4GObserver March 13, 2008
www.hertsandessexobserver.co.ukHOW many local politicians can you
get on a bus?That8217s not the start ofa silly joke,
but the serious question the
Observer
asked when it invited Uttlesford8217s 44
district councillors to tour the area
they have earmarked for 3,000 new
homes 8212 with our very special tour
guide, stand-up star Ed Byrne.
Despite the startling confessions
that some mainly Conservative mem-
bers had not yet visited the site
between Elsenham and Henham 8211
despite voting it their preferred option
8211 only 25 councillors even bothered to
reply to our cordial request for their
company.
Ofthese, just four from the district
council8217s Liberal Democrat group
turned up on Tuesday.
Internationally acclaimed comedian
Ed, a Henham resident who has
appeared on such television shows as
8
Out Of10 Cats, was on hand to point
out some ofthe area8217s more charming
rural aspects and to highlight the prob-
lems further development could cause.
Among the sights Ed drew the
group8217s attention to was the so-called
8220toot toot8221 bridge. Located on a sharp
corner and little more than 13ft wide, it
has been designated as such because
passing drivers are advised to honk
their horn to alert others oftheir pres-
ence. This was, he added, to be the
main arterial route from the new devel-
opment to the M11.
8220Essex has a great deal ofbeautiful
countryside 8211 people want to move here
and there8217s no reason why they should-
n8217t,8221 he said.
8220However, ifthe council8217s plans go
ahead, Elsenham and Henham will just
be swallowed up into one big settle-
ment we8217ve nicknamed Hellsenham.
8220It8217s not a question ofnimbyism. We
realise new housing has to be built and
we8217re happy to take our fair share ofit.
But the council8217s favoured option is
unfair and completely impractical.8221
Afterwards, the councillors were
welcomed by The Cock pub in Henham,
which has been the headquarters of
the Save Our Villages campaign
against the proposed development
since September and also sells its
branded campaign beer, brewed locally.
There was a further celebrity sur-
prise in store for our guests 8211 actor
John Savident. Best known as
Coronation Street8217s
Fred Elliott and yet
another high-profile Henham resident,
he was in the pub at the time and gave
his thoughts on the matter.
He said: 8220I am appalled by the way
the whole thing is being handled. The
council is just telling residents what is
going to happen, regardless ofpublic
opinion. None ofthe district8217s
Conservative councillors even both-
ered to turn up today 8211 democracy
seems to have disappeared completely.8221
John8217s point was emphasised by the
fact that there were more members of
the media 8211 including two television
news camera crews 8211 gathered at
Tuesday8217s excursion than elected pub-
lic representatives.
Lib Dem group leader Peter Wilcock,
one ofthe four councillors who did
attend, said he would rather see a more
even distribution ofhousing through-
out the district rather than the new set-
tlement proposed by the council8217s
Conservative majority.
He added: 8220I think the so-called
8216favoured option8217 is, in fact, the worst
possible course ofaction.8221Letter from John Savident,
actor and Henham residentA
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SAS a resident of Henham, I
have been following with
close interest the
shenanigans of our Uttlesford
district councillors, in whom it
appears I cannot fail to be
disappointed.
The irony is not lost in the fact
that the officer at the council
responsible for supporting the
decision of these district
councillors is now promoted to
the esteemed position of acting
chief executive!
I was appalled when, at the last
minute and through the back
door, without any consultation,
Option 4 was
introduced.
The council8217s own
planning department
and the people who
elected the
councillors to
represent them have
made it very clear
through surveys,
campaigns,
thousands of letters
and many other
representations that
a dispersement of
new housing throughout the
district is the solution to the
Government housing policy.
Even Essex County Council and
the Government Office for the
East of England cannot
understand the logic of this group
of illogical and irresponsible
councillors continuing to push for
and refusing to back down on
Option 4.
It should be no surprise that a
judicial review has been lodged
in the High Court and the
credibility of certain councillors is
being brought into question.
Even our local MP, Sir Alan
Haselhurst, has made an
unprecedented statement about
the issue and called a meeting of
all parish councils in Uttlesford to
try to broker a solution to the
mess created by his own party
members in the district.
The fact that our MP is now
involved must mean that these
Conservative councillors are
damaging the Conservative
Party. This will also mean that
Conservative votes and party
funding from this wealthy area of
North Essex must be at risk.
A survey by the Herts and
Essex Observer
confirmed that
only a handful of Conservative
members of Uttlesford District
Council have actually taken the
time and effort to visit the site.
The electorate should be
disgusted at this scandal when
we consider that for the last six
months these are the
Conservative councillors who
have been attempting to block-
vote Option 4 through the
council and continue to ignore
all our protests of how ridiculous
it is to have development options
on land the size of Saffron
Walden which can only be
accessed north
through a single
passing railway tunnel
and south by one of
the most notorious
level crossings in the
country, where we
have had fatalities.
The
Observer
must
be congratulated on
all its attempts to
rectify all these
wrongs by a few
8216misguided8217
individuals. However,
it is with much regret that I
understand the latest attempt by
the
Observer
to bring common
sense to light has been snubbed
by these Conservative
councillors.
The
Observer, with the
endorsement of our local MP, had
offered on Tuesday to collect all
44 district councillors from Saffron
Walden and take them on a
guided tour of south Uttlesford.
The intention was to show those
who had not visited the area how
misguided the representations to
support Option 4 really are.
It is probably no surprise to most
of us, but certainly a nail in the
coffin of democratic common
sense and process, that not one
Conservative councillor had the
decency or courtesy to accept
what would have been a most
enlightening and entertaining
educational experience. I believe
many of them think they know
best 8211 well shame on every one
of them!
I wish Sir Alan well at his parish
summit today and may common
sense at last prevail.
John Savident,
Henham.ALL FIELDS: Comedian and Henham resident Ed Byrne explains to Uttlesford district councillors why it8217s so important for
Henham and Elsenham to retain their rural character
Photo: D4QSRDBX 148216Don8217t let all
this disappear8217By
James Burtonburtonj@hertsessexnews.co.uk B
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?Observer
ObserverMP urges compromise at crisis
summit as 4,500-home bid madeA SUMMIT to thrash out a solution
to Uttlesford8217s housing crisis was
taking place today (Thursday).
The convention has been called
by the district8217s Conservative MP,
Sir Alan Haselhurst, after the coun-
cil8217s Tories made a single settle-
ment of3,000 homes between
Henham and Elsenham their 8220pre-
ferred option8221 late last year, caus-
ing a storm ofprotest. In all, the
area must accommodate 4,200 extra
dwellings by 2021.
Since then developers have been
vying to shift the site to other vil-
lages, including Little Dunmow,
Stebbing, Little Easton and Great
Chesterford, pitting parishes
against each other.
Sir Alan, pictured above right, has
invited a representative ofevery
parish to take part in the debate.
So far the response has been over-
whelmingly positive 8211 with just one
outright refusal from Hempstead 8211
and although several ofthe smaller
settlements were still to confirm
attendance, at least 47 parishes will
be represented.
Meanwhile, a developer is prepar-
ing to bulldoze through Uttlesford
District Council delays and present
proposals for 4,500 new homes in
Stebbing next Wednesday (March
19).
This week the beleaguered
authority admitted a recommenda-
tion for its core housing strategy 8211
due on Tuesday 8211 would not now be
ready until at least the end ofthis
year and may even slip into early
2009 after it was overwhelmed by
the response from residents and
developers.
Now, Galliard Homes has submit-
ted a 8216scoping request8217 for a 4,500
home 8216eco-settlement8217 at Boxted
Wood, offthe A120.
Members ofthe development con-
trol committee will consider the
sort ofenvironmental statement
they would require from the com-
pany to support a planning applica-
tion when they meet on Wednesday. NATURAL
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