REDBRIDGE: 'Ludicrous' housing plans slammed by residents

8:32am Tuesday 18th November 2008

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WORRIED residents have dubbed plans to build more homes in Redbridge “ludicrous” saying Wanstead and Woodford is already filled to bursting point.

New London Mayor Boris Johnson has asked for 2,715 more homes over the next three years in the borough with 55 per cent designated affordable housing - substantially more than even Ken Livingstone’s unpopular London Plan.

Businesswoman Joy Debenham-Burton, of Fullers Avenue, South Woodford, protested against Higgins Homes’ Roof Terrace development which is directly behind her house.

She said: “I think we are so over-developed and very little attention is paid to the impact on residents. It’s ludicrous as there’s no consideration of infrastructure as there’s not enough doctors, parking and terrible traffic problems.

“The Higgins development has been hell from start to finish and we have had two years of horrendous noise and disruption.

“They can’t just keep on building and building as South Woodford is filled to capacity. The Queen Mary Gate site is like putting a town in the borough.”

A total of 13 per cent of Redbridge’s 13,900 acres are designated green space with 1,200 acres of forest and 600 acres of parks - with 13 conservation areas.

Counties Estate Residents Association (CRA) chairwoman Helen Zammett said it was important for planning control to remain with the local authority.

She added: “The CRA is not against affordable housing itself but it’s just a matter of how it is arranged. It’s been the case in the past that the Government itself have taken it upon themselves to approve certain schemes.

“It happened with Chepstow House that Redbridge planning department was against the demolition but it was passed at the Planning Inspector and now it’s gone.”

Cabinet member for planning and regeneration, Cllr Peter Goody, warned of testing times ahead.

He said: “I would suggest a certain amount of caution before too much euphoria as the Mayor is reporting to each London borough and the amount that Redbridge is being asked to provide is up on the previous London Plan.

“So it’s not all plain sailing and let’s not run away with the idea that we will be let off with a lower target.”

Mayor Johnson said: “The current policy of imposing an inflexible London wide target clearly does not work and in these exceptionally tough times it is imperative that we make the right investments now to provide the homes that Londoners need.

“Make no mistake - I want all the boroughs to make their fair contribution towards achieving our goal. But I believe that this can only happen by working with them so that we take account of individual circumstances and agree together what can sensibly be delivered.”