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Post by greenwarrior on Oct 13, 2012 10:17:50 GMT
Have you read the letter in this week's Enquirer, sent by a North Benfleet woman, supporting development on the "unattractive" east side of Basildon?
Is this woman completely out of touch with what is going on in the village? Does she really have no idea of the distress the proposed large developments on our local green belt has caused? Is she out of touch with the concerns of the majority of people in this country about the loss of our green belt?
She starts off by talking about the plotlands - well, personally I don't have a problem with people building in the plotlands as long as their neighbours don't mind.
But then she goes on to say about "if houses are needed then why not sacrifice the greenbelt and allow building on the unattractive East of Basildon."
If North Benfleet is so unattractive and this lady likes the idea of large development areas then why doesn't she move to a more developed area and sell her home in Hall Road to someone who appreciates this lovely piece of countryside?
If she's reading this message then I suggest that she clicks the "contact Eric Pickles" tab on the home page and read what the CPRE experts have to say about the loss of our green belt.
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Post by tee on Oct 13, 2012 11:53:42 GMT
Yes, she could consider a move to the East End with a lovely view of slum land, or maybe a flat with a view at the Elephant and Castle in South London. And Tottenham is lovely at this time of year... Does the Enquirer have a replies section? Perhaps the Resident Association should respond, or better still invite the Enquirer's editor to the meeting at the Gun, by way of balanced reporting. And interestingly, the spell checker for this reply suggests as an alternative to Tottenham, 'Nottingham'. How spooky is that?!!!  |
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Post by rosegriffin on Oct 13, 2012 23:12:18 GMT
I've emailed a letter to the Enquirer today in response to the letter written by Ms. Benton. I've stated that the ratio of people signing the petition is 1500:6 (actually when I totted up, it was only 1448:9 (forgot to add in 3 partners of those not wishing to sign - but it's not that far out!)
Ms. Benton lives in Hall Road. The volunteers with the petition have not attempted this public right of way because it has a history of vicious dogs - one of our parish councillors got bitten by one of them once and friends of mine have also had to turn around for fear of their own dog being attacked. However, on enquiry the parish clerk tells me that the Bugle gets delivered there - so Ms. Benton should have some knowledge of what is going on in the village.
People living in the plotlands, who have had planning permission turned down, have attended our meetings and expressed their disappointment.
The only worry I have about building in the plotlands is the fact that it gets waterlogged in that area. Floods have occurred around Burnt Mills Road in the past and building on the plotlands might exacerbate this situation. If a more sympathetic approach to building in the plotlands is being considered, as intimated by Tony Ball and Mo Larkin, then the flooding issue needs to be sorted out..........of course, I'm assuming that they are not considering large scale development in the plotlands.
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Post by wattsicle on Oct 25, 2012 15:10:58 GMT
I saw this too and was saddened by the fact, that for the writer the 'attractiveness' of a site seems to be the overarching factor of whether important green-belt land should be developed or not. Besides, beauty is a subjective notion; I happen to think it is a very beautiful area.
What speaks the loudest are the facts - Doreen has repeatedly pointed out that this area (and other green belt sites surrounding Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet) are ecologically vital, a lifeline to many species who live in the Thames Estuary, even if just for part of the year.
For us humans, these sites provide a much needed barrier between developed areas; without it Laindon, Basildon, Pitsea, Bowers Gifford, Benfleet and beyond will be one mass of developed land. Green belt in Essex, particularly South East Essex, has an extra important role as a barrier to urban sprawl from London. What is more, can the south east of England really cope with the continued strain and influx of inhabitants – should it have to? Just today Ford has announced that it is closing its Dagenham factory. Of course, we are all too aware with the recent refinery closure at Coryton. That means now 1000+ people out of work in a relatively small area. The answer to this can surely not be the building of homes which will provide jobs in the short-term but not long term growth. Nationally, decisions like this encourage the South East of England to be an economy in itself, a great divide between London and the surround versus the rest of the country is created…as some are alluding to with today’s GDP figures.
Where will the people who will live in these proposed houses come from? The houses that are being proposed do not seem to be in-line with the demographic of those waiting for housing in Basildon (which actually, is not as many as some would like us to think). Therefore, one assumes that many will migrate from London, no doubt driven out by the high house prices there. So that will be extra strain on our rail links as many no doubt commute back to London for work.
What is more, the site is a working farm. With increasing food prices do we really want to be destroying farmland and the vital businesses they support? Increasing exports of some foods not only raises the consumer-cost but is also greatly detrimental to the environment. Just check out the carbon footprint of that sandwich you’re eating right now.
The people of Bowers Gifford and North Benfleet have made the choice to move to the area, or as I suspect is most common – stay here having grown up here. That choice should be respected. BG & NB have been surrounded by these fields for hundreds of years, they’ve helped to define the area and its peoples; long may they continue to do so.
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