with a responsible planning policy should behave. There needs to be more detail and information on infrastructure and services that will be planned. Tell us how much extra capacity you plan for the local transport links. As it stands there can only be negative impacts on our local infrastructure, natural beauty spots and way of life if this proposal were to proceed. Local services such as schools and healthcare will suffer, the extra congestion will make travel miserable, employment opportunities may be spread even more thinly, and the environmental effects of the construction and extra population could be disastrous. Is Brentwood & Basildon to become the new London? A place where you can't enjoy the country, a place where you can't drive your car and a place that is stupidly overcrowded!
Please register my vehement objection to this proposal , and ensure that this is taken into account.
Yours Sincerely
Marc Godfree

Comment

Draft Local Plan

Representation ID: 14777

Received: 21/04/2016

Respondent: MR Graham Clegg

Representation Summary:

Note that two of the DLP's strategic objectives are environmental protection and enhancement (SO9 & SO10). I regard it as important that to boost housing and to create jobs, that every effort is made to safeguard the environment and improve it wherever possible. Particularly the natural environment. I enjoy many of the locations known for their natural beauty in the Borough, eg: South Weald, Thorndon Park and Warley Place. Generally speaking. Satisfied that the DLP is well-founded in terms of its overall vision. Noted reference to the leadership role which the English Wildlife Trust has played in the area of conservation and concept of the "living landscape" is one which is given express recognition in the DLP. The Borough of Brentwood does not and will not exist in isolation and, therefore, as far as the natural environment is concerned, appreciation of the inter-connectedness with neighbouring boroughs and with Essex as a whole is rightly given support in the DLP.

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Support

Draft Local Plan

Representation ID: 15514

Received: 10/05/2016

Respondent: Environment Agency

Representation Summary:

Environment, Landscape, Wildlife and Conservation: We are pleased that this text highlights the environment as an attraction for visitors. This in turn can bring great economic benefits to the area.

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Comment

Draft Local Plan

Representation ID: 15854

Received: 11/05/2016

Respondent: Essex County Council

Representation Summary:

The overall strategy is supported, however further suggested changes are recommended on specific policies in respect of ecology and biodiversity issues to improve consistency with national biodiversity conservation policy and best practice. To assist in reviewing the policies, see ECC Place Services latest revised version of "Model Policies for Local Plans".

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