Page Modified 18th Jan 2013

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Comments received and published below are comments from the sender and do not necessarily represent the views of the SAVE JOTMAN'S FARM GROUP 

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​From: Graham Cornwell​
Date: 15 January 2013
Subject: Jotmans farm

My wife & I are totally opposed to the proposed development at Jotmans Farm. We are not alone - we have yet to find a fellow resident who agrees with this proposal. BenfleetEssex is already overpopulated. There is not the infrastructure in place. Roads, schools, doctors, hospitals, fire services, police force & sewerage systems just do not have the capacity. Our Green Belt is precious & vital to the environment - it must be preserved for the future well being for Castle Point.The roads & properties in close proximity to the proposed development would be greatly harmed during the build of such a size & would be ruined by the volume of traffic generated by such an increase in residency.​

From: lee coster
Date: 15 January 2013
Subject: jotmans farm

So unhappy with the building plan,think it is so wrong to take the green grass and fresh air away from our children!!!! All for the sake of homes that are not needed as the simple solution is to use privately rented properties or make the price of living more affordable,the country is blamed for its lazy and held back children so maybe leaving the fresh fields and horses for them to enjoy and get the needed exercise to keep them healthy would be the best thing to do.

From: Rebecca Clark
Date: 16 January 2013
Subject: Say NO!

Not only am I a local resident, my parents live in Watlington Road and my horses are stabled at Jotmans Farm. Building on the Greenbelt land at Jotmans Farm would be criminal. Land is made greenbelt for a reason! The local authority cannot cope with the traffic conjestion, sewerage systems or flooding as they stand at present, how on earth do they believe they can cope with a further 250 houses? The schools are already over-subscribed in Benfleet - where will the additional children go to school? This SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED!

From: Martin Hunt
Date: 16 January 2013
Subject: Jotmans Farm

Message:
I grew up in Watlington Road and my parents still live there. I feel building on any Green Belt land should not be allowed. More importantly the access roads to Benfleet and Canvey Island are already at breaking point during rush hour and another estate with families trying to leave and gain access will cause major gridlock.

From: Leslie Hunt
Date: 17 January 2013
Subject: Against building at Jotmans Farm

Message:
One factor is the value of my House which will drop as the current value includes the panoramic view from the bottom of my garden. We have lived here for over forty years and the greenbelt fields were the main reason we purchased the house. The wildlife we see daily, including bats and a huge variety of birds will disappear if the development goes ahead. To have it built on would destroy that. Also the fact it is green belt which in my mind should never be built on, that is why it is called green belt.

From: G Rider
Date: 17 January 2013
Subject:

Message:
I would like to register my opposition to building on Castle Point's green belt. We don't need or want these extra houses.

From: Ray Hilton
Date: 18 January 2013
Subject: Jotmans Development

Message:
I have lived in South Benfleet for 29 years. During that time I have seen Castle Point develop and grow with very little thought or planning into the infra-structure, culminating in the mess we now find ourselves in. The one thing that has survived all this, is the Green Belt, and even that is now under threat. Let me say at the outset that I believe this should be preserved at all costs. The Green Belt is the lungs of our town, it counter balances the pollution that comes from the congestion. Without the Green Belt we will all be much poorer.

1. Roads & Traffic We are bounded and confined by a very poor road structure. To the east we have Hadleigh, to the north we have the Woodmans and Rayleigh Weir, to the west we have Tarpots and Sadlers Farm, and in the south we have Waterside Farm, all of which are bottlenecks. Whilst the overrunning project at Sadlers and Tarpots has provided some relief, there is still, at certain times of the day, traffic chaos and gridlock. At best Tarpots can just about cope, but given the possible developments of Glebelands, Jotmans and King Johns Wood this situation will deteriorate very quickly. In addition I believe whilst 200 homes is the initial planning application, there is enough land on Jotmans Farm to build 1000 homes. Of course other proposed developments in other parts of our borough will cause further stress to the creaking system.

2. Need. We are given to believe that that there is a desperate need for housing in Castle Point, particularly affordable homes. I attended most of the days of the Glebelands planning enquiry, part of which was devoted to members of the public having their say. Many people took the opportunity to express their views, yet interestingly not one person spoke in favour of the development. This supports the view I have always held, that affordable housing is required not by the residents of Castle Point, but from others outside of the borough, notably London. I would also mention that the number of homes for sale on Rightmove within Castle Point is close to 800 across all price ranges. Hardly a desperate housing shortage!

3. Services. Sewerage: The plant in South Benfleet cannot cope now. This is visible by the number of tanker movements each day, taking away excess effluent. As far as I am aware there are no plans to enhance the Sewerage plant. Recently Anglia Water were forced to release part treated sewerage into the ditches around Richmond Park. Gas supply: The mains supply runs down the High Road. This is permanently leaking and has been so, for as long as I have lived here. Talking to engineers who are continually patching it up, they admit the whole run needs replacing. Another 200 – 1000 homes running off this!!! Schools: Can they cope with a rapid influx of children? I doubt it given the confined space now available at the schools. Interestingly when Jotmans Hall school (the closest to the propose development) sold off half their playing fields, for housing development in the 1980’s, questions were raised as to whether the school could cope with the additional children, that would be created by the houses. The blinkered reply from the schools inspector was, that the type of housing proposed would not generate children!!. Within 5 years the school had to have an extension. Doctors/Dentists: It is already difficult to get appointments with doctors, often waiting 3 days and even longer for blood tests. Likewise there are very few NHS dentists in Benfleet.

4. Conclusion. Let your views be known here in this forum. It is also important that everybody canvas’s their own ward councillors and our MP.

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