WELCOME TO FELSTED

Following on from the scoping document issued by Stansted airport and detailed here, the airport is now holding 3 events to explain their expansion plans.

The airport has announced that it now plans to increase passenger numbers to 43 million, rather than 44.5 million, which means that it can achieve its expansion plans within currently approved flight and environmental planning limits and so seek a more local level of approval.

In statements, the airport is claiming to have responded to concerns raised in response to its scoping document.

Brian Ross, deputy chairman of Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) commented as follows: “The airport claims it has listened to the local community but it has done no such thing. Its new proposal is just a cynical ploy to try to reduce the level of objection to its planning application and allow the application to be dealt with locally rather than nationally. This is not a retreat from its original plans. All the airport has done is to remove the 44.5mppa projection for 2029 and only project to 2028, which is 43mppa. If the airport genuinely wanted to give the local community long term certainty, it would give us all an assurance that 43mppa would be the limit of its expansion ambitions for Stansted.”

Stansted airport has also completely ignored the fact that, in 2017, noise complaints have increased by 20 times when compared to those recorded in 2015. This increase in complaints is due to the changes in flight path usage introduced in 2016, which moved flights onto Clacton routes over Felsted Parish. We are still awaiting the results from a CAA review, which was due in May of 2017.

Stansted airport has made no proposals to mitigate the problems caused by these flightpath changes, despite receiving submissions from Parishes calling for the reversal of the changes and asking for the spread of flights across the Noise Preferrential Routes (NPRs), rather than focussing them down on the unlucky.

There are however, some signs that the CAA are taking some notice of the massive increase in noise complaints, so it remains important that we continue to complain about noisy planes using the SSE form here.

Stansted must work with Parishes to reduce the impact of the flightpath changes, before planning for further expansion.

We must make our voices heard at these events.

Event dates

Tuesday 21 November 2017
4pm until 8pm

Radisson Blu Hotel, Waltham Close, Stansted Airport, CM24 1PP
Free parking for this session is available at the hotel, on registering at the event.

Thursday 23 November 2017
4pm until 8pm

St Michael’s Church, 1 Windhill, Bishop’s Stortford, CM23 2ND

Friday 1 December 2017
4pm until 8pm

Talberd Room, Foakes Hall, Stortford Road, Great Dunmow, CM6 1DG

******************************************************************************************

Within the Local Plan processes there are proposals for three new garden communities across North Essex, one of which is known as West of Braintree and potentially straddles the Braintree and Uttlesford district borders, just north of Felsted.

Felsted Parish Council has consistently objected to the principle of this new town. We are concerned about the impact from traffic passing through our Parish from the eventual 50,000+ residents living in the potential 13,000 new homes. We are also highly concerned about the impact on resources and facilities in the area. Water is already at a critically low pressure and our doctors are full.

We also believe that this new consultation is premature, since it is being held before the Local Plans outlining proposals for the new town have been approved.

The ‘Issues and Options Consultation’ starts on Monday 13^th November 2017 and runs until Monday 8^th January 2018.  If you would like to find out more about the proposals for the West of Braintree Garden Community, exhibition events have been organised as follows:

• Exhibitions to support the consultation are being held at the following locations:
  

  Location	Time and Date
  Great Tey Village Hall, Chappel Road, Great Tey, CO6 1JQ	Tuesday 21st November 16.00-20.00
  Colchester Market, High Street, Colchester, CO1 1PJ	Friday 24th November 10.00-14.00
  The Salings Millennium Village Hall, Piccotts Lane, Great Saling, CM7 5DW	Saturday 25th November 10.00-14.00
  Old Friend’s Meeting House, Rosemary Lane, Stebbing, CM6 3RR	Monday 27th November 16.00-20.00
  Coggeshall Village Hall, Stoneham Street, Coggeshall, CO6 1UH	Thursday 30th November 15.00-19.00
  Greenstead Community Centre, Hawthorn Avenue, Colchester, CO4 3QE	Saturday 2nd December 10.00-14.00
  Feering Community Centre, Coggeshall Road, Feering, CO5 9QB	Tuesday 5th December 16.00-20.00
  Braintree Town Hall, Market Square, Braintree, CM7 3YG	Wednesday 6th December 16.00-20.00
  Easthorpe Church Hall, Easthorpe Road, Colchester, CO5 9HD	Thursday 7th December 16.00-20.00
  Rayne Village Hall, 3 Gore Road, Rayne, CM77 6TX	Tuesday 12th December 10.00-14.00
  Market Field School, School Road, Elmstead Market, CO7 7ET	Thursday 14th December 16.00-20.00

   

Comments on the proposals can be made using forms available at the events, or online here.

It does feel like these consultations are never-ending. However, it is important that we do not give up and let these consultations and proposals pass us by, even if we just repeat concerns already submitted, as we have little confidence that concerns submitted as part of previous consultations will be taken forward and considered.

The impact on Felsted from this new town will be massive and we must all make our opinions known.

******************************************************************************************

John Drury has written a new book ‘Felsted snippets, the best bits of Felsted’s history’ .

It is a wonderful addition to John’s series of books looking at the history of Felsted and would make a great stocking filler for Christmas.

It is available for just £5 plus postage, direct from John on 01371 820444, or email moc.tenretnitbobfsctd-33834c@444dej .

John’s previous book ‘Bygone Felsted’ is also still available for £8 plus £2 p&p, with a discount if you buy both books.

.