St martin’s SqBasCouncilpage

This was posted by Basildon Council and concerns appropriating and disposing of the land at St Martin’s Square. They are apparently required under planning law to ask if anyone objects. Well of course we do! Most of us have objected to the plans for St Martin’s Square several times now. We do not want an ugly permanent market on it as it is public open space and should be left as such. We also object to our public assets being acquired and disposed of with public money for a plan we don’t want. The plans for St Martin’s Square are part of the grand plan to build the new college on the current market place and sell off the old one as part of the Nethermayne development on Dry St Pastures.

There doesn’t seem to be an online reply facility so please can as many people as possible send an old fashioned letter with your objections to
The Service Manager of Corporate Property
St Martin’s Square
Basildon
Essex SS14 1DL

Thanks for your support.

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

St Francis Church, West Horndon 12-4.30pm
President’s Community Centre, Hoover Drive, Laindon 4.30 – 9pm.
Only two sessions for such a large development is totally inadequate. Hopefully there will be more sessions to inform the public and not just an online response.

GAG2011 are now making an application for judicial review of the planning decision by Basildon Borough Council which has now been formally approved, giving outline planning permission to developers to build 700 plus aspirational homes on a great swathe of land north of Dry St up to Nethermayne. We need your help to raise money to pay the legal fees involved. Here are some reasons why we are determined to stop this development and why local people are so angry that the local council did not listen to evidence or local opinion:

• Longwood Equestrian centre is set to be demolished. A centre of excellence and unique in the area, this centre provides riding lessons, training for local young people, hosts events and provides livery services. It’s current situation provides access to safe bridle paths.

• South Essex College Nethermayne campus will be demolished as SEC have declared it unfit for purpose. Local people know this is simply not true. SEC want to relocate to the town centre and have been given the opportunity to sell their large swathe of land to fund this. They believe that by moving to the town centre they will raise their standards. Local people will have an opinion on this.

• The sports centre adjacent to the college will also be demolished. Another sporting provision lost.

• The air ambulance will have to find an alternative landing site.

• Dry street meadows which are of major ecological importance will be built on. ‘In England, much of our biodiversity, including many of our birds, butterflies and plants, is declining. Our wildlife areas are too disjointed and fragmented, which makes it harder for wildlife to flourish and respond to climate change and other pressures, like pollution.’ This is a quote from Defra’s 2020 biodiversity policy paper. Yet this plan will fragment the Langdon Ridge and cause damage to protected species, some unique to our area. Relocation of many species has not been proved to be successful.
• Traffic will increase. Cars from 700 plus homes will make a difference. Traffic problems will not be solved by minor road improvements. The construction traffic will be immense.

• There will be extra pressure on our schools and medical services.

• Those living in adjacent roads such as Rantree Fold, Fletchers and Sporhams will subjected to noise, vibration, drainage problems and quiet Cul-de-sacs will become through-fares to the new estate. Residents wanting to sell their homes may find they are not quite so attractive to buyers.

Please consider donating to GAG2011 so that we can fight this development on your behalf.

Donate Online »

GAG – the Green Action Group –  was formed  in 2004 by concerned residents to oppose plans by English Partnerships – now the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) –  to develop the land between Lee Chapel South and Dry Street for housing. Backed by the Echo  newspaper, the campaign of opposition raised petitions of over 14,000 signatures and the support of local MPs. Faced with this amount of opposition, English Partnerships were forced to shelve their plans.

A NEW THREAT

Once again the ‘Land North of Dry Street‘ is threatened with development, this time backed by Basildon Borough Council, which has gone back on its commitment to try and include the land in the Green Belt. Some, but not all, residents in Lee Chapel South have received a letter from the HCA, Basildon council and South Essex College, who own the land, outlining their proposals.

We have reproduced the letter because we think it affects everybody who lives in Lee Chapel South and beyond. Please read it carefully.

Why do they want to develop the land ?

Well, don’t  be fooled into thinking that the main reason is to build houses.

The HCA, Basildon Council and the college want it sold off to finance a new college in Basildon Town Centre.

The new college appears to be the only reason that Basildon council is backing the idea.

So what’s so special about this land ?

It’s just about the only area of undeveloped land in this part of Basildon Borough.

It’s never been built on and contains environmentally important ancient  pasture land.

Even our wonderful local Essex Wildlife Trust reserves next door to the HCA land were mostly plotlands with small thriving communities.

This land is untouched. Many different bodies, including Basildon Council’s planners, have recognised the site’s ecological importance and have given it special status as a local wildlife site (LoWS).

Why a college in the Town Centre ?

Basildon Council argues that a town centre location would be “more accessible” to young people, despite the fact that the existing college is only 15 minutes walk from the bus and railway stations.

We understand from people who work there that the existing college is perfectly sound. It’s not falling down.

There’s plenty of room to expand. Except the college wants to sell its land…. Basildon Council also seems to believe that a town centre college will revitalise the Town Centre, with lots of students spending lots of money. Has the council really thought this through ? It doesn’t make sense to us.

And where ?

The Council hasn’t said yet. But they’re looking at car-parks near the station and perhaps other sites too.