Today we have asked Basildon Council to list Dry Street pastures as a community asset. After all it is called a Local wildlife Site and it’s designation was supported by local organisations including Basildon Council and required rigorous scientific surveys to qualify. Community groups are allowed under the Localism Act of 2011 to nominate an asset to the local authority to be listed and potentially have the right to buy. Many local communities have been through the procedure of listing a local much loved building, pub or park and some have gone on to bid for the asset. We have no plans to buy Dry Street Pastures, it would be far too expensive, merely protect the valuable wildlife site. We will keep you updated.
Many thanks to those supporters who were contacted urgently yesterday afternoon to provide support for our application. We needed 21 names and addresses of local supporters who were on the electoral role and were happy to have their names put forward. We will require more help on a similar application next week to ask for other well known local institutions to be listed as community assets. If you would like to help please email us using the contact form.
In December we also approached the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee. They had released a damming report on environmental pollution in our towns and highlighted the growing health problems caused by poor air quality. We asked them to look into the actions of the Homes and Communities Agency who own thousands of acres of greenfield sites and are developing them.
We are also intending to approach the Homes and Communities Agency through the Department for Communities and Local Government. Please sign our petition to show the HCA how local people feel. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/71624