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Why shouldn't Hertfordshire accept its fair
share of new housebuilding?
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Hertfordshire is
already the most densely populated county in the East of England. After
historically high building rates over the last 20 years, it now has a
population density of 633 people per square kilometre compared to 464 people
per square kilometre for Essex, slightly ahead of Bedfordshire at 454; all
three well ahead of the remaining three counties in the East of England.
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Herts County
Council has accepted the need for and identified areas for 72,000 additional
houses without encroaching onto the
Gilston estate. This already represents an additional 44 dwellings
per square kilometre, equal to Bedfordshire and compared to an allocation of
only 36 dwellings per square kilometre for Essex, 26 for Cambridgeshire and
less than 20 for Norfolk and Suffolk.
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Aren't
most pension funds in difficulty currently because of falls in the stock market?
Presumably the BP Pension Fund needs to make good any deficit.
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At
the beginning of 2003 the BP Pension Fund was - like many others -
underfunded. However BP made huge profits in 2003 due to increasing
oil prices and 'topped up' the fund by £2.5 billion to make good
the shortfall.
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BP
is almost unique among major multinationals in continuing to offer a Defined
Benefits Pension (ie guaranteed, final salary-related income) to its
employees. Good for them; not so good for everyone that has to pay the
price.
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Why
haven’t I heard of Ropemaker Properties Limited as a house building company
before?
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They are not a
house building company. They are the property nominees of the BP Pension Fund.
Their interest is in seeing the value of their land greatly increased if a
housing allocation was granted .
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Ropemaker
Properties Limited are unlikely to build anything themselves, throwing into
serious doubt any guarantees they appear to be making about the design of
Harlow North including the proportion of affordable and/or rented housing.
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What
is the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, and why is it involved?
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"The
Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment is an educational charity
established by The Prince of Wales to teach and demonstrate in practice
those principles of traditional urban design and architecture which put
people and the communities
of which they are part at the centre of the design process."
(Website of The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment)
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They were
contracted by Ropemaker Properties Limited to run the Enquiry by Design in
Feb 2004.
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Does
that mean to say the Prince of Wales supports these proposals?
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“The Prince of
Wales has certainly considered the matter” (Sir Michael Peat, Private
Secretary to HRH The Prince of Wales 18th May 2004.)
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Who
will decide whether Harlow North should go ahead?
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The East of
England Regional Assembly will vote on a draft Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS)
on Nov 5th 2004
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After public
consultation this winter there will be an Enquiry in Public next autumn
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An
Inspector,
appointed by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), will review the
proposals and comments and submit a report to the ODPM.
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The ODPM will
make the final decision on whether to accept the Inspector's report on the
RSS.
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Your local
councils may get to decide which way the houses will face.
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What
is the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA)?
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A body
comprising
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54 local
government members representing individual councils
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16 further
appointed representatives of political groups 'to achieve balance'
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30
‘community stakeholders’ representing social, economic and
environmental interests (e.g. One member from the National Housing
Federation)
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It is therefore
unelected, unrepresentative of and unaccountable to the people it purports
to serve.
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Are
there plans to upgrade the railway station and lines at Harlow to accommodate
the number of people who will want to travel?
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None that have
been made public.
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Has there been an independent Landscape
Character Assessment of the area and, if so, what were it conclusions?
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Yes, it can be seen here
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http://enquire.hertscc.gov.uk/landscsh/Areas/area83.htm#summary
http://enquire.hertscc.gov.uk/landscsh/Areas/area82.htm#summary
http://enquire.hertscc.gov.uk/landscsh/Areas/area81.htm#summary
Its
key recommendations are to:
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Resist any development within or adjacent to the
floodplain which could damage the ecological interest of the river
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Ensure that proposed development is only permitted
where it will enhance local landscape character
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Encourage the planting of new woodland around existing,
to protect them, increase the scale of woodland in this area and improve
ecological diversity
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Resist any further proposals for mineral extraction in
this area which might affect the local water table or permanently damage
the local landscape character or high ecological value
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Any artefacts relating to WWII use of the airfield they
should be retained and restored.
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Near-constant noise from planes in and out of Stansted
also reduces tranquillity generally.
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