Re: Application  EPF/2097/13 Picks Farm Sewardstone Road Waltham Abbey, Essex  E4 7RA

 Dear Ms Shingler.

We, at Waltham Abbey Residents Association are writing to object to the proposed development at Picks Farm Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey, E4 7RA. Application No: EPF/2097/13

Please find our objections, which are in no particular order: 

Green Belt: The proposed development is sited on Green Belt Land and the vast majority of local residents in Waltham Abbey want it to remain that way. The Green Belt isn’t only about grass and trees, it also acts as our flood plain, soak away and water runoff. With climate change predicted to warmer and wetter in nature do we want developers building more and more houses in the Waltham Abbey area of the Lea Valley on our Green Belt? This land was designated to be safeguarded and protected by our forefathers, it was to be left to nature and to protect the countryside around our towns and who are we to countermand their foresight on this matter. These fields should be part of the strategic green belt gap to stop urban sprawl, this rule has already been breached with Gillwell Park and to add another large scale development will only compound the problem.

E.F.D.C. decreed that you need planning permission to pave over driveway because of the flood risk. With a development of this size, it means that there would undoubtedly be a lot of hard landscaping and roadways put in place and the scale of this isn’t made clear within this application. However, this would undoubtedly lead to a vast amount of water being collected and drained, putting excessive pressure on our exiting rainwater systems. Meadow or farm land collects rainwater that drains slowly into the natural underground network that eventually feeds into the River Lea several days later. Removing this natural drainage system means rainwater is collected and hits the River Lea in only a few minutes, causing a massive potential flooding issue. The junction of Sewardstone Road and Mott Street was flooded last Christmas Day (2012) this proposed development being on higher ground it is unlikely to flood at present, but what will happen when 300+ homes are built, with all the associated roads and hard landscaping.

Should this application be given the go ahead, it raises the possibility of further expansion in future, and would make it easy for any similar green field site to be built upon under the “very special circumstances” option as this application appears to rely on with  the inclusion of a large complex special needs school included for this very purpose. Whilst we are mindful of the need to provide these facilities, we take exception to the abuse of this rule. It should not be used as an excuse to remove land from the Green Belt for housing development. We have been advised that there are several brown field sites available in the Loughton area, where the current school is situated, that might be considered for such a development. This would cut down on the not inconsiderable traffic movements required for students and the significant staff numbers required in running the complex.

It would appear there is constant pressure to develop or use land on such fringe sites, even though they fall completely within the Green Belt. It will require a major commitment by you our District Council in terms of both staff time and corporate effort to resist the pressure placed upon you to reject this application on behalf of your local residents, in order to safeguard our green belt.

Decisions EFDC make now are of critical importance to our Community and our Town’s future. They will have serious implications for future generations and could set a dangerous precedent.  Before EFDC consider granting planning permission for this application, we ask that you please have regard to the fact that it will dangerously weaken the function and purpose of what Green Belt Land stands for within the District if you sanction the application?

Public Transport: Where the proposed development is sited there is a severe lack of public transport, with the local bus 505 from Chingford to Harlow via Waltham Abbey passing the site and running only once an hour and ceasing to run at all after 7pm.  There is currently no Sunday or Bank Holiday service either. The potential new residents will be very isolated if they don’t have private transport of their own. We feel this will cause major issues with students going to school at Waltham Abbey or onwards to Harlow or to Debden colleges.

Site Access and Traffic issues.

The access to the site has not been determined in the application but anywhere on this inclined stretch of Sewardstone Road will be a problem for other traffic users; traffic is consistently busy all day.  These days the rush hour means more like three hours in the morning and three in the evening. The Sewardstone Road is single lane in both directions and this is the main route to the North Circular. Now as all residents of Waltham Abbey know, the Sewardstone Road junction with Lea Valley Road is a nightmare at any time but at rush hour it is appalling, sometimes taking up to half an hour to cross the traffic lights. The alternatives are up Dawes Hill and through Chingford or Woodford and these are equally congested. In the District Council’s own figures (taken from 2001 census) over 20% of the residents in Epping Forest commute into London and with a shortage of pubic transport the only alternative is driving.

What will another estimated 500 vehicles emanating from the site do to the overcrowded roads, if this application is permitted? Also what will the school traffic add to the problem with their 120 staff and one hundred students travelling along this road to get to and from the new facility?

Education: The nearest mainstream secondary school (King Harold) is several miles away; children may catch a bus along Sewardstone Road to Waltham Abbey and then change buses and travel along Farmhill Road and then Broomstickhall Road to the school. However, these routes are already busy and connections between buses are unpredictable. Primary schools pose similar problems and it is thought that most primary school children would be ferried to school by car, adding further to the congestion. As the local mainstream Schools are full to capacity, what provision is to be allocated to new residents by way of an education?  We have estimated that with over 300 dwellings this could amount to approx 500 children of various ages who will need schooling at some level. Where are the places to be found for these children? There is no clarity on this matter within the application, and for this reason alone we object to this planning application.

Landscape & Visual Impact Report:   The green fields are a natural boundary in front of Epping Forest and a magnificent view is to be seen from the woods across the whole of the Lea Valley. Where the proposed site is situated in strategic Green Belt the view will be impaired by the development.Both light pollution and noise pollution will be increased by this proposed development.

Waste Management Plan:  There appears to be no waste management plan put in place, how does the applicant intend to dispose of any of waste arising?

 Land Contamination:  “Demolition of the structures on the site may give cause to issues relating to asbestos.  In addition to this and other contaminants such as oil, coal dust, metals, glass and other contaminated waste may also be present”. How are the developers proposing to deal with these issues?

Water Pressure:  It has been brought to our attention by local residents that the water pressure within the area is very poor. A development of this size could put even more of a strain on existing utilities, we urge thorough testing be carried out and an accurate plan put in place if this has not been done.

Sewage: Waltham Abbey has issues with sewage discharge; we see no details of proposed discharge in the outline application.

 In summary We strongly oppose the planning application. Residents of Waltham Abbey wish to maintain the Green Belt status of this land for future generations to enjoy and it enhances the local area.  It is of the utmost importance that the amenities of the area that are rural and largely open are maintained.

The Lea Valley Park, Crooked Mile, Parklands, Woodgreen Road and Pick Hill are all natural boundaries and all provide accepted vital Green Belt wedges, which separate communities and add substantially to our local quality of life. We do not wish to place another community in another outpost of the town with little infrastructure to support it. No local shops, poorly served bus routes, and limited access to trains.

In conclusion, Waltham Abbey Residents Association considers the proposed change of use from Agricultural/Green Belt to housing, is totally unacceptable.  There are obvious and overwhelming reasons why permission should be refused. If permission is granted, this will open the floodgates for applications of similar sites in the area and totally annihilate what is left of our precious green belt.

Yours sincerely

Roy Porter

Chair Waltham Abbey Residents Association.

“WARA are members of the National Organisation of Residents Associations (NORA)”

Email: [email protected]