SHAME ON YOU BASILDON COUNCIL…
In addition it has agreed to the demolition of the Longwood Equestrian Centre, a facility that offers job training, livery and the chance for hundreds of local youngsters and adults to develop and broaden skills in an increasingly popular past-time, with shows and eventing on a regular basis. Longwood was one of the places where the young Ben Maher – Olympic Gold winner in 2012 – did some of his training, as well as other successful riders in the world of equestrianism. Vague suggestions of a new location have been made, but the only one that we are aware of is on a disused land-fill site, remote from any network of bridleways, on the Thames marshes.
THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY
Defenders of Dry Street Pastures and Longwood will be seeking to challenge the planning decision through the courts, a decision that runs counter to much of what Basildon Council claims to stand for and to the spirit and letter of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Please spread the word through to your friends and contacts; and contact us if you would like to get closer involved. And please do keep up correspondence with the local Basildon press. This shameful decision needs as much exposure as possible.
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Campaigners collected over 1,000 signatures on a new petition as well as the same number of individual comments hung on the group’s “Message Tree”. A GAG spokesperson said “The anger and dismay felt by local Basildon residents at the loss of more green space in the Borough was palpable. Of the hundreds that were spoken to there was hardly anyone who was in favour of developing the land.”
GAG has also received a letter from a 29-year old (female) who wishes to remain anonymous. It sums up for many people the frustration they feel at the threat of the loss of the Dry Street Pastures. The letter has been slightly edited for content and length.
Dear Sir/Madam The Dry Street Area is a luxury of nature that enjoys its peace even when people pass through it and enjoy it. Birds watch you from the hedges, safe knowing that you can’t see them, but it is lovely hearing them chattering away in their environment. As I look across the fields by the Memorial Church to the trees high up on a hill, I feel at peace. You go away calm. The peace there straightaway calms me. Swallows or swifts appeared in September, I recognised their body shape. I have never seen those birds in the wild before, because that is ‘their’ home. The green land at Gloucester Park is not countryside, it is artificial and stuck in the middle of a road. Dry Street woods and fields are natural which I adore. Comparing this again to GloucesterPark, the air there is not too fresh, probably because there isn’t much greenery, just a bit of grass and an outline of trees. People who appreciate life and nature and the countryside treasure Dry Street. That is why, if it is damaged by putting a great amount of houses on, and losing the Equestrian Centre, we as the good of Basildon feel that we have lost the parts of our lives where we can get away from the bad parts of the town’s life. If those houses are put on that land, that peace is lost straight away. I am begging to please keep Dry Street as it is, it is so important to me and many thousands. It is sad that Basildon town does not offer many friendly faces. It is typically stressful, fast-paced, car-orientated and rush, rush, rush. I work in a fast-paced restaurant where it is frowned on by other customers to chat to who you are currently serving at the time. Their faces say it all. When you go into the woods it is magical. I have a favourite contemplation spot and I stood thre recently one Sunday morning and it was perfect. I kept bumping into dog-walkers, walkers, horse riders and a horse and cart, and this is the only untouched, uncontrolled beautiful place of freedom we have. So if all the building takes a lot of the land, nature loses its freedom. More animals will be killed by the new traffic as they don’t know what has arrived and can’t dodge the traffic. It won’t be a place to escape. It will become a new Gloucester Park, an unsafe, really crappy green box to put everyone in. A claustrophobic limited green spot to enclose everyone in. I live near to those new houses, the criminals will find it an easy temptation to wander along to, and take advantage. Basildon is a laughing stock to many other towns, but why not actually show that we have the best green area in Dry Street, and be proud of it, not building on it ? And treasure it and save it. Once that place is dissected, it is gone and nothing can ever replace the totally best ever natural area that it is. Why on earth destroy Basildon’s one bit of decent countryside we have ? I am 29 and for the last two years loved going in there most days. How I regret not treasuring all those years previous to these, going there a lot in the past as well. Anon ]]>
With the fantastic help of local Lee Chapel South and Kingswood residents, GAG leafleted homes in those areas and managed to attract over 180 people to the meeting on 17th February at LCS Community Hall. Cllr Geoff Wiliams, Frank Last of the Essex Badger Protection Group and Dr Rod Cole representing the Basildon Natural History Society and the Essex Wildlife Trust brought residents up to speed on the progress of the Nethermayne Site application and stressed the unique nature of the site from the natural history point of view. Dr Cole referred to the inadequacy of consultant reports of various surveys undertaken. It now seems likely that the planning meeting to consider the Nethermayne Site application will be held on 12th March.
The meeting is public and members of the public are allowed to speak.
Keep the Pressure Up
Residents were urged to keep the pressure up by continuing to write to the local press and highlighting their concerns.
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