7 January 2012
When it was first proposed in the 1980s, the Maltings Lane development in south Witham was heralded as a "Field of Dreams" in some press reports, with pledges of quality housing, employment, community facilities, sports pitches, shops, public transport and many other features that would make up an integrated modern development.
But the reality over several decades has been very different (1). Community facilities have been very slow to be developed, with only the primary school nearing completion now. To date there is no community centre, church, employment area or shops which means that residents are forced to travel off site for nearly all the services they need, adding to traffic pressure on local roads.
Not only have the originally planned 810 houses gone ahead, but permission was then given for more than 200 extra houses several years ago, on the basis that the community facilities would then definately go ahead.
Yet still those facilities have largely not been provided and it has emerged that it is not just the usual case of private developers being slow to act - Essex County Council owns nearly 42% of the development area
Witham and Braintree Green Party has been warning about the scale of the development and the lack of a sustainable plan for Maltings Lane for over 20 years and more recently raised similar concerns over the new plans for 900 more houses on greenfield sites around the town.
Cllr. James Abbott, a Green Party Braintree District Councillor said
"The troubles that have beset the Maltings Lane development are well documented. It is known that a "Consortium of landowners" has been developing the site and so it is not unreasonable to ask why that consortium has been unable, or unwilling, to provide the facilities that could make the development more sustainable and better for residents.
We now find that Essex County Council holds nearly 42% of the development site. Which means that effectively that share of the land is owned by the public. Yet through all the meetings when these matters has been discussed I cannot recall the County Council ever making the effort to come and explain to local councillors and the public what their role has been in these matters - why have the facilities not been provided when nearly half the land is in public ownership ?
And saying that the recession is the cause is not a valid excuse. This development has been underway for many years, long before the recession hit. Was the consortium happy to rake in the profits in the boom years without channelling some of that money back into the community ?
And if the County Council has been a main player in this, then surely they have some serious questions to answer at County Hall as to why Witham has been so badly let down."
ENDS
Notes:
(1) http://www.thisistotalessex.co.uk/WITHAM-Credit-crunch-brings-Maltings-misery/story-12635730-detail/story.html
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