19th
July 2006
G.A.G.
would like to say a big thank you to all the people who
took the time to visit the English Partnerships exhibition.
From the conversations I overheard, almost everyone who
attended was outraged by the proposed development, and certainly
let the English Partnerships staff know it.
The
overall impression of the exhibition was that the general
plan had not changed from the time of the last exhibition
at Woodlands School in October of 2004. The E.P. staff left
a lot to be desired. Hardly any of them could satisfactorily
answer question posed by local residents. This is not surprising
considering that EP sent to Basildon a bunch of spotty youth
graduates with big ideas about how to squeeze the maximum
amount of people onto the minimum amount of land and make
the most amount of money. None of the E.P. staff present
knew anything about living in Basildon and they had the
audacity to claim that they listen to our points of view.
If this were the case the whole project would have been
scrapped long ago. They may well listen but judging by their
actions they do not take any notice.
There
were many occasions where the E.P. staff were caught out
by residents. There was one instance where the head of the
department that deals with traffic flow, actually admitted
that the so called planned improvements to the hospital
roundabout will be cancelled out by the increased volume
of traffic arising from the new development. When a member
of the E.P. staff was told that Councillor Hillier of Basildon
Council has confirmed that the housing needs of Basildon
could be met by brown field sites, without having to touch
the Dry Street land, he called the council member “a
liar.” How nice!
One
member of English Partnerships said “Anyone who goes
on this land without our express permission is trespassing!
It is not up to the lease holder who he allows on the land
it is up to English Partnerships.” That must mean
there will be no dog walking, picnicking, kite flying or
general enjoyment. Only digging, building, general noise
and pollution.
When
questioned about English Partnerships’ relationship
to central government Rob Shipway replied “The development
has come directly from English Partnerships and we have
no connection to the government.” Which is amazing
because you can search on the internet and find handsard
where John Prescott's department asks E.P. to find land
for development back in 2002 and here
is the press release from EP the next day. Rob Shipway also
confirmed the presence of badgers on the land, a fact that
seams to have been missed on their official nature report.
However Mr. Shipman stated “I am not allowed to tell
you where they are, as it is a legal requirement that I
should not do so.”
The
Evening Echo gave the exhibition good coverage, including
many residents’ opinions. They are launching a campaign
to support us with a petition and as much press coverage
as we can get.
Green
Action Group will be holding public meetings to keep people
up to date with developments. They are as follows:-
Thursday
27th July Dry Street Church Hall 7 pm
Friday
4th August Kingswood Play Leadership Building 7pm
Tuesday
8th August Lee Chapel South Hall 7pm
If
anyone can spare the time to help with a leaflet drop, to
inform residents without access to the internet about the
meetings, could you please email
us. Your support will be very much appreciated.
Here
is a poster to print off and stick
in your window or car to show your public support, or/and
heres a poster to advertise
g.a.g meeting dates.
Remember,
this is not a forgone conclusion. We can still make a difference!
10th
July 2006
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| The
fact that you have visited our Green Basildon website means
you must be someone who has an interest in the local community
and environment of basildon. You are probably aware that the
land between Dry Street and Lee Chapel South has been under
threat of development for many years. This is an issue which,
despite the lack of information made public, is still very
much alive. As a group of people very much concerned about
the future of this land we will be keeping you up to date
with any developments in this section.
Since
the public meetings held at Woodlands School in the autumn
of 2004, where people strongly voiced their opposition of
any development of the site and sent English Partnerships
running for cover with their tail between their legs, there
have been a few developments of which you should be aware.
1.
Basildon Council revised their local plan to proposed that
the Dry Street land be designated as open space and then designated
as Green Belt land. Apparently there were legal issues that
needed to be addressed in the plan and they were not resolved
before a specified date. Because of this the previous town
plan remained in place, which specified the land to be reserved
for housing if required. Central government have now changed
planning regulations. These new regulations require us to
start the process of gathering evidence to fight this development
from the beginning again.
2.
Several ecological surveys were carried out on the site by
an independent company commissioned by English Partnerships.
These surveys dealt with various aspects, and came up with
a lot of interesting information, although they did not reveal
all the wildlife that is known to occur. The area is undoubtedly
very rich in wildlife, and its animals include badgers (see
the photos in the wildlife section), foxes, bats, rabbits,
hare, stoat, weasels, squirrels, adders, grass snakes, lizards,
slow worms, great crested newts and other amphibians. Many
wild flower species occur, including some that are associated
with long-established meadows, like adder’s tongue fern,
hay rattle and some orchids. The hedges are rich and varied,
and they support much wildlife. A great variety of bird species
has been recorded, including summer and winter migrants –
from cuckoos and warblers in summer to fieldfares and waxwings
in winter, with rare passage migrants turning up on occasion.
Winter flocks of lapwings, migrant thrushes and gulls congregate
on one of the middle meadows, where earthworms and soil invertebrates
must clearly be very numerous. Sparrowhawks, kestrels, owls
and woodpeckers (green and spotted) frequent the site, and
the marshy areas attract snipe and other species. There are
many butterflies and moths, as well as a rich variety of other
insects, some of which are so rare that they are on the Red
Data Book list.
3.
There has been an archaeological survey conducted in the whole
of the proposed site. This involved digging trenches 5ft wide
and 18-24in deep in long strips across the fields to see if
there was any evidence of Roman habitations, There were some
discoveries made, as shown in the photos, but what they are
has yet to be made public.
4.
There will be a public meeting held at the Holiday Inn in
Basildon on Monday 10th 10am – 8pm, Tuesday 11th 10am
– 8pm and Wednesday 12th of July 4pm
– 9pm. This
public meeting has been very poorly publicised by English
Partnerships, perhaps they were hoping that if no one knew
about it no one would turn up and object to their plans. The
meeting on Wednesday is particularly important to attend as
this is the only day that their staff will be brave enough
to face the people whose lives they are planning to drastically
alter.
PLEASE attend the meeting and let English Partnerships know
that we will not be bullied into giving up the fight to preserve
this land. Its future is NOT a foregone conclusion and our
voices WILL be heard!
If
you have any information that you think will be of benefit
please email
Thank
you for taking the time to visit our website.
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