The Priests Lane Neighbourhood Residents Association (PLNRA) represents residents who live in an area likely to be affected by the development of the Land at Priests Lane (Policy R19). We maintain that the technical and reasoned arguments put forward by local residents and the PLNRA have not been properly addressed and continue our objection against the development on this site as follows:

• The site is currently regarded as protected open urban space, which, once developed will be lost forever. The newest Government thinking is that building should primarily take place on brownfield sites so that greenfield sites such as that at Priests Lane are not lost. The development of this site, particularly, as it is scheduled to be built upon before brownfield sites in the area, goes against this current thinking.
• The PLNRA has consistently requested official traffic reviews of the Lane and have been told these will only be required when a planning application is submitted. However, with no such review it is impossible to determine how many homes the site can safely accommodate without a detrimental impact on those who use the lane. There is therefore no technical basis to support the increased housing number proposed and calls into question the safety of the proposal that there is to be only one access point.
• The high-level traffic analysis which has been carried out as part of the LDP is insufficient, based on flawed datasets and does not take account of the cumulative effect all the building within Shenfield will have on the traffic using Priests Lane for access to Brentwood and the A127.
• Essex Highways has not performed a detailed technical review, and there is insufficient evidence demonstrating the access from Priests Lane to the site meets safe road design guidelines as recommended by Department for Transport. This is particularly significant as the intention is now to have only one access to the site at a point where the road narrows and close to the entrance there is pavement only on one side, while increasing the number of proposed houses.
• The Lane was never meant to be a main distributary road which it has now become. Residents have pointed out that as such it does not comply with the Essex design guide with respect to road and pavement width.
• The traffic junction analysis data is seriously flawed and it appears that the data has been cherry-picked to ensure that the junction tests are met.
• No account has been made of the increased pollution along Middleton Hall Lane and Priests Lane, the junction of which is a pollution hotspot.