Private Landowners Offer Thousands of Acres For Development
| Published: 4th August 2008 00:56 |
The list of potential development areas that have been included in the government's controversial "Call for Sites" policy has now been released and the expected outcry from residents and campaigners alike, has not been slow in being delivered.
"2,000 acres of green landscape"
The total list includes almost 2,000 acres of green landscape that faces potentially being lost under a pile of concrete and while some has been offered directly by the local council, most has been nominated by private landowners.
Some key areas include Burstead Golf Course, where developer are looking to build 500 homes, the former farm site at Billericay School (a potential plot for 51 new houses) and a 300 acres areas surrounding the Barleylands Farm centre.
"great responsibility"
In answer to the protests councillor Tony Ball, cabinet member for planning, advised "Not all the sites are going to be built on. We have a great responsibility not only to our residents who are the life of the community, and the businesses which we look to for our core prosperity, but also to future generations who want a secure a pleasant environment to live in," He added "This will sometimes mean hard choices and decisions, but the council's hands are often tied by tough Government legislation. The Call for Sites exercise is the start of this process where we will try to preserve and protect what is good and valuable about our environment, while at the same time satisfying the increasing demands being made on our space."
Meanwhile Mr Ball's colleague, Councillor Phil Turner, cabinet member for resources, said "Not all developments will be for housing. They could also be for leisure, education or other facilities".
The next step in the process will see the feasibility of all the sites being considered, but it is also understood that the council is to re-open the Call for Sites process from the 4th August until the end of January, to allow people to offer further plots.
