Homes campaigners lose green belt fight (From Thurrock Gazette)
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Homes campaigners lose green belt fight
9:59am Friday 30th March 2012 in News
Campaigners at the site
PLANS for 350 homes on green belt land have been approved by the Secretary of State.
Eric Pickles has given Barratt Homes the green light to start building homes on St Clere’s Golf Course in Butts Lane, Stanford-le-Hope, silencing a hard-fought campaign by residents.
Over the last 18 months, the Residents Against Inapprop- riate Development group have staged peaceful protests, held meetings, and collected more than 2,000 signatures against the plans.
One of the founding members of the group, Eve Ross, said they now felt deceived.
Mrs Ross, 68, whose house in Butts Lane faces the golf course, said: “We bought our home because it was facing green belt land and we thought it would never be built on.
“Now the entrance to the development will face my house and we’ll have headlights lighting up our front room and our bedroom.
“350 houses is just too many for that bit of land. The scale of it is astronomical.”
The group had hoped Mr Pickles’ Localism Bill, which included plans to “radically” reform planning by giving communities a greater say, would see off the developer.
Mrs Ross said: “The Bill is supposed to be about giving more power to councils and communities.
“We collected more than 2,000 signatures on a petition, everybody was against it, including Thurrock Council.
“We did all we could, we just feel we’ve been deceived.”
The original planning application was approved by Thurrock Thames Gateway Development in February 2011, but called in by Eric Pickles in May, as he was concerned the proposal might conflict with national policies.
An inquiry was held in October, where inspector Graham Dudley recommended planning permission be granted.
Mr Dudley said the application will result in the land being improved, and the creation of a new open space as part of the scheme will provide a positive environment, thus outweighing the harm to the green belt.
Mr Pickles has now given outline permission, meaning the land can be built on, but Barratt will have to get specific details approved by Thurrock Council.
Comments(8)
Bernard 87
says...
12:01pm Fri 30 Mar 12
A.N.Other
says...
1:11pm Fri 30 Mar 12
Marcus P
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7:37pm Sat 31 Mar 12
A Dermot
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8:30pm Sat 31 Mar 12
Marcus P wrote:Last week Eric Pickles rejected a housing estate on greenbelt in Newmarket Suffolk, but aproves a housing estate in green belt in Stanford-le-Hope.
I feel very sorry for these people, the whole of Thurrock will end up as one big concrete block if the LIB/LAB/CON artists get their way. Bernard..don't be hard on Eric. These immigrants have to be housed somewhere.
Eric is probably too busy munching on growlers to care about mere Essex folk.
Jb66
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12:32am Tue 3 Apr 12
A.N.Other
says...
11:06am Tue 3 Apr 12
Jb66 wrote:Eric Pickles visited Stanford-le-Hope during the last General Election campaign. He was in the High Street with Stephen Metcalfe, who became the MP, and local councillors.
Totally agree - it is the thin edge of the wedge. Also people more than likely paid extra for their houses because it was opposite green belt land. A massive housing estate plus all the parking etc will be a nightmare. And do tell where all these people will sign up for doctors and schools? Basildon A&E can't cope now with the influx of hundreds more people. There will not be any fields left in a few years. Make the most of it. Eric Pickles has probably never even heard of SLH. He's as bad as John Prescott could care less because it's not next door to him.
The person who owned the golf course that is soon to vanish under a field of concrete and houses did donate to the local Conservative party the use of offices at St Clares Hall Golf course for use by Stephen Metcalfe and the local Conservatives as their campaign headquarters.
Of course there is nothing wrong with donors to the Conservative Party getting planning permission for a massive housing estate on greenbelt land. I am sure that one didn't influence the other and there were compelling reasons for Eric Pickles to ignore local residents and his own parties pledges to defend the green belt and rubber stamp this massive housing estate.
sooty31
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1:29pm Wed 11 Apr 12
i dont expect they would allow it their own back yards!!!
coddy says...
11:26am Fri 30 Mar 12