Category Archives: Updates

Spring 2014 Update

Updates, Village News

(This update also  appeared in the Theydon Bois Village News Issue 86 – JUNE 2014)

The most substantial threat to the Metropolitan Green Belt surrounding our village since its introduction in 1955 continues to be the possibility of development on up to 3 sites at the rural edge of the village. These sites, some put forward by local landowners, have been offered as residential development sites to contribute to the projected 20 year housing supply for the district. You may recall the extensive consultation carried out by EFDC in 2012 to identify specific ‘Issues & Options’ for the emerging Local Plan and the maps showing in red those areas which may be suitable (see EFDC website for Local Plan Consultation Document). As part of the process of considering all the issues and options and results of the consultation, roughly monthly Local Plan Cabinet Meetings were scheduled by EFDC. However, each scheduled meeting since the last in March 2013 has been cancelled. We are therefore unaware of how our Local Plan is progressing. TBAG has written to EFDC to establish the current position and we shall mail supporters once we have news. One thing we have been promised is that an announcement of the ‘preferred option sites’ will be made by 30 October 2014 but how these decisions will be arrived at without sufficient Cabinet meetings is of concern.

TBAG are paying great attention to the ongoing review of national planning legislation as ultimately this filters down to affect planning applications at a local level. Changes to the Government’s General Permitted Development Order were approved on 6 April but notably it made no reference to exempting the Green Belt. Through our membership of NORA and the LGBC, TBAG have expressed their concerns that the Government appear to be ignoring their promises to protect the Green Belt.

Also of national planning importance was Greg Mulholland MP’s Ten Minute Rule Bill in the House of Commons on 30 April which has cross-party support. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/house-of-commons-27222497. Mr Mulholland is rightly critical of some aspects of the NPPF and seeks changes.  He explains how the NPPF at present is proving to put the wishes of developers over those of the local communities (fully ignoring ‘Localism’), especially when it comes to building on green field and Green Belt sites in preference to brown field sites. This is the most encouraging thing we have seen or heard for a long while. The proposed bill was voted forward for a second reading on 6th June.

Oak Hill Farm EPF/2659/13: Perimeter fencing including adjacent agricultural field – refused by Planning East. Another similar application EPF/0670/14 submitted to which TBAG have again objected. Recommendations by EFDC for ‘the way forward’ to the original application have not been followed. TBAG’s objection is on grounds of causing harmful impact on the landscape character and openness of the Green Belt.

Tennis Club EPF/2610/13 and EPF/2611/13: To light two tennis courts – withdrawn. Planning East refused the remaining application.

Lilicroft, Abridge Road, EPF/2479/13: Certificate of Lawful Development – objected to on the grounds of it amounting to a new dwelling in the Green Belt without very special circumstances. The application was approved under delegated powers.

Ripley Grange EPF/2036/13: TBAG spoke at the DDCC meeting in February 2014 and the application for an ‘eco’ house was again refused.

Blunts Farm EPF/0382/14: Prior Notification for an Agricultural Building for machinery storage. Refused.

Land adjacent to Gun Cottage EPF/0255/14: Conversion of stable to dwelling – refused by Planning East.

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January 2011 Update

Updates

Villagers

Happy new year to you all. We have some mixed news to report.

Some positive news in that those of you that objected to Phase One of a 350 space Commuter Car Park on land behind Forest Drive and Slade End known as the Old Foresters, will have received confirmation that the application was recently turned down by the planning department at EFDC. We do however expect this application to be appealed to the Planning Inspectorate within the next six months. Those that objected will receive notice of the details of the appeal however all letters of objection will be passed to the PI. TBAG did expect that the application may go to appeal and will be preparing a far more detailed response to the PI if it proves necessary.

The negative news is that the case against the leaseholder of the Old Foresters site for the unlawful stationing of portable buildings, in June 2008, and a small built structure without planning permission collapsed on 6th December 2010. EFDC were preparing a County Court case but were informed by their barrister that a prosecution against the leaseholder was unlikely to be successful and they were advised to bring a case against the land owner, Parkeng. EFDC had previously negotiated a deal with the land owner Mr Philip Newman of Parkeng, whereby he would not be prosecuted. TBAG wrote to Cllr. Lesley Wagland the Portfolio Holder for Legal and Estates, Cllrs. Sue Jones and John Philip our District Ward Councillors and Eleanor Laing MP on 14th December. We are awaiting a reply from the councillors, however Mrs Laing did confirm receipt of our letter and representatives from TBAG will be meeting with her soon to discuss our concerns with regard to this issue.

It is also likely that the enforcement notices served against Blunts Farm Estates Limited in January and August 2006 will be signed off at the District Development Control Committee meeting on 1 February. The varied enforcement notices state that “Within 2 years of the notice taking effect: EITHER the completion of the golf course on the land in accordance with drawing number BLUN.209A approved pursuant to condition 12 of the planning permission dated 23 April 2002, Ref. EPF/765/99 OR the restoration of land levels at Blunts Farm to their original levels prior to the commencement of works on the land in 2002.”

It was then agreed by EFDC that

The Council had anticipated a formal proposal from the applicant. This was finally received in April 2006 in which the applicant had indicated that the little excess on the site would enable them to start filling one of the voids on the site but that they would still need to import, approximately, a further 176,000m2 to complete the course. Officers considered this proposal to be unacceptable leading to more lorry movements. Evidence from investigations indicated that there was more than sufficient material on site to undertake remediation. The Committee noted this view. As part of the preparation for the appeal, Officers had a case conference with Counsel who had recommended that the requirement of the notices to remove from the Land all the excess fill material should be varied to meet the concern about the excessive HGV movements that would arise as a consequence of complying with such a requirement. Also Counsel had advised that it would be prudent to issue new Enforcement Notices in the same form as the varied notices. Additionally, consultants producing evidence of the breach of planning control for the Council, had been instructed, in liaison with the Council’s Landscape Officer, to produce a plan to show the “best fit” in landscape terms of the existing material on site, with the voids filled using the existing surplus, and the remainder distributed in the way least harmful to visual amenity. This remedy for the breaches would involve no exporting of material from the site and so avoid further disruption for residents. Future importation of construction materials would remain restricted to the minimum necessary such as sand for greens and gravel for drainage. Topsoil requirements would be met from material on the site as originally proposed.

Compliance with the enforcement notices are at least 2½ years late. It is worth noting that after confirming to the Planning Inspectorate in October 2007 that they no longer wished to complete the golf course at Blunts Farm because; “the project that was, until recently, commercially viable has in recent weeks ceased to be so” this development team have applied for permission to extend their course Blakes Golf in North Weald by 18 holes requiring in phase one the importation of 69,000 cubic metres of inert waste. After refusal by Essex County Council they are now appealing that decision. TBAG objected to the application and are currently preparing their response to the appeal. We will also be preparing a report to members of the DDCC with regard to the “signing off” of the enforcement notices with regard to Blunts Farm.

We remain vigilant to large scale applications that materially affect the village and are awaiting an application for “training and leisure facility for foster children and their carers” at the Old Foresters site.