MP urges Redbridge Council not to leave Marks Gate neighbours ‘in the dark’ over green belt building work

Labour MP Jon Cruddas wrote to Redbridge Council to raise neighbours' concerns. Picture: Houses of Parliament/Office of Jon Cruddas (Image: Archant)

Jon Cruddas wrote to the authority’s housing chief after people in Coral Close and Uplands Road in Marks Gate raised concerns over a series of issues during work in nearby Billet Road, Aldborough Hatch.

Neighbours report feeling frustrated by noise, congested roads, dirty air and the impact on the natural environment of work in the area.

Out of hours working, the use of floodlighting at night and pest control problems resulting from ground disturbance are also of concern.

Mr Cruddas said it is vital that with any project, the community is brought along with the process and on this occasion it seemed people had been “left in the dark”.

Aldborough Hatch Defence Association campaigners insisted in 2017 that the land around Billet Road meets national criteria to qualify as green belt and should be protected from developers. Picture: AHDA (Image: Archant)

He said: “I raised all of the concerns residents have shared with me and will stay on this until we get a satisfactory outcome.

“I plan to liaise with the council and developers to ensure that proper mitigation is put in place so that this has as little negative impact on the surrounding roads as possible,” Mr Cruddas said.

In the letter, Mr Cruddas quotes the draft London plan which stipulates that green belt land should not be built on unless under exceptional circumstances.

A Redbridge Council spokesperson explained that a landowner had been carrying out fencing and general ground works – the majority of which were permitted under existing planning rules. This has been the subject of planning enforcement activity, in which we closed the works down and regularised the hours of operation.

Hundreds of homes could be built on fields south of Billet Road, according to Redbridge Council's local plan. Picture: Google Satellite (Image: Archant)

“All other environmental matters will be considered thoroughly, if and when any proposals progress,” he added.

The council is aware of neighbours’ concerns.

“It is important to stress that while the Billet Road site has been identified for development in Redbridge’s local plan, there are no formal development proposals for this site.

“There is also no active planning application currently under consideration. We have stressed this point to residents on several occasions to try and ease their concerns. When any proposals are presented, we will encourage any potential developer to engage fully with people,” he said.