Despite the freezing cold, Stebbing Parish councillors Sandi Merifield, Christina Cant, Jackie Kingdom, Brian Martin and I went on a tour of the planned West of Braintree development. We also inspected the damaged road by Stebbing culvert where delays to a minor repair have caused the problem to get much worse and much more expensive to fix. A similar situation to what occurred at Cock Lane in Clavering and another long-running issue which I will be bringing up with the Highways Agency.
What was clear from speaking with councillors was the real need for key infrastructure like public transport to be delivered, alongside safeguarding local treasures like the ancient woodland around Stebbing Green. This follows on previous discussions about the Easton Park developments. I will be using these examples to inform the next National Planning Policy Framework consultation. It is clear that residents all over the constituency are unhappy with current planning law. I firmly believe that we need to build more houses but it is absolutely critical that required infrastructure comes with the housing being built all over our community and is not considered as an afterthought.
