Comment

Representation ID: 11262

Received: 17/02/2015

Respondent: EA Strategic Land LLP

Agent: Iceni Projects Limited

It is considered unrealistic that the delivery of this quantum of housing and the associated transport and community infrastructure required would be unlikely to deliver sufficient growth within the plan-periodat Dunton Garden Suburb.

Comment

Representation ID: 11266

Received: 17/02/2015

Respondent: EA Strategic Land LLP

Agent: Iceni Projects Limited

West Horndon EA strategic Land has the ability to: deliver much needed new housing early int he plan process; provide compensatory provision for business tenants in the larger allocation and ensure new development is sustainable through the phased delivery of infrastructure improvements.

Comment

Representation ID: 11268

Received: 17/02/2015

Respondent: EA Strategic Land LLP

Agent: Iceni Projects Limited

It is important to note that the separate DGS consultation document has been developed on the premise that it is in close proximity to existing bus routes throughout the neighbouring area of Laindon and West Horndon, railway stations at Laindon and West Horndon, and existing services and facilities including retail, schools and healthcare at Laindon and West Horndon (page 5 of the DGS Consultation). This strongly suggests that it would be more sustainable to deliver the growth needed in those areas identified as already hosting the required facilities, such as West Horndon.

Comment

Representation ID: 11271

Received: 17/02/2015

Respondent: EA Strategic Land LLP

Agent: Iceni Projects Limited

To establish the extent of housing capacity of the proposed DGS, EA Strategic has commissioned an assessment of the appropriate densities of the development area identified in the DGS consultation document. It has been prepared to establish a more accurate picture of the extent of land required to accommodate 4,000-6,000 homes and the associated density assumptions. The Basildon portion of the site could accommodate somewhere close to the 2,300 homes anticipated in the Basildon Local Plan Preferred Options, at a density of c. 30dph. The DGS land within Brentwood could accommodate the remaining 1,700 homes at a density of circa 25-28dph. This basis capacity assessment does not allow for the provision of land to accommodate the necessary educational facilities, to deliver the employment opportunities through provision of new commercial / industrial land, new gypsy and traveller pitches, community facilities or any potential new railway station. The provision of land for these facilities would have significant potential to reduce the overall land available for residential development.

Object

Representation ID: 11276

Received: 17/02/2015

Respondent: EA Strategic Land LLP

Agent: Iceni Projects Limited

We disagree with the assessment undertaken by the SA as we are concerned with the assessments ranking of DGS above West Horndon in terms of community and well being, air quality and climate change mitigation.

Comment

Representation ID: 11279

Received: 17/02/2015

Respondent: EA Strategic Land LLP

Agent: Iceni Projects Limited

It is noted that West Horndon is assessed in the SA as the most sustainable location overall, and most notably is ranked higher or equal to DGS in terms of biodiversity, cultural heritage, economy and employment, flooding, housing, landscape and soil and contamination (7 out of the 10 topic areas assessed). Significantly, DGS is identified as having the potential to lead to significant negative effects on the Green Belt, rural character, and the countryside, with low capacity to accommodate growth.

Comment

Representation ID: 11283

Received: 17/02/2015

Respondent: EA Strategic Land LLP

Agent: Iceni Projects Limited

The SA makes the fundamental assumption that DGS will have a new railway station, when it is understood that this is not necessarily the case. This could have a significant effect on the ranking of DGS for both climate change mitigation and air quality. The location of growth around West Horndon would focus development around existing transport infrastructure with capacity to expand, and local services and facilities reducing the need to travel far afield. The option of enhancing existing infrastructure in West Horndon seems to be disregarded by the SA, which instead concludes that DGS would have the greatest potential to offset the increase in car travel locally by supporting more sustainable patterns of travel. This conclusion is reached without explanation, and it is not clear how this could have been reached given the presence of existing employment and transport infrastructure at West Horndon.

Comment

Representation ID: 11284

Received: 17/02/2015

Respondent: EA Strategic Land LLP

Agent: Iceni Projects Limited

With regards to community and well-being, the SA suggests that both West Horndon and DGS (amongst others) perform similarly in the context of being larger more concentrated development, offering greater potential to provide new community infrastructure. However, there is no explanation as to why West Horndon then scores significantly lower in this topic area. It is important that this is clarified and that the SA is revised appropriately.

Comment

Representation ID: 11285

Received: 17/02/2015

Respondent: EA Strategic Land LLP

Agent: Iceni Projects Limited

It is not that Basildon's Revised Preferred Options SA Report (2013) describes the land now known as DGS as PADC 5 (West Basildon Urban Extension). It considers that it would be likely to have a "significant effect on conserving and enhancing the diverse natural and urban landscape, countryside and green spaces" and concludes that "overall a mixed range of scores are given to the SA objectives which reflects the fact that the PADC is separated from existing services / facilities by existing transport and rail infrastructure which could act as a barrier to new residents and the policy does not include a range of new services and facilities considered to be in keeping with the scale of development". This reinforces the concern that the area earmarked for DGS is not suitable for the scale of development now proposed by DGS

Comment

Representation ID: 11286

Received: 17/02/2015

Respondent: EA Strategic Land LLP

Agent: Iceni Projects Limited

The Council has identified the need to remove land from the Green Belt (GB) in order to accommodate the housing it requires during the life of the plan. It has yet to prepare a Green Belt Assessment or an assessment of the landscape in Brentwood. As a result there is little evidence to assist with determining the sequentially preferable location for Green Belt release for the purposes of housing and economic development in Brentwood.