March 31st, 2005 at 02:55pm Under General+ Horley Master Plan+ The South East Plan
“Development on or close to flood plains will be vulnerable to flooding, and may increase the risk of flooding elsewhere”. Couple that Environment Agency quote (see Spring 2005 East Surrey Westminster Report) with the same Agency’s flood prediction maps for the north of Horley and what do you get?
By Derek Add comment
March 31st, 2005 at 09:30am Under The South East Plan
Your views and the South East Plan questionnaire.
Please read about the South East Plan which is being prepared by the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA). The plan is to build thousands of houses throughout the South East and will come as a shock to many people who lives will be irreparably changed by it.
Attached to the plan is a questionnaire asking for your feedback. Please be very careful before answering the questionnaire and consider how, whatever your intention, your answers might be used to support the governments position that thousands of houses need to be built. Below are some ideas on how your answers could be interpreted.
Question 1: how would you rate your quality of life?
Answer options range from very good to very poor + don’t know
Its always nice when someone asks how you are but what has this got to do with building houses? If you answer ‘very poor’ then you open the door to the assertion that more houses are needed to improve your quality of life. If you answer ‘very good’ then the assertion could be more houses are needed to maintain your high quality of life. This question has no useful purpose in understanding what you want for development in the South East.
Question 2: consists of a list of topics and asks how important you think they are to your community.
Answer options range from very important to not at all important + don’t know.
To any sane person all these things are important. Everyone wants reduced traffic congestion, increased health service provision and more affordable housing, so why ask these questions? One reason might be that saying any of these are important allows SEERA the position that the proposed development is necessary to deliver the improvements that people have identified are important to them.
Question 3: what should we aim for over the next 20 years.
Answer options are -
1) Give more emphasis to economic growth.
2) Give less emphasis to economic growth.
3) Continue to give the same emphasis to economic growth.
4) Don’t know.
To the answer 1) invites the argument that new houses are needed to sustain growth. To answer 2) leads to the answer improved houses are required for the needs of a growing population that lives longer.
Question 4: which of the three options would you be most likely to support -
1) build 25,500 houses per year
2) build 28,000 houses per year
3) build 32,000 houses per year
4) don’t know
If you tick the box for the least number of houses you are still supporting 25,500 houses per year each year for 20 years. That’s 510,000 houses. Is that really what you want?
You have not been given the option here to express any views against development. If you oppose the plan you should avoid this question if necessary say ‘don’t know’.
Question 5: which of the following options do you prefer?
1) significantly increasing housing density and minimizing use of greenfield land
2) use more greenfield land and moderately increase density in existing cities, towns and villages
3) use a significant amount of greenfield land and slightly increase density
4) don’t know
In the Gatwick area the plan is for up to 38,000 houses. Don’t be fooled even option 1) means a lot of construction on green fields. Note the lack of any opportunity to state a case against development.
Question 6: in your opinion where should we build new homes?
Answer options are -
1) in existing built up areas
2) in new suburbs
3) in existing villages
4) in new towns and villages
This is the same as question 5) but it will facilitate SEERA to state the percentage of respondents who support development in each of the different areas. For example if 50% of respondents reply option 2) then you could soon see the publication of the statistic “50% of the population support the development of new suburbs in the South East”. Again there is no option to state a preference against development.
An alternative to answering this questionnaire is to ignore it and instead write to SEERA direct. The address is -
Secretariat,
South East England Regional Assembly,
Berkeley House,
Cross Lanes,
Guildford
GU1 1UN
Please do express your views.
By hsf68 1 comment
March 30th, 2005 at 02:29pm Under Horley Master Plan+ The South East Plan
With the plans unveiled for the Gatwick Master Plan it makes me wonder how much , if any, green areas there are going to be in this area. The new Gatwick Airport proposals are going to completely destroy the once lovely village of Charlwood after years of merely abusing it.
Coming only days after councillors voted to continue with the Horley Master Plan comes the next blow - hand in hand some might say. One proposing housing - one needing housing. Coincidence?
These mighty blows to our already crowded infrastructure only add insult to the massive injury that will be the South East Plan with it’s proposed 25,000 to 33,000 homes per annum built in the South East.
Say goodbye to our lovely Green Belt areas. What was the point of those again?
By Jez Add comment
March 24th, 2005 at 10:42am Under Horley Master Plan+ The South East Plan
Last night the council granted outline planning permission for the Horley Master Plan development.
This was even after Andrew Kent revealed that he had found that in 1970 Surrey County Council mapped the flood area and that it covered a large part of the development site.
I haven’t had access to the new documents but will post here as soon as I can.
I hope that there will be some serious recource on this preposterous matter.
By Jez Add comment
March 18th, 2005 at 01:52pm Under Horley Master Plan+ The South East Plan
RAGE (Residents Against Greenbelt Erosion) are a campaign group opposed to developments such as The South East Plan. The Crossoak Conservation Society and the Horley Residents Association are going to start their own chapter of the group. I will post details here as soon as they are available.
By Jez 1 comment
March 17th, 2005 at 10:43am Under Horley Master Plan+ The South East Plan
Make sure you quiz the Estate Agent thoroughly as houses in Surrey, surrounding Horley, are more than likely going to be at risk from the knock on effect of the Horley Master Plan (to recap, the authorities want to build 2600 houses on a know flood plain). The houses close to the River Mole and the Burstow Stream (Mole tributary) are going to be worst affected but, any low area, of which Horley has plenty, is going to be a high risk of flooding.
If the Horley Masterplan does in fact go ahead and coupled with the South East Plan where up to 33,00 new homes are to be built PER ANNUM, buying a house in Horley or the surrounding areas - the buyer ought to be aware that flooding could be imminent!
By Jez 2 comments
March 7th, 2005 at 09:29am Under The South East Plan
This came to me via The Crossoak Conservation Society:
I hope you can help. The campaign group, STOP Harlow North, is trying to prevent a massive expansion of Harlow (at least 10,000 houses) into the Green Belt as part of the East of England Plan proposed by the East of England Regional Assembly. The group has the support of all the parish councils, district and county councils affected and their MP but this plan is out for public consultation until March 16th. They need a massive response from the public against these proposals - no matter where they live. Would you be able to support the campaign and get all your friends to do so? If so with a few clicks you can send a response to the Assembly using our automated form. Every adult and child can respond separately if you want. http://www.stopharlownorth.com/response_form.htm The campaign believes: Green Belt and green fields should be protected In a better Harlow not a bigger Harlow The population growth forecasts are excessive and unrealistic The job predictions are unrealistic The Plan is environmentally unsound The traffic is already congested This is driest part of Britain and water is scarce No extra funding for schools and hospitals has been earmarked to date This is their homepage. Stop Harlow North Please tell all your friends.
———
By Jez Add comment
March 5th, 2005 at 08:22pm Under The South East Plan
Forget about Horley Master Plan -The South East Plan is going to be massive in comparison. Read from the Fact sheet 3 .PDF file:-
1. What is the South East Plan?
The South East Plan is the regional framework for managing future development in the South East and will replace current government planning guidance for the South East. This framework is being prepared by the South East England Regional Assembly. It will set the standards and principles for the physical development of the region for 20 years and will be used to guide the production of local plans and strategies by district and unitary councils. It fulfils the requirements of a Regional Spatial Strategy that we are charged with producing under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
2. What is the timescale of the Plan?
The South East Plan will come into effect in 2006/07 and wilt cover the period up to 2026. The Regional Assembly will submit the first draft of the Plan to the Government Office of the South East in the summer of 2005.
3. What themes are covered in the Plan?
Key themes for the South East Plan include:
Making urban living more attractive through physical and social regeneration, improved design and a renaissance of our towns and cities, including improvements to public spaces and transport.
Improving access to housing by providing what the region needs in terms of new homes including affordable homes to buy or rent.
Making access easier for people who need to reach services such as shops and doctors, workplaces or leisure, cultural and recreational facilities. A key aim is to reduce the need to travel long distances by car.
Encouraging more prudent use of natural resources such as water and energy as well as reducing the amount of waste we all produce.
4. What consultation is taking place for the Plan?
The Assembly is looking for public opinion on important choices about development in our region to 2026. The consultation period runs from 24 January to 15 April 2005. During this period a questionnaire is being sent to every household in the region or feedback can be given on the Assembly website.
5. How will the South East Plan relate to other regional strategies on sustainability and the economy and the Government’s Sustainable Communities Plan?
The Sustainable Communities Plan’s objectives will be incorporated in the South East Plan. The original timeframe for the Communities Plan was set for 2016; the Plan will cover up to 2026. The Plan will provide the spatial context for the other regional strategies (Regional Transport Strategy, Regional Minerals Strategy etc) and will be in line with the Sustainable Development Framework.
Here’s the basics of the what they want to acheive:-
Taken from executive_summary.pdf
Development Options
The Assembly is required, under the terms of the new Act, to consult on a range of options, at both the regional and sub-regional levels. After considerable debate, the Assembly has decided that the consultation should focus on options for three levels of regional growth, and two options for distribution of that growth. The three growth options are:
Source:- http://www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/
Pretty scary stuff. We have until the 15th of April to voice our concerns. Though don’t bother with the “Have Your Say” poll on the site - it’s completely biased!
By Jez Add comment
March 3rd, 2005 at 12:19pm Under Horley Master Plan+ Google News
John Prescott rejected the concerns of the regional planning authorities and raised the house building targets above what they had said was the absolute maximum that could be anticipated without intolerable damage to the environment and the Green Belt. Read more…
I find it interesting today to discover that if you type fuc*wit (without the asterisk) into google.co.uk ’s UK only search and press the “I feel Lucky” button that John Prescott’s biography appears.
By Jez 2 comments
March 2nd, 2005 at 12:17pm Under Horley Master Plan
Flooding - the facts
Around 5 million people, in 2 million properties, live in flood risk areas in England and Wales. The Environment Agency has an important role in warning people about the risk of flooding, and in reducing the likelihood of flooding from rivers and the sea… more
How will climate change affect us in 30 to 100 years time? How much will flooding increase? And how should we prepare? … more
The outlook is bleak as far as I am concerned. There isn’t one authority on the subject of flooding that doesn’t predict higher rates of rainfall in the future. Proving once again the long term stupidity of building new houses on a flood plain. The Horley Master Plan seems to be nothing more than a money spinning idea that will leave innocent people out of pocket or in danger.
By Jez Add comment