North Weald.... 2300 Houses...

[UV]

NORTH WEALD…………2300 HOUSES PROPOSED

A document entitled “Harlow Options Study, Draft Final Report” has just been published by Atkins Design Environment and Engineering on behalf of the East of England Regional Assembly. The report is at www.eelgc.gov.uk

In essence the report looks at the expansion of Harlow over the next 20 years and comes up with several recommendations.

The most important, as far as Aviation is concerned, is a proposal the 2300 houses and a 1000 space Car Park (with Park and Ride facilities) be built on North Weald Airfield.

The exact wording is
“The development of a new community comprising of high density housing (up to 2300 houses) and an employment site of sub regional importance at North Weald Bassett served by a new public transport link from the Central Line at Epping to Harlow town centre via the former North Weald Station”

They attach a map to the report which effectively covers the whole of North Weald Airfield.

We therefore need to start a campaign to save North Weald and I implore all of you to write and comment on this report as soon as possible. The authors are asking for comments from Stakeholders and Organisations by 1 AUGUST AT THE LATEST

Anyone affected (e.g. all visiting pilots) are Stakeholders and free to comment.

Please write to Paul White by 1 August and COPY your letters to Elainor Laing MP, John Prescott MP and John Burgess at the following address.

Paul White
Atkins Design Environment & Engineering
Woodcote Grove
Ashley Road
EPSOM
Surrey
KT18 5BW
Email: [email protected]

Elainor Laing MP
House of Commons
London SW1 London SW1

Mr John Prescott MP
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Downing Street
London SW1

Mr John Burgess
Chief Executive
Epping Forest District Council
High Street EPPING
Essex

We are in danger of losing yet another valuable airfield in this area which has lost Hatfield, Leavesden, Ipswich and effectively Luton and Stansted.

The more complaints that we can muster the better.

Thanks
John Buckels

[wobblyprop]

It already is a massive car park on saturdays. ;)

There has already been a rumour that the central line will be expanded to stansted.

[UV]

Thank you wobblyprop.
Its help we are looking for.

[EyesToTheSkies]

UV,

Agreed, lets get the ball rolling.

What are your thoughts on the contents of the letters? I know in the past, there have been standard content letters which people add their names to and send off, but I wonder about the effectiveness of these copies on the people they are intended to sway.

Thoughts anyone?

I'd suggest writing by snail mail to Paul White, even though an email address is given. To send by snail mail implies more effort and hence stronger feelings against the proposals.

[saveegsx]

My understanding is that the council will holding a meeting with the tenants of the airfield within the next 14 days which may give an indication of timescales. This recent threat to EGSX is indeed the most serious and will have far greater repercussions outside the airfield particularly in the village where one might anticipate a negative effect on property prices.

Wobbly prop

you are right about sat morns at weald it is home to the biggest open market in the UK but for as long as I know both the world of aviation have co existed in relative happiness.

SAVEEGSX

[stillalbatross]

Having lived in a hangar on the airfield for a few years I think people should get behind this petition.

[UV]

Further to the points mentioned above.
The tennants are being briefed by the Epping Forest District Council on Moday on the futre of the airfield.
We will know more from this briefing in due course.

At the local Parish meeting on Monday and at the EFDC meeting last Tuesday there was considerable support for the airfield.
At Tuesdays meeting the Councillors reiterated that their policy is, and always has been, since the airfield was bought in 1980, for it to be used for aviaition and recreational use. As far as they are concerned, this hasnt changed.

We need as much support and letter wring NOW as the deadline for comments on the Harlow Options Study is 1 AUGUST.
I think individual letters are better as I saw the results of identical letters here at NW on another matter and it did not help their cause as much.

Mention that fkying has taken place here for 87 years. The loss of all the surrounding airfields and the lack of noise complaints due to local runway orientations and the education of pilots.
Any other factual points will also help.
Off the the Rally now, thanks for any support.

[PilotsPal]

One little point I noticed buried deep inside the report is that the development of North Weald Bassett will not contribute to the regeneration of Harlow town centre (the whole point of this exercise) - it is more likely to exist as a standalone community.

Also, without the construction of an extension to the Central Line (Epping to Harlow, via the old North Weald Bassett station), the use of private cars will increase considerably in the area. Anything involving rail links in the south east, as everyone knows, takes decades to achieve.

The report stresses that the optimisation of all available brownfield sites (the airfield is classified as brownfield) will reduce the necessity of releasing Green Belt land. This is the biggest difficulty the airfield faces so as much support as possible is desperately needed.

Please do try to find a moment to fire off a letter or two.

[BRL]

Stuck until Aug 1st. Very best of luck with this.
Please send a letter or something. Anything is better than nothing.
Good luck.

[wobblyprop]

UV, sorry you do have my support.

[Kolibear]

OK UV,

I'll get a letter off as soon as possible. North Weald is far too valuable to lose. It is an asset to the local community, for not only does it hold a huge market on Saturday, but it is also used for gliding, model aircraft flying, archery, drag racing, car speed trials and many thriving aviation businesses, all of which co-exist peacefully and all of which would have to either relocate or collapse.

We are fortunate in having the support of the local community too.


So please everyone, help us by writing a letter.

[bar shaker]

A grass strip in South Essex, Damyns Hall, has just been sold for £750,000 for housing and with the top 3 bids for Brands Hatch Leisures 4 circuits all coming from developers, it seems this trend is set to continue.

As the governments policy for controlling house price inflation is to approve pretty much any brownfield planning application for housing, I doubt even local residents' objections will carry any weight.

With the demise of RAF bases and the potential disappearance of airfields such as EGSX, I wonder if bodies such as National Trust would be interested in helping. North Weald is part of our national heritage and should be protected from this onslaught of toytown houses and crinkly tin sheds.

Isn't EGSX part of Stanstead's emergency facilities?

[timzsta]

Usually when an airport wants to expand the local community has as many locals churches/town halls etc made Grade 1 or 2 listed buildings to prevent expansion of the airport.

Are "The Squadron" and the hangars at EGSX listed buildings? If not, given their historic nature relating back to the Battle of Britain, isn't it time they were made so, and as such the building of houses could be stopped.

Those campaigning to keep Southend open at present maybe very interested in this story.

[Rallye Driver]

This is pure lunacy from another bunch of 'consultants'.

I fly regularly from EGSX, and quite often the traffic is gridlocked back onto the M11 on market days. How do they think the traffic infrastructure is going to cope with another 4000+ cars a day using the area?

I drove up there yesterday morning (Monday) to fly. The exit slip road from the M11 was solid in both lanes with traffic heading for Harlow. Bringing even more cars into the are just ain't gonna work!

I picked up the Save EGSX leaflet yesterday, and will be firing off letters in due course. I'll also email a mate at Rochester to see if they can add their support as well. They know all about councils and their 'consultants'.

North Weald has a unique atmosphere. Let's keep it that way.

RD

[Nopax,thanx]

Is there a hidden agenda from the Govt. here? Shut down one airfield in order to get the second runway at STN? Just wondering....

How about mentioning the wildlife? I can bet there are many small creatures living at EGSX who would be out of a home if 2300 Barratt boxes go up.

There's a colony of Stone Curlews (protected species) living alongside one of Lakenheath's taxiways. If someone can find a spotted fritillary or somelike at the Weald it could strengthen your chances.

[RomeoTangoFoxtrotMike]

People may find www.faxyourmp.com (http://www.faxyourmp.com/) useful :ok:

[UV]

ONLY 10 DAYS LEFT TO COMMENT

If you havent already PLEASE write to the addresses given before. We only have 10 days left to comment and want to raise as many letters as possible. Letters are required by 1 August

I would prefer people to write by snail mail as some letters to the Consultants are bouncing due to an automated reply saying that he is on holiday until 4 August! As someone else pointed out, it also looks better.

We now have a very professional website and you can see the results at www.northwealdairfield.org

Please look around.

For those who need help there are a few example letters under Campaign. Do not copy them word for word as they will be collated into "standard" letters and have far less clout.

Feel free to use them as a starter.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions so far.

UV

[Kolibear]

Only a couple more days left..................................Please do write.

[chrisN]

Have written, but meanwhile the link on the EELGC website to the report itself seems difficult to make work.

Oops - now found a link that works OK:

http://www.eelgc.gov.uk/Category.asp?lsection=12&ccat=409

[Bluebeard2]

Please please get writing - we have seen too many good airfields disappear in recent years, this time we have the support of the residents and it would be a cruel shame if we failed to make the most of this.

The website that has been set up is great so please use the resources it offers. :ok:

[PPPPP]

Today I got a very nice reply from Mrs Eleanor Laing MP agreeing with the points I had made and assuring me that she would continue to protest very vigorously against this proposal. Fingers crossed now!

[Kolibear]

I too have just received a reply from Eleanor Lang MP, probably the same one, but its nice to she that she is on our side.

[Kolibear]

I've just received a reply from Atkins, the consultants in this study.

What they are saying this that the Harlow Options Study is just one part of a Study Report that forms part of a wider study into the Stansted/M11 coriidor and also part of a series of studies for the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA).

The M11 corridor study report is due out in october and the EERA will use the Harlow study report and our objections when it prepares the Regional Planning Guidance for the East of England (RPG14). This is due to be presented to the Government in March 2004 with a public examination in Oct 2004.

Is that perfectly clear???

So the study we are all objecting to is one part of a much larger picture. That doesn't lessen it's importance, in fact it probably makes it more important as strong objection to this particular plan may make planners realise that GA airfields across East Anglia are an asset.

I'll post the full text if anyone wants, but I suspect that every one who wrote in will be receiving the same letter.