Objection to the development of 1280 new apartments and accompanying structures  proposed in Redbridge planning application Ref 4309/19

Redbridge Council Planning Reference 4309/19 - Tesco Goodmayes Development: circa 1,280 residential units and additional structures

In 2017 Redbridge council proposed the Tesco Goodmayes site as one that could potentially have 449 homes (see page 56 of this document). The proposal that stands today is for approximately three times this (1280 homes). Planning application 4309/19 has been made and we must make our objections to developing on this land felt.

Reasons for objecting:

• Over population - An addition of 1280 apartments will mean at least 3000 more people living in an already densely populated area. We have seen many new flats built above the shops on Goodmayes Road and the surrounding areas already. Is there a need to keep building flats in the same area?
• Traffic - There is already lots of traffic during peak hours. The council has indicated previously that there is not much more that can be done to improve flow of the traffic. Adding such a large number of dwellings is not going to make this better.
• Noise - There is already noise from the main roads in the area due to the volume of traffic. Increased traffic and footfall can only make this worse.
• Pollution - The local people have a small park they can use. The expectation is that pollution will increase due to more cars on the road especially if traffic isn't moving. It is unlikely this is going to be a place where people will want to assemble if it is surrounded by even more vehicles.
• Recreational Facilities - Barley Lane park is already very busy at the peak of the Summer and is not able to provide for thousands more individuals.
• Health Facilities - With health facilities closing and local GP's being stretched there is a danger of healthcare being further stretched. It would be even more critical not to close King Georges hospital and to expand the services provided.
• Privacy - Residents do not want to loose privacy by being overlooked by high rise flats.
• Pests - Building such a high volume of flats will require constant checks to make sure residents are not attracting mice/rats etc to the area.
• Crime - There is already a very bad drug, prostitution, burglary, gang and car crime problem in the area. Flats will only serve to give these criminals another place to ply their trades. Councillors have been trying to close down as many avenues for these sorts of activities but the flats will provide new opportunities for any unsavoury characters.
• General Well-being of the Residents - Most residents have lived here a long time and moved to the area for its strong sense of community and quiet surroundings. Doubling the number of people that live locally will potentially damage the very things that attracted the residents here in the first place.