Why do you live here?

A personal view by one of those whose home would affected by development in Woodbury Hill

Q. “WHY DO YOU LIVE HERE?”

“I live here because … it has stunning views, it is a conservation area, the ambience, the history, the hills, high holly hedgerows, narrow country lanes, the interesting mix of attractive property, great pubs, the sense of space, sense of community, the forest and accessbility to London …”

We are all here in the Conservation area for a mix of the reasons above.  All of which are subjective and easily eroded.

I live in a weatherboarded cottage (one of a pair) in Woodbury Hill which is a beautiful narrow lane set high on a ridge.  My family love it.  But this week, I received notification of a planning application, as I expect others did, to build a rather large executive house within the garden owned by Woodberrie.  They have also applied to build a contemporary block / annexe to the main house (the size of a 3rd property).

This is the third attempt for development in the garden over the years.  Ironically, the first of which was vigorously objected to by the current owners when they lived in a neighbouring property.

The application mentions the spectacular views over Epping Forest and London’s skyline (the new executive house will be afforded).  These will have been stolen from all the immediate surrounding properties.

Parking will be a concern with a new 4/5 bedroom house.  It is very limited here.  And the proposed new entrance is on a very narrow part of Woodbury Hill and close to a bend.  A bit of a blind spot.

The street scene on Woodbury Hill will be irrevocably and dramatically changed and I feel, NOT for the better.

I am not against development.  Far from it.  All areas change and move on.  However, this area has been designated a conservation area and as such, any developments have to enhance and improve the nature of the environment.  Southbank is an excellent example of being both sympathetic and contemporary.

Will the proposals by Woodberrie meet the criteria for the Conservation Area? I firmly believe the answer is a resounding NO.  Indeed, it will have a detrimental impact.

In my family’s view, this application must be stopped.

So I come back again to my original question, why do we live here?