I have long campaigned for the preservation of our greenbelt. Whilst I know that some housebuilding is inevitable, it is extremely important that largescale building does not lead to London expanding indefinitely into the countryside. As the Government expands its housebuilding plans, with little thought for the consequences of building on farmland and greenbelt land, the village of West Horndon – on the southern border of my constituency – is facing the prospect of being expanded into a large town if all current planning proposals are given the go ahead.
I met with seventy residents and the West Horndon Parish Council last week to discuss the concerns which are coming through from many of the residents of this village. While it is currently made up of 761 homes, a planning application has been submitted to Thurrock Council seeking outline planning permission for the creation of a new settlement and multi modal transport hub south of West Horndon Railway Station – to be known as Horndon St Mary’s – and with an initial build of more than 2000 houses.
Just down the road, Brentwood Borough Council’s plans for Dunton Garden Village, which would see four thousand new homes built in the area, together with schools and community facilities. And there’s another possibility for even more houses for the West Horndon on what is currently Nutty’s Farm but could become ‘Horndon Rise’.
The good people of West Horndon fear their position on the border of two local authorities could see their small, much-loved, village become a small under-resourced and over-developed town in a very short time. There are concerns about transport, access to the village if the current route over the railway bridge is closed to all but buses, bikes and pedestrians, and lack of infrastructure including GP facilities. Add to that the loss of greenbelt and agricultural land in the area, and the already over-busy A127 and it’s easy to see why West Horndon’s residents are disgruntled.
All this could be made worse by the Government’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill which includes provisions for the removal of councillors’ ability to vote on individual applications, the disproportionate and targeted hikes for housebuilding targets in rural areas, building on the green belt under the guise of grey belt and the removal of protections for villages.
I will be doing all I can to ensure the views of West Horndon residents are heard by the local planning authorities, and the Highways authorities too and look forward to working with the parish council to ensure residents’ voices are heard.
