6 August 2012
Witham and Braintree Green Party is continuing its investigation into what has gone wrong with the Maltings Lane development in Witham and has found out that Essex County Council has made £ millions from the sale of its farmland holding there.
Touted as a "new neighbourhood" and a "field of dreams" two decades ago, the Maltings Lane site has been developed almost entirely for housing, with very few public facilities and a new primary school only recently completed.
Plans have been changed several times, with promises of facilities to come, but still they have not been provided.
Using Freedom of Information Requests, the Green Party uncovered that this state of affairs was not just the result of what might have been expected as a scenario of 'reluctant private landowners'.
As already made public by the Greens, it was found that Essex County Council held nearly 42% of the land and has been an important member of the Consortium of Landowners involved in years of negotiations over the development.
A new Freedom of Information Request has revealed that Essex County Council has to date made a profit of £11,460,000, net of infrastructure works, from the sales of farmland to developers.
Cllr. James Abbott, Green Party District Councillor said
"Essex County Council has got some serious explaining to do. As an authority that is supposed to act in the interests of residents and council tax payers, why have they not used their considerable influence both as an authority and as a major landowner to make sure that the facilities needed for the development are provided ?
Over £11 million would go a long way towards paying for the essential facilities and services the residents should have. It would also help make the development of Maltings Lane far more sustainable if these facilities were on site, so that residents do not have to drive to the shops, to the doctors, to use a community hall or to access sports areas. Making the development more sustainable would help reduce traffic congestion in Witham. Essex County Council likes to tell us (1) that sustainability is a factor in everything they do !
This failure to act in the interests of local people must be considered alongside the inquiries into councillor expenses, the controversy over £ millions spent on purchase cards, the refusal to open up full council and planning meetings to more public scrutiny, the behaviour over the incinerator at Rivenhall Airfield, and more besides. The senior councillors in charge of the authority receive extremely generous allowances and expenses, so in return residents in the Witham area are surely entitled to a much better service than they are getting. County Hall is increasingly being seen as an Ivory Tower."
ENDS
Notes:
(1) Statement on Sustainability from the Essex County Council website:
Essex County Council is determined to consider sustainability as a factor in everything we do. Sustainability is about effectively managing and enhancing the environment we have and improving the quality of life for current and future generations through the consideration of longer-term issues.
As part of its commitment to sustainable development and sustainable living, Essex County Council is committed to managing its own environmental impacts, encouraging and supporting others to do the same, and continuously improving the environment for the benefit of residents and businesses. An environmental statement summarises the council's key objectives and vision.
Donate
Follow us on Twitter
Witham and Braintree Green Party RSS Feed