Greenfields Community Housing at Capel Close

The homes being built by Greenfields Community Housing at Capel Close are nearing completion. It was agreed that priority be given to local people for the first lettings of the new homes and a copy of the lettings scheme operating for new Greenfields homes in Rayne is below. The homes are likely to be advertised within the next month.
The principle behind the lettings scheme is that it gives a priority to people who have a housing need and a connection to the village before consideration is given to any applicants from elsewhere. The process is advertised HERE

The Gravel Pit at Broadfield Farm

The list is published and Rayne is on it. Unfortunately this is not the list of invites to a high society banquet or the guest list to a star studded night club, but the list of sites to be turned into a gravel pit. The official document can be found HERE and we have just a few weeks to send in our objections. It is possible if you register with the web site to enter your objections directly while reading the document or you can email your objections to mineralsandwastepolicy@essex.gov.uk . The document is not easy reading but please be do try, also objections need to be written in a way where they object to the way the conclusions in the document were reached not about the conclusions themselves.
A pdf version of the document is HERE Contact at Essex County Council: Rebecca Rushmer in the Minerals Planning Team: 01245 437523 email: rebecca-rushmer@essex.gov.uk for the availability of documents off-line.
A CD of all documents including the main document and summary is available at the Rayne CIP office printed copies of summary and main document and CD of all documentsare available at the Braintree library and Braintree Council Offices the CD can also be viewed at these locations They can also be view by appointment at County Hall: contact Rebecca Rushmer (details as above)

NB Deadline for comments Thursday (5pm) 28th February.

Every comment on the document does help so please persevere and enter your comments. If you need help filling in the comments please contact me on simtib@gmail.com

Here are some suggestions on things you may like to comment about

Fairness and Soundness Issues

1. The MLP is lengthy, technical and complex and is beyond the funding means and expertise of a small rural Parish Council to review adequately on behalf of residents. - fairness

2. The process to deliver the MLP has not been followed as prescribed - relation to legal framework and dependent plans - soundness.

3. The plan requirement for aggregates is overstated - soundness.

4. The effect of the overstatement of requirement is to allow two new large sites to be included in preferred site list - both of these proposed by Lafarge whose presence in Essex would otherwise diminish greatly. - soundness.

5. There are inconsistencies against selection criteria in choosing which of the non red flag sites are put forward into the preferred site list.

6. There is insufficient weighting to the local social impact - Rayne Village is outside of the 250m zone and is not mentioned in any of the assessment criteria nor is the proximity of Rayne Primary School - soundness.

7. The western weighting which was considered unfair and was withdrawn has been continued in effect by the recent inclusion of another category covering Transport Policy - fairness.

8. There is a continuing bias to locating sites in Braintree District following many years of extraction activity in the district and despite acknowledgement of the need to move extraction to other districts - fairness.

9. The restoration of the Broadfields site is not adequately addressed - there is some confusion about whether the site is in the Stansted Safeguard Zone and therefore whether water restoration is allowable - soundness.



General Issues ( more relevant to Planning Approval Stage )

P1. Dust and air pollution

P2. Traffic controls - times of day and routes

P3. Days and Times of operation of site

P4. Screening

P5. Hydrology

P6. Sensitive Sites - local woodlands

P7. Restoration commitments

P8. Noise levels

Gravel Pit at Broadfields Farm

An extraordinary meeting of Rayne Paris Council is being held on Monday 21 January 2013 in the Old School Room Shalford Road. To determine the action to be taken by the council in engaging with proposed ECC Minerals Replacement Local Plan. The Agenda for the meeting is available HERE

CAN'T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE TREES

As part of the plans for Oak Meadow Braintree District Council undertook a tree survey and decided to impose tree preservation orders on a number of individual trees. However, a number of the most significant trees were missed out, and were subsequently added after representations from the Parish Council.
Also included in the Tree Preservation Orders were the group of three large poplars near the main road on the boundary between the playing field and Oak Meadow. This became a matter of concern to the PC as one of the other nearby poplars had shed a large limb without warning last summer. It then underwent a severe crown reduction, to make it safe and the result is rather unsightly.

The other three poplars had all shed limbs due to over maturity and it became clear that these trees were also posing a danger to the public. It was agreed that to make them safe these trees would also require severe crown reduction. However, as a result the remaining lower parts of the trees would be very unsightly and the crown reductions would be an ongoing considerable expense in the near future. After much deliberation it was decided that felling the trees and replacing them with more suitable trees for an amenity space was the only way forward and the Parish Council therefore made an application to have the Tree Preservation Orders removed from these three trees.

A formal tree survey of all the trees on Oak Meadow and the playing field were then carried out, to the relevant British standard and at no cost to the council, this concluded that urgent works be undertaken to the poplar trees as a matter of health and safety.

However, at the relevant Braintree District Council planning committee, the councils tree officer stated that in his opinion the trees were not dangerous and the application was refused.
In the intervening period a number of other limbs, one over 14 metres long have fallen from the trees. The village groundsmen have erected a high visibility fence around the trees to try and deter the public from straying into the danger area.

After further unsuccessful representations to Braintree District Council, the Parish Council agreed to obtain quotes from three Arboricultural consultants for a further independent survey, which are likely to cost a considerable sum.
When this has been completed the PC will again apply to Braintree District Council to carry out the recommendations of that report.

In the meantime residents are advised to keep well clear of the trees and the immediate area. Please contact the clerk if you would like to make a representation.