Battle for fields is lost (From Basildon Recorder)

Battle for fields is lost

12:40pm Friday 18th December 2009

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A NEW housing estate will be built in Laindon, despite fierce opposition in the community.

The decision to let Bellway Homes put 123 homes on the former Laindon School playing fields, off Radford Park, came after two hours of acrimonious debate in the Basildon Council chamber.

Scores of residents attended the meeting to voice passionate objections, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Tory councillors approving a development which many fear will ruin the town.

John Dornan, a Laindon Park councillor, told the committee the plan should be rejected, because it will cause dangerous traffic problems on the High Road.

He said: “If we cannot refuse proposals this flawed, then we will open the floodgates for unscrupulous developers to keep coming here to take advantage of Laindon and the whole district.”

Basildon Council planning officer David Lewis said his department recommended it for approval because the developer has taken appropriate steps to reduce its impact on the local community.

He said Bellway will pay towards new sporting facilities at nearby Victoria Park, and make improvements to Willowfield’s junction with High Road to accommodate any increase in traffic.

NHS South West Essex spokesman Sean Bailey said it was working closely with Bellway to ease the anticipated extra pressure on local health services.

Stephen Hillier, planning committee chairman, said Essex County Council’s highways department had raised no objections, and the application could not be refused on planning grounds. Therefore, he said any appeal against rejection would be likely to succeed.

Councillor Phil Rackley said: “It seems that what some members are saying is we cannot refuse this because it would be likely to succeed on appeal.

“But that shows a real lack of bottle, because what we should be doing here is what is right for our residents.”

Conservative councillors Ann Blake, Geoff Bukenham, Carole Morris, Kevin Blake and Mr Hillier voted in favour of the development. Labour stalwart Mr Rackley and Liberal Democrat Geoff Williams voted against it.

Bellway has already begun building 186 new homes on the former site of the school building. The 123 homes on the school’s old playing fields are phase two of the project.

At a meeting last month, it was revealed there could be a third phase of development in which more homes could be built on open land which borders the old school site.

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