The Planning Inspector recommended in favour of Basildon Council and the Wickford North Green Action Group. In his report dated 23 July 2008, he considered that the most important factor was not to build on the former Green Belt land, now in Special Reserve, at Barn Hall until the Basildon Local Development Plan 1998 had been reviewed; and until the suitability for housing of Barn Hall and all other sites had been tested through the Local Development Framework (LDF) process - in short, accepting the Council’s main argument to the public inquiry last June.

BUT, sadly (for democracy and fair play), the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears, over-ruled the Planning Inspector’s recommendation and made the decision dated 16 October 2008 to allow building at Barn Hall, subject to certain conditions. It appears that her sole reason was to meet central government’s desire to build more houses nationally.

Basildon councillors are meeting immediately to consider this decision and whether a further appeal to the High Court is possible. A further News Update will be posted soon on this website.

You can read the Planning Inspector’s recommendation and the Secretary of State’s decision in full here.

The Planning Inspectorate have announced the date of their Public Inquiry into Gleesons Homes Ltd and Gladedale Group Ltd’s appeal against Basildon Council’s rejection of their Outline Planning Application Ref. 07/00801/OUT to build at Barn Hall. It will be held on 24 June 2008, beginning at 10.00am, in Meeting Room 1 at the Council’s offices in the Basildon Centre in St. Martin’s Square, Basildon. It may last more than one day. WNGAG encourage as many residents as possible to attend the inquiry and make their views known - loud and clear! For more information on what happens at a public inquiry and how the decision will be made afterwards by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears, see Leaflet 7 - April 2008.

On 12 February 2008, at a Hearing held in public in the Main Hall at Bromfords School, Grange Avenue, Wickford, Basildon Council’s Planning Committee rejected the Outline Planning Application Ref. 07/00801/OUT by Gleeson Homes Ltd and Gladedale Group Ltd to build up to 200 flats and houses in the two fields at the end of Station Avenue in North Wickford. The main reasons were that this is open countryside, outside the urban area of Wickford, and that the development would result in urban sprawl.

You can view the papers prepared by the Council’s planning officers for this Hearing, together with the minutes of the Hearing and the reasons for the decision, on Basildon Council’s website here.

This was a significant victory BUT the fight to save Barn Hall permanently from development continues. The developers have appealed to the Planning Inspectorate (central government), who will make the final decision. Their inquiry will be held on 24 June at the Basildon Centre. Basildon Council will defend their rejection of this planning application 100% at the appeal. So will Wickford North Green Action Group (WNGAG).

Although letters opposing this development, already submitted to Basildon Council, were forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate, local residents had until 10 March 2008 to submit further comments direct to:- The Planning Inspectorate, 3/16 Eagle Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol, BS1 6PN. You were asked to give your full name and address, send 3 copies of your letter; and quote the appeal reference no. APP/V1505/A/08/2063131/NWF, the Appellant’s Name, Gleeson Homes Ltd and Gladedale Ltd, and the address of the proposed development, which is Land at North of Station Avenue, Wickford, Essex, SS11 7AY. Comments could also be made on-line and by e-mail; and, as the appeal progresses, it should be possible to see relevant documents on the Planning Inspectorate’s website here.

Basildon Council’s Planning Committee will consider the building application for Barn Hall at a Hearing, being held in public in the Main Hall at Bromfords School, Grange Avenue, Wickford on Tuesday, 12 February 2008 at 7.30pm. Wickford North Green Action Group (WNGAG) considers that it is vitally important that the people of Wickford continue to demonstrate their strong objections to any building and their determination to see Barn Hall returned permanently to Green Belt. You can do this by attending the Planning Hearing.

What happens at a Planning Hearing? It’s a council meeting held in public, not a public meeting. Normally it’s at the Council’s headquarters in Basildon but this application is so important to Wickford people that it’s being held at Bromfords School. It will begin with a presentation by the planning officer. There will then be an opportunity for WNGAG and members of the public to give their views - limited to 3 minutes each! If you wish to speak, you should arrive about 10 minutes before the start and make yourself known to a council officer. Committee members - that is, councillors - will then give their opinions and discuss the issues; after which, the chairperson will sum up and a vote will be taken. The options are to allow, allow with conditions, defer, or reject.

Over 200 residents attended the second Community Forum on 13 August 2007 in the Barn Hall Community Centre. They heard WNGAG members and councillors from both Basildon and Chelmsford Councils re-affirm their opposition to plans to build on Barn Hall - based on two main arguments. It is contrary to Green Belt policy, harmful to the environment, and will destroy countryside. It is also simply not needed, as both Councils have plans to build new houses and apartments elsewhere - primarily in town centres and on ‘brownfield’ sites - to meet their housing needs and central government targets. The Forum, like the earlier Petition (see the 10 January 2007 news item below) and the numerous people who have made their views known on this website under Your Comments, was further evidence of the strength of community feeling against development.

The period allowed for formal objections against the planning application has now ended and over 300 people have written to Basildon Council - a magnificent response! We now wait for the Council’s Planning Committee to make its decision. Councillors have advised that the Committee will meet in public and the meeting may be held in Wickford. WNGAG has sent a comprehensive, 40-page statement of their objections to the Committee and will make further representations at its public meeting.

WNGAG had a stall at today’s Wickford Carnival to publicise the continued threat to Barn Hall - see Leaflet 4 - September 2007 . A raffle was held to boost our ‘fighting fund’ with the winning tickets drawn by the Carnival Queen. If you would like to make a donation to our ‘fighting fund’, we would very much appreciate your support. You can send cheques made payable to Wickford North Green Action Group to Wickford North Green Action Group, c/o Hamilton Brading, Chartered Accountants, 1 Sopwith Crescent, Wickford, Essex, SS11 8YU.

We would also very much like to hear from you if you would like to join our group of volunteers who help us, mainly by delivering our leaflets to residents. We particularly need additional help for the following roads:- Arundel Road, Beccles Court, Berne Hall Court, Brock Hill, Carlton Road, Elm Road, Guernsey Gardens, Jersey Gardens, Jubilee Drive, Moreland Road, Pullman Court, Station Road, Swallow Road, Swan Lane and the Greenway. Help would also be appreciated for other roads in Runwell:- Alfred Gardens, Athelstan Gardens, Birrs Close, Canewdon Gardens, Carruthers Close, Church End Avenue, Clare Avenue, David Avenue, Edward Gardens, Egbert Gardens, Ethelred Gardens, Harold Gardens, The Hastings, Hengist Gardens, Hereward Gardens, Keith Avenue, Locarno Avenue, Merlin Way, Pearmain Close, Regency Close, Rettendon Gardens, Runwell Gardens, Saxon Close, South Hanningfield Way, Tidworth Avenue, Viking Way, Whitelands Close and Windsor Gardens. Do, please, get in touch if you can help us, either by e-mail or by writing to us at our above c/o Hamilton Brading address.

A public meeting was held by Basildon Council in the Barnhall Community Centre, Alderney Gardens, Wickford and was attended by over 300 concerned residents. Malcolm Buckley (Leader of the Council), Tony Ball (Deputy Leader), and Councillors Carole Morris and Michael Mowe addressed the meeting, as did Councillor Don Morris from Essex County Council and Councillor John Little from Chelmsford Borough Council plus members of the Wickford North Green Action Group (WNGAG). All emphasised their opposition to any development on Barn Hall and their desire to return the land to Green Belt - a policy strongly supported also by John Baron MP whose letter was read to the meeting. Councillors explained the History of the land and its current status as Special Reserve - which will probably mean that any planning application will be refused on the grounds that there are sufficient other sites within Basildon District to ensure that the Council's housing target of 10,700 new homes by 2011, agreed with central government, is met without the use of the Barn Hall land. However, a refusal of planning application will be appealed against by the developers, Gleeson Homes Ltd and The Glendale Group - which would mean that there would be a Planning Appeal Hearing and a report by the Planning Inspectorate to the Secretary of State, who would make the final decision regarding the future use of the land. Remember that, when the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) sold the land to Gleeson Homes Ltd, there was an agreement that, in the event that the land was subsequently developed, a further sum of money would be paid to central government.

Councillors clarified that the proposed development was NOT part of the Wickford Masterplan, which had been mentioned by Andrew Martin Associates at their 14 December 2006 exhibition (see below) on behalf of Gleeson Homes Ltd and The Gladedale Group. The Wickford Masterplan is part of Basildon Council's own plans to regenerate the town centre and incorporate 600 plus new homes alongside new shops, restaurants and amenities for the whole community. This is 'brown-field' development and is necessary for the Council to meet its housing target without building on land in Special Reserve like Barn Hall.

WNGAG presented their initial petition from canvassing all the streets adjoining the proposed development. It contained 679 letters of protest and a total of 1,297 signatures on these and the petition.

The fight continues when the planning application is made - expected to be in mid-2007.

Andrew Martin Associates, the planning consultants acting for developers, Gleeson Homes Ltd and Gladedale Group Ltd, held three public exhibitions on 09, 13 and 14 December in the Wickford Centre, Alderney Gardens. They presented two options for development - one reflecting previous development plans which they proposed in the 1990s and an alternative configuration with development concentrated towards the southern end of the area. Details were initially published on their website but have now been removed:

http://www.amaplanning.com/publicconsultation/introduction.htm

Andrew Martin Associates claimed that the district was failing to provide the new homes required by central government - a claim they were not entitled to make because it is the responsibility of Basildon Council to meet government housing targets for the district and they are currently doing just that, primarily by allowing developments on 'brown-field' sites. They asked for feedback from those attending the exhibitions, including which architectural styles would people prefer to see on the development and what additional neighbourhood, leisure or sporting facilities did people think the area needed. The overwhelming majority of those attending were not interested in architectural styles nor did they feel they needed additional facilities. They simply wanted.......no development at all on Barn Hall and the beautiful countryside to remain exactly as it is now!