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

The Green Action Group GAG2011 have campaigned against the Nethermayne development, and the interdependent plans to build a new college in the town and relocate the market, since the plans were first made public. Despite considerable opposition from the community the three plans have all been passed by Basildon Council either in full or as outline planning permission. GAG have long argued that the housing development on a scheduled local wildlife site (LoWS) is unsustainable and will be damaging to the community, and that the economic and educational gains of the new college have been overstated.

We are extremely surprised to see the agenda of the cabinet meeting for Thursday 8th January which sets out a plan by Basildon Council to acquire properties that have legal rights that may prevent the new college being built in the current market place area. Put another way, the council are proposing to use compulsory purchase powers, and unspecified amounts of public money, to remove the possibility of legal action by property owners who will lose light and access to their premises if the new college is built. Surely Basildon Council must have been aware of this at an earlier stage or are they just making it up as they go along? This, by Basildon Council’s own admission, is a risky financial transaction. In a time of extensive public cuts it appears to be an act of desperation by planning officers, supported by a few councillors and the chief executive. The majority of councillors have already made their feelings clear and do not support any part of the development but they do not get a vote on this outrageous plan to risk public money.

We ask that members of the cabinet seriously consider the views of the local community on the Nethermayne development, new college and market relocation and the perception of such speculative public spending. Readers may like to email their views to the two party leaders who are members of the cabinet, Phil Turner and Linda Allport-Hodge.

Yours Faithfully,

Miriam Heppell
GA2011 Secretary