A very happy new year to all Ongar News readers!
The last year was a busy one with many local people contacting me about a huge range of issues.
Last month I held a public meeting with residents who have been complaining about a strong smell coming from the composting site behind Ashlyn’s farm shop in North Weald. Reports of a periodic smell have been coming through for some time with no resolution, so I invited representatives from the Environment Agency, Essex County Council and Epping Forest District Council to speak to local people and outline what each organisation is doing to monitor work at the site and ensure it keeps within its environmental permit and planning conditions.
The outcome was to ask residents to contact Epping Forest District Council to report any strong odours so local environmental health officers can visit the area when the smell is very bad so they can build up a dossier to establish whether a statutory nuisance is being caused. Those who attended the meeting should now have those contact details for the Council and I will be happy to pass that information on to anyone else who is interested.
I’m also in talks with Essex County Council on two road safety issues – the need for a Weight Restriction Order on Ongar High Street to stop huge lorries rumbling past pedestrians and buildings at the pinch point, and for something to make school drop off and pick up times safer for the children and parents of Stapleford Abbotts Primary School.
In December I discussed these issues with the new lead member for Highways on Essex County Council, Tom Cunningham, on the High Street in Ongar and received his assurances that he would look into them.
I’ll be working hard to resolve these problems this year, and if there is anything else I can do to help with any further issues please do get in touch. I look forward to continuing to represent you and all that Ongar offers in 2024.
