a large development area with a small amount of dwellings being considered when compared to other sites.

Taken with the additional site allocation at 076, this is a total of 96 additional dwellings in Blackmore, equal to almost an additional 25% of houses in the village, and these are proposed to be built on green belt land that should be being protected. This seems an inordinate increase on what, by most standards, is still a fairly small village. There do not appear to be any plans to create the additional infrastructure required to support such an increase, such as the number of school places (your overall plan seems to indicate you only expect 34 additional pupils in the primary school from 96 homes which is surely an underestimate), GP surgery (Deal Tree is already oversubscribed and obtaining an appointment is not easy), drainage (the system in the village is already at capacity and overflows from time to time) and transport (we only have a part-time bus service and this is constantly under review and threat by Essex County Council). In addition what provision is there for the construction traffic that will be created by such a large building project? Whilst I fully accept the need to provide more housing this should not be at such a scale as could potentially change the nature of existing communities due to the sheer number of houses proposed, and reading the full development plan there does not appear to have been an effort to fully utilise existing brown field sites before building on green belt land.

If this is to go ahead wil consideration be made to the regular flooding which takes place in this part of the village. This development is likely to reduce drainage of surface water and be at risk of flooding.

I maintain that the number of properties suggested for this site exceed practicality.
The infrastructure locally cannot support this, such as:-
- School at capacity already, - local Dr's surgery unable to offer timely appointments already - poor bus service - minor roads - increased risk of flooding. All of that is in addition to my strong belief that green belt should be protected. Development should only be on brownfield sites. I also think that owners of plots that allow properties to become delapidated should have them compulsory purchased and then put back into the public domain for ownership.

Site previously discounted on lack of infrastructure (roads, schools, doctors, local public transport). Nothing has changed.
The addition of 100 dwellings over two sites (077 and 076) to a small village is not acceptable.
There are many brownfield sites and strategic developments that would cater for Brentwood's required housing expansion.
The proposals for the site by Bidwell/Anderson seem to be at odds with Savid Javid's comment 'the construction industry that is too reliant on a small number of big players'. Another case of private developers attempting to maximise their profits at the expense of local public opinion.

This is green belt land and should remain as such.
An increase of nearly 30% of the houses in the village is completely unacceptable and would change the village landscape forever.
The school is bursting to capacity with children already living in the village unable to attend due to numbers.
The nearby doctors, which has only recently been enlarged, built and opened, is already at capacity with appointments being increasing difficult to obtain. Red rose lane is insuficient to be able to take large scale and heavy plant machinery which would cause local disruption and further damage to already damaged roads that are not built to withstand such activity. Poor drainage. The village already suffers from a very high water table and increased buidling could cause untold and not yet considered displacemtn due to increased buildings. Permanant loss of the current green belt landscape and unacceptable urbanisation of a village envirornment.

The proposed site is inappropriate for the following reasons:
1. Blackmore has a small school and pre-school which is over subscribed already.
2. Car is essential in the village and most families have at least 2 or more cars. There is not enough parking in the village as it is.
3. More cars in the village would mean increased danger especially to children.
4. More pollution - the village is supposed to be a place where people can get away from all the pollution from the towns and cities.
5. Wildlife will suffer.
6. Any housing needs in the village can be first met by tackling the scourge of vacant and/or second homes the village.
7. Adverse impact on greenbelt land.

The planned developments (site references 75 and 76) in Blackmore will have a severely detrimental effect on this quaint English village and will change its character forever. The infrastructure of Blackmore and its surrounding area cannot support the planned increase in population (c.a. 33% increase in Blackmore alone) and the areas earmarked for development are greenbelt. Building on greenbelt sets a dangerous precedent for our beautiful countryside and is frankly unnecessary due to the number of brownfield options available.
Roads
The roads both servicing the village, and within the village itself, are barely satisfactory now and would become dangerous based on a conservative estimated increase of 5,000 car journeys per week by the proposed new inhabitants. The effect of the heavy goods traffic required to build the new development is unthinkable.
Shop
The village shop is small and would struggle to service the additional population.
Health Service
It is difficult to get an appointment at the local GP surgery due to the existing demand. A further 400 people using the service could actually present a danger to people's lives and wellbeing.
Schools
Blackmore school is heavily subscribed and will suffer dramatically from the increased demand. There is not the space to add more class rooms without further eating into the greenbelt.
Services
The broadband in the village is woefully slow affecting consumers and businesses alike. It is being upgraded but the delivery date keeps getting pushed out and the technology being installed is already outdated. Additional demand will have a detrimental effect on peoples lives. We already have electrical outages - can the existing infrastructure cope? Are the developers going to invest in upgrading this network? Is the sewerage network suitable for the increased demand? I suspect the answer to these questions is 'no'.
Flooding
The fields in question have been identified as a flood risk (even on the council's website - see Preferred Site Allocations 2018 page ). What happens to the rain water that currently falls on absorbent ground and will be hitting tarmac if these plans succeed? It seems that lessons about building on such land have not been learnt from other developments in the country.
Local train stations for commuting
The train infrastructure has / is being upgraded in the form of Cross Rail (Shenfield / Brentwood) but there is still far too little parking at these stations. If the proposed houses are aimed at people that need to commute in to London, this is a massive oversight. Ingatestone is the other route in to London and also cannot cope with increased parking requirements.
Parking for local towns
Parking in local towns is insufficient and will be exacerbated by these planned developments.

We find it hard to believe that Blackmore is classed as a large village. We have just one shop, no GP surgery, no library and a very small school. We have only a part-time bus service that is under threat. The roads are inadequate now with high traffic levels and parking problems. Large scale construction work would cause severe disruption. The land is in the Green Belt and so should be protected. Blackmore is a small, rural village and should be kept that way it would not be able to cope with such large scale development.

Summary.

Objection to the site at Land South of Redrose Lane, Blackmore (Ref:077). This land should not be released from the Green Belt as the addition of c.a. 60 residential units would:
* Have a detrimental visual impact
* Increase flood risks
* Overwhelm infrastructure
* Ruin the character of the village
* Destroy the green and blue space enjoyed by all
* Obliterate wildlife habitats
* Massively increase pollution from car based commuting
* Heavily oversubscribe existing schools/GP's
* Site overlooks existing residential units and is not well screened
* Out of proportion to the existing settlement
* Create dangerous traffic conditions in such close proximity to the school

- Building on this site would have a substantial negative visual impact to the integrity of the village itself.
- This area of green belt is a flood risk, and if built on the village would not have the soil protection it currently does has from flooding.
- Extending the existing settlement with an estate development would ruin the character of this small village as it would overwhelm it. Its scale is out of proportion to the existing settlement.
- Building c.a. 60 houses would result in an overload of the already oversubscribed schools, health services, and roads.
- It should be considered that the knock on effect of increasing the village by c.a. 28% for site 076 and 077 would be that our local schools, GP buildings and recreation spaces would have to be increased in size to accommodate for the increased number of adults and children, potentially encroaching further on greenbelt land in the local area.
- Developing this site would destroy an area of open countryside which can no longer be visually enjoyed by the village as green and blue space, such that the special character of a small countryside village is destroyed.
- The roads around the village are enjoyed by walkers and cyclists alike so to build a larger housing development would reduce their enjoyment of the area as much as the residents who would be affected.
- The environmental impact of building on this site includes loss of habitat for wildlife, particularly for the small insects that live in wild grassy areas which are dwindling in the UK.
- The loss of this wildlife habitat is detrimental to the being of mankind.
- The economic future for the residents of the village does not depend on the building of these homes. The number of local residents in Blackmore Village who will be negatively impacted is much larger than local businesses which may benefit.
- This development would not lead to substantial economic growth in the village due being a very small economic hub.
- Access to the site will cause numerous problems to the village and there would be no way of stopping larger and heavy vehicles attempting to access the site via unsuitable roads.
For example:
(A) Fingrith Hall Lane is unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles which runs between site 076 and 077, and although there is signage - there is no guarantee heavy goods vehicles would take note.
(B) Access via The Green over the small single lane bridge between the duck ponds could risk damage from repeated heavy goods vehicle use.

- This site is in extremely close proximity to Blackmore Primary School and increasing traffic, including large vehicles, delivery trucks, vans, lorries and contractors would be potentially endangering lives.
- A proportion of these vehicles would be using Nine Ashes Road every day to access the site which is where Blackmore Primary School is located, creating higher levels of pollution and noise on top of the traffic problems and dangers.
- Access to a car is essential, the increased number of homes would result in c.a.1000 additional car journeys per working day if the houses were to be built on sites 076 and 077.
- This development would increase car based commuting and pollution.
- There are also question marks over the future of the public transport servicing the village, which risks a higher number of car based journeys and pollution.
- The lanes servicing the village are not appropriate for traffic exceeding the existing levels - they are country lanes, often narrow and already in a state of disrepair.
- The infrastructure in this area is already at capacity and would not cope with the increased population

I oppose all the development around Blackmore and other villages in Brentwood. Houses here would be far too expensive and will only line the pockets of developers. This villages should remain unspoilt

Building on this plot of land will increase the amount of traffic in the vicinity of Blackmore School. This area is already a dangerous spot when children are being dropped off/collected from school, and extra houses can only exacerbate the situation.
In addition, it is most likely that any developer will only be interested in building large "executive" houses to bring them maximum profit. If Blackmore village has to be extended, it should be by building smaller properties into which older existing residents can "down-size" or children of existing residents can afford to purchase.
Linked to the proposed building on land north of Orchard Piece, this would constitute an unacceptably high percentage increase in housing in the village.
Finally, Blackmore appears to have been unfairly chosen for additional housing, with several other Parishes escaping the LDP requirements. The infra-structure north of Brentwood is inadequate to support additional families/housing with the doctor's surgery and local school already full to capacity.

The infrastructure of the village could not cope with such a big development, local roads are very busy now. The school would not be big enough and also the GP surgery is at full capacity now. The land is Green Belt and so should be protected. The disruption in the village with all the construction works would be horrendous and dangerous. Blackmore is a lovely, rural village and should not be ruined by allowing this large scale housing construction.

The case for limited development in Blackmore is unarguable. However, the type and number of dwellings are crucial considerations, as is the impact on the local infrastructure which is currently struggling and needs to be addressed. The electricity supply to parts of the village is unreliable, education and health service provision is stretched, on street parking is inadequate and there isn't even a reliable mobile signal or high speed broadband. I suggest halving the proposal with a mix of 4&5 bedrooms houses, starter homes and 2&3 bedroom bungalows with access/exit as a cul de sac onto Red Rose Lane only.

Blackmore Village will not sustain the additional growth intended by the two plots. The roads around Blackmore are suffering the amount of traffic.

Good brownfield site for development, self contained with good access to main roads.

Good brownfield site for development, self contained with good access to main roads.

The proposed development site is inappropriate for the following reasons:
1. The adverse impact it would have on the Green Belt. All the benefits that the Green Belt provides and the very reasons it was created are being blatantly, scandalously and negligently ignored by including this proposed site in the Borough's Local Plan.
2. The increased risk of conservation area flooding, due to surface water run-off that would result from any development on this area of natural drainage.
3. Redrose Lane is too narrow to support the increased traffic that would result from any development of the proposed site. It would put at risk the lives of walkers, runners, cyclists and horse-riders who make regular use of this quiet country lane, as well as other car users who use it to avoid the already congested village centre.
4. There are inadequate amenities and services in the village to support the additional residents that would populate the proposed site. The village school and local doctors surgery are already over-subscribed.
5. The proposed site forms part of the green space in and around the village, which is key to its unique rural character and charm, making it attractive to residents and visitors alike and contributing to the wellbeing and health of the Borough's residents.
6. The proposed development would be in direct contravention to the Council's stated objectives of safeguarding the Green Belt, protecting and enhancing valuable landscapes and natural and historic environments.
7. The proposed development fails to acknowledge the increased traffic through, parking problems in, and pressure on services in, Blackmore, already resulting from the recently completed housing development on the village boundary in Nine Ashes and the development approved and being built on the site of the former Norton Heath Equestrian Centre.
8. Traffic noise is already too high for those houses built in close proximity to the village roads. And the lives of recreational users of the roads around Blackmore would be put further at risk. The proposed development would increase the number of cars using the roads to a level that is unacceptable and inappropriate for a rural village.
9. The village is already suffering from poor road conditions, crumbling pavements, littering and dangerous corrosion and condition of road signs. The proposed development would increase the demands on this infrastructure, resulting in additional cost burdens when there is already chronic under-funding.
10. The proposed site represents viable agricultural land and contributes to the sustainability of local wildlife. The loss of the land to development would permanently damage the environmental benefits that it currently provides and the potential to improve the Borough's food security.
11. Any housing needs in the village can be first met by tackling the scourge of vacant and/or second-homes in the village. Effective deterrents to such wasted housing stock would create additional habitable residencies and enable the protection of the village's Green Belt land.

I am concerned that this proposed development (together with the proposed developments of site references 076, 085B and 294) will impose a disproportionate share of new homes on the small village of Blackmore. Blackmore is a historic village and its character will inevitably be changed as a consequence of such a significant increase in the size of its population in such a short amount of time. In addition:
1. the loss of green belt land is of significant concern to me - the designation of green belt land was intended to protect against such development and that should not be ignored.
2. I am concerned that local services (such as GP's and schools) will be overstretched to the detriment of the existing and new residents and that the local infrastructure (in particular the roads and utilities) will be insufficient to cope with such a large increase in residents without extensive upgrades which would be both expensive and disruptive.
3. Finally, I am concerned that the scale of the proposed development will be hugely disruptive to the local community over several years and that it will therefore interfere with the quality of life of the residents of Blackmore.
In conclusion, I consider the scale and location of the proposed development to be inappropriate and that it would impose an undue burden on the village of Blackmore (and surrounding areas) and its residents. Any such development should be undertaken on land which is not designated as green belt and should be on a much smaller scale commensurate with the size of the village and with the burden of building new homes spread more widely (and fairly) throughout the borough

1 We do not have sufficient infrastructure to take the extra strain on sewage, water etc.
2 There is frequent flooding in Blackmore already and concreting over green fields will make it worse.
3 The local school is currently fully subscribed.
4 Extra traffic will cause even more congestion in our compact village centre and on our narrow country lanes.
5 Our bus service is infrequent with limited routes.
6 Our GP Surgery is already under strain, (usually about 3 weeks to see doctor)
7 Our village is unique, attracting countless visitors, and would be ruined by drastic expansion.

I wish to object to the proposed housing developments at site allocations 076 & 077 south of Redrose Lane. First of all, the new development would increase the village of Blackmore by almost 30%, a ridiculous increase. Secondly, by your own figures, Blackmore Primary School is close to capacity now and will be over subscribed in the near future. We don't have our own doctors surgery, instead relying on Deal Street in Doddinghurst. Already, it is almost impossible to get an appointment with your chosen doctor, sometimes having to wait up to a month for an appointment. Transport is non-existent. The nearest railway stations are in Chelmsford or Brentwood. The council is already obliged to provide transport to secondary schools, this will increase with additional families moving into the area. The Redrose Lane sites are both very prone to flooding. Parking within the centre of the village is already difficult, exacerbated by food now being provided by the Leather Bottle. Finally, you haven't taken into account the additional new 38 dwellings being proposed on the old Norton Heath Equestrian Centre on Fingrith Hall Lane which will add to the proposed housing increase. I makes much more sense to me to concentrate additional housing where existing facilities such as railway stations, schools, doctors are already in place

No due diligence seems to have been applied in selecting the locations in Blackmore and Blackmore appears to have been unfairly targeted. The volume and percentage increase in homes is unreasonable, especially considering that there are zero new homes planned in many of the surrounding villages, villages which already have more amenities and resources set up to cope with growth. This appears to be a hasty decision to shoehorn houses in without considering the wider impact. I have outlined this impact below:
* The site at Woollard Way/Redrose Lane is on Green Belt land which should be protected.
* The field continually floods and this already has an impact on a number of homes and gardens for a significant distance from the field. Further building will increase this and impact insurance policies and the risk of flooding for the surrounding homes.
* Evidence shows that building new homes significantly increases the risk of flooding and overwhelms current drainage systems which already cannot cope.
* This proposes an increase of 28.6% houses which will severely impact infrastructure.
* There is already limited resources - currently the nearest Health Centre can only be reached by car and is at full capacity and there are no GP surgeries situated within the parish.
* Blackmore School is at capacity.
* Infrastructure in village is already struggling and cannot accommodate more people. Roads are continually busy with high traffic levels and parking issues. Speeding is also a big issue through the village and this will further impact with a 28% increase in house.
* A 28% increase in houses could lead to a much larger increase in population depending on the type of houses built and the capacity of them. The village cannot cope with this increase.
* Utilities facilities are currently inadequate and would need to be upgraded, including water, power, gas and communications.
* Transport - there is currently only a part time bus service running from Blackmore and no other transport. Other locations have much better transport links including rail and frequent buses.
* The building work is significant and would cause a large scale disruption to peace for the residents. Many residents are currently retired or work from home so are present during the day. The noise and disruption would significantly impact the ability to work at home which would need to be compensated for those residents very near the proposed sites.
* Permanent loss of viable agricultural land is not acceptable.
* This large increase in homes will severely impact the village environment.
* This represents a disproportionate increase in urbanisation compared to other villages and surrounding areas.
* Wildlife in field will be destroyed and it will impact the wildlife in the surrounding areas.
* There is already a housing project on Fingrith Hall Lane that has started and this doesn't seem to have been taken into account as part of plan. This will further increase the capacity issues in the village.
* This will impact the value of houses adjacent to the field and the homes that currently have a view of countryside will be forced to make changes to their homes to accommodate. This includes, but is not limited to, height of fences, windows currently facing field and current views. What costs will be provided to cover this and the changes that will have to be made to accommodate backing onto a housing estate.

Historic Environment Comment -
Constraint: Potential archaeology associated with historic settlement

100? or more new houses in Blackmore, that would mean 100 + families,100 or more cars.
We have had houses recently sold that have been extended, thus adding to the population.
Our school is full & cannot take any more children, the doctors surgery is working at full capacity. Even our post office has been reduced to a corner of the local shop.
This used to be a typical Essex village but will become a nothing place.
We will lose our green fields & gain nothing.
Let's call a halt to all this "development" before it is too late.
All this building has to stop somewhere otherwise we will have wall to wall concrete and no greenery anywhere. I, for one would not like to see that happen.

100? or more new houses in Blackmore, that would mean 100 + families,100 or more cars.
We have had houses recently sold that have been extended, thus adding to the population.
Our school is full & cannot take any more children, the doctors surgery is working at full capacity. Even our post office has been reduced to a corner of the local shop.
This used to be a typical Essex village but will become a nothing place.
We will lose our green fields & gain nothing.
Let's call a halt to all this "development" before it is too late.
All this building has to stop somewhere otherwise we will have wall to wall concrete and no greenery anywhere. I, for one would not like to see that happen.

100? or more new houses in Blackmore, that would mean 100 + families,100 or more cars.
We have had houses recently sold that have been extended, thus adding to the population.
Our school is full & cannot take any more children, the doctors surgery is working at full capacity. Even our post office has been reduced to a corner of the local shop.
This used to be a typical Essex village but will become a nothing place.
We will lose our green fields & gain nothing.
Let's call a halt to all this "development" before it is too late.
All this building has to stop somewhere otherwise we will have wall to wall concrete and no greenery anywhere. I, for one would not like to see that happen.

294 - Is an open space adjacent to residential properties. Access would be a concern and would affect neighbouring properties. 085B - This is a long established recreation field within Green Belt which is very well maintained. Building on this site would be detrimental to the users of the Tipps Cross Remembrance Hall and would remove a very well used recreational space which includes a croquet lawn. Building on both of the above sites would be detrimental to the existing character of the area especially as the former commercial garage located close by is in the process of being converted to residential properties. 076 & 077 - The extent of these developments is inappropriate and would severely affect the character of the village. Flooding in this area is an issue and substantial works would have to be completed before Redrose Lane could accommodate any increase in traffic.

Dear Sir / Madam,

We have lived in Blackmore village for 18 years.
Our property will be the most affected by the local plan proposal to develop the field behind our house (Site Ref: 076) and the field in front (Site Ref: 077). This property is a listed Grade II Property with a frontage only 3- 5 feet from the road. We are concerned that as additional the traffic is forced past our house through the village as a result of this development (particularly the heavy traffic associated with building) may impact the fabric of the building.
Whilst we appreciate that clearly no consideration will be given to the plight of one household in terms of this development proposal we would make the following further observations in response to the consultation and would like to understand how these issues will be dealt with in the detailed planning stage.

Lack of Road access / traffic issues

There is already a development of 30 houses being built further up Fingrith Hall Road / Lane ( on the site of the old Norton Heath Equestrian Centre) which will push additional traffic down this road to the shop, village centre, school and the existing doctors surgery in Doddinghurst.

Fingrith Hall Road / Lane is a narrow and winding road and in many places only passable by one car. Redrose Lane which will be the access road to both proposed sites is even more compromised, often floods and is narrower than Fngrith Hall Road / Lane.

Even if each of the houses only has one car - (which is unlikely as the bus service is not really usable by commuters as it has limited hours - will force households to have more than one car) - the proposed development in Blackmore (along with the development at Norton Heath) will be adding at least 126 cars to the road infrastructure which is already compromised as mentioned above.

How do the council intend to deal with the lack of existing road infrastructure in and around the proposed development site and to protect the centre of the village from congestion and pollution and both after and during building work.

Lack of adequate doctor's surgery

There is already an issue with the local doctor's surgery in Doddinghust being oversubscribed and difficulty in obtaining appointments. How do the council intend to address this issue?

Lack of adequate schooling

Blackmore Primary School is at capacity and children are being driven into the village to school causing congestion and dangerous parking at school drop off an pick up times. Even if further classrooms are created and teachers bought in how do the council intend to address the issue of primary schooling in the village ?

Secondary school children from the village are already having to be bussed to school from the village and current school bus services are at capacity. How does the council propose to deal with the additional requirement for school buses into the centre of the village which will cause additional congestion and pollution at the same drop off and pick up times as the existing bus routes?


Lack of adequate public transport

The existing bus timetable and route has proven itself to be of no use to commuters and this forces households to have one if not both adults driving to Shenfield - as neither Brentwood or Chelmsford station afford the commuter the quickest journey into London. Do the council intend to address this issue within the planning for the development? How do they intend to ensure that there is adequate public transport to reduce the need for each household to have more than one car?


We look forward to understanding how the issues raised above are going to be addressed.

I live in the village of Blackmore and would like to register the following points on the revised LDP dated February 2018. Firstly, this is a total change to the last proposed LDP, when BBC felt it inappropriate to develop in the outer Brentwood Borough villages due to the insufficient local infrastructure. I am not aware of any new infrastructure that has been put in place - so why the complete change of direction? I am not for one moment suggesting that no development should take place but to increase a small village such as Blackmore by 28% - seems like a step too far. A 10% increase in numbers of houses would seem to be both a reasonable and absorbable amount for the a small village. An increase of the size proposed cannot fail to change the nature of the village and is an unfair imposition on the locals - most of who live in Blackmore because it is a small local village and the reason they moved there in the first place. It also seems that Blackmore has been 'singled out' for development within the outer villages, as many others have no development at all. Both the Orchard Piece 076 and Woollard Way 077 proposed sites suffer from poor drainage in the area along Red Rose Lane and the source of the River Widd is in this area. So any development whatsoever would have to come with some significant water management systems as part of the project, in order to prevent flooding problems further down within the Blackmore village centre itself.
To build this many houses would affect the already full local Blackmore Primary School. The current development in Fingrith Hall Road (albeit just inside the Epping Borough District) will also be having an effect on numbers at the school and funding to develop the school would have to be forthcoming in order to deal with the increase in pupils. It could not provide the service without a significant financial injection. Our Doctors surgery - which is not in our Parish but in Doddinghurst - is always stretched and getting appointments is difficult or impossible. Will provision be made to improve this service? I understand the local sewage plant is also working at capacity with present numbers. What provisions would be made to improve its capacity? These were all good reasons why BBC did not suggest developing in the Parish in the last LDP proposal. There is no mention of the type of homes to be developed in any of the areas within the plan - just numbers. A mix of sizes is absolutely essential in our parish. We need some smaller and affordable homes - not just for our young folk getting on the home owning ladder but for key workers, single adults and for those older people who would be quite happy to downsize, staying within the village, and freeing up some larger properties. The Recreation field at Tipps Cross 85B is an integral part of the workings of Tipps Cross Remembrance Hall. Wedding receptions use it, the Croquet Club uses it, children use it and the Borough Council itself uses it for Family Fun Days! Why use an amenity such as this when so many other areas are available. This is a good local amenity for the Tipps Cross area and also acts as a buffer to the properties further up the Blackmore Road from the Hall. It is also offset by the redevelopment of the garage into five new homes on the opposite side of the Hall on the corner of Tipps Cross Lane. I am at a loss as to why BBC feel Blackmore can absorb an increase of 28% of houses and feel it should look again closely at its LDP proposals.

(Housing sites and Larger villages): 1. There are already 5 houses in the village that have been left unoccupied for 5 years and over, as well as buildings with planning consent for conversion to 3 homes on which no action is being taken. New building is not needed while the existing stock is underused. 2. The mains drainage of the proposed central village location is unable to take such a large development. 3. Medical services cannot service the implied increase of 300-400 population. 4. The primary school is already full. 5. If the developments access Red Rose Lane, the ability to walk safely there will be lost; if they access the village centre through the existing estates, the central area will become even more dangerous to pedestrians. Much of the village has only limited pavements, and the ability of residents to walk safely is a fundamental right. 6. Wifi response speed is already very poor, due to the distance from the main hub in Brentwood [4.33 Mbps download, 0.35 Mbps upload at the time of writing]. A significant increase in users will make it even worse.