High Leigh Hoddesdon News - High Leigh Garden Village News

Broxbourne Borough Council Give Green Light to Remove and Destroy ‘Protected’ Trees

Updated 20th January 2021: https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/news/campaign-group-outraged-after-trees-in-a-protected-area-lopped-cut-down-destroyed-or-otherwise-damaged/

Many of the trees along Bramble Lane (just off Lord Street) are meant to be protected by a Tree Preservation Order, this was implemented shortly before the approval of the outline planning permission for High Leigh Garden Village. Its intent was simply to protect trees around the construction site, yet it has failed awfully as Broxbourne Borough Council seem eager to ignore it.

Instead our appalling Council, Broxbourne Borough Council, have allowed multiple ‘protected’ trees to be killed and removed. This is absolutely awful behaviour from our profit first Council.

We are meant to be working towards preserving nature, increasing biodiversity and fixing climate change – clearly Broxbourne Borough Council have other plans in mind.

Update 16/01/2021: Broxbourne Borough Council are urgently investigating the matter, it is currently believed that they did not give permission to remove all the trees that the developers have removed.

‘Protected’ Trees in and around area G7 of TPO

A sad state of affairs for these ‘protected trees’ Shame on Broxbourne Council. Section G7 of the TPO and nearby.

After in and around G7 area, habitats, bushes, plants and trees all destroyed

Workers Obscure Lord Street with their Vans and Cars

The workers have decided to block Lord Street with their cars and vans!

They have parked vehicles along Lord Street, blocking pedestrian access, especially for walkers, wheelchairs and pushchairs. Completely unacceptable! But is it surprising?

People, dogs and children will now walk in the road. This is dangerous and a health and safety issue.

Lackluster reserved matters approved with conditions for EV charging and further discussions

Councillors and planning officers hinted at the possibility of deferring or refusal but decided to approve the application with conditions on Electrical Vehicle charging and further discussions on the sustainability of the site with the developers, including ground source heating. The development is already delayed and it does not seem that the planning officers or the councillors were interested in delaying or deferring it any further.

The meeting between council officers, councillors and others took place on the 8th September 2020 live streamed on Microsoft teams. You can re-watch the video here from approximately 1:22:00 onward.

Hertfordshire County Council push for Public Rights of Way to be protected (condition 44)

Hertfordshire County Council have not recommended the approval of the reserved matters at this stage due to insufficient evidence to protect the Public Rights of Way.

Condition 44 – original planning permission

After the Bramble Lane fiasco with the unplanned fencing, It’s good to see the local authority requiring the Public Rights of Way in and around this development to be adequately protected.

Reserved Matters requests discharge of condition 33, shows where fencing is to be installed and to what specification – all ignored in recent fencing installation

What we know so far about this new fence

The fencing was installed without permission and without a condition 33 discharge, since this was likely being sort in the reserved matters.
The fencing is not installed to the standard listed in the reserved matters document.
The fencing is not installed in the location listed in the reserved matters document. It is installed right next to the trees on the other side.
Part of Bramble lane is incorporated in the development, and does not make up part of the boundary.
The trees may be unfairly impacted, as stated in the planning document “the impact of the above can take years to show”.
The document lists out reasons that Tree protection fencing should be used.
If this new fence is temporary, removing it again in a few years may cause further damage to the trees and roots.
We can’t locate reference to this fencing they have installed in any of the documents and it is not shown on the plans.

Beautiful Protected Tree Fell and Removed on Bramble Lane, Soon After Installation of Fencing For High Leigh Garden Village

A tree on Bramble Lane fell after the construction works were carried out adjacent to it for the installation of fencing for High Leigh Garden Village, a post was dug directly next to the tree potentially damaging it. Broxbourne Borough Council will not peruse the matter as they don’t believe the fencing has caused any damage and likely wish to protect the developers interests. We now have a fallen tree, fencing installed next to trees and their root systems and cement overflowing some of the posts of the newly installed fencing. All of this occurred inside a Tree Preservation Order, which is meant to protect the trees but the council will not uphold the trees legal protections.

Fencing installed on Bramble Lane, but does it comply with the Tree Preservation Order?

What happened?

Fencing was installed earlier this year on Bramble Lane in relation to High Leigh Garden Village. Bramble Lane has a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), which is in place to protect the trees. Some of the fencing was installed in very close proximity to the trees on bramble lane, in some cases they are are less than 15cm from the base of the trees and with cement overlapping the roots of some trees. This does not seems acceptable for a TPO, normally fencing is installed some distance away and not dug into the ground like it has been.

Fourth Time Lucky? Dinant Link Road Roundabout

Unsurprisingly the works on the Dinant Link road roundabout have failed once again.

Residents now face multiple weekends of works and temporary traffic lights, in April and March on the Dinant Link roundabout which is the major connection to the A10 from Hoddesdon. Have we not endured enough inconvenience from this roundabout?

The incompetence of the developers never fails to amaze us!

Residents have already faced multiple attempts to rectify the failed roundabout. The developers continue to fail to get it right.

The works will likely breach the planning permission again, cause inconvenience to residents and may not even succeed based on how poor the development of this roundabout has been so far.

Please share this with residents and your friends which may be affected by the works.

Please send your complaints objecting these works to:
Hertfordshire County Council: [email protected]
and
Broxbourne Borough Council: [email protected]

High Leigh Garden Village Phase 2

High Leigh Garden Village phase 2 application has been submitted.

You have until the 18th February 2020 to send your comments regarding phase 2 of the development to [email protected]

You can find the new reserved matters documents on the planning portal.

Planning reference: 07/13/0899/O
Reserved matters reference (new reserved matters documents can be found here): 07/20/0046/RM

Search the references on the Broxbourne planning portal:

Click here to go to the planning portal

Latest Information on High Leigh Garden Village

In response to questions 1, 4 and 5, the information that the Council holds on those with an interest in High Leigh is taken from the 2015 section 106 agreement on which the following names appear:

Mr D E Brock-Jest
Mr A C Spicer and Mr F T O’Connell (administrators for Hubert C Leach (High Leigh) Ltd Hubert C Leach (High Leigh) Ltd The Directors Empire LIH Limited Mr R A N Jest Mr T B Perkins
It is known to the Council that LIH has taken possession of the interests of Hubert C Leach (High Leigh) Ltd and it is understood that this company has no remaining interest.

The Council has met with the prospective developer of the majority of the High Leigh site and it is understood that LIH will publicise the identity of that developer shortly. However, at the present time that information is confidential.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/latest_update_on_high_leigh_gard

Emails between Broxbourne Borough Council and Lands Improvement Holdings

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