Highwood Hospital - the fight continues

With the controversial Highwood Hospital site plans being approved by Tory and Labour members of Brentwood Council, Liberal Democrat councillors in Brentwood North are continuing their fight to get the best deal possible for the area.

Liberal Democrats have asked for the Council to take enforcement action regarding work that has started on the site before the section 106 agreement, due to contain measures outlining hours of operation for the site and protection for the local area, has been signed by Brentwood Council and Bellway Homes. An enforcement case has been opened accordingly by Brentwood Council.

As a result of continued complaints received from residents, they have also asked for road sweepers to regularly clean Costead Manor Road and the Cleves Avenue Estate, and are asking for on site wheel washing facilities to deal with the mud and mess that is currently sitting on the roads as well as continuing to impress on Council officers our desire for the boundary wall between houses on Ongar Road and the site to be retained to provide some form of screening from the approved plans - plans which have broken Brentwood Council's own planning policies due to their proximity to existing houses.

Cllr Ross Carter said:

"It is a shame that now the plans are approved, many of our concerns regarding the operation of the site are coming to fruition. It is absolutely essential that the local area is given due consideration during construction and my colleagues and I will fight for this at every opportunity".

In October, Conservative and Labour councillors failed to respond to the many concerns raised by residents in the area and voted for the plans, with Liberal Democrat councillors on the planning committee(Cllr Ross Carter and Cllr Karen Chilvers) voting against in an effort to get the development absolutely right at the outset.