The Loughton Town Council’s Planning Committee NOTED the information received from the District Council Principal Planning Officer (Enforcement) that the scheme had “the potential to cause harm” by “overlooking of a neighbouring property from the rear dormer”.  Members strongly disapproved of a building being erected to the detriment of neighbours without planning permission.  Therefore, in light of the continued absence of a planning application, the Committee asked the District Council to take formal action to issue an enforcement notice.

…as the sun shines for the Queen’s Jubilee

Following weeks of planning it was suddenly there: Monday 4 June and time for the Hills picnic on York Hill.  It was pouring with rain and just a few hardy souls sheltered in the porch of the Gardeners Arms.  AS few more arrived tentatively clutching umbrellas.

Thanks to some hard work by local residents, who proposed the idea of the picnic, led by Stephen Cohen of the Hills Committee, permission had been obtained to close the roads around the green. The bunting was fluttering in breeze-driven drizzle…..

Then suddenly the sun came out – and so did the people.  With seemingly just a few minutes there were 100 or so picnicing on York Hill Green with children enjoying games and face painting while adults just enjoyed the relaxed camaraderie with with, wine and beer.

The Gardeners did a roaring trade!

Thanks to all those who worked so hard to make it happen – and all those who joined in to make the afternoon such a rewarding success.

At the Hills AGM last evening (Monday 21 May) the main area of concern were plans by the Wheatsheaf/Fifteen to turn the garden on the opposite side of York Hill into a car park.

Residents objected

• to the loss of an important amenity
• the dangers of traffic pulling out inevitably between cars parked in the road into such a narrow part of the road
• the dangers to mothers with pushchairs and young children of cars driving into and leaving during the day on what is the main walking route to Staples Road School
• The parking of cars on both sides of the road making access to the Hills from this direction impassable for emergency vehicles.

Residents with concerns are urged to register their views with the local police. The next monthly meeting with Essex Police for the High Road area is 30 May at 6.30 at St. Marys Church, 201 High Road.

These are public meetings, on a small scale, and you are very welcome to go along.

Residents with concerns about the current blocking of pavements around the Wheatsheaf are also urged to write with their concerns to Shane Taylor Technical Team Leader, North Essex Parking Partnership Shane.Taylor@colchester.gov.uk. In response to one complaint he wrote:

“Thank you for your email. Whilst your request for yellow lines at the location is considered, we would urge you to contact Essex Police in relation to the wilful (sic) obstruction of the pavement areas. We have recently worked with officers based in the Tendring District where a similar issue was reported in Brightlingsea and this has led to the issue of a number of tickets for the offence already mentioned.
Kind regards
Shane Taylor
Technical Team Leader
North Essex Parking Partnership
Tel- 01206 282838
Fax- 01206 282716
Email- shane.taylor@colchester.gov.uk
Web- www.parkingpartnership.org

Colchester is the lead authority for the North Essex Parking Partnership….bringing together the parking operations for Essex

…but new bid for underground scheme is rejected

At 5 Baldwins Hill an applicationEPF/0407/14 for an underground addition to an earlier proposal has been refused. The outline to the adjacent property in the diagram (left) gives a clue to the size of the extension, marked by darker lines, which received permission over a year ago.  The owners now have to decide whether to proceed with the plans already approved or appeal the refusal of the new further enlarged scheme.

This and other illustrations for the plans to develop Woodberrie, the corner plot at the junction of Woodberrie and Kings Hill, can be seen on the Epping Forest District website here.  The existing house is in the centre with the new four-bedroom house on the left  and the contemporary extension, linked by a walkway, on the right.

Plans have been lodged with the District Council for a major development at Woodberrie, on the corner of  Woodbury Hill and Kings Hill. On the east side are plans for a major new house (left in the artist’s impression below) while on the west side a “contemporary extension” is planned. The development would dramatically change the street view in the very narrow , holly-hedge bounded lane which is Woodbury Hill.  Plans can be seen at EPF/0894/14 on the council’s website and comments should be lodged by 25 May. This will be the fifth application to build on the site. See Hills website for personal comment.

See also “A Personal View”

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?

Gable Lodge to make way for new homes?

Gable Lodge, the former Bupa Care Home on the corner of Church Hill and St John’s Road, could be demolished and the site redeveloped to provide 11 retirement homes for the over 55s.

An application has been submitted to Epping Forest District Council on behalf of Ortus Homes, a division of McCarthy and Stone, to demolish the existing buildings on the site and erect a new three storey building providing 11 two-bedroom apartments and associated facilities.

If successful the plans would mark a departure for McCarthy and Stone from their more usual business of providing sheltered housing accommodation. The flats would be aimed at ‘a younger retiree’.

The 0.4 acre site features a number of mature conifer trees and is subject to a blanket Tree Preservation Order.

A decision is expected by mid-May.

Extra floor wanted for York Crescent blocks

Following strong objections by residents, plans to add an additional floor to two of the five flat blocks in York Hill Crescent  have been rejected by Epping Forest District Council against officer recommendation.

Four one-bedroom flats would be added to the 1920s-built development.

Many residents of the blocks objected primarily on the grounds of the disruption that would be caused during building works, the impact on their properties and concerns about parking.  No new parking provision was proposed in an area where this is already a big concern.

There are a number of garages on the development but these are not necessarily occupied by tenants of flats but instead rented to private individuals and residents regularly do battle with school traffic in the mornings and vehicles parking for Fifteen in the evenings to find a parking space in the area for their cars.

Loughton Town Council also objected to the plans which it considered an over intensification of a plot at a sensitive location on the edge of a conservation area and again raised concerns about the lack of parking in an already congested area.

However, the council officers’ report said that the proposed development was in an “urban area” where new housing was needed and difficult to provide. They suggested conditions to keep disturbance during works to a minimum and said that it was reasonable in an urban area not to provide parking.

A decision on whether to appeal against the decision is awaited from the applicants.

Changing scene for Pump Hill-Queens Road junction

May 2014

A desirable location to live, The Hills area is always busy with builders and developers improving, extending, and occasionally, where space is available, building new homes.

The upper part of Pump Hill and the top of Queens Road could be facing disruption with a combination of new or unexpired planning consents for three neighbouring sites.

Permission was granted in the middle of January this year for a four bedroom home on the vacant plot of land at the top of Pump Hill (a site known as numbers 12-18) where a black weatherboarded property had once stood until demolished in the 1930s.

(HAS were grateful to the applicant for the opportunity to comment on his proposal before it was submitted to planners and also grateful that our suggestions concerning appearance, materials and scale were taken on board.)

Next door at number 10 Pump Hill permission was given in October 2013 for a two-storey rear extension.

And literally just around the corner at 78 Queens Road planning permission for a two storey side and front extension plus single storey rear extension was granted in 2003. This has been part implemented and the remaining works could be undertaken at any time – perhaps imminently as new approvals for amendments to the roof design (the inclusion of three rear dormers and front and side roof light windows plus the raising of the front gable) were granted in January and April of this year.

With the Queens Road development able to be completed at any time plus a standard three year time limit for the commencement of works that comes with the planning consents for the two schemes in Pump Hill, there is a risk that all the works with their related deliveries will overlap – a hat trick maybe, but perhaps not a cause for celebration in our narrow roads.

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?