Tory New Town - Latest News

8.43.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 25th Oct 2007

Uttlesford Liberal Democrats are opposing Conservative plans for a new town between Elsenham and Henham.

The agenda for the next meeting of Uttlesford's environment committee on 30th October at 7.30 p.m. has been issued with only the same reports that were available at the September 4th meeting at which Option 4 unexpectedly appeared.

The motion to rescind the September decision is supported by no additional information about any potential new settlements. In view of this information vacuum, Cllr Catherine Dean, Member for Elsenham and Henham, has submitted the following questions to Cllr Susan Barker, Chair of the Environment Committee and to planning officers John Mitchell and Roger Harborough, with a request that written answers are published in advance of next Tuesday's meeting.

• How will this settlement "work" in terms of access and employment? What would be the minimum new road and rail infrastructure required? Where would residents work?

• How will it relate to the existing settlements of Elsenham and Henham?

• What is meant by an eco-settlement in this context?

• What reasons are there for choosing Elsenham rather than a new settlement elsewhere in the district?

• Why have other sites for new settlements been discounted?

• How can this decision be reconciled with Roger Harborough's statement at the South West Area panel meeting in July that "if Uttlesford decided upon a single development in the District then 10,000 houses would be needed in order to make it a sustainable development"?

• What will make Elsenham a sustainable community?

• How does the acceptance of a new settlement in Uttlesford change the Region's view of the district as an area for further potential growth?

• If the decision proceeds as agreed on 4 September, what risks are there that the Council's core strategy will be considered unsound?