Fellow Residents,
Junction 17 Compound for widening the Motorway.
5 proposed Gypsy and Traveller sites on our doorstep.
Unfortunately the Residents Association needs to write to you in
respect of the most important planning issue since the creation
of the M25 Motorway. Arguably it is more important than this,
as these matters could make the sale of our properties difficult
and cut a third off the market value.
The proposal is that a compound should be placed in the field
on the left at the end of Long Lane which adjoins Junction 17.
Across the motorway and on the left hand side of Denham Way it
is proposed that the rock, tarmac and soil be mounded up to
create a long “bund” or mound.
Apparently these proposals have been discussed at County
Council level for the last year, but nobody thought to inform
Three Rivers or the neighbouring residents of Chorleywood or
Rickmansworth. If you need an idea of what to expect, then I
would suggest you drive slightly north of the Hemel Hempstead
Junction of the M1, where 140 people live while the works are
undertaken and you will see mounds of rock, tarmac and general
spoil together with a large cement batching works. Like the
widening of the M1 from Junction 6a to 10 the proposal is that
the junction 17 compound will be in place for 3 to 5 years whilst
junctions 16 to 23 of the M25 are widened. I should stress
that we believe that all of the land to the south of the motorway
will be included as a dumping ground, together with rights of
access across local farmers’ land.
We feel it is inappropriate to put a compound on Greenbelt land,
which adjoins a Conservation Area where means of access are
inadequate via Long Lane and local traffic will be severely
blocked. There are several alternatives, some of which have
been discounted by Skanska/Balfour Beatty on the basis that
there would be a cost in the shape of a Landfill Tax for the
amount of rubble they would need to dump. The plan is to
leave the old road surface in large mounds and cover them with
topsoil, additionally a number of permanent deep artificial
levelling ponds in the locality will be required and will need to
be securely fenced, with warning signs.
No one has yet given us a reason why the existing widening
compound for the M1 cannot be used again as it is an existing
site which adjoins the Buncefield Industrial area rather than the
residential areas of Chorleywood and Rickmansworth. It would
also be further towards the centre of the stretch of motorway
being widened, Junctions 16 to 23.
This is to let you know we will contact Barbara Lamb as our local
County Councillor to and the Highways Department in order to
make proper representations that alternatives such as the M1
compound, and other sites such as ex quarries should be
considered first before Greenbelt land. Unfortunately Skanska’s
office is in Denham and no doubt this site is seen as convenient.
It goes without saying that Long Lane and surrounding roads
will become impassable and as usual the traffic will queue so far
back that you will not even be able to head towards Junction 18
as the road both north and south of Stockport Road will be at a
standstill. We know that only the ‘mouth’ of Long Lane will be
widened to allow HGV goods to access the compound, but we
feel this will encourage other HGV’s to use all of Long Lane
whereas at present, there is a sign saying the road is unsuitable.
I took the opportunity of driving up to the M1 compound and
noted that a similar single track road which feeds towards the
Hemel Hempstead junction of the M1 had been CLOSED by
Skanska/Balfour Beatty who operate this site.
~~~
The second issue is the proposed gypsy/traveller sites.
14 of these are proposed for the Three Rivers area, that go into
a long term plan, 5 of these are very close to Heronsgate.
Please see
in particular TR5 and TR6 on the Three Rivers plan, these are in
the fields next to Long Lane. It is difficult to assess from the
plan on the Three Rivers web site exactly where these are
intended to be placed but possibly around Dell Cottage or
perhaps the entrance to the fields opposite the end of Stockport
Road. Our feeling is that if for three years a compound is
placed in the fields from Dell Cottage down to the motorway,
then a gypsy and traveller site would be proposed to replace this
compound.
The infrastructure would be in place, it may well make financial
sense to put the Gypsy and Traveller site on our doorstep. You
would need to drive past it every time you went home.
It is somewhat ironic that you will not be permitted to put
security gates on your property without planning permission due
to Heronsgate being a conservation area, but the rules as to
Greenbelt land have been overridden in order to provide 14
proposed gypsy/traveller sites and the M25 widening
Compound.
Reasons for Opposing the Compound at Junction 17 of the
M25.
It will lead to encampments of Gypsies and Travellers over the
coming years.
This will cause your properties to be at risk.
The value of your property will be enormously diminished
Access to the M25 via Junction 17 will be impractical while the
Compound exists.
Why is there a connection between the Compound and the
Gypsy sites?
The Government have forced all Local Authorities to assess the
national need for Gypsy and Traveller sites.
Scott Wilson surveyed and proposed 14 sites in our area as
potentially suitable, (labelled TR1-TR14). The closest to
Heronsgate is TR5 which is around Dell Cottage but also closer
to Shepherd lane is TR6, and over the motorway TR7, TR8, and
TR9.
Each site for planning purposes is 14 Pitches. Each Pitch is
apparently 1 Mobile Home/Caravan and 3 Cars. Without leaving
planned room for future expansion, that is to say 42 cars and 14
Caravans on each site.
There is now no longer any ability to oppose any of the 14 sites
from going into the long term plan and to the extent that they
exist on the plan they will over the coming years be filled up
with Gypsies/Travellers who may well be moving from different
parts of the country.
If the Compound were at Junction 17, the access, water and
power needed for it would be used for a Gypsy and Traveller
site, perhaps covering the 17 acre site and the same would be
true of the sites by the Denham dual carriageway.
“I do feel that if the Compound were to be in John Findlay’s field
and or on the other side of the motorway it would make both of
these sites very vulnerable” (to being chosen as Gypsy and
Traveller sites). Ann Shaw (21st Oct 2008)
The Compound is for both working and living. It will be in place
for a minimum of three years, and will require widening of Long
Lane by the junction to achieve an entrance which will be
dangerous and will block Long Lane for everyone in
Chorleywood attempting to access the Motorway.
No doubt Traffic Lights will be suggested to alleviate the Traffic.
Can you imagine how long it will take with the traffic lights and
how far back the traffic will queue?
Originally no planning permission was going to be sought on the
basis that it is “temporary” (at least 3 years). Rather than use
the local planning authority the developers are going to the
County Council to tack the application on to the end of the M25
Widening Scheme to ensure it will be passed.
A conservative Estimate of loss of value of property would be
30% according to Valuers we have engaged.
This issue will unite anyone who uses Long Lane, anyone who is
close to the proposed 5 sites but probably anyone who reads of
the proposals in the press.
WHAT MUST WE DO NOW?
You should complain to BOTH Barbara Lamb as the County
Councillor for Rickmansworth and Leonard Spencer County
Councillor for Chorleywood to insist that a Compound at
Junction 17 is not in a sensible place. ONLY YOUR INDIVIDUAL
COMPLAINT IS LIKELY TO ASSIST, SO IF YOU WANT TO HAVE ANY
CHANCE OF CHANGING MATTERS YOU MUST ACT INDIVIDUALLY
AND QUICKLY.
barbara.lamb@hertscc.gov.uk
OR
55 Beacon Way Rickmansworth Herts WD3 7PB
In ADDITION COPY IT TO Leonard Spencer the County Councillor
for Chorleywood leonard.spencer@hertscc.gov.uk
OR
7 Sheraton House, Lower Road, Chorleywood
By all means copy it to Ann Shaw ann.shaw@threerivers.gov.uk
but recognise that this matter is NOT a local issue over which
she may be able to assist. Your views should be directed at
county level who have known for a year.
We will try to persuade the farmer who owns the land that it is
not in his best interests to lease the land to Skanska/Balfour
Beatty in the hope they will look elsewhere such as the M1
compound that already exists. However he will be receiving a
payment and the M1 compound is not conveniently placed next
to Skanska offices in Denham. There are also two other sites
that are not close to Residents and would work well for a
Junction 16 to Junction 23 project as they are more central.
I stress the speed of the needed response as the
Skanska/Balfour Beatty will use a “General Development Order”
to speed this through the planning stage.
Philip Ashton-Jones philip@ashton-jones.com
Heronsgate Residents Association.
Update, early November 08......
The situation is that the General Development Order went in at
the end of October 08. It is not a request for consent and the 28
days gives an opportunity to raise objections, but in truth these
may fall on deaf ears as this matter is being dealt with by the
Highways in Birmingham.
There is a fair deal of misinformation emanating on this one
from various understandably partisan sources. You may be told
the following........
1) that there is nothing that the Herts County Council can do
about the General Development Order – wrong, the
Local Authority have a power to insist this is a proper planning
application, if they feel it would be “expedient”.
If enough people feel that this site is plain wrong because this is
Greenbelt Land we should say so.
2) the landowner has given permission – wrong, John
Findlay has not made up his mind, we are talking to him.
3)There is nothing Herts county council can do because it is
being dealt with in Birmingham and you have 28 days
consultation – wrong - we have 29 days notice of what
is going to happen. Skanska/Balfour Beatty wrote saying that
they feel the works are subject to the terms of the order and the
process is made to feel more or less automatic.
The terms of the letter are here:
http://www.threerivers.gov.uk/Default.aspx/Web/M25Wideningt
emporarycompoundatJunction17
We now need to engage the Local Authority to agree that it is
expedient for Skanska/Balfour Beatty to submit a planning
application in the normal way, just as they are doing for the land
to the south of M25.
Thanks for any help you can give. As you will have seen from
the M1 compound we may expect access to Long Lane to be
closed for the duration, three to five years from April
2009. A nightmare situation and I think the residents of
both Chorleywood and Rickmansworth deserve proper
consultation.
The provision allowing Three Rivers to ask for a formal planning
application is in 4(1) of the Town and Country Planning (General
Permitted Development) Order 1995.
I thought it would be good to put the matter beyond doubt.
So far (Nov 08) councillors have probably had 50 or so emails
and letters. We would expect to increase this by a factor of 100
once everyone knows the implications of what is being sneaked
through. Our local councillor Ann Shaw has been very helpful, I
imagine it is time for Local Authorities official stance to be more
than words.
If Three Rivers do not support the application then
-- a) allow it go to a planning application and
--b) don’t allow the contractors to use that part of the land to
the south of the M25 to be used as a dump.
I am always pleased to hear the views of your residents,
Regards,
Philip Ashton-Jones
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